Hey, friends, it's been a while! Sorry about that. Life catches up with ya, gotta deal with it. A bunch a shit happened, but that's not really important. My hiatus may have felt a bit longer than it actually was, considering that I updated only Lone Dragon Emperor for a little bit. No reason behind that other than feeling a great inspiration for it.

But anyway, all that aside, we're back to this story and I'm going to try to write as much as I can. As much as possible, because, I'm actually currently writing my own book. A real one. That's gonna be taking a big chunk of my time. So, from writing for these stories, and for my real one, I'm pretty much gonna be writing nonstop.

So I really have my work cut out for me, lol.

But yeah, stories are continuing. This one was the next on the list, after this is A Fool's Heart.

Ragnarök has begun, ladies and gentlemen. What this may mean for the world at large, who knows. Only time will tell what is to come.

We shall see.

-HEROES-

Somewhere, in an undisclosed location.

Two men stood before each other, both wearing similarly confident smirks. One man with a Chinese uniform of some sort, and a unique looking spear resting on the back of his neck.

The other man across from him held no weapons, rather, it could be argued that his body was his weapon. He was covered in a magnificent, golden armour.

These two were amongst the most capable warriors of the Hero Faction.

—The descendant of Cao Cao, wielder of the spear of destiny, and the descendant of Gilgamesh.

The man in golden armour, Gilgamesh, spoke proudly to the human ahead of him.

"Well, Cao Cao? By this point, I am sure you have become aware of our achievement?"

"The attack on the Norse? Mm, yeah. It was impossible not to hear of it. Practically the entire world is talking about it. All of the factions have now gone on 'extreme' alert. I thought they were on guard before, but now it's a mass paranoia. Three Gods have died, and the "invincible" one was gravely injured. You lot have really shaken the world, it seems."

Gilgamesh snickered condescendingly.

"Heh, indeed. In the end, it was all about the result. The effect that our actions would have on the world is what mattered. That's why the end justifies the means. Even if we would not have killed the three Gods, or even Baldür himself, all that mattered was if we left a mark. Something that would leave the Norse to remember us by. They won't soon forget what we've done. Nor will the rest of the world. I have made a fool of you, Cao Cao. No longer is the world speaking of you. They are now speaking of me."

Gilgamesh ended it with a strong smirk. Cao Cao simply gave him a scoff.

"So full on your pride that you don't even acknowledge the achievements of your allies? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was sure that this operation of yours wouldn't have been possible without them. Alexander's son was the one who was capable of using the blessed weapon, Achilles was the one with the spear, and the one who transported your 'Black Mistletoe' was the Arabian Wizard, was it not? Most of all, what about your informant in the Fallen-Angels side? Without that person, you would never have known about the summit, and you could not have even started the operation? How much could you have done without them?"

Gilgamesh scowled in disgust.

"Hmph. And you, Cao Cao, have more reliance on your allies above anyone else. Without your magician in Kyoto, and the boy who possesses 'Annihilation Maker', what much could you have done besides fight? A mere human like you, you don't even have right to speak to someone of my heritage. It's only by my own mercy that you do."

Cao Cao only maintained his smirk, as if unbothered by Gilgamesh's remarks.

"Indeed. Without my allies, I could have done nothing. It's only thanks to them following through with my plan that I was able to pull something off. But that's the difference between you and I, Gilgamesh. I will acknowledge such things. You won't. You are too high on your hubris. The only reason your operation was a tremendous success was because of your team's synergy. Yet, you refuse to acknowledge it. Between the stark differences of your personalities gradually brewing conflict within your team, and your own arrogance, you are not built to last long. That, altogether, will be your downfall."

Gilgamesh's scowl only grew even more disgusted by the second.

"Even without the information provided by our mole in the Crow's faction, we would have managed. If not an attack on the Norse, then an equally as devastating attack elsewhere. Do not take me for a fool comparable to yourself, Cao Cao. I know precisely who I am and what I am capable of, and that is leagues above the likes of you."

Cao Cao laughed to no one but himself.

"Hehe… Well, I suppose it's not business of mine."

"Cao Cao."

"Hmm?"

Gilgamesh held his chin up in a supercilious manner, but with no smile, just waiting to hear a certain response from Cao Cao.

"Are you going to admit it?"

"Hm, admit what?"

Gilgamesh's eyes squinted in anger.

"Admit it. I am superior to you in EVERY aspect. I am stronger, I am more cunning, I have a greater lineage, and I have proven it with little to no effort. I, am, legendary. You, are not."

It went quiet for a moment. But the silence dissipated when Cao Cao released a subtle snort.

"Yes, I suppose it was a magnificent plan. Well done. I have been bested this time."

In response to Cao Cao's nonchalant reply, Gilgamesh only made a sound of confusion.

"...Hah?"

"However, I will see to it that the next time, I will be the victor. It will take quite the effort to top your achievement, but nothing that's "undoable". So, until then, I'll hope that you watch closely. I will also make my comeback. I am the leader of the Hero Faction, after all."

Finishing with that, Cao Cao casually walked away from the conversation, leaving only the silent Gilgamesh behind.

A dark coloured butterfly with a purple tint fluttered onto Gilgamesh's shoulder, and from behind him, a voice spoke out.

"Humans with Sacred Gears are all so full of themselves. It's honestly laughable, heh."

The one who appeared through a mass of dark butterflies, sitting lazily atop a floating pillow, was Judar Ibn Omar— The descendant of Judar from the one thousand and one nights.

"Well, I guess you've gotten what you wanted, huh, Gil. He's admitted defeat. You win."

Despite Judar confirming that, Gilgamesh was silent and unmoving.

"Hmm? Gil?"

"...No."

"—?"

Judar hovered over to the side a bit, attempting to catch a glance at Gilgamesh. But he could only see Gilgamesh's figure being shrouded in darkness, despite his armour's brilliance. And through the shadows cast on his face, his red eyes burned with rage.

"...I AM NOT YET SATISFIED."

-HYOUDOU ISSEI-

Part 1

….

….

….

….

"...Ise…"

….?

"...Ise…. Why do you look at me with such empty eyes?"

"...?"

—Gradually, I made my return to reality, and shook my head back and forth.

"...Ugh… Akeno?"

"Yes, dear. It's me.."

Slowly, I began to re-immerse myself in my surroundings. This room…. It's my private 'study'... That's right, I came in here to think….. How long have I been in here?...

And this chair that I'm sitting in…. This is….. The throne that was gifted to me after the peace summit….

The Summit…..

.

.

A̸͚̾̎̆̌̆̄l̷̡͓̜̯͈͎̓͋͛̃́́̆̃̈́̍̾͐̚͜͠ẽ̵͎̮͍͔͗̿̑x̴̳͚̠͍̜͈̲̯̬͔̟̓̈́̐͐͗̆̕̚͜͠à̴̧̛͍̫͈̜͖͐̔͆͊̑͗́͗͘ṉ̵̡͍͈̯̜͙̜͈̘̳̏͌̀̍̃̀͜͜d̸̯̥̩̲̬͔͓̭̩̬̱̠̻̹͓̔͆̔̀̄̉̕é̵̝r̴̞̰͇̺͎̗͓̗̈́̅͛̆͜ͅ

̵̢̦͗͗͘

D̷̨̬͖̻͈̝̙͉̪̮̝̆̌́͘͝ĕ̵̡͍̙̩͕͚̲̜͘͝ş̴̩͕̟̺̯͈̲͛̑̽̾̾̎́̏͒̽̋̒̅͒́c̶͖͚̹̹̙̖̮̩͚͍̰̀̈́̓̎̇̾͂̕ę̸̨͍͎̣͉̰̞̮̘̝̙̹̲̪͂̍̀n̷̨̰̻̭̖̦̞͓̙̎͋̕̚̚͝͠͠͠d̶͔̣̮̰̙̳̖̐̏̔̎͒̀̐̉͌͋̂̇͠͠à̶̙͈́n̶̨̢̨̖͇͇̭̣̳̱͈̟͚̲͂͊t̶̢͖̭͖̖͇͎̳͚̣̮̠͇̓̀͐͗̇̚͝͝

̶̝̜͕̠̬͔͋̆͒͑͗̒͂̈́̏̒́̀̕Ḃ̵̛̘̲̠̠͕̱̋̔͌̇̀̚̕Ą̸̨̨͖̞̯̥̩̼̤̩̻̻̎̀̈̂̀͒̅̓̽̈́̓̈́͐͝L̷̢̧͎͚̟̰̫̯̝̳̲̦̙̩̈́͊́͛̑͑̓̀͗̋͛D̸̩̈͐̒̀͂̅̎Ü̶̧̹̘̫͎̪͉̞̲̟̭͈̜̜̔̂͋̅̓͋͊́̀̚ͅR̶̨͖͓̼͈̠͇͉̖͓̳͇̫͆͋̀̆͒͒̂͝!

.

.

A̸͚̾̎̆̌̆̄l̷̡͓̜̯͈͎̓͋͛̃́́̆̃̈́̍̾͐̚͜͠ẽ̵͎̮͍͔͗̿̑x̴̳͚̠͍̜͈̲̯̬͔̟̓̈́̐͐͗̆̕̚͜͠à̴̧̛͍̫͈̜͖͐̔͆͊̑͗́͗͘ṉ̵̡͍͈̯̜͙̜͈̘̳̏͌̀̍̃̀͜͜d̸̯̥̩̲̬͔͓̭̩̬̱̠̻̹͓̔͆̔̀̄̉̕é̵̝r̴̞̰͇̺͎̗͓̗̈́̅͛̆͜ͅ
̵̢̦͗͗͘D̷̨̬͖̻͈̝̙͉̪̮̝̆̌́͘͝ĕ̵̡͍̙̩͕͚̲̜͘͝ş̴̩͕̟̺̯͈̲͛̑̽̾̾̎́̏͒̽̋̒̅͒́c̶͖͚̹̹̙̖̮̩͚͍̰̀̈́̓̎̇̾͂̕ę̸̨͍͎̣͉̰̞̮̘̝̙̹̲̪͂̍̀n̷̨̰̻̭̖̦̞͓̙̎͋̕̚̚͝͠͠͠d̶͔̣̮̰̙̳̖̐̏̔̎͒̀̐̉͌͋̂̇͠͠à̶̙͈́n̶̨̢̨̖͇͇̭̣̳̱͈̟͚̲͂͊t̶̢͖̭͖̖͇͎̳͚̣̮̠͇̓̀͐͗̇̚͝͝
̶̝̜͕̠̬͔͋̆͒͑͗̒͂̈́̏̒́̀̕Ḃ̵̛̘̲̠̠͕̱̋̔͌̇̀̚̕Ą̸̨̨͖̞̯̥̩̼̤̩̻̻̎̀̈̂̀͒̅̓̽̈́̓̈́͐͝L̷̢̧͎͚̟̰̫̯̝̳̲̦̙̩̈́͊́͛̑͑̓̀͗̋͛D̸̩̈͐̒̀͂̅̎Ü̶̧̹̘̫͎̪͉̞̲̟̭͈̜̜̔̂͋̅̓͋͊́̀̚ͅR̶̨͖͓̼͈̠͇͉̖͓̳͇̫͆͋̀̆͒͒̂͝

.

"—Ise."

I was snapped out of what felt like a jumbled mess of memories by Akeno's voice again.

"Ise…. It's been more than a week already…. In all that time, I'm not even sure how much you've slept….. You hardly even come to bed, and when you do, you spend less time in it than all of us…. Why don't you get some rest?"

Feeling dishonest, I held my head down, and shook it in disagreement.

"..No, I don't need it… I'm fine…"

"..Ise…. When was the last time that you slept? When did you last eat?"

To Akeno's questions, I just remained silent… I couldn't answer them honestly, so I decided not to answer them at all.

Akeno let out a deep sigh.

"Ise…. What happened was not your fault…. You can't keep feeling like it was…. Don't you remember what you said? You'll never fall back into your old ways? You can't just sit there in failure and accept it with despair like in the pas—"

"—I know, I'm just…..thinking…"

"Ise…. Playing those moments over and over again in your head, asking yourself what you could have done to prevent it…. That's just the same. It's just torturing yourself. I know…. It's not worth it. You don't deserve that."

….For some reason, I felt myself release a small scoff.

"Heh…. Say, Akeno…. When you see me sitting in this throne, what do you see?... Do you see a future king?... A king-to-be of all dragons?... A king who plays right into the hands of his enemies, and allows them to get exactly what they want…. Hehe, what a joke…."

"...But, they didn't get exactly what they wanted, right? They wanted to kill Baldür, but you stopped that. You were able to prevent his death by performing a miracle. That's just like you..."

Despite Akeno's encouragement, a morbid smile grew onto my face.

"Heh… They killed three gods…. I'm sure they made up for their minor setback…"

"They didn't 'kill' three gods. Hodr and Loki's deaths were just circumstance. Hodr sacrificed himself so that there was no chance of Loki escaping. That part of their plan also failed. Thanks to you and Hodr, they didn't succeed one hundred percent. You two were the heroes in that situation."

"Hah… Heroes…. No, the only hero then was Hodr. He prevented Loki's escape… Without his sacrifice, we would have had a dangerous God like him on the loose, and Ragnarök would have…"

I trailed off mid-sentence….

Ragnarök….. The Twilight of the Gods….

…..《The Twilight of all Gods—has begun》….

…..

…..

"Ise…"

I shook off my thoughts again.

"...Nothing… It's nothing."

"...Something has been bothering you for these past few days, hasn't it?... Something more than just what happened at Asgard…. You were bad after we got home, but…. Two days after that, you suddenly got worse…. Now it seems like you've been in a deep despair…. Your eyes look hollow, and you often don't speak…. You just sit here, staring at nothing… What happened that made you worse? What thought crossed your mind?"

Instead of answering Akeno, I stayed completely silent…. I could still hear that booming, echoing voice in my head.

The voice of God...

《I am the remnant of the God of the bible. The Twilight of the Gods, all Gods, has begun.》

….It was my fault….

《The changes to the legend of Ragnarök were certainly as a result of the Sekiryuutei, Hyoudou Issei's actions.》

….It's all my fault….

….I brought about the destruction of the world….

"Ise, please…"

I felt Akeno's soft hand place itself over my own.

"Please, talk to me… Tell me what's burdening you.."

Burden…?

《It is true that this Ragnarök was brought about as a result of Hyoudou Issei's actions. However. In that same sense, he is also one of the few beings that can prevent it.》

…

—It was like the flip of a switch.

...Finally, I gained a firm grip, and I felt a determination welling up within me.

"...No."

I grabbed Akeno's hand back and gave her strong expression.

"...If there is any burden in this world, in my life, that I will ever bear alone— this will be it. And I will not run or hide from it."

Akeno's expression became one of sadness.

"...But why?"

"...Because I have to."

Ending it off with that, I found it within myself to take a deep breath and stand up from my throne.

Failure.

It's something that plagues my life. I've tried my best to run away from it. But I know now that there's no point in that. Because failure will return. Sometimes, it is inevitable. That's why, I must face it. I won't back down from it. I won't shrink away from it. To try and prevent failure is only natural. But to so vehemently avoid it that it ends up changing and ultimately destroying you, that's not how to live life. I know that very well now.

So, now that this failure has already confronted me, my only objective is to not run from it.

Face it. Stand up after the fact. Then, when the next time comes, win.

But don't convince yourself that it's all over from here, just because you've failed. And don't destroy yourself trying to avoid repeating that failure again.

It's not over.

The night is always darkest before the dawn.

And I— am the red dragon of golden light.

So I will purge that darkness from the world.

[Dialing…]

"Azazel. Set up a meeting. For all of us."

Part 2

"Thank you all for coming here. It's very important that we had this meeting."

Azazel expressed his gratitude to those people in attendance of this 'meeting'.

—The day after I contacted Azazel, he set up a meeting between the Three-factions alliance and the alliance that extends towards the Norse, Greek, and Dragons.

Gathered here— in secret, in this room of a random hotel— were the leaders of the Three powers: Azazel, Sirzechs, and Michael; The two trustworthy Greek leaders: Zeus and Poseidon; The Norse leaders: Odin and Njörd. And finally: Mini-Tannin and myself.

Along with that, a complex recording device that Azazel created specifically to be decrypted by high-level magic, was recording the footage of this meeting.

Azazel stood at the front of the room and spoke to us about the topic at hand.

"I know that it was very dangerous for all of us to gather here at once, not to mention unprotected. But it was necessary to keep this meeting as discreet as possible, to the point that no one but us knew of it. Not even those closest to us, or those meant to protect us. This is an extreme risk we are taking. But we wouldn't be taking this risk if we didn't need to. I'm sure you all know that by now."

None of us gave any sort of response.

This meeting was requested by me, and set up by Azazel. But there was no plan for it, no heads up. He simply called who needed to be called and told them to meet up. No bodyguards, no planning, and absolutely no informing anyone who wasn't a leader in attendance.

In other words, with the current climate of the world, this is the riskiest meeting of all time.

If anyone is here, it's because they understood the risk, and came here in spite of that.

"Very well. Let's get started then."

With that opening, Azazel began the discussion of the topic for this entire meeting. And following his words, the images of a certain group of people appeared on the screen.

"—Those who call themselves: [Team Babylon], of the Hero Faction."

The images of the group members appeared on the projection screen, and Azazel began a summary on each of them.

"Gilgamesh— 'The descendant of the first hero'. He acts as the leader of the entire group of villains. Considering himself to be superior to all humans and other beings, his arrogance and hubris are his greatest weakness. It is the best point of interest in regards to facing him in battle. He is a capable warrior with a high skill set of fighting styles. His body is stronger than the average humans due to being the descendant of a demigod. His armour is dense, but nothing ridiculous; With good weapons and strength, it can be broken. He is a tactical genius, the evidence being that the attack on Asgard was practically all planned out by him alone. —All in all, he is one of the most, if not the most dangerous of the entire group. The best course of action would be to disrupt any plans he has for attack in the future, most especially by making sure that he has no one to command, as his greatest asset was his team. Though, he is a threat on his own. He also has the ability to use the weapons of heroes who are deceased, derived from ancient Babylonian magic passed down to him. I have theorized that he may be capable of also using weapons of heroes who have lost them and not died, but I have no evidence for this. So, if encountered, kill on sight or retreat."

The next image presented itself on screen. Another team member. It was...

"Alexander of Macedon the fourth— 'The son of Alexander the great'. He was assumed dead for a millennia, but as it turns out, he was only hiding in shadows and training himself for the day that he would "carry out his father's will" of conquering the world. Where he has been up to this point, no one knows. He practically appeared out of nowhere. He is an extremely skilled swordsman and warrior, and he has a higher durability than most thanks to being a hero. He is also technically 'immortal' with the ability to stay young forever. How he obtained this form is unknown, but there are suspicions that we all know by now. And that Devil who is suspected of somehow "cursing" him with this immortality is still missing since long ago. Alexander himself has shown to be a very capable leader as well, if not more capable than Gilgamesh, but less powerful. Tactically, it is suspected that he may be a match for Gilgamesh, but that is still to be seen. The best course of action would be to not allow him to ally himself with anyone capable, therefore rendering his leadership skills useless. If he is alone, he's easy to deal with. And that is a pattern, as you will see when we go further. If seen, kill on sight."

Then, he moved on to the next one. That one…. That bastard….

"Aiden O'Connell— 'Patrick; The Salamander; descendant of Saint Patrick'. A true battle maniac in absolutely every sense of the word. He cares nothing about plans, allies, or ambitions. He only cares for bloodshed and death. A complete madman, pure evil down to the core. His Sacred Gear is a relatively unknown one: [Urodela Unbreakable]. Meant to mimic the Heavenly Dragons, it takes form of a nigh indestructible armour that protects his entire body. High fire resistance, but no resistance against ice magic. His body has no special capability, so he can be killed without his armour very easily. The best course of action with him is simply to lure him into a fight he cannot win. Having absolutely no regard for his life, he is extremely reckless. Even if recognises that he's been trapped, he will die with a smile just the same. An easy target, so long as the factor of his armour is taken into proper consideration. If seen, kill on sight or retreat."

Then, he went on to the next one.

"Achilleus—'The descendant of Achilles'. No Sacred Gear. He's a warrior type with an honourable side. A skilled spearman who wields the spear of the original Achilles, that grants him the power to throw his spear with extreme precision and over long distances. He is not invulnerable like his ancestor, but according to the Greek gods, it is likely he cannot be pierced by arrows. If seen, capture or kill."

And then the next one.

"Judar Ibn Omar—'descendant of Judar, the eponymous hero of the One thousand and one nights'. No Sacred Gear. A mischievous, irritating, and arrogant brat. Egotistical, though not entirely for bad reason. An extremely skilled magician, easily better than most High-Class Devils. Reports indicate he murdered Aladdin's descendant. He has possession of the sacred item, the 13th century Grimoire, the original copy that humans don't have access to. He likely stole it. Along with that, he's in possession of the legendary genie from his ancestor's tale. Best course of action is to battle him with those resistant to magic or those better at it than him, but that threshold doesn't seem to be vast. If seen, kill on sight or retreat."

Then, the next one.

"Demid— Extremely dangerous to Devils. If seen, kill on sight."

And the next one.

"—If seen, kill on sight."

And the next one.

"—If seen, kill on sight."

And the next one.

"—If seen, kill on sight."

Until he was finally done going through the entire list of terrorists. One by one, he gave the in-depth rundown on who these terrorists were and what their abilities were. For the most part, at least. Since there were things we still have yet to know about them, briefings for people like "Qayin" and "Henry Jekyll" were short.

After he gave those briefings, he made a closing statement.

"These terrorists are extreme threats to the world as we know it. Whatever can be done about them, the main priority is to destroy them before they can execute any major operations, like the one on Asgard. —The reason we tell you all this is for one reason and one reason only: That, should there come a day when these individuals spearhead another major operation against a faction again, we put our differences aside and assist each other in our time of need… We may not all be allies, but this is something that threatens the existence of all sides. Should there ever be any of you that need our help, we will answer your call. We would hope you do the same…. So, any of those in agreement with this alignment, respond to us leaders, directly and discreetly. We will hear your message. That is all."

With that, the recording device that Azazel placed on the table stopped its recording of the meeting. After that, Azazel turned the device elsewhere and took a seat at the table with us.

"Alright. Now, with that done with, we can talk more about what we know."

Right…. Now it's time for the 'real' meeting...

—For those who may be confused, the briefing that Azazel recorded was not meant for us in this room. It was meant for the opposite. The truth is, it's a video message that is meant for all of the leaders of different factions.

You see, it was extremely important that all of the forces of the supernatural world knew of what happened in Asgard and who did it. It's true that they would've already heard about it through the grapevine, it was a world changing event after all. However, we needed them to know pretty much everything we knew that could help them. We couldn't just let them get blindsided unexpectedly. And considering how much of a threat these terrorists all are, Azazel made the proposal to send that message to all of the different faction leaders as a sign of trust. A warning for how capable the Hero Faction would now become, and an offer for assistance if they ever attack. And, hopefully, they would offer the same help in return.

This is an extreme threat that we can't take chances with. That's why, we're letting the factions' leaders know we'll help, even if they aren't our allies.

And if you're wondering why it's a magically encrypted video message, instead of a face-to-face meeting, it's because we obviously knew that the leaders who were not affiliated with us would not show up so randomly. We aren't allies, so we can't have meetings with each other so easily.

And even if we had a "private" meeting between leaders, with so many high levels beings around, it was just begging for major trouble. Not only by the terrorists who would surely find out about the meet, but also by the fact that having so many gods around each other might spark conflict. That was too big of a risk.

So, that's why, we made them the video message.

But now, we can talk about the real stuff. That stuff that we, and only we, can know. For now, at least.

"So is what you said before the recording started true, Azazel-bou? You four really encountered the remaining spirit of the Christian God?"

Zeus, the most powerful Greek god and ruler of Olympus, asked that to Azazel in sincerity.

That's right. Before the recording started, we filled Tannin, Odin, Njörd, Zeus, and Poseidon in on what we encountered 'that' day. Something that only we can know.

"That's right, Zeus. It's just as I said before. Only two days after what happened in Asgard, Sirzechs, Ise, and I encountered what was claimed to be— No. We encountered the spirit of God himself. And he was the one who informed us on the many things that we planned to discuss here, with you gentlemen."

Poseidon quickly interjected after Azazel's confirmation.

"But how can you be so sure? Could it have not been a grand illusion, what with the capabilities some of these terrorists may possess?"

However, Michael immediately objected to his question.

"No. It could not have been. I have no doubts of what we encountered. There was no mistaking it. There is no existence which can feign a holiness of that degree. Not even the four Seraphs could possibly compare, no matter how desired. —That was undoubtedly the spirit of our father."

Michael proclaimed it without even a shred of doubt or suspicion…. Yeah, even I have no idea what God was like… But, despite that, I know that was his spirit. To the bottom of my heart, I believe it.

"I believe them."

My attention was caught by the one who agreed with us. It was Odin.

"I believe them wholeheartedly. This boys would not lead us astray with such a ridiculous tale if it was not undeniably true. I have come to know them better than that. If you truly do not believe them, then I suggest that you look into that boy's eyes and tell me I am wrong."

Odin finished that by gesturing his cane towards me. Zeus and Poseidon then turned their gazes to me. They both stared straight into my eyes. And I held the strongest expression of determination that I could.

….After a few seconds of silence, Poseidon sat back in his seat and nodded.

"Mm, I see a bit of weakness in his eyes, but not from dishonesty."

"Yes, I agree, brother. There is certainly clarity in his heart, at least about that topic."

Even though they believed us, I still ended up moving my head down a bit.

...So, they can see right through me, huh…. As I thought, there still is a shred of uncertainty somewhere within me…. I'm still unsure about what I can do at this point….

"Very well. We believe you. However, that still holds us to the question: where do we go from here?"

To that question, Azazel nodded his head in agreement.

"Precisely why we needed to have this meeting in the first place. —What we need to do is accomplish any tasks set out for us by the spirit of knowledge. Protect those who need to be protected. Eliminate those that need to be eliminated. And most of all, find our informant."

"Who exactly is this "informant", and who is on the lists for elimination and protection?"

"I'm glad you asked, Njörd."

Azazel then retrieved two similarly designed devices from his pockets and placed them on the table. The devices both released separate holograms, with two different lists of names appearing from each of them.

One of them was a protection list, and the other was a 'kill list'.

"Here, we have a list of those that need to be kept alive until the end of Ragnarök aka when it is stopped."

The list of protection had 5 names in total. Jedidiah, Michael, Gabriel, Baldür, and Vali Lucifer.

Azazel began to explain the candidates.

"The one he called [Jedidiah], the descendant of king Solomon, which the spirit of knowledge is meant to transfer itself into. He is our "informant". Michael and Gabriel, two of the heaven's great seraphs, which heaven would fall apart without. And Vali, this generation's current Hakuryuukou. And Baldür, son of Odin. But, according to the spirit, he has already been saved from his dark 'destiny'."

Odin looked towards me, who gave him a nod. He only nodded back, in silent appreciation. Then we returned our gazes to the holograms.

Azazel continued with the next list rundown, the kill list.

"And here, we have those who must be 'stopped'. The spirit never specified whether we had to kill or simply beat these individuals. Gilgamesh, the descendant of demigod Gilgamesh, the original hero. Cao Cao, leader of the Hero Faction. Alexander IV, son of Alexander the great. Hades, the Greek God of Olympus. The Moirai, the three Goddesses of fate. The Egyptian Evil-God of desert and storms, Set, and the Egyptian God of Chaos, Apophis. And finally, Rizevim Livan Lucifer, the son of the original Satan, who is still missing."

Azazel ended his statement with a strong sense of disgust apparent in his tone. Rizevim Livan Lucifer… That's Vali's grandfather….. The son of the original Satan, huh…. He was the one who is suspected to have 'cursed' Alexander IV with 'eternal youth'... But he wouldn't be on the spirit of knowledge's hit list if that was where his involvement ended…. So, how much exactly does he tie into this mess?

"And of these many individuals, who are considered the greatest priorities to protect and destroy?"

Odin asked with a unsettling tone that I've only heard once before... Looks like he's raring to kill… Of course he is…. I'd imagine that he's thinking about destroying the Khaos Brigade more than he isn't, nowadays.

Azazel answered him right away.

"Well, that, we aren't entirely sure of yet. Unfortunately, we didn't have all the time in the world to ask the spirit questions. We only asked it the most important stuff. So we don't know what or who comes first, we just know that these people are it. The order, we're gonna make up for ourselves, as we have here. That, or…"

Zeus asked during Azazel's brief pause.

"Or what?"

"Or, the alternative, and most sensible, plan."

"Which is?"

"—To find Jedidiah first."

Azazel used his fingers to flick the 'protection list' hologram, and expanded the image. It was zoomed in on the name of Jedidiah.

"The spirit said that, not too long from now, its essence would transfer itself into the body of Jedidiah, taking him as its vessel. And once he would be transferred into his vessel, he would be able to answer as many questions relating to Ragnarök as he is capable. Hence, he would be our "informant". Right now, he is our number one priority, above all else. If we find him, and keep him under our protection, we have the best chance at stopping Ragnarök."

"Stop, or prevent, Azazel-bou?"

Poseidon inquired with an uneasy interest. Azazel shut his eyes momentarily, with a small sense of disappointment.

"Unfortunately, Ragnarök has technically already begun. We can't prevent it, but we can 'stop' it from progressing any further. At least, before it reaches the [point of no return]."

"And what is the 'point of no return'?"

To Mini-Tannin's question, Azazel replied in a grim tone.

"—All of the pillar gods die."

It's not even my first time hearing it, but it still sends an unimaginable chill down my spine…

"After that, it's practically nothing but chaos, and pretty much the end of the world."

We were left silent, for a moment, in the grim atmosphere. Then, Azazel continued.

"But there is also a task that we have to complete at the same time as finding Jedidiah. We can't do it earlier, and we can't do it after."

Sirzechs and Michael gave suspicious eyes when Azazel said that. That's because, the thing Azazel is talking about is…

Azazel's expression morphed into one of contempt and disgust.

"We have a traitor in our midst."

[—?!]

The Greek and Norse gods were shocked by Azazel's declaration.

"A traitor? What do you mean by that, Azazel?"

Zeus asked with a slight sense of offense, as if he felt insulted by the implication. But Azazel was quick to remedy it.

"I mean to say that there is a traitor on one of our sides. A mole who is feeding information to the Khaos Brigade. Specifically to 'Team Babylon', who executed the attack on Asgard with information of the summit, which was meant to be confidential. And we suspect that the traitor is someone on the side of the Fallen-Angels, or on the side of the Norse."

After hearing that, Zeus appeared to lose his sense of insult and listened with a keen interest.

"Is that so? Do you have any particular suspects, or any ideas as to who?"

"We do. In fact, we have two major ones. And they were both present during the confidential planning of the Norse Summit. One is a Fallen-Angel secretary who has attended me for many years. And the other is a Valkyrie that attended Odin when the planning of the Summit was done."

"A Valkyrie? The one who joined the Satan sister's team?"

"No, the former Valkyrie from Gremory is the one that used to be Odin's attendant before and during the Loki incident. This Valkyrie we speak of was her replacement from afterwards. She, along with my secretary, were the only outsiders aware of the Norse Summit."

Azazel's secretary…. That's right… The one who is suspected to be a traitor on Azazel's side is…

"I do not believe it is my attendant Valkyrie. However, with the current climate, it is best not to take chances. Anyone who is a suspect shall be treated as such, and if it turns true that she is the traitor… —Then she will receive a punishment beyond imagination."

Odin finished his sentence in a tone I don't even want to describe… Meanwhile, Azazel continued where he left off.

"Despite this, the best choice right now is not to let the traitor know we're onto them yet. That's why, I've already advised Odin that he does not detain or harm the Valkyrie on his side. Not only to avoid an unfortunate mistake, but also so that, in case the traitor is on my side, we don't alert them by doing anything drastic. We have to lure and trap them first, then question them. Between Odin's attendant and my secretary, we shall have our answer soon, right before we find Jedidiah."

—Sera… Azazel's secretary, and the suspect on the Fallen-Angels side…. That's Sera…. We can't know for sure if it's her yet, but….

...I can only hope that we're wrong on that assumption….

"Speaking of finding this Jedidiah, how exactly will we accomplish such a task? Is his location not completely unknown to us?"

Njörd asked with a great curiosity. Azazel answered him forthwith.

"It is unknown. But that is for the best. Because then, it is also unknown to the enemy. And we are the only ones capable of finding him."

"How do we find him?"

To Odin's question, Michael answered while gesturing to himself.

"If I, and the three other great seraphs combine our powers, we should be capable of locating him. Only we should be capable of detecting such a purely holy presence from anywhere in the world. He will be found using heaven's power."

"And after that, we can use him to guide us on what to do next?"

Azazel nodded in response to Odin's question.

"Precisely. First, we capture the traitor, and then we find Jedidiah. In fact, the best plan would be to initiate both plans simultaneously. Convince our suspects that we need each of them for important missions. Capture them when they don't expect it, without knowing what's happening. Then, while we're doing that, Michael and his people can find Jedidiah. Hence, killing two birds with one stone."

Zeus nodded his head in understanding.

"I see. So then, what will you have us do?"

"Ise, myself, and Odin will be handling our suspects asap, and Michael will find the informant. Meanwhile, we'd like for you lot to wait on our sides' orders. We can't make any serious moves without Jedidiah's guidance. Just keep a tight lid on all of the information regarding these subjects. It's fine to act like you also received the video message like the other factions and just feign ignorance beyond that. That's all we need. And then when we acquire the informant, he'll let us know what you can do about Hades."

Zeus crossed his arms with a sense of disappointment.

"Understood… I always knew that Hades would become a nuisance in the future. But to believe he would play a factor in the "end of the world"..."

"There's nothing we can do about it for now, brother. We can only wait. Once we know what he is planning, we can stop him."

Poseidon gave his brother a comforting pat on the shoulder. Odin asked shortly after their interaction.

"And what of the 'unknown' monster-god, the "Kishin"?"

I felt a pang in my heart and a twitch in my face when Odin asked that question.

"Unfortunately, we know next to nothing regarding that being, other than the fact that it was claimed to be "not of this world". We'll have to ask more about it when we retrieve the informant."

That was the only answer Azazel could give him.

Finally, Sirzechs then stood from his seat and spoke for the first time.

And it was the first time I had ever heard him speak in a such a threateningly ominous tone, and with such an imposing figure… No, maybe it was the second time...

"Very well. We know now what we must do. That being said, I would expect that we can consider each other our greatest allies in this effort to prevent Ragnarök. Just as the Norse and the Ryu Faction vowed to align themselves in the effort of stopping such an event, I sincerely hope that we can also do the same. We are in this together. And we shall stop this event and those terrorists at all costs."

Upon hearing Sirzechs' powerful determination, the rest of us unhesitantly agreed. And just like that, once again, the alliance against Ragnarök was reformed, in a brand new way.

—With all of our priorities set straight, we ended the meeting and went our separate ways, all of us determined to prevent the disaster.

The "Twilight"— The "Demise"— The "Fall of all gods".

Outside of the hotel that the meeting was held in, Azazel and I were the only ones left behind. We stood outside like any normal bystanders, but our conversation was anything but. We're just lucky that no one can hear what we're saying, on account of the invisible barrier we have around ourselves.

"So, Ise. How has everyone been doing?"

Azazel asked me about my group's condition at home. That was a bit of a difficult question to answer…

"Well… They're as good as they can be, I guess… We're all taking it in our own ways…. A lot of them feel...helpless…. And I gotta tell ya, the eyes around our house don't help much either."

"The eyes?... Ah, that's right. Sirzechs surrounded your estate with Devil guards of all kinds, didn't he?"

"Yep. Right after he found out about the terrorists locating our place, and the attempt on Rias's life, he sent a bunch of them over to protect us... 24/7…. They're everywhere. They're usually extremely discreet about it, but… It doesn't change the fact that we know they're always there somewhere. I can always spot a few whenever I go outside. And if one of us goes somewhere, several of them usually follow….."

"I see. Yes, that certainly sounds like something he would do. You've seen what he's like now. Learning that his sister was threatened to easily that many times… It's hardened his heart and mind. A part of him seems to be more "brash", if that's the word. He doesn't look like he's taking any more chances. And he certainly doesn't like he's going to be sparing any sort of mercy to the terrorists, if he finds them…. By the way, I even heard that he sent Surtr the second to guard your place as well."

To that, I could only give a heavy sigh as a response.

"Yeah… He did…. But unlike the others, he's not so easily hidden."

"He doesn't disguise himself?"

"No… More like, he guards my house from the fucking inside."

"Inside? You mean that he's in the house?"

"Yep…. He stays in our training room… All day…. That's basically where he lives now…"

Azazel curved his brows sternly.

"Even as a precaution, that's still a massive invasion of privacy."

"Huh, you're telling me…. Rias had an argument with Sirzechs about it…. But…. He was… His face was…. It was almost like she was telling at a literal brick wall. No, more like, an unbreakable steel type of wall…, No matter what she said, he didn't budge… Hell, he didn't even talk that much…. He just, looked at her…. And his expression was like…. Not "determined", that's not really the word…. It was much 'darker' than just determination…. He looked normal, but he felt "off"... He felt…terrifying… I'd never felt him like that before… It was like he was so much bigger than us…. Like a giant…. And Rias was a tiny little ant screaming at him from below…. He only spoke two full sentences and Rias stopped yelling…. I didn't even bother saying anything, because I knew, I felt it in my bones, that there was absolutely nothing I could do to change his mind…. It just felt like his will was something incomprehensible to lower level beings like us…. And we should accept it as the word of god or something…. It's indescribable beyond that…"

Azazel released a deep sigh, as if perfectly understanding what I meant.

"I see…. So that's how it is…"

"Yeah…"

Our conversation went silent, and we both just looked up at the cloudy sky.

"...It's still dark up there, huh…"

"Yes. It hasn't even let up once since Asgard happened. Reports all over the world claim that there's storms everywhere."

"...Well, at least it's not snowing anymore…"

"Yeah. After the first three days, it stopped. But the clouds still remain. Everywhere. I'm not even sure if there's sun in most places. There is in Egypt, but that's mostly because of Ra. Anywhere that doesn't have the interference of a sun god, it isn't very bright there at all."

"...Is that so…"

"Yeah. We can only hope that Odin talks to him about it. You know, when he returns, of course. As of now, no one still knows where he is. Not even Baldür or Magni."

"...I see…"

I had no words for Azazel's explanation and allowed the silence to return.

…

But it didn't last. Instead, I broke it quickly after its return.

"...Neh, Azazel…"

"What is it, Ise?"

"...All of my life as a supernatural being… the times that I was most nervous or stressed about something, it was always right before a fight…. The anticipation of it…. It always tore me up inside…. Yeah, there were sometimes that I was also excited, as much as I was nervous, but…. In truth, nothing could compare to the unbearable stress and fear that would come during a battle… Like that time on Asgard, or even Kyoto…. The fear and stress of failure, it was unimaginable…. I would much easier look for death to catch up to me instead… And yet…. Despite of all that….. Now…. These days…. I can't stand the waiting….. Now that I'm in battle, not knowing what is going to happen in the future…. I have never been more afraid or nervous in my entire life…"

I finished that statement by trying my absolute best to stop my shaking fists.

And while I looked up at the sky, Azazel replied earnestly.

"Ise…. It's perfectly alright to feel that way. Even us leaders experience fear…. —Just don't let it stop you."

I tightened my fists and ceased their quivering.

"—I won't."

And while holding my gaze towards the clouds, I found my determination again.

"...This sense of quiet, it's somehow worlds worse than the roaring sounds of battle, isn't it, Azazel?"

Azazel answered while looking back up at the clouds once again.

"Yes…. It is the truest form of foreboding omen that there is."

And one bolt of lightning flashed through the sky.

"...A calm that begets the storm…"

TOOOOONN!

End

Sometimes, the calmness before a disaster is the most unbearable aspect of living as a warrior and protector.

So, here it is, the setup for the next arc. Some of you might be asking, "If Ragnarök has already started, what the hell is the next arc even called?" To that, I would say, "You'll fuckin see."

But anyway, the world has now changed. The effects of the attack on Asgard ripple throughout the factions. Paranoia and distrust are rampant. The factions are beginning to become reclusive, making peace and alliances even more difficult to establish. Some are willing to take the risk and establish connections necessary, in order to defeat the Khaos Brigade. Some are not. We can only hope that they take our heroes advice and call on others for help if something happens. Otherwise, a repeat of Asgard may occur, but on different sides. Who knows what the Khaos Brigade is planning.

This arc is going to be a long one. And when I say long, I mean LOOONG. As in, who knows how many chapters long, but certainly in the double digits. And it may even be the 'final' arc. Seriously. Because EVERYTHING is gonna be happening im this arc. And when I say that, I don't necessarily mean everything that happens in the LN. Because remember, I am of the opinion that LN had a great loss of potential later on in the series. I believe that it quickly lost its reason to exist beyond 15 volumes. Perhaps the 'all out war' aspect just wasn't handled well, but it was quite the disappointment to me. I plan to make it much better in this story. And I believe that would be the perfect conclusion for this story.

Because unlike Ishibumi, I know when to end a fucking story and not milk it for money lol. I mean, seriously, just end it. Where the fuck else can you go with it? It's seriously not interesting anymore. You missed your shot to have a good conclusion, you dragged it out.

Well, whatever. Tell me what you guys think.

What do you think is going to happen in the coming chapters? What sorts of conflicts and events do you expect? Who is the traitor, is it really Sera? Where is Thor? What will the other gods do now? Will our heroes find the informant? And what do the terrorists have planned next?

As for next chapter, the gang goes on to live their lives "normally", with the progression of the rating games and school— But behind the scenes, the plan to find and retrieve Jedidiah commences. And with that, the traitor as well.

Read, Rate, Review go crazy, go stupid.

Stay frozen.