Chapter 11 - 3rd Blood War (1) (Patreon)

The Dusk of the Gods

Many scholars agree that the Dusk of the Gods is the most important event in the modern age of the Draconic Deus. The Dusk of the Gods happened coincidentally around the same time as huge Abyssal Incursions all around the Forgotten Realms.

The start of the Dusk of the Gods happened when the Plane of the Netherworld got connected to the Abyss through the Dimensional Pathway. It was rather ironic that the first Dimensional Pathway got connected to the 4th Layer of the Netherworld, Pandesmos, which was the sole Layer of the Netherworld inhabited by Gods.

Approximately 95% of the Gods who called Netherworld their home inhabited the Paradises and had their Divine Kingdoms there. This included a whole bunch of Racial Gods and Native Gods of the Netherworld, and also Primordial Gods of many Pantheons.

The initial formation of the Dimensional Pathways formed on the edges of the Pandesmos, in the region that was called "Energetic Unstable Regions" which meant that the Magic was highly unstable.

Many of the Gods overlooked the appearance of the Dimensional Pathway, which was a grave mistake for the inhabitants of the Pandesmos. Not even a few days after the formation of the Dimensional Pathways, huge Abyssal Incursions happened on the Pandemos led by several Exalted Daemons and a few Abyssal Lords.

Then the Dusk of the Gods officially started. 

The first ones to fall to the Daemon Hordes were the weaker Gods, the ones that didn't have a strong Divine Rank and whose Divine Kingdoms were not particularly strong or developed and they were falling one after another.

When the other Pantehons noticed what was happening, it was already too late for that, as the majority of the Gods on the Pandesmos had fallen and were killed by the Exalted Daemons or Abyssal Lords.

Only the most powerful among the Gods in the Pandesmos managed to survive, but even they were not without losses. Hades, who lorded over significant parts of the Pandesmos, suffered tremendous losses at the hands of the Daemons.

It was reported that he lost more than half of his Grim Reapers in the later stages of the Dusk of the Gods, but on the other hand, he managed to obtain a lot of Divine Sparks and take over some ownerless Divine Kingdoms.

Unfortunately, the Dusk of the Gods has only started with the fall of countless Gods on the Pandesmos. During the Abyssal Incursions on the Pandesmos, the same situation began repeating on the Avernus, Pandemonium, and Gehena, though on the 2nd and 3rd Layers it was on a more limited scale.

The Devil Species, which controlled the largest areas of Abernus and Pandemonium, was hit the hardest during the Dusk of the Gods, due to the 1st Blood War. During this one war, the Devils lost more than 70% of the territory and almost half of their race was killed during the war.

This also included their Supreme Overlord Lucifer and most of their Overlord-Class Devils, along with large portions of their Legacy and foundation, which was lost during the 1st Blood War. On the contrary, Demons managed to get much better, primarily because of the existence of the Dungeons, which proved to be a nightmare to invade even for the Abyssal Daemons.

Not to mention, the Dungeons proved to be Anti-Thesis to the Abyssal Daemons, because when a Daemon was killed within the premise of a Dungeon, their Magic and very own Souls would become nourishment for the Dungeons.

Fallen Angels were an interesting case during the entire time, because thanks to their Light-based Abilities and Magic, they were able to mostly defend their territories, though even the Fallen Angel Domain shrank by more than a third and lost countless Fallen Angels due to brutal Abyssal Incursions.

The Abyssal Incursion didn't end there, but over time, they broke through the Avernus, and hordes of Daemons started flooding into the rest of the Draconic Deus Segment. Other planes in the Astral Sea were also hit to a varying degree, while the Divine Realms of the various Pantheons were hit the hardest by the Daemons.

Nevertheless, most managed to block the attacks with the Daemons suffering enormous loss during the attack on Heaven, where the legions of Angels obliterated hundreds of millions of millions Daemons.

Many Gods and heavy hitters across the entire Draconci Deus descended on Terra, to protect the mortal planet in the Prime Material Plane from the Abyssal Incursion due to Daemons also appearing in the Prime Material Plane.

Which was the most disturbing news? As is normally the case, it was extremely challenging for the Abyssal entities to descend into the Prime Material Plane due to very different Planar Laws and Planar Restrictions on the Abyssal Daemons, which were technically non-corporeal energy-based beings.

Nevertheless, the battles that happened in Terra were especially brutal and lowered the mortal population of humans by a considerable degree, resulting in the huge waves of immigration through the upcoming centuries.

Many of the supernatural species that were previously living in the Terra, were moving and migrating to the Planes in the Astral Sea. The most notable was huge migration waves of the Yokai species from Asia toward the Celestial Realm, Takamagahara or Netherworld.

Across Europe, many of the long-standing species that lived in the old continent were laos migrating away to more suitable environments. Mostly because Terra was largely unprotected against future Abyssal Incursions and solely depended on the intervention from the outside to save it from Daemons.

During the Dusk of the Gods, the entire Astral Sea of the Draconic Deus Segment became a huge battlefield between the Abyssal Daemons and the natives of the Draconic Deus. In the end, even at the heavy price, the Pantheons and Factions of the Draconic Deus won in the fight and managed to fend off the Daemons back.

Netherworld itself, which suffered the most from the Abyssal Incursions, also benefited the most in a twisted sense, because the connection between the Netherworld and Elemental Chaos caused the Planet itself to continuously expand and evolve.

- Mephisto Pheles, 2nd Potentate of the Stygian Council of the Netherworld, Date Unknown

***

2nd Layer of the Netherworld Pandemonium, Devil Domain, Capital City of Lilith, Imperial Palace of Ars Goetia

As the remaining Overlords of the Devil Species were having their meeting about the future development of the Ars Goetia and Devil Domain, suddenly, alarms started sounding through the entire Capital City of the Devil Race.

This was the alarm that many of the older devils remembered from the time of the 2nd Blood War, when it was first used, and it was a sound that many dreaded with all of their might and mind.

In a split second, the entire city was being sealed in thousands of Bounded Fields, Wards, and an arduously complex Hextech Shielding System. And while many would expect panic and hysteria sweeping through the city, actually, the opposite was happening.

