Chapter 11 - End of Vampire-Lycan War (Patreon)

"Codex: Federal Dogma of Excellence

World Government Federation of Terra respects strength and skill above all things, and the only way to remain strong is to be constantly tested. They relish the opportunity to compete with one another, since to not be challenged is to grow weak, and even those at the peak of power must always seek new ways to challenge themselves...

Or they will not remain in power for long. It is not just physical or martial strength that Imperials admire - those who demonstrate expertise in politics, craftsmanship, trade, and Magic all help to create a stronger Federation.

Anyone can prosper in the World Government Federation of Terra, no matter their background, so long as they have the strength of will and the drive to succeed. The World Government's Aristocracy, the Celestial Dragons, represent the ultimate power and aristocracy of Terra.

Contrary to the traditional nobility, the members of the Celestial Dragon Families are the best of the best, often tasked with the most essential duties, and they were the first to lead the charge on the battlefield or fight against the powerful foes of the Empire.

Though this isn't limited just ot the Celestial Dragon Families, but also to all noble houses across the entire Terra under the jurisdiction of the World Government Federation of Terra.

As the World Government Federation of Terra expanded and assimilated the other worlds and expanded their territory. World Government Federation of Terra defeated the neighboring cultures and cities. It offers the conquered people a choice: swear loyalty to the Empty Throne and be judged solely on your worth, or be destroyed. 

This is not subterfuge or any kind of ruse; the Federals are as good as their word, and many who have embraced their conqueror's way of life find their prospects greatly improved.

But those who refuse to bend the knee are crushed without mercy.

Whether a city is taken by force or willingly swears fealty to the Federation, its Warmasons immediately set to work in stamping the Federal authority upon the newly acquired territory.

Gateways of dark stone quarried from the mountains surrounding the capital are raised on every road leading to the city. Known throughout Terra as World Gates, these towering structures leave approaching travelers in no doubt as to who holds the reins of power.

Every city conquered has an assigned Steward to govern and uphold Federal Law and authority. 

The newly assimilated territories are brought to the standards of the World Government Federation of Terra, and generally speaking, the ones who are benefiting most from the changes of the regime are typically commoners and talented people who could rise to higher social status through the Federal Dogma of Excellence.

The changes and conquest of the new territories and implementing the Government's Laws and Rules are usually a task of the Congregation. The conquest itself is managed by the Department of Sealing Designation Enforcers in coordination with the Federal Military under the oversight of the Five Elders.

The general assimilation is then being carried out by the Federal Civil Ministry in cooperation with the Congregation's Department of Policies and the Department of Internal Affairs. Usually, the assimilation process is carried out swiftly and without much resistance, which is also greatly attributed to the fact that most of the rebellious elements are always exterminated with extreme prejudice during the conquest.

The Dogma of the Federal Excellence has proved to be the method through which the World Government of Terra assimilated several new territories that emerged after several waves of the World Merge when Terra assimilated other worlds into itself."

- Dogma of the Federal Excellence

***

Hungary, Budapest, Ördögház, Some Time Later

The death of Viktor brought a lot of shock and a weird atmosphere to the Ördögház. In the end, despite everything, Viktor was still a Special-Class Vampire and Vampire Elder that was over one thousand years old.

The fact that someone like that had fallen was shocking news to the Vampires of the Old World Coven. Nobody among the Vampire Aristocrats across the Old World Coven, but not limited just to it, but also across the entire Vampire Race, predicted that Viktor would be really killed.

Most actually thought that the worst that could happen to Viktor would be imprisonment in the Millennium Castle Corvinus, not the execution that came like lightning from the clear sky, and now everybody is covering in fear.

Especially because the one who made a move and killed the Vampire Elder was the Director of the Jujutsu Association.

Shirou Amakusa Tokisada.

Old monster, older than one and a half thousand years, who reached the unprecedented level of power that was almost rivalling those beings in the myths and legends. The power of the Jujutsu Marshall was considered to be standing at the zenith of the world, and he was one of the very few people who reached that level of power.

The death of the Vampire Elder was, in fact, a far bigger thing than Shirou could have imagined, because many had even forgotten the last time when someone of such stature fell and was killed.

Right now, most of the Vampire Nobles were deeply disturbed, especially those who had dealings with Viktor, which was a lot of them. In the end, Viktor was a more than one thousand years old Vampire; his network of subordinates, associates, and connections was incredibly vast.

It wasn't something that could be easily imagined, considering his reality long ago and the number of people who were working for him, with him, or on his behalf. Among the Vampire Race, there were many Vampire Nobles and Aristocrats among all of the Vampire Covens that had some relationship with Viktor.

Unbeknownst to them, they were not aware that their time was slowly running out.

When Shirou returned to the Ördögház, he immediately contacted Markus and Amelia to convene a private meeting with the two of them, because of the topic he wanted to discuss with them.

The presence of Demons on Terra.

The fact that Viktor was conchorting with the Demons.

Something that breached practically every single taboo in the Moonlit Side of the World that existed here. 

When Shirou mentioned the word "Demon", even Markus, who was right now in the Millennium Castle Corvinus, returned almost instantaneously through the portkey to the Ördögház, because this was a very serious thing.

Since ancient times, there was an unspoken consensus between the various factions across the Moonlit Side of the World to destroy everything related to the Demons and kill them the moment they appeared in the Material Plane.

At the same time, anyone who was in cahoots with the Demons, entered into the Demonic Contract, Summoned Demons into the Material Plane, or caused Demonic Incursion into the Terra, was to be executed on the spot.

No judgment, no explanations... nothing.

Only execution.

As simple as it could get.

Thus, even Markus, who was dealing with the same matters in the Ancestral Seat of the Vampire Race, rushed back to the Ördögház to attend the meeting.

Now Shirou met with the two Vampire Elders of the Vampire Race within the secured meeting room in the Ördögház as they discussed some more sensitive topics. The fact that Viktor had entered into a contract with the Demons was something that deeply disturbed the two Vampire Elders.

And Shirou was sure that the other Vampire Elders would be equally disturbed by the fact that one of them was having dealings with the Demons.

"We need to search through all Covens and discover all Victor's associated, allies, and underlings and see if they have any deals with the Demons. If yes, then kill them on the spot."

Markus was barely holding up his rage as he said that, because this was pushing the situation with Viktor on an entirely different scale. The threat of the Demons was something that wasn't limited to the Vampires.

He understood very well that if someone powerful like a Vampire Elder got corrupted by the Demons and became their servant, the damage that he could do to the Terra could easily reach an unimaginable degree.

In the history of the Moonlit Side of the World, the number of the Special-Class beings that were working together with the Demons could be counted on one hand. The number from them that got corrupted by the Demons was even less; there were only two or three cases recorded in history.

And all of them created huge problems and doom.

The doom of Atlantis was the testament of that.

"Searchiíng throiuhg the Major Covens and Minor Covens would take a really long time, and we don't have the necessary manpower for such an endeavor for the time being."

Markus stated that because the Vampire Race was huge... at least compared to the Jujutu Sorcerers that numbered in thousands, the Vampires were at least in the numbers above one hundred thousand.

And this was just the known number of the Vampires that were living in the various Major Covens and Minor Covens, not including the ones that were living in seclusion, buried in their coffins, and slumbering in a very deep slumber.

The real numbers could be even higher.

The Vampire Race had six Major Covens.

Old World Coven was located in Hungary, New World Coven was located in New York City, United States, Nordic Coven was located in the Nordic Mountains, Siberian Coven was located in the depths of Siberia, Huxian Coven was in the Chinese Mainland, and Arabian Coven was in the Arabian Peninsula.

Then, below the Major Covens were Minor Covens. The Minor Cvoens could be created even by a few tens of Vampires, and their number was too spread, and they existed in basically every bigger city across the world.

All Minor Covens were subordinated to their closest regional Major Coven.

"We could release the manpower from the Millennium Castle and mobilize the Blood Guard to help the local Death Dealers in identifying the people that are related to Viktor and perhaps in cahoots with the Demons. If the situation is not under control, then perhaps we could ask some of our allies for help, don't you think Shirou?"

As Amelia flashed him a smile, he slowly nodded because the Jujutsu Association could afford to send a few people to help the Vampires to clean out their garden, though he doubted that it would be necessary.

If the Blood Guard is mobilized for this purpose, then it would be done rather quickly and without much pain or danger.

The Blood Guard was the most elite military unit of the Vampire Council that was tasked with guarding the premises of the Millennium Castle Corvinus and the Vampire Councillors, and also with other important tasks assigned by the Vampire Primogenitor.

Markus was the only one who could command the Vampire Guard, and they were the sharpest sword and strongest shield of the entire Council. For most of the time, the Blood Guard remained within the Millennium Castle Corvinus and did their guardian duty towards the Ancestral Seat of the Vampire Race.

"Well, if we mobilize the Blood Guard, then we can solve the manpower shortage among the Death Dealers and deal with the potentially traitorous elements within the Vampire Race."

The main reason behind the manpower shortage was that Markus and Amelia predicted that even some members of the Death Dealers among the various convens would be compromised, and perhaps they were working with Viktor or with the Demons.

In the end, there were only so many people who could completely resist the temptations of the Demons, and one had to admit that the Demons were very good at tempting people to obtain their services and do their bidding.

"We need to address this situation very seriously. This is the first time in the past two thousand years that a Special-Class being has not only been entered into the contract with the Demons, but also been corrupted by them... the situation is grave, and for that I am proposing that you inform the other major species and faction leaders of this development. It is highly possible that due to Viktor's influence, we could have some Demons running through Terra and silently wreaking havoc."

Shirou's words made Markus cringe, and even Amelia looked rather grim, because the last thing that the two of them wanted was to release the news about Viktor to the world. The fact that one of their strongest Elders not only got into the Demonic Contract but also got corrupted was a deeply humiliating matter.

And now they needed to inform the other major faction leaders about this?

For the prideful Vampires, this was undoubtedly a thing that they found rahter hard to swallow.

But...

On the other hand, there wasn't much choice.

Shirou already knew about it.

Both Markus and Amelia knew that with his personality, he would certainly pass this kind of information to other people whom he considered trustworthy, which would help him safeguard the world and hunt down the rogue Demons.

If Viktor summoned some Demons into the Terra, then it would be considered the worst-case scenario. Though everything depended on the strength of the Demons that were here, if it were just some minions, then it wouldn't be really that problematic, as they could be dealt with by anyone who knew how to fight. 

Technically.

Any proper 3rd-Class being could take care of the Demon minions in a fight.

Though...

If Viktor summoned something stronger, then it would be much more problematic.

Even though the Demons were a chaotic race that cared only about destruction, they were not stupid and without rationale. That was an assumption that wasn't true, because Demons could be exceptionally cunning and treacherous if they wished to be.

"Whom are you proposing to contact?"

After some time of deliberations, Markus asked quietly.

"Not many... just send the word to Regents of the Major Covens and Leaders of the Minor Covens for starters, and inform Muzaka. Then we can contact the Barthomeloi Family, the Addams Family, the Figarland Family, the Fraga McRemitz Clan, the Blacks, and the Rothschilds. I will also send a message to the Principal Clans to be on standby for the Demon threat."

Shirou didn't have many people whom he named, as he only named those whom he deemed to be trustworthy enough based on his previous personal interaction with them, and the ones that he named were certainly trustworthy enough.

He knew the Addams Family members hunted the Demons for the sport, because, well, they were suicidal maniacs who viewed the encounter with Demons as a fascinating thing and a Death Duel with one as a lovely afternoon.

Figarland Family was something akin to an enforcer within the world of Psyker, with their obsession with rules and laws. With them on the board, it would bring powerful powerhouses on their side in the case of the Demon incident.

"That could be manageable... hopefully we won't find any Demons and this entire thing was just our own paranoia."

Markus really hoped that Viktor didn't summon some Demons to the Terra, because if so, it would be a terrifying hit to the reputation of the Vampire Race in the Moonlit World. The fact that one of their Elders released powerful Demons into the world would be terrible news for the Vampire Council.

Nevertheless, the list of people that Shirou gave them was rather acceptable for both Vampire Elders, because all people that were on the list had a good reputation and there was practically zero to no chance that they would speak about the secrets of the Vampire Race to the public.

"Hopefully... the last thing that we need is to have some powerful Demons on the loose doing who knows what."

Shirou said that the problem of the Demons was a really severe one that they would need to address sooner or later. The moment he learned that Viktor was in cahoots with the Demons, he took the situation very seriously and addressed it accordingly.

***

Several Days Later, Ördögház

For the following days after the death of Vampire Elder Viktor, most of the fighting among the Lycan Rebellion Army and Old World Coven has entirely ceased.

Because Viktor was killed by Shirou, there was no need for the Lycan Rebellion Army to continue fighting, and soon enough, Markus and Lucian would meet on the neutral ground and sign a peace agreement.

In the end, the neutral grounds were chosen to be the Central European Ministry of Moonlit, which offered its grounds to host the meeting between the two factions. There were not many suitable neutral places that could serve as hosts for the peace talks between the Old World Coven and the Lycan Rebellion Army.

The Jujutsu Association, House Black, and the Minister of Moonlit of Central Europe would serve as neutral observers, with the New World Coven and the Kallikratos Tribe acting as overseers on behalf of the Vampire and Werewolf Races.

Though for the two warring sides, this was splendid news because everyone was tired of the war, and with Viktor's death, there was no need to fight anymore. The Old World Coven has lost more than one could imagine, and the Werewolves of Western and Central Europe haven't had a peaceful night for the past several centuries.

Right now, everyone was preparing for the peace agreement in the Old World Coven, and interestingly enough, Selene, as the current Regent of the Old World Coven, would be signing the peace agreement on behalf of the Old World Coven itself, while Markus would do so on behalf of the Vampire Council as a whole.

Shirou spent some time with Amelia, reconnecting and reminiscing about the good old times. Of course, it wasn't anything physical, even though the tension between the two of them was rather high, but they spent most of the time talking.

They didn't talk for a few centuries, so there were a lot of things that they spoke about. 

Meanwhile, Toji has gone to the local Auror Office to look at their Bounty Board and took some Bounties to make some money. He hoped to find some powerful Wizards or Magi that could give him a challenge in a fight, but Shirou doubted that he would find one.

One could rarely encounter a powerful Wizard or Magus, due to the innate restrictions of their powers. Not to mention, even though there were plenty of powerful Magi, Shirou doubted that Toji would be able to encounter even a single one.

Most of them were confined to their Workshops, researching their crafts, rather than running around and creating trouble. However, it would be an entirely different situation if he encountered Dead Apostle, because some of the Dead Apostles were pretty troublesome foes and were a pain in the ass to deal with.

Dead Apostles were usually fairly powerful and troublesome to deal with; many of them were former Magi who wanted to prolong their lives by any means necessary. Dead Apostles were a mad bunch, and approximately 99% of them were former Magi or Wizardkin, as it was rare for anyone else to become a Dead Apostle.

In the end, the ritual to become a Dead Apostle was created by the Magi and Wizardkin. To successfully undergo the Dead Apostle Ritual, one needed to have Magic Power because it was one of the most fundamental aspects of the Ritual.

In Great Britain, there was a rather high concentration of the Dead Apostles, but they were being primarily hunted down by the Barthomeloi Family, which held a special kind of hatred towards their kind.

Even Shirou was rather surprised by the lengths and extremes that the Barthomelois were willing to go in their hunt for the Dead Apostles. 

"Have the others replied in regard to the Demon threat?"

Currently, Shirou was spending a nice, quiet afternoon with Amelia, but they were sparring in the training yard of the Ördögház. They were alone in the training room because neither of them wanted to be disturbed during the sparring session.

Amelia was a typical vampire knight.

She wasn't particularly talented in the Spells, Cursed Energy Manipulation, or Blood Control Skills of the Vampires compared to the other Vampire Elders and Special-Class Vampires. In fact, if judged based on her talent in these aspects alone, she would be inferior to even many Special 1st Class Vampires.

But she had an almost frightening talent in the Way of the Sword, and she combined it with the Cursed Energy and Blood Control Skills. Not to mention, she spent several centuries refining and polishing her swordsmanship and learning various sword styles all over the world.

The number of the Sword Styles, Techniques, and Skills that she had learned over the course of several centuries was staggeringly high. Then there was the area which she touched; she also mastered various swords and various shapes of swords, which were distinctive from the typical European longswords.

"Yes... all of them are on high alert in the case of a demon emergency. We are also preparing for the complete clean out of the Vampire Council and all Covens in the case of the Demonic Corruption."

Both of them were clashing at a speed that was untrackable for the naked eye of a normal person and even for some 1st-Class experts. Even though Shirou wasn't primarily oriented as a close-quarter combatant, he managed to push his physical dimensions ot the peak of the Special-Class.

"Tomorrow is the conference and with it the first step towards the real unification."

Shirou spoke as they exchanged another series of sword strikes as she raised her brows, hearing his words.

Once upon a time, there was a man.

The man had a dream.

He had a dream that one day, all of the Moonlit Side of the World would be unified under one banner. Even though many factions and races of the Moonlit Side of the World had a great deal of animosity for each other, there were many enemies that they shared.

Cursed Spirits.

Demons.

Dead Apostles.

No-Majs.

For that purpose, Sons of the Jakob were created over the course of fifteen centuries.

A secretive cabal of the highest-ranking people in the entire Moonlit World that shared the same vision about the unification of the entire Moonlit Side of the World, and now, they were closer than ever before.

There were not many members in the Sons of Jakob, but every one of them was at least Special 1st-Class, and most of them were in fact in charge of a powerful faction in the Moonlit Side of the World.

Vampire Elder Amelia and a few Vampire Lords of the New World Coven and other major Covens, Jujutsu Association, Figarland Family, Addams Family, Five Principal Jujutsu Clans, Kallikratos Tribe, and many others have had their leaders and highest-ranking members inducted into the Sons of Jakob.

"Is it really starting?"

Amelia asked as they stopped sparring the moment he finished the sentence.

"Soon... the last preparations are being laid out... fortunately, World War II was a remarkable success and many of the most conservative and reclusive are now seeing the real threat of the No-Majs's technology against us... maybe not today, or tomorrow... but the speed at which we are developing represents a greater threat to us than even Cursed Spirits or some random Demonic Incursions to the Material Plane."

Most of World War II was orchestrated and manipulated by the Sons of Jakob. 

For one sole purpose.

For everyone to see the threat of the Muggle technology to the Supernaturals, and they didn't fail. With the development of the Atomic Bomb, even some of the staunchest conservatives and traditionalists among the Moonlit Side of the World looked at the situation differently.

During World War II, the Sons of Jakob essentially mobilized every party that fought in World War II. Even the end of the War was something that was decided far ahead, far before anything substantial had even started.

"Gellert indeed did a far better job than anyone could have anticipated... and we even managed to kill a lot of people that would be the base of the resistance against the unification."

Gellert Grindelwald.

A name that in the Wizardkin society was whispered and mentioned with a great deal of fear.

He not only manipulated Nazi Germany into launching World War II exactly according to their wishes, but the Sons of Jakob also infiltrated the USA, Soviet Union, Great Britain, Imperial Japan, and a few other states to accelerate their technological development.

This started right after World War I.

With the hastened technological development driven by the pressure of War and the fact that everything was happening under the watchful eyes of the Sons of Jakob, Hitler initiated World War II.

The Second Great War was far more devastating in this world than in Shirou's past life, as he could remember. Mostly because Sons of Jakob manipulated the Germans, Soviets, and Americans into fighting with all they got and without caring about anything.

Thus, they used everything in their arsenal without caring for the consequences.

They controlled them to conduct carpet bombing with some of their most powerful weapons aimed even at some people in the Moonlit Side of the World that would be obstacles to their goals.

And when the world saw that even ancient wards could crack under the hundreds of bombs and Atomic Weapons, they started fearing the No-Majs and their technology. In the end, most of the Moonlit World thought that the contraptions of muggles would never be a threat to them.

Until they saw their power during World War II, and when the Americans had Atomic Weapons, the Germans had their experimental weaponry, and the Soviets were developing the Atomic Bombs, everything changed.

"Yes, he did... without his acceleration and taking over some of the most radical elements in the Third Reich and Soviet Union, the devastation of the war wouldn't reach such heights, and we even managed to exterminate several Wizardkin Houses, tremendously weakening their forces in France and Great Britain to the point where they have not recovered even today."

Shirou stated as he put away his sword.

"Lately... there have been rumors of this self-proclaimed Dark Lord Voldemort floating and that he could pose a problem."

Amelia asked because the infamy of the rising British Dark Lord has already arrived in the rest of Europe and even in America.

"I am aware, and he will be dealt accordingly... he is a serious threat to some of our plans, but the man is pretty slippery, and nobody even knows where he hides. Any attempt to conduct a divination has ended in failure, and we cannot even track his movements."

Voldemort was endangering the plans because he wanted to establish a Wizardkin Supremacy and wage war on the No-Majs.

Which would inevitably lead to the revelation of the Moonlit Side of the World and the war of extermination.

Shirou knew that they would win.

Even though the No-Maj's technology was relatively advanced and their Atomic Weapons had terrifying, destructive prowess, they were not capable of killing the Special-Class beings because they could not even properly hit them.

Despite this...

The number in the disadvantage was too steep, and the price for the victory would be too high.

Even for the Supernatural Races.

Their numbers were already pretty much low.

Any loss would be substantial, and if the loss were extremely high, then it would not be worthwhile.

"Recently, there was a huge raid on the supporters of Voldemort, the so-called Death Eaters... what ridiculous name. Either way, Voldemort has now lost large parts of his base that were supporting him, and even some of his external collaborators, like Greyback, are now imprisoned in Azkaban. I think that the man would be lying low for the next few years before making any other move in public."

Shirou said after the raid on the Wizarding Families that supported Voldemort... Malfoy, Lestrange, Rosier. Some of the most powerful Wizards under Voldmeort were either killed or captured, and the Dark Lord Himself was injured by the Holy Light of Fragarach.

"In a maximum of ten years, we can start the plan. How is the progress in America?"

Shirou asked as the situation in America was more complex, due to a very high population of Psykers among all others, but also due to the existence of MACUSA, which was maintaining authority on Law for the entire North America.

"Complicated, but with the authority of the Addams Family and the Figarland Family within the MACUSA, it shouldn't be the problem. If the peace between the Vampires and Werewolves is achieved, the rest of North America won't be a problem and would fall into line."

MACUSA had somewhat strong authority over the Supernatural living in the Americas, at least in North America. Meaning the United States of America and Canada, though their influence was also pretty strong in Central America and some of the Caribbean islands.

In Southern America, it was like Africa for most of the time.

Basically, one huge free-for-all region.

"That's a good thing to hear..."

Shirou muttered as the Americas were one of the most critical regions to handle. Even though in terms of heritage and history it was far inferior comapred ot Europe, China, Japan, and some other regions, it was powerful.

It had the highest number of Psyker Families and Lineages in the entire world, and there were plenty of Special-Classes living in the territory of the United States of America and Canada.

Thus, everything needed to be perfectly planned and handled carefully.

The grand plan that the Son of Jakob was working on for more than one and a half thousand years was slowly falling apart because it wasn't just about the simple unification anymore, but it was also about bringing their world to greater heights than ever before.

"If we had acted a thousand years ago, everything could have been much different today."

Amelia said as Shirou nodded, accepting the words, but there was a reason behind everything. 

And there was also a reason behind the fact that they never acted in the past, when humans were a barely developed society, when they were ruled by the Vampires, Psykers, and Magi as they wished.

"You should be aware that Old Man Tianji once predicted the course of the Heavens and told me that No-Majs, despite everything, have a great destiny in the world, and if the Moonlit Side of the World exterminates them, we would suffer a grand catastrophe... for that reaso,n why need to wait and perhaps nudge things in the correct direction."

Shirou didn't know the reason, but he trusted the Old Man Tianji because he was the best Diviner in the entire world. He was an old Daoist, whose age was unknown, but Shirou met him for the first time when he was ten years old.

And during that time, he had the appearance of an ancient-looking man.

Old Man Tianji belonged to the Daoist Sect by the name of Mysterious Heaven Pavilion, which had only a few members, but all of them were proficient in Divination, reading Fate, and dealing with Karma.

He was repeatedly warned by the Old Man that for the Moonlit Side of the World to prosper and flourish, they cannot be the ones who initiate the destruction of the No-Majs's civilization, or else their fate would be equally bad.

"Ramblings of a madman... we ruled the humans in the Middle Ages for centuries and..."

Just as she wanted to say something, Amelia realized that she really couldn't because a sudden realization hit her. 

Like a thunder from the clear sky.

"And now you are thinking that if everything that happened to the Old World Coven wasn't due to slowing down the development of the world, and as a form of punishment? It could be... in the end, the No-Majs are the Chosen People of Terra... yet unknowingly to them, they are also destroying the world, and their status as the Chosen Ones is dispersing very fast. In a few years, nothing will remain, and we can start."

Only due to the knowledge and efforts of the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion, which supported the Sons of Jakob heavily as they were one of the founding members, many of their plans came to fruition.

Shirou knew that the No-Majs, with all of their pollution, ransacking the planet's resources, and everything, were killing the planet. 

And Terra wasn't just a planet.

It was alive.

And most ironically, their Chosen Ones were killing it in a certain twisted irony.

"We should stop the training... I am already tired from all of that sword swinging..."

After some more training, both of them were already a bit tired from the training that lasted more than eight hours straight, as they went to take a bath. Ördögház had marvelous baths, so it was only evident that the two of them went to take a bath.

Together.

***

Three Days Later, Headquarters of the Central European Ministry of Moonlit, Prague

Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in this region also share certain historical and cultural similarities.

This was partially mimicked in the Ministry of Magic, because the Central European Ministry of Moonlit was responsible for the following countries: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and some other minor countries with very small populations of the Supernautrals.

The central European Ministry of Moonlit was very similar to the MACUSA, which was an acronym for the Moonlit American Congress of the United States of America. It didn't represent just the Wizardkin, but instead all people of the Moonlit World.

The Central European Ministry of Moonlit worked on a similar principle, and even some of the most reclusive species had their representation at the Ministry, including the Vampires and Werewolves.

Prague was chosen as the headquarters, primarily because of the very rich Moonlit Heritage of the City.

It was a city greatly favoured by the Vampires, as some very ancient lineages of the Vampires lived in Prague, the population of Wizardkin and Magi was also in many thousands, and most importantly, Prague was home to the Prague Association.

Prague Association or Central Association of Alchemists.

An organization that researches on Alchemy, its members follow the traditional precepts of Alchemists. Called "Magi of Finance" because the Prague Association focused on the manufacturing of the Alchemy Items that they were subsequently selling for profit.

Consequently, they are on bad terms with Atlas, which was another organization of the Alchemists that was affiliated with the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, a French wizarding school located in the Pyrenees mountains of southern France.

One of the largest Wizardkin Magic Schools that was affiliated with Atlas through Nicolas Flamel, a very important and legendary Alchemist of Atlas.

The Headquarters of the Central European Ministry of Moonlit was located deep underground, beneath the city itself, in the old catacombs that were built during the time when the city itself was being built.

Over time, they were being reconstructed and strengthened by generations of Wizards, Magi, and Alchemists, and became the home for the Ministry of Moonlit.

Shirou arrived at the place one hour before the meeting should start, as he arrived together with Bellatrix Black, because Selene and Amelia would be arriving together with Markus as the official delegation of the Old World Coven and Vampire Council.

The only people who were here right now were the ones from the observatory factions or the neutral third parties that didn't have anything to do with the conflict. 

"How did you find the time in the Ördögház? As far as I can tell, you could be the very first Wizardkin that stayed in the Ördögház and lived there in several centuries... the Vampires of the Old World Coven are not really friendly toward the outsiders, much less to the other species."

When he said that, he really meant that, because she could be and most probably was, a very first human in several centuries that managed to stay in the Ördögház. The Vampires of the Old World Coven were especially xenophobic toward the other race, especially towards humans.

Rather ironic, because most of the Vampires were formerly humans, even the ancestors of the various Vampire Aristocrats were once humans or Wizards that were turned by one of the Vampire Elders into Vampires.

Even though the subsequent generations of these Vampires were conceived through the traditional way and not created through the Embrace, it didn't change the fact that their ancestors and first generation were humans.

"Well, most of them have different problems than one human staying in the Ördögház."

Shirou didn't really count, because Jujutsu Sorcerers were genetically not really humans per se.

In fact, Wizardkin and Magi were also not fully humans due to the existence of Magic in their bodies, but the Jujutsu Sorcerers were changed by the Cursed Energy on a fundamental level.

Many argued that their genes were closer to Vampires in nature than to humans.

Well, it wasn't entirely wrong to say, because Cursed Energy was too aggressive and too overhelming for the human body. The assimilation process was too stressful, and in the end, the Cursed Energy changed the very fundamental being of the person.

This was, of course, polished through the generations and generations of breeding.

This also brought the fact that among the Wizardkin, the Magi were also something between a human and a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Still, Magi were closer to the humans in nature than the Jujutsu Sorcerers were, though it also depended on how far the Magus was from his Jujutsu Sorcerer ancestor.

"Bella enjoyed it greatly when Selene started beating up those pompous Aristocrats."

Bellatrix giggled slightly as she spoke about herself in a third person.

She initially thought that only those stuck-up Lords of the Pure-Blooded Wizarding Houses were so arrogant, but when she met a few of the Vampire Aristocrats of the Old World Coven, it was a new world of arrogance. 

Bellatrix maintained a very good relationship with Selene, which was rather feat, because the former female Death Dealer was someone who was pretty hard to approach. From her, she learned that most, if not all, of the Vampire Aristocrats were utter and absolute disappointments.

Even after living for many centuries, they could only reach the 2nd-Class in terms of power, and some descendants that were extremely lazy and hedonistic could only reach the 3rd-Class, which was even worse than that of the Wizardkin.

"It was sooo entertaining to see all of them either sent to the training yard to become Death Dealers or outright executed."

Bellatrix laughed in her half-crazy laugh when she remembered how the Vampire Aristocrats of the Old World Coven were dealt with.

"Come on, we are going to meet Minister Kelley."

Shirou said as they were going to meet with the Minister of Magic of the Central European Ministry of Magic.

"Kelley? That doesn't really sound local..."

Bellatrix wasn't as politically and socially adept as her youngest sister, Narcissa, who knew the names of every single influential politician in the world, of every faction, and even their relationships and histories; she at least knew that Kelly certainly wasn't a local name.

"No... he is a descendant of Edward Kelley, also known as Edward Talbot, a very prominent Magus, Diviner, and Alchemist who was in the service of Rudolf II of Habsburgs, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Even though Kelley himself was killed on the orders of the Emperor, his descendants survived and actually thrived here. Matyáš T. Kelley is currently the Chancellor of the Ministry and also a member of the Prague Association. For that matter, the President of the Association, Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, would also be present."

Now that he explained that, Bellatrix suddenly recognized the name. Edward Kelley was very famous in the Moonlit Side of the World, because he openly worked with the Muggles and wanted the Muggle Emperor to finance his research into Alchemy and immortality.

Well...

It didn't really work that well for him, because he lost his head.

Nevertheless, he still remained a respected Alchemist and Magus, even though, when he was nearing the end of his time, he was a bit crazy. There were not many Magicals or people from the Moonlit Side of the World who went to work under the No-Majs.

The number of powerful ones was even less.

The number of powerful ones who lost their head during that could be counted on one hand.

And another rather familiar name was the Judah Loew ben Bezalel.

His ancestor, Judah Lowe ben Bezalel, was Maharal of Prague and one of the few Grand Alchemists in the world during the 16th Century. His most famous achievement was the creation of one of the very first Golems in Prague.

Even though the Central European Moonlit Society lacked powerhouses, its heritage was rather rich, especially in the Czech Republic. This was primarily attributed to Rudolf II. Habsburg, who was obsessed with immortality, the creation of gold, and Alchemy. 

He was doing everything in his power to attract Magi and Alchemists to his services.

But due to the International Statute of Secrecy, there were little to no results, and the only ones that answered his call were either charlatans or just some apprentices who knew enough tricks to scam some money out of the rich Emperor.

Only Edward Kelley, a prominent Alchemist, came to the court of Rudolf II., but for what purpose and why, was a mystery. Even Shirou was unaware of the reason, perhaps he would ask Markus at a later date.

The old Vampire that ruled the Central European space should know the reason why such bigshots of their time, like Edward Kelley or John Dee, came to Rudolf II and served No-Majs.

They walked through the seemingly endless corridors of the headquarters of the Central European Ministry of Magic as they soon enough arrived at the rather large underground atrium.

The atrium was the heart of the Central European Ministry of Moonlit. It was an underground place, where the stone and enchantment breathe together. It was created by the dwarves and goblins, so the stonework was splendid and something that not many could match in their whole lives.

The chamber was vast, its ceiling arching high like the inside of a hollow mountain, yet alive with veins of glowing crystals that pulsed faintly as it was engraved with the Wards, Runes, and Inscriptions that pulsed with Magic.

At the center of the enormous underground atrium was a circular garden of impossible greenery. It was filled with trees with silver leaves, flowers that bloom without sunlight, vines that float as if suspended in water. A pool of glassy water reflected the chamber in perfect stillness, disturbed only when ripples carry whispers of ancient incantations across its surface.

The air was thick with the fragrance of herbs and the faint metallic tang of Magic, and when one breathes deeply, the lungs feel lighter, as if filled not only with air but with Magic Power itself.

Subtle stairways and passages spiral outward, connecting to other hidden chambers, making the atrium feel like both a sanctuary and a crossroads as countless people mingled in the atrium, from all kinds of species and Classes.

"Welcome, Lord Amakusa. Scion Black."

Soon enough, both of them were greeted by a rather handsome middle-aged man in his fifties, with black hair and a neatly trimmed black short beard, wearing a rather luxurious suit with fine ornaments and several mystic pieces of jewelry.

"Thank you for the welcome, Minister Kelley."

Both Shirou and Minister Matyáš Kelley shook their hands, as he then greeted the Scion of the House Black with a bow and a light kiss on the back of her hand.

"Rabbi Loew already arrived, and so has Lord Nykus Erben, who was also invited as the neutral observer for the meeting."

Shirou nodded as they proceeded to a quieter place to talk.

"I thought that the Vodníks are not interested in the happenings in the world... what has brought one of them here? And not just an ordinary one, as far as I can remember, Erben is a Special-Class Water Spirit, and his power is no less than some of the more powerful Special-Class beings."

In Slavic Mythology, Vodyanoy were the Water Spirits; the literal translation of the word is 'He from the Water'. In Czech and Slovak fairy tales, he is called Vodník or in Germanized form: Hastrman, and often referred to as Wassermann in German sources.

Vodníks were one of the more problematic Magical Creatures to deal with. Vodníks lived in the sweet waters, namely in the Lakes and Rivers, which were their natural habitats, and they often lured the people into their domains where they would drown them and take their souls.

Because of that, many in the Moonlit World, especially among the more ignorant Wizardkin, looked at them as Dark Creatures, even if they couldn't be farther from the truth. Vodníks were not really Dark Creatures, because even though they could eat the Souls of their victims, they were not corrupted by it.

They were also pretty powerful in their natural habitats because they possessed innate Water Magic and Water Control Abilities that were almost unmatched, as they were technologically Water Spirits. 

Some of the more powerful Vodníks could shapeshift and exist on the land, but not for a long time, because they were tied to the Water. If Vodník went to the earth without water for a prolonged amount of time, they would get weaker and weaker, and some could even die.

Thus, only the more powerful among their kind would venture into the world, outside of their watery domains, for a prolonged amount of time. Shirou met a few of them, and he also had a good relationship with Kappas, which was the Japanese variant of Vodník.

"I don't know, but Lord Erben is here on behalf of the wider Vodník community across the entire Central Europe and beyond to discuss something important. We think that due to the increasingly dangerous situation in the world, they want to exist in their semi-closed state of seclusion."

Most of the Vodník Families and Clans lived in deep seclusion in their rivers and lakes, not really bothering with the affairs of the outside world or with what was happening in the outside world.

Yet, it seemed that even that was changing right now.

***

When the two groups met each other, it was a good result that there wasn't violence outright, but instead, Markus and Lucian only stared at each other for several moments before they sat down behind their prepared seats.

Behind Markus, Selene was walking in a different outfit, as she was forced to wear more representative robes instead of the battle armor of the Death Dealers. Shirou, who observed this from the side, thought that it was a shame, because she looked better in the Death Dealer Armor.

Lucian was followed by Raze and several high-ranking Werewolves of the Lycan Rebellion Army together with Muzaka Kallikrators and two Warrior Elders of the Kallikrators Tribe, Lunark and Kentas.

Lady Amelia of the New World Coven was sitting next to Markus as the two sides stared at each other with a certain degree of tension, but it wasn't an overall bad situation.

"Please, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to speak a few words as the host of this historic event that is taking place right now."

The Minister of the Central European Ministry of Moonlit stepped forward from the people who were in the observatory bracket. There were not many of them, aside from Shirou; there was obviously Bellatrix, who represented the House Black, then there was a man in a rather eccentric greenish-blue suit and a bit of greenish skin.

It was Lord of the Vodníks, Nykus Erben, who attended the meeting, but his true goal was to discuss the re-emergence of the Vodníks into the wider Moonlit Community, and when he heard that the Director of the Jujutsu Association was present, he wanted to discuss something with Shirou.

Aside from the three of them, there was also another elderly man present, who looked like he was in a grave with one leg and could die at any moment. He came into the meeting in his Rabbi ceremonial clothes, but also wore the insignia as the President of the Prague Association. 

Alchemy Grandmaster Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel.

Shirou also made a mental note to meet with the old man to discuss something with him, possibly to invite him into the Sons of Jakob.

He wasn't entirely as recluse as Flamel, who barely left his home, and even then, he went only to the Atlas, which was another very recluse faction when iít came to anything that was related ot the outside affairs.

"For the several past centuries, the war between the Lycan Rebellion Army and the Old World Coven of the Vampire race has claimed hundreds, if not thousands, of lives on both sides, not to mention many people in the Moonlit perished as unfortunate collateral damage."

Nobody really cared about the killed No-Majs. In the end, they were breeding as fast as rats, but the lives of the Supernaturals were different. Their population wasn't particularly big in the first place, and every loss of life hurt.

"And now, after several centuries of fighting and bloodshed, peace can finally return to these lands. I know that such a grudge would be hardly forgiven, but nobody expects that it would happen overnight. In the end, we are all members of the Moonlit World, and we need to stand united against the external dangers, not waging war for the pettiness and nonsensical conflicts."

Everybody was rather silent when the Minister of Moonlit of Central Europe, Matyáš Kelley, gave his speech, because during the centuries of the war, too much bad blood had gathered, too many people had died, and it was one of the biggest tragedies of the Moonlit Side of the World for the past thousand years.

"Well said, Minister Kelley, now let's get over to the business and be done with it."

Muzaka stated from the side of the Werewolves as the other Werewolves mimicked the sentiment, because they wanted nothing more than just to have this entire ordeal behind them and sign the peace agreement.

Meanwhile, the Vampire looked at the Werewolves in disdain, because even during such an important event like this one, they were behaving like a bunch of muscleheaded brutes.

"Ts... bring up the agreement."

Markus said as Minister Kelley took out a huge sheet of paper that was in the form of a scroll, which he passed to Lucian and Markus. Overall, there were four copies of the scrolls that contained the peace agreement that would be signed today.

One would go to Lucian, one to the Vampire Council, one to the Central European Ministry of Moonlit as the mediator and host, and the last one would go to the Amakusa Clan of the Jujutsu Association, who served as the guarantor of the peace agreement.

After some time of reading, both Markus and Lucian nodded their heads, and the process of singing started. Even that was highly formalized and ceremonial, because the Scrolls that they held were not ordinary pieces of paper.

They were Contract Scrolls.

Created by the Daoists of the East that lived in China, they were this world's version of the cultivators, even though they were weird ones, as their heritage was mixed with the Martial Arts and Magic to a certain degree.

Nevertheless, these Contract Scrolls were created by the Daoists and Magi together to have some certainty. 

When he signed the Contract, the guarantor of the breach would be the Will of the World, and the punishment for breaching the contract was extremely severe. The contracts of the highest level had the ability to even severely injure the "Qi Luck of Faction".

Shirou looked at the Contrct Scrolls as he sighed and hoped that nobody would be stupid to breach them.

They were of the highest order.

The punishment for the breach would be crippling to their Qi Luck.

Daoists of the East theorized and proved that everyone was born with their own level of luck that was divided into different colors and Dragon stages. In this world, Luck is a real and observable thing and was a deciding factor in the prosperity of the faction, person, and affected their fate.

The truly ancient factions cared about the concept of Qi Luck very seriously because it could affect the very existence of their faction. Even Bellatrix, who was sitting next to Shirou, narrowed her eyes when she looked at one of the scrolls in Shirou's hands and realized what exactly the two of them were signing.

The House of Black, like many of the Magus Houses, was aware of the concept of Qi Luck and Laws of Karma. Even though these concepts were from the East, it wasn't really hard for the most influential Magus Families to make a trip to the Dao Sects and learn them after paying some price.

For the House Black, the Qi Luck was especially important, because most of Black practised Dark Magic, Forbidden Arts, and other things that were very negative in nature. If not for doing a lot of good deeds that benefited the world, they would have long ago perished.

It was for that reason that Black were very active when it came to the extermination of Cursed Spirits, Dark Wizards, Rogue Magi, ragtag Necromancers, and evil people over Great Britain for the past centuries.

After reading through the Contract, Lucian and Selene stepped forward and both took a ceremonial dagger into their hands as they used it to draw out some of their blood. Once several drops of blood formed on their hands, they used the blood as ink to sign the Contract Scroll. 

On all four copies.

When Lucian and Selene signed all the copies, it was the turn of Markus Corvinus and Muzaka Kallikratos, who also signed the same way. Lastly, it was Shirou's turn to sign the Contract in the same manner.

Though he was singing it only as a guarantor, so there wasn't any kind of danger to him or possibility of breaching the contract. 

Once the contract was signed, everyone stored their copies, and the entire thing was finished.

"With this, the Vampire-Lycan War has ended."

Everyone who heard that had mixed reactions and emotions because the war between the Lycan Rebellion Army and the Old World Coven lasted for many centuries, but now it was over.

For some of the old-timers, it felt almost surreal because the war had lasted for so long, and much of the current look of Europe was shaped by the Vampire-Lycan War. Shirou looked at he dispersing people as the Werewolves left the Central European Ministry of the Moonlit.

"Well, that escalated quickly... and rather peacefully."

Shirou commented on the side as he stood up and went to meet with Minister Kelley and Rabbi Loew. Bellatrix followed him, but he told her to go with Selene back to the Ördögház as he had something to discuss in private with these gentlemen.

It was clear that the Nykus Erden was here primarily because of him, and at the same time, Shirou wanted to discuss something with Rabbi Loew. If the old Alchemist could be recruited into the Sons of Jakob, it would ease most of their operations within Central Europe.

Even though Matyáš Kelley was a member, as was the entire Kelley Family, their position wasn't that strong and powerful like that of Rabbi Loew, who commanded the entire Prague Association as he wished. 

In all of Europe, the Prague Association was a very respected and powerful organization and congregation of the Alchemists. 

Shirou met with the other three gentlemen in the more secluded room within the Ministry, as they had privacy for more sensitive conversations in there. 

"Well, now we are complete, and we can start the discussion."

Shirou sat on the leather chair in a very dimly lit room, as only three people aside him were present. Nobody aside from Minister Kelley, Rabbi Loew, and Lord Erben remained in this room or could enter.

"Lord Erben insisted that I secured an audience with you, My Lord."

Minister Kelley said as he motioned for Lord Erben to explain himself, and even Shirou was rather interested in the reason. This world had many reclusive species and factions that wanted to have nothing to do with the outside world.

But such a position won't be really possible in the future.

Just the number of the powerful Cursed Spirits that started appearing in the world is reaching staggering numbers to the point where it has become far more dangerous to just ignore them.

And many of the Cursed Spirits were reaching the Special 1st-Class or Special-Class with relative ease, because of the Negative Emotions that were generated by the No-Majs in enormous quantities.

"As Your Excellency surely knows, our Vodník Species is facing crises like no other for the past decades. Our lakes and rivers are being polluted at a staggering pace, and the living species in the Vodníks are getting smaller and smaller with each passing decade. We have long heard that Kappas in Asia managed to bypass the state when these filthy muggles are destroying Mother Gaia, and we would like to ask Your Excellency to act as mediator between our Vodník Lineage and Kappas."

Shirou narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Lord Erben, who represented all Vodníks in all of Europe. He understood the sentiment very well, but if there was one group of people that hated the No-Majs with everything that they got, it was the species related to Nature.

Vodníks, Yokai, Spirits, and other races that had an innate affinity towards nature hated the muggles with passion like no one else due to their pollution and destruction of the motherland.

"I can facilitate a meeting between the Vodníks and Kappas if that is what you desire. In the end, the threat of pollution isn't limited just to you, but it's a problem for all of us."

Shirou said as he didn't really have a problem fulfilling this request, not to mention, it gave him an edge over Lord Nykus Erben because he could sway another very powerful person and his faction to his cause.

He knew that many of his plans would face obstructions, so it was good to have allies and subordinates who would be able to solve the problems or even remove these potential obstructions altogether from the chessboard.

"Of course, in return, I would like Lord Erben for a very small thing, and this thing could also extend to Your Excellency Loew as well."

Shirou said as the two men looked at him. 

Nykus Erben knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world, and Rabbi Loew noticed something as he already suspected what the request would be, because he was very well informed. 

More than most of the Special-Class powerhouses on the Terra.

"As you noticed, the world is changing and the outcome of this change is not good for us... the Moonlit Side of the World, and if we want to survive and thrive in the new world that is to come, we need to stand united as one."

Both of them agreed with the sentiment as some things were already becoming visible, be it the increasing pollution in the world, the destruction of nature due to the muggles, or the increasing numbers of Cursed Spirits.

"For many centuries, a group of similarly-minded people has been doing whatever it can to prevent the destruction of our world and the prosperity of the entire Moonlit Side of the World, not just for a single species, but for our collective legacy and existence."

The Director of the Jujutsu Association said almost cryptically.

"I would like to invite your gentlemen to the Sons of Jakob."

***

Alternative Title: Sons of Jakob