(TPD) Chapter 47: A Return Visit

Chapter 47: A Return Visit

After absorbing one of his Knight pieces, Acerola had officially become a member of Avalon's peerage, meaning that all that was left for him to find was another Rook, and one more Knight—upon which his peerage would be complete.

Avalon furrowed his brow as he watched her body slowly regenerate, "This might be a strange time to ask this but, shouldn't the sun be harmful to you or something?"

"It should be," she affirmed. "But I'm an exception, all I know is that it has something to do with the person who turned me into a Vampire in the first place, since she was also unaffected by the sun."

"Wait, you weren't born a Vampire?" He was fairly confident that this was the first time she was bringing it up.

"No, and before you ask, I don't know where she is now. She disappeared and cut off all contact from me a few centuries ago," she softened her tone, averting his gaze. "Not that I'm really interested in seeing her again."

Able to discern that she clearly didn't want him to inquire on the matter any further, Avalon decided to let it go, simply taking a mental note of it in the back of his mind.

"Whatever your circumstances may be, I hope you end up enjoying this chapter of your life more than your last." He extended his hand out for her to hold, offering the best smile he could, at least by Ajuka standards.

"I hope I do as well," she exhaled, grabbing his hand and using it as support while she hauled herself to her feet. "For your sake," she chuckled darkly.

Crash!

"You just can't seem to help yourself can you?" Adaloth had jumped off one of the nearby rooftops where she was observing their bout from, creating a large crater in the ground without sustaining any damage herself, and immediately proceeding to chide him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He tilted his head, picking up on the fact that his sister was clearly insinuating something.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Zekram, Rizevim, and now her," she pointed at the Vampire Princess, who had a look of sheer confusion on her face.

Must you parade your fetish around so openly? Zeoticus was right, the fact that you didn't express any interest in women your age has proven to be a bigger problem than we assumed.

He shrugged, "I still don't know what you're getting at."

"Sure you don't," she replied with immediate disbelief. "Let's just return back to where Serafall is already, you've had more than enough play-time." She started to walk in the direction of the conference hall, motioning for him to follow suit.

"Hey," Acerola brought her mouth up to his ear. "I'm getting the feeling she doesn't like me very much."

"Don't take it personally, she doesn't like anyone." He patted her on the back reassuringly.

"Those were some skills you showed back there!"

Another figure decided to leap off from above, being none other than the only present person who was taller than Avalon—Rizevim, who somehow didn't cause so much as a tremor once her feet touched the floor.

"I appreciate the complime—" But before Avalon could respond, he was met with a very shocking, and awfully forward gesture from the Lucifer, who had gently cupped his chin with her fingers and tilted his face up to her.

"Especially those eyes, I have to admit, I find them quite beautiful." Her hands shifted a little, as if she were withholding the urge to remove his blindfold herself.

Boom!

And only a second later, a frighteningly powerful wave of destruction came hurling their way, capable of hitting all three of them with the clear intent to atomize them.

But Rizevim simply sighed, holding out her open palm and stepping in front of Avalon, her face only conveying that she was mildly perturbed at most.

The youth appear to have gotten more brazen in the time I was gone, not that I hate it, a Devil ought to be aggressive.

A strange light erupted from her hand, one that was a mix of eerily, malicious dark color, and that of an almost pure radiant white.

Avalon's eyes told him that the two energies that were swirling together had no reason to be compatible with one another, as a matter of fact, they physically weren't supposed to be capable, yet it