There were protocols for such an event, and everyone knew what to do as the citizens of the big cities immediately started making their preparations, while those in the more remote areas were not preparing their own shelters or migrating to the nearest safe zones in the case of the Daemon Invasion.

Some cities also had Hex Gates installed within them, massive teleportation structures powered by Hextech, designed to instantly transport airships and boost trade across the entire Devil Domain.

In times of emergency like this, they were used to evacuate entire regions of the Devil Domain to the safer zone. Unfortunately, there were not enough of them to cover the entire Devil Domain, so the Ars Goetia prioritized the most remote and vulnerable regions as the places where to build the Hex Gates.

The sound that was now penetrating the whole Devil Domain was announcing the start of a new conflict.

This was the start of another Blood War.

"This is rather suspicious and highly unwanted."

Zekram Bael said as the start of the next Blood War was the last thing that they wanted and yet it happened.

And it happened much sooner than it was initially anticipated.

Just now, they were discussing countermeasures against the growing Abyssal activity, and it was like thunder from the clear sky. It was pretty fortunate to see that the new Hextech inventions that were installed across the Devil Domain.

Thanks to Ajuka Beelzebub and his inventions of the Hextech, he helped to secure large parts of the Devil Domain. The Hex Shielding System was an absolutely ingenious system that would provide unparalleled security to the Devil Cities.

Not to mention the Hextech-based weapons that ranged from everyhwring around cold weapons to the firearms and artillery pieces. There were even making Hextech-based vehicles and more, as the entire Hextech was incredibly versatile and could be used almost everywhere.

"We need to issue a full-scale mobilization across the entire Devil Domain. All Legions need to be in full emergency and ready to march into combat."

Zekram Bael immediately went into the full command mode because the 3rd Blood War had officially started. Though all things considered, they were far better prepared for the Blood War than previously... 

At least this time they won't be taken by surprise like the last time. During the 1st Blood War, it was the surprise element that caused them the most losses, as their cities and entire Devil Domain weren't at all prepared for the shocking attack.

When the 1st Blood War erupted, the Daemon Hordes appeared out of nowhere and attacked the Devil Domain with extreme prejudice and brutality. Much of their combat prowess was destroyed in a series of unseen attacks, many of which were aimed at the center of the Devil Domain and their major military installations.

And those attacks were successful to a high degree and managed to create enormous losses for the Devil Domain and even paralyzed their efforts to fight back en masse.

"We should also coordinate with the Supreme Overlord Forzelotte and Tiamat... their Domains would be under attack by the Daemons too."

Supreme Overlord Forzelotte had her Dungeon at the 1st Layer of the Netherworld, and Tiamat's Domain was also at the Avernus. Ars Goetia generally enjoyed a good relationship with Forzelotte and Tiamat because their Domains on the Avernus were close to each other.

And they often worked together when it came to the defense against the Daemons.

"If they attack Tiamat, it would be a real mess..."

Amaimon Agares stated that everyone agreed that attacking the Chaos Karma Dragon was nothing short of a suicide. The Mother Genesis was one of the strongest Primordial Gods in the entire Draconic Deus, and as Patron Goddess of the Chromatic Dragons, she had countless dragons and dragonoid races under her command.

"Amaimon, you will go and contact Tiamat, while I will go personally to meet with Forzelotte. We should also send a message to the Supreme Overlord Voldigoad to handle the matters in Gehenna."

Everyone agreed with what Zekram proposed because even though Ars Goetia recovered a lot of their power during the past few centuries, they still needed allies when fighting the Blood War.

"Xymor, you will handle the overall command of all military forces... I think this is a perfect opportunity to initiate the complete centralization of the Military Forces of the Ars Goetia under the Council's command."

Zekram planned to use this opportunity to centralize the armies of the Devil Race under the command of the Ars Goetia permanently. Till now, all Devil Legions and overall the entire combat forces of the Devils were under the command of their respective Houses.

While the Ars Goetia had only the right to command them during certain operations, in the end loyalty and control over the Legions lay in the hands of the Devil Clans.

Something that Zekram wanted to change because he was realizing how detrimental it was to the development of the Ars Goetia. It also didn't help that the various Legions had entirely different standards, because each House, which was maintaining the Legions, was investing different amounts of money into their development.

Nor was anyone rich and willing like the Houses Bael and Gremory, or just filthy rich like House Phenex that didn't care for such things. Some Houses maintained only really basic standards for the Legions, which were outdated many centuries ago...

But because they didn't really fall under the jurisdiction of the Ars Goetia, there was nothing that they could do about it.

"Many won't like that..."

Gehrman Lucifuge said as First Agares agreed with the sentiment because this would be a huge power dynamics change within the Devil Domain. It would instantaneously increase the power of the Ars Goetia to an unparalleled degree, and many Houses won't like that.

Though they were deeply unaware that there was no choice on this matter.

As it went in the Netherworld...

Might makes right.

"They will need to learn how to live with that... Not to mention, this unification will only target the standart Legions and combat forces... everyone will be allowed to cultivate and maintain their own Household Guards and special forces of their House. But the standart military structure needs to be under the command of the Ars Goetia."

Zekram had a comprehensive plan prepared for this exact move, and it was something that he had been preparing for more than three centuries. Centralization of the military was on the table for a long time...

Yet it was never pushed through for obvious reasons.

Now, finally, the right opportunity has appeared for it.

"I don't really have a problem with this... so I support this."

Xymor Behemoth was the first person to support the motion for the unification because he saw the tremendous benefits in such action. Even though he was among the ones who would lose the most because the House Behemoth had the most extensive Legions in the Ars Goetia.

"Then we should start working... I will go to the Ward Nexus beneath the Lilith and take control over the Ward Nexus of the Devil Domain in the Pandemonium."

Mephisto Pheles said that he planned to personally control the Ward Nexus of the Ars Goetia that spanned the entire Devil Domain in the Pandemonium. After the 2nd Blood War, the Devils started building an enormous Magic Array that spanned the entire Devil Domain in the Pandemonium.

The rest of the Overlord-Class devils would take on strategic locations of the Devil Domain and guard their territory first, while Gehrman Lucifuge would go personally to Avernus to oversee the frontlines.

"There is one last thing that I want to say."

Zekram Bael said after some time, because he came to a rather complicated decision... he was not pleased by it, but personally, he didn't see any other possibility.

"I will be using that thing to break through the limits... our species desperately needs a Supreme Overlord, and it's clear that without one, we cannot survive through what is to come for us. I have a feeling that the 3rd Blood War would be far more brutal than the 2nd and approach the 1st Blood War..."

Everyone suddenly just sat there still without saying a word because they knew about what the old Archdevil was speaking about.

"Are you sure? Even Shiva warned you that that thing is... unstable."

Mephisto asked because he was one of the people who actually studied the thing that Shiva traded with Zekram and knew the dangers of it. Messing with such artifacts never really resulted in anything good...

Well... most of the time.

"We made some progress with the Book of Lucifer and managed to obtain some useful data that was in the Melabranche about Limit Break... it seems that Lucifer split the information about it into his precious Book and Melabranche. Aside from that, Shiva would help with the entire process."

Reaching the Overlord-Class for the devils required them to master their Magic Rules to the limit and evolve to the Archdevil. When they wanted to reach the Supreme Overlord-Class, the process was more general, but at the same time, it had some racial specifications just for their species.

First was breaking through the Limits of their Magic Rule. This may sound easy, but it actually means that one needs to reach a stage above the Magic Rule and become a literal embodiment of the Magic Rule itself.

Secondly, for the devils specifically, they would need to attune their Infernity to their Magic Rule and they needed to merge their Magic Rule with their Clan Trait directly. One of the greatest blessings and limitations at the same time for the Devils was the existence of their Clan Trait.

The existence of the Clan Trait gave Devils a certain predisposition toward certain Magic Rules... like the Magic Rule of Destruction for the Baels, the Magic Rule of Water for Sitri, or the Magic Rule of Fire for Phenex.

At the same time, though... later on, they became like a restriction, because they cannot ascend as Supreme Overlords in different Magic Rules that were not originating from their Clan Trait. 

"He will? I thought that someone as lofty as him wouldn't really bother with us Devils..."

The First Agares commented because this was a really timely coincidence.

"He will... he is pretty spooked up lately, and I heard that Hindu Pantheon was doing some really interesting moves internally as if they are preparing for something big... I don't know what he had seen with that Clairvoyance of his, but I guess it's nothing good if it can scare someone like him."

Zekram stated that he maintained occasional communication with the God-King of the Hindu Pantheon, who was one of the stronger Primordial God Classes. Zekram knew that Shiva must have foreseen something bad happening in the Draconic Deus if he was putting aside his rivalry with Indra.

He was sure that Shiva would help him, because the God of Destruction would also benefit immensely from such a thing. Observation of the manifestation of the Limit Break of the Magic Rule of Destruction was something that could also benefit Shiva immensely.

"Having our own Supreme Overlord would certainly help things tremendously... especially when dealing with the other Supreme Overlords among the Demon Race, so they would take us more seriously."

Everyone agreed that the need for the new Supreme Overlord in the devil race was enormous and even though there were few of them that reached the limits, none of them were confident that they could reach the Supreme Overlord-Class.

Even Zekram Bael could attempt to do so with the help of external help and a certain object that he obtained from Shiva. 

Otherwise, even he would have refrained from doing so.

***

2nd Layer of the Netherworld, Pandemonium, Devil Domain, Gremory Territory, Castle Gremory, Camel Farm

Sirzechs was still spending a nice afternoon with his two girlfriends at the camel farm, one of man, though this one was built not far from the Gremory Castle, as it was a personal one of his ancestor, Runeas Gremory.

He didn't have the fondness for the camels like his ancestor, though, when he thought about it, neither did his father, grandmother, great-grandfather, or most of the Gremorys that were still alive out there or in deep hibernation.

It was like the camels were the only thing for Runeas Gremory.

Nevertheless, after taking a tour through the camel farm, they were planning to head into the Gremory Castle as his mother told him that she wanted to have afternoon tea with Grayfia and Roygun.

While he was going to the library to study.

Lately, he had been studying a lot about Winds of Magic as he tried to learn the usage of the Winds with the limited lore that the Ars Goetia possessed. He was particularly interested in the Lore of Heavens, which is Magic derived from Azyr, the Blue Wind of Magic.

It was Magic dealing with the Fate Manipulation and Prophecies, Elements of Thunder, Lightning, Storm, and some other minor things. One could say that it possessed huge destructive capabilities and was also pretty versatile.

His current repertoire of Magic consisted of the Devil Magic, which belonged to the category of Racial Magic. Devil Magic was rather peculiar, because it was primarily Imagination-based Magic as long as one can handle the imagination of the wished phenomenon and Spell Matrix Construction.

The Racial Magic was usually most particular, because it cannot be learned by outsiders who were not members of the said Race. Or, even if in some cases, they managed to learn some variation of it, they wouldn't be able to unleash its true power.

Then he learned Defensive Magic, which was another term for Barrier Magic. This particular branch of Magic was all about using raw Mana to create Shields and Barriers and protect users themselves or others. Alternatively, one could use it to create permanent Shiedlign Barriers to protect certain spaces and locations.

Depending on the skill of the user, Defensive Magic can be used to protect the user from an array of strong attacks. The barrier will be broken if it suffers from a continuous onslaught of attacks, or an attack from an overwhelmingly powerful source can instantly destroy it.

His proficiency in the Divine Magic, which was a form of the High Magic, was coming slowly, but it was at least steady and consistent progress. The High Magic was one of the most mysterious and strongest forms of Magic in the entire existence.

It was a form of Magic capable of reshaping reality to the caster's whims, changing the world, and determining the doomsday for entire civilizations. There were many forms of High Magic, but it was undeniable that the Divine Magic was one of the most common ones, and it wasn't particularly powerful.

At least when compared to the other High Magics that were out there. There were many forms of the High Magic, though on the Draconic Deus, there were only a few known, namely the Divine Magic, High Dragon Magic, and some really obscure Spells that were already forgotten by the time itself.

As he was reading one of the few tomes they had on the Lore of Heavens in the Ars Goetia, he suddenly heard a particular sound. It was a sound that everyone in the entire Devil Domain recognized very well and hoped to never hear again.

The Early Warning System for the Apocalyptic-Grade Abyssal Incursions.

He knew that this wasn't just a simple case of the single Apocalyptic-Grade Abyssal Incursions... mostly because he was hearing intelligence reports and other things about the state of Avernus and Pandemonium, and suspected that something bad was going to happen.

It was the start of another Blood War.

He knew that because he knew everything that was happening lately around the Netherworld, and there was a certain pattern repeating before the start of the 2nd Blood War.

"Lord Sirzechs, Lord Gremory has called for you."

When he heard that he was called by his father, he closed the tome that he was reading and followed after the maid that was sent to retrieve him to his father's solar. His father was already there and certainly not with a pleasant expression because he was also troubled by the things that were now happening.

"You look distressed father..."

Sirzechss just commented as he sat on one of the sofas opposite to his father.

"We just received that Fallen Angels started mobilizing on the borders... and at this time, when we are facing the start of the 3rd Blood War."

The Heir Apparent of the House Gremory just raised his eyebrow in surprise, but overall... it wasn't that much of a surprise.

"Kokabiel?"

He asked, and seeing that his father gave him a grave nod of agreement, everything became clear.

"Azazel already sent a notice to the Ars Goetia twenty minutes ago... Kokabiel and Satanael have officially rebelled, took part of their forces and are now in the open rebellion against the central command of the Grigori."

This outcome, though, was something that many already predicted a long time ago, because it was clear that warmongers like Kokabiel wouldn't be able to sit still in one place. He was the loudest voice about attacking the Devil Domain after the Dusk of the Gods and 1st Blood War.

And he was immensely enraged when Azazel forbade any conflicts with the Devils. Even though Azazel ignored the politics and management of his own faction, he was still one hella cunning Fallen.

He knew that fighting with the Devil would only lead to the Protocol MAD.

Mutually Assured Destruction.

It was a war that would have no winner; everyone would get weakened to the point where the Daemons or some other faction in the Draconic Deus would wipe them out with ease.

"Does he plan to do something about it or not?"

This was the most important question that lingered in the air with a really strong amount of tension and dread.

"That's highly irrelevant, because Grigori is under heavy siege from an enormous Daemon Horde that appeared in the heart of their territory. They are having problems defending their capital, Arthia, much less caring about Kokabiel and his Legions."

When Zeoticus Gremory said that, both father and son noticed something unusual about it.

"You sure? Such a thing should be impossible just based on the strengthening of the Planar Laws of the Netherworld... Dimensional Pathways forming on the other Layers of the Netherworld, aside from the Avernus and certain zones with unstable Space are..."

Before he could finish the sentence, the meaning already sank pretty deep.

"Nigh impossible, right? That leaves only one possible explanation, no matter how outlandish it is, if we exclude all impossible ones."

There were rumors of that which reached Ars Goetia and Gehena some time ago, but most dismissed them as rumors, and even those who did not, only took them into mild consideration.

"So it's true... Kokabiel and Satanael are corrupted by the Abyss, and they opened those Pathways by themselves."

They already heard some time ago that Satanael was researching some Abyssal Artifacts and that Kokabiel was searching way to obtain even greater power. But it was happening in the distant Fallen Angel Domain, where the influence or capabilities of the Ars Goetia were limited.

Even the spies of the Valefor Clan, which were best at information gathering due to their Clan Trait, which was Shadow Manipulation, only managed to obtain some limited pieces of information in that regard.

"So we need to defend against both Daemon Incursion and Fallen Angels led by that wormonger who is now powered by the Abyss, Ruination, or at worst both... well, this is really an excellent way to end a day."

Sirzechs said with a laugh as his father shot him a disapproving glare for that one remark.

"You will take command of part of our Legions and head to the borders and attack Kokabiel's forces... according to the intelligence that we have, they are right now gathering their numbers and machinery to launch an attack on the Gremory Territory through the Frontiers."

Hearing what his father said made Sirzechs nod, even though... this time, he would be fighting Kokabiel, who is powered by the Abyss. Even though the Angel of Stars was certainly weaker than him previously, especially in terms of destructive prowess, now it was uncertain.

"He could already be on the level of Archangels... even though with borrowed power, which will make him unstable, it's still though opponent. And this isn't even including Satanael, who is lurking in the shadows."

Fallen Angels were already dangerous to the Devils because of the Light Abilities that they wielded... anything that was related to the Light Element or concept of Holiness was like a deadly poison to Devils or Demons.

Though on the other hand, Daemons were reacting even worse than their eternal enemies in the Blood Wars. 

"Well, Grayfia and Roygun are with you? At least the young Lucifuge can go with you, because their territory is located in the depths of our Domain, so they won't face immediate attacks, but the Belphegor Territory is another case entirely."

Sirzechs nodded because Belphegor Territory was near the borders with another of the Wastelands Domain, so they could expect an imminent attack from the Daemons. While the Lucifuge Territory was located in the core of the Devil Domain.

So the Belphegor Clan would need to withstand the huge siege, but well... for that, the fortifications and walls across the entire Devil Domains were constructed. Even though the Mazeel Line was built previously to contain the horrors of the old Lucifer Territory from the rest of the Devil Domain, through the past century or so, it was slowly changing.

"I will take Grayfia with me... Roygun will for sure return home pretty soon to join the defensive forces of the Belphegor Clan. Also... what are the rest of our Overlords doing?"

The strongest and most powerful Devils were required to join the defensive battles on the frontlines. It was to be expected, Sirzechs knew that even his parents would be heading to the defenses of the Gremory Territory on the Frontiers against the incoming Daemon Horde.

"Well, your grandfather said that he needed to handle something, Xymor Behemoth was given the overall command of all military forces of the Ars Goetia, Lord Lucifuge would remain in the Lilith, and Mephisto Pheles is in control of the Ward Nexus of the Devil Domain. The First Agares is currently holding some diplomatic negotiations with our allies to help us in the fight against the Daemons."

Zeoticus was already informed about the movements of their Overlords, though not about what Zekram Bael was doing, because it was something that was known only to the other Executives of the High Council of the Ars Goetia.

"Are you planning on waking up the Elders father?"

Sirzechs asked because there were still a lot of members of the House Gremory either sleeping down beneath the Gremory Castle, in the Vaults where they were hibernating...

Devils were a long-lived species...

Especially the very powerful Devils who reached the Ultimate-Class, where their lifespans got prolonged tremendously. Most of them were not really keen on living through the centuries upon centuries doing nothing or just fighting, so many would go into a deep hibernation.

The House Gremory still had several generations living in the underground sealed Vaults.... there were at least two High Ultimate-Classes and several Ultimate-Class devils in there, not including many High-Class Devils that were members of the House Gremory.

This wasn't something that was only in the House Gremory, but all other Houses had many of their Elders slumbering in the deep hibernation. 

"I am planning to wake my grandparents from the slumber and a few Elders from the Branch Houses to fight in the 3rd Blood War. There is no other choice... even though your mother is very powerful and I am nearing the High Ultimate-Class, we cannot manage the siege of several Greater Daemons... if there is one thing that we can never defeat, it's their numbers."

It was a rather sad truth... really...

In the Draconic Deus, being Ultimate-Class was already marked as a great powerhouse, and Ultimate-Class devils enjoyed a high status in their society. Yet in the Infinite Abyss, Greater Daemons with the Ultimate-Class strength were just another kind of Daemons that roamed the Abyss.

Nobody knew how many of them there were, but even the most skeptical voices spoke in tens of thousands. The worst thing was that, even when they were killed and destroyed in the Prime Material Plane or Astral Sea, they would just reform within the Abyss.

"Well then, I would be going then... if there isn't anything else to do."

Sirzechs stood up as he prepared to leave father's study room.

"Be careful with the Fallen... Kokabiel has always been the mad one, and now if he is in cahoots with the Abyss, it would be far worse than anyone could imagine."

***

Castle Gremory, Courtyard

In one of the courtyards of the Castle Gremory, Venelana Gremory was having a tea party with her two future daughters-in-law. Everything went well, until the alarm system went on and everyone immediately went to the full alert mode and were doing everything according to the protocol.

For the Aristocratic Houses of the Ars Goetia, there were many protocols in the times of turmoil. Servants and Guards immediately started doing their tasks and preparing for the full invasion of the Gremory Castle.

"It seems that our tea time has come to an end."

Venelana remarked with a defeated sigh because she wasn't really keen on fighting in another war. She wasn't like the rest of the Bael Clan that preferred violence and fighting constantly... 

She was actually a pretty gentle soul, even though almost nobody would really believe that due to her fearsome reputation, which was no less than any of the members of the House Bael... in fact, Venelana's reputation was actually more fearsome.

Yet, despite the fact that the only thing that Venelana wanted to have was afternoon tea, she spent some time with her husband, went to the tea parties and talked some gossip... not fighting in the frontlines against the Daemons.

"It was only a matter of time, Lady Gremory."

Grayfia said as she stood up, but only after finishing her dessert because she wasn't surprised by this development even a bit. On the contrary, she was among the people who already expected something like this.

"Dammed war... why couldn't it come at a much later date?"

Roygun immediately started complaining about the start of the war, because she would have rahter preferred spending time lazing around, doing nothing, or having sex with Sirzechs and other girls.

"Don't complain that much, Roygun... It's not fitting for someone of your status."

Grayfia said shortly after because she and Roygun were usually like water and fire in this regard, and both of them had vastly different approaches to the matter.

"Fia is alright, Roygun..."

Venelana said as she scoled Roygun because even though she wasn't keen on going to the battlefield once again, she understood the reality of what she needed to do.

"Yes, mother."

Compared to Grayfia, who was always maintaining a polite and respectful demeanor, while Roygun was the more outgoing and informal person. She rarely even respected personal boundaries with the other people and was also an extremely mischievous person.

"You are returning to the Belphegor Territory, Roygun?"

Venelana asked as they were leaving the courtyard for the castle.

"Yeah... Father would need me holding the defenses."

Within the Aristocratic Houses of the Devil, there were many houses, and there were smaller houses and larger houses. The smaller Houses, like the Belphegors, could barely muster a few Ultimate-Class and sometimes some High Ultimate-Class if they had someone particularly talented in their ranks.

While huge clans like Baels had tens of Ultimate-Class devils and even several High Ultimate-Classes alone.

Roygun knew that her Clan was never large in the first place because of their Incomplete Partial Atavism in their lineage, which made procreation for the House Belphegor even harder than for other Pure-Blooded Devil Nobility.

Aside from her, who was nearing the High Ultimate-Class because she could already use Magic Rule of Distortion in a very limited amount, there were only a very few Ultimate-Class devils.

So her presence at the Belphegor Territory was of utmost importance because she was expected to oversee the entire segment of their borders and defend against the Abyssal Incursions in there.

Her father really hoped that his daughter would reach the High Ultimate-Class because it would also give rise to the status of their House. Even though the Ars Goetia functioned on the Aristocratic Ransk, those were issued when Lucifer was still alive.

But now a lot has changed, and they were not really mirroring the reality of power and might of the individual Houses.

"I see... it seems that Gremory Territory will be soon enough attacked by the Fallen Angels and Daemons at the same time. So, better get out before the Teleportation becomes restricted."

Venelana said to her future daughter-in-law, because very soon in the future, even teleporting across the Devil Domain would become highly restricted and possibly mainly only with the help of the Skynet System or through the Hex Gates.

One of the things that the massive Magic Array that was spanning through the entire Devil Domain was capable of, was strengthening the Space and preventing Teleportation, Space Magic or Space-related Innate Abilities altogether to the point where only very few people were capable of teleporting if they were not among the exceptions within the Skynet System.

The Skynet System was a work of Ajuka's.

It was stacked upon the Ward Nexus, spanning the Devil Domain, and was meant to restrict or prevent teleportation or the opening of the Spatial Tunnels and Dimensional Pathways in the Devil Domain.

This was done so their enemies won't be able to directly teleport into the Devil Domain.

Various cities and places where the population was high or military facilities were even better protected as they had their own independent Wards and Hextech Shielding System, but many felt that it wasn't enough.

So Ajuka Astaroth proposed implementing the Skynet System, which would function together with the Ward Nexus and make use of the Ambient Mana in the Netherworld and Pure Magic to temporarily strengthen the Space itself around the Devil Domain.

"I will just speak with Zechs and leave straight away... It's not like I can stay much longer."

According to the emergency protocols devised by the Ars Goetia, when there was a situation like this, Skynet would be activated within the targeted territories in something around one hour...

It could be even shortened to half an hour, if the things were forced.

As they walked through the corridors of the Castle Gremory, it was clear that it was now an organized chaos that was prevalent in the castle. Soon enough, the entire Castle Gremory would become a military headquarters for the military operations opening through their entire territory, and it was highly possible that their castle would be selected to be one of the regional command centers.

They would need to accommodate a lot of high-ranking military officials and powerful Devils that would operate from this place. Venelana knew that her husband must have already gone to the underground vaults to wake up some of the Gremory Elders who were in hibernation.

It was just a shame that ancestor Runeas Gremory was severely injured, or else, they would have had the backing of Overlord-Class devils.

Not a small number of the 1st Generational Devils that created 72 Pillar Clans eventually reached the Overlord-Class... Yet most of those Overlords were killed during the 1st Blood War or were injured so severely that they were held in permanent stasis to remain alive.

Barely.

"You are already back from the tea?"

All three of them saw Sirzechs descending from the stairs, as he was most probably in his father's solar, which wasn't that hard to guess.

"Unfortunately."

He could see that Grayfia was more or less indifferent to the entire situation; his mother was disappointed, but within the rational expectations, and Ryogun looked devastated. Like she got hold of some really special and juicy soul, but Demonic Cat swept by, stole it, and ate it before her eyes.

"Well, it seems that I am heading toward our borders with Grigori... it seems that Kokabiel and Satanael are in cahoots with the Abyss and are preparing to attack our Territory for whatever reason they have."

Sirzechs said with no small amount of annoyance because he couldn't really understand what was happening in the heads of those two deranged crows. Though when he thought about that, they were not the smartest cookies around, even when they were not corrupted by the Abyss.

Azazel knew exactly why maintaining peace was an important thing... especially when everyone was under the threat of the Abyss.

Initiating another war between each other wasn't the smartest move around.

"Well, if everyone goes to fuck it's really something to behold."

Ryogun chipped in from the side, as Venelana shot her disapproving glare.

"Language... It's not befitting a young lady of your stature."

Venelana immediately scolded her future daughter-in-law because even though Venelana was rather lax with everyone and a very kind woman, if there was one thing that she didn't tolerate at all, it was unfitting behavior.

She was still the daughter of House Bael and was raised with the strictest code of conduct. 

For Venelana, cursing in public was something that only thugs would do, and it was completely unbefitting behavior for the young lady of the Aristocratic House, though this wasn't something that Roygun really cared about.

Roygun didn't make a fuss of it as she just stuck her tongue out like a little kid, as Venelana just rolled her eyes at her antics. 

"I guess that you are leaving to assume your position, right?"

When he asked the Heiress of the House, Belphegor nodded because she only came to say goodbye before leaving for the Belphegor Territory. Venelana looked at the three of them before she excused herself, as she was going to take care of her own matters.

She already knew that Zeoticus planned to have her depart for the borders while he would be joining her shortly after. He was aware that he wasn't the best military commander or someone suitable to handle the entire administration around the command war.

That wasn't for him, and he was aware of it, so he would rather depart for the battlefield and work together with his wife to provide support. They were always fighting together because they had huge synergy between them, with her acting as a frontline fighter while he acted as support and also used his Magic skills to control the battlefield.

Thanks to his Clan Trait Extreme Demonic Energy Control and High-Speed Divine Rune Cast, he was one of the moést powerful Mages in the entire Devil Domain. If he grasped the Magic Rule of the Energy Control, he would be an extremely frightening enemy on the battlefield.

Even right now, with the two Clan Traits that he mastered to their limits, he could shoot spells that would take High-Class Devils several minutes to cast in mere seconds, and he was doing it with minimal usage of Demonic Energy.

"Yes... We don't have that many members that could fight against Greater Daemons, and it would take some time for the reinforcements Ars Goetia to arrive..."

Roygun wasn't that thrilled with this, but there wasn't much she could do... she was aware that the next few years would be spent on the frontlines, combating off the Daemon Incursions one after another.

"Well... the forward bases and Lucifaad are right now prioritized due to their position and proximity to Daemon Wastelands and activate Dimensional Pathways."

Sirzechs knew that some locations would be prioritized for the reinforcements that would come from central command of the Ars Goetia. He knew that complete mobilization of the entire Devil Domain would take a few days... 

If they were talking about drawing in Reservists, it would be even a week or two... maybe three if there were some problems or delays in the logistics. 

"Whatever, I will be going... so... I want a goodbye kiss."

Roygun said as she looked at Sirzechs suggestively because he knew that she was going, mostly to annoy Grayfia, who was most reserved about showing affection in public... while Roygun was always very open in showing affection and everything about it.

It didn't take long for Roygun to initiate the kiss, as they started making out passionately, while Grayfia's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. She couldn't understand that Roygun was so bold that she was almost moaning from the kiss, but fortunately, they stopped, or else they would start fucking right on the floor.

She didn't doubt even for a second that Roygun wasn't capable of doing that... that woman, in her opinion, absolutely lacked any boundaries.

"That was very nice..."

As they separated, Roygun licked her lips very slowly in a seductive manner as she created a teleportation circle with the crest of the House Belphegor and teleported away. Grayfia then looked at Sirzechs as she noticed that he wanted to say something, or rather, he wanted to ask he for something.

"Will you come with me to the borders and fight with the crows? The Lucifuge Territory is rather safe, and it seems that Kokabiel will be launching his crusade at any time."

Sirzechs said without beating about the bush, as she asked Grayfia for this right away. She was already a High Ultimate-Class who grasped the Magic Rule of Annihilation and was a very powerful devil.

He knew that for the Gremory Elders to completely recuperate after waking from the hibernation in the Vault takes time.

One of the serious disadvantages of prolonged hibernation was that when a person woke up, they would be in a kind of weak need period, needing to recover their Demonic Energy and accustom themselves to being awake.

Such a process could take anything from a few days to entire weeks, if someone was in that hibernation for a long time. And by a long time, he meant that several centuries, as there were many devils that spent even three hundred years in hibernation.

Since the 1st Blood War.

"It seems that I have no choice..."

Grayfia muttered, but what he spoke was truth, because the Lucifuge Territory was one of the safest in the entire Devil Domain. So technically speaking, there was really no need for her to rush back home, but here, at the Gremory Territory, she was needed.

The attack by the Kokabiel and his Fallen Star Legion was a surprise that came out of nowhere, and even though the Gremory Legions were prepared for the fight, the board has now changed.

The start of the 3rd Blood War and the fact that Kokabiel and Satanael had been corrupted by the Abyss were changing the board in unpredictable ways.

A variable.

Neither Sirzechs nor Grayfia was in the mood for anything intimate right now, because both of them were thinking more about the incoming threat. It wasn't like he was controlled by his libido, even though he had three fianceés.

Sirzechs went to take his gear from the armory with Grayfia already following after him, because neither of them was wasting any time as they headed toward the armory in the Gremory Castle.

***

Demilitarized Zone between the Devil Domain and Fallen Angel Domain

The Demilitarized Zone between the Devil Domain and Fallen Angel Domain wasn't created on the basis of some agreement or anything, but more or less on a tacit understanding that they would keep some chunk of space between their respective Domains.

Both sides were locked in a state of a cold war, and there was a ridiculous amount of military equipment and other things along the border in case hostilities between the two factions would erupt now.

A lone tall, pale man with long black hair and narrow, blood-red eyes was floating in the middle of the demilitarized zone. He had 5 pairs of black wings and unlike other Fallen Angels, he had pointy, elf-like ears.

Though his winds were not ordinary, as they were pulsating with streams of crimson energy that was flowing through them like blood flowing through veins. It was the Ruination that he was granted from the Gods of Ruin...

Kokabiel was one of the strongest Fallen Angels in the entire Grigori... he was a High Ultimate-Class Fallen Angel, and beneath that level, there were a few that dared to challenge him. He was the Angel of Stars, the one who led the Angel Star Legion against the Divine Pantheons and personally clashed or slew Major Gods of the other Pantheons in the glory of the Heavens.

Kokabiel vehemently believed that the Fallen Angels are the strongest species and strives to prove it by any means necessary. His reputation as a warmonger and battle maniac has spread far and wide, but he was aslo excellent military commander aside from this all.

"Are we ready for the attack?"

Next to him, another Fallen Angel appeared... but this one was vastly different from Kokabiel.

Even though Kokabiel pledged himself to the Ruin Undivided, he didn't push himself that much into the embrace of the Ruination Powers.

With the Satanael next to him, the situation was different.

The Fallen Angel was almost unrecognizable sans his wings, but even those were mutated into Daemonic monstrosities of merged flesh and feathers. Satanael was meddling with the Abyssal Artifacts for a very long time already...

He was being corrupted by the Abyssal Energies for a very long time, but only lately had he given his soul to the Ruin Undivided and became Champion of the Ruin.

A Champion of Ruin, also styled as a Ruinous Champion, is an individual who has dedicated his or her life to further the cause of a particular patron Ruinous God, or Ruination as a whole in the form of Ruin Undivided. He or she is either an extremely powerful warrior or mage.

Often, it takes a spectacular deed of courage to attract the attention of the Ruinous Powers.

If the candidate is accepted by a Ruin God or Ruin Undivided, they receive a Mark of Ruin from their Patron God. This is the Patron God's own Mark or the Mark of Ruin Undivided, and each mark confers some supernatural ability or physical characteristic.

Once a Champion receives their Mark, they begin to attract followers from the lesser servants of Ruin, including mortals and even Daemons if the Champion proves powerful and successful enough. The Gods of Ruination use their Champions to further their aims in the material universe.

The Champion's life becomes an endless series of battles, raids and quests to serve the interests of the Ruinous Powers.

"We are already almost done with the preparations and can launch the ambush at that time."

Kokabiel answered as he looked at the form of his comrade, which he found increasingly disgusting. If there was one thing that he hated the most, it was the desecration of the Fallen Angels's species which the Ruin Undivided did.

As the Champion serves Ruin, they become increasingly physically altered through mutational "gifts" granted by their patron. The road to power ends either in the Champion being reduced to a mindless, formless Ruination Spawn due to persistent failures, or in ascension to daemonhood as an immortal and powerful Daemon Prince as a reward for success.

All Ruination Champions are mortal and can be killed, although this is always a dangerous undertaking as they are exceedingly powerful foes.

While Kokabiel wanted the power that the Ruin Undivided could and would offer, he didn't want to be tied that closely to the powers of the Ruin. He viewed the Ruination as a tool that he could exploit for his own benefit, while being completely oblivious to the fact that he was nothing more than just a puppet on the chessboard.

"Excellent. We need to offer more sacrifices to the Ruination for more blessings to our cause."

Satanael laughed as he wanted to obtain even more blessings from his Dark Gods that would give him more power than anyone else. While Satanael was initially a rather average High Ultimate-Class Fallen Angel, right now, he has reached the level of Archangels with the power that he was bestowed by the Ruin Undivided.

Contrary to Kokabiel, Satanael was a devout worshipper of the Ruin Undivided who was a fanatical zealot. Kokabiel worked with him only because he needed someone who could deal damage, and he admitted that even his power was inferior to that of Satanael.

Coupled with the Kokabiel's personal Legion, they were very confident in cutting very deep into the heart of the Devil Domain. Right now, the entire Fallen Angel Domain is in a complete state of disarray because of the huge Abyssal Incursions that occurred in the Arthia.

The capital city of the entire Fallen Angel Domain. 

And the Devils were busy getting attacked from the Wastelands on the Pandemonium and Abyssal Incursions happening in the Avernus. Which gave Kokabiel and Satanael perfect opportunity to invade the Devil Domain as they wished. 

And the more sacrifices they made to the Ruin Undivided, the greater power they would receive from the Gods of the Ruination. 

***

Borders of the Gremory Territory, No Long Afterwards

Sirzechs already stood on the walls of one of the fortresses of the Gremory Territory that was on the borders of Gremory Territory and the Demilitarized Zone between the Devil Domain and Fallen Angel Domain.

"It's unusually silent here..."

Sizechs muttered as he looked at the silent Demilitarized Zone between the Devil Domain and Fallen Angel Domain. There was something that he felt about this place which was giving him an odd feeling, but he couldn't really put it anywhere.

"They should be attacking any time soon."

Grayfia stood next to him, wearing her armor too, and prepared for the fight. The two of them were in charge of the entire defensive border, and Sirzechs would be stopping their strongest fighters until the reinforcements arrived.

Fortunately, as both of them looked at the Hex Cannons and Hex Artillery, they had more confidence in facing corrupted Fallen Angels and whatever monstrosities from the Abyss would be attacking them.

"It would be ideal if the internal disputes finally got them... but how..."

One needed to know that Abyss wasn't a coherent force.

"Well, if there are more factions intervening, then we could try to pit them against each other... they are fighting among each other even more than they are invading other Planes... and they are fighting even within the said factions themselves."

It was far from being a coherent force.

From what they knew, there were three major power blocks within the Abyss.

The first and most powerful was Ruin Undivided. Consisting of the Gods of Ruination and their Daemons, followers, and worshippers. Nobody really knew the origin of the Gods of Ruination aside from the fact that they were probably even older than the Abyss and were extremely powerful. One interesting fact was that the Gods of Ruination were initially not native to the Abyss.

Second was the Abyssal Coalition, which consisted of the most powerful Daemon Lords, Daemon Princes, and Abyssal Lords that were of either Obyrith or Tanar'ri species. These Daemons were native to the Abyss, and especially Obyriths, were inhabiting the Abyss even before the forces of the Ruin Undivided entered the plane. The Abyssal Coalition was an incredibly loose faction that was apparently established only to counter the influence of the Ruin Unidivided and Alliance of Unholy Evil.

The third faction, Alliance of the Unholy Evil, was an alliance between various Evil Deities that inhabited the Abyss. There were countless Gods that called the Abyss their home, and naturally, these Evil Gods over time banded together to combat the threat of Abyssal Lords or Ruin Undivided that wanted to devour them alive.

"Wishful thinking, Fia... most of the Abyssal Incurisons into the Draconic Deus is being conducted by the Ruin Undivided... even though... if we are lucky, one of the opposite factions would send some of their forces here, or we can try to put the individual factions within the faction against each other."

Sirzechs would have preferred to weaken their opponent as much as possible before initiating the fight. Aside from the three major blocks of the Abyss, there were countless smaller blocks and an infinite number of individuals that were striving for greater power within the Abyss.

At the same time, each faction of the Abyss was also having huge fighting within... like the Ruin Undivided. At first glance, it may seem that the Daemons and Worshippers of the Gods of Ruination were working together and were allies, but that was only an illusion.

They would turn on each other at the very first opportunity they would get.

This was a pretty common sight as there was nothing like eternal alliance or friendship in the Abyss, and if there was, such cases were exceedingly rare to the point where it was useless to even take them into consideration.

"Still, if it's the Ruin Undivided, then it means that we can use the hostilities that the individual Gods hold against each other... which means that they would project them onto their Daemons. As long as we manage to finish off the commanders or Oracles of the Dark Gods, it would get the job done."

It wasn't any kind of secret that the four Gods of Ruination hated each other with zeal, and they spent most of their time either fighting each other or sabotaging each other. Basically, maintaining some sort of equilibrium between them where no one would get the upper hand.

Yeah, it was pretty messy.

But it was organized chaos, one could say.

"We shall see... though... right now I am sensing something in the air."

Suddenly, Sirzechs stopped in his tracks as he looked into the distance into the Demilitarized Zone, where he saw something happening. With his superior senses and mastery over the Magic Rules, he saw the subtle changes in the Magic in the environment.

Over the past three years, Sirzechs was working very hard to learn the Magic Rule of Energy Control and fortunately with the help of the Six Eyes, he achieved a very rudimentary form of the Magic Rule of Energy Control.

The Magic Rule of Energy Control didn't give one tremendous combat prowess and high destructive abilities out of the clear sky, but it gave one means to achieve them. Sirzechs, who was wielding the Power of Destruction and the Magic Rule of Destruction, wielding the Magic Rule of Energy Control, was like a heaven-sent blessing.

"Sound for the alarm and prepare the Artillery... We are going to be ambushed pretty soon."

Sirzechs commented because, with his newfound mastery over the Magic Rule of Energy Control, he noticed something that would have initially been overlooked even by some of the Magic Detection Devices that Ajuka created.

Someone was attempting to teleport through the large swaths of the Demilitarized Zone and was actually using a huge amount of Magic to cover for those efforts. There were even some parts of the Magic Rules included, as Sirzechs could literally see the Magic Rule of Deception being used in real time.

With the Six Eyes, there was no chance that something like this would be overlooked by him.

Soon after he issued the command, not even a few seconds later, the entire parts of the defensive wall came to life, as Hex Generators came to life and started radiating bluish energy that was then waking up the entire defensive line.

Not long afterward, hundreds if not outright thousands of Hex Artillery Cannons and Battiers were being lit up with the familiar visage of the bluish energy that was created through the Hex Generators.

It was bercailly refined pure Mana. 

Hex Shield Generators were also being activated by the operators from a safe distance, as the control centers for some crucial devices were located a bit from them, so they could not be destroyed from a distance.

And they even required a two-factor activation sequence as Sirzechs created a small Magic Circle, which was the second part of the activation for some of the most advanced Hextech Devices that were installed on the defensive line.

At the same time, the troops were also being armed with the Hextech weapons... most of the cold weapons were upgraded and forged with the use of the Hextech, which allowed their wielders to have higher combat prowess.

It was just a shame that the Hex-Runic Armor was still being researched and was only in the stage of having a prototype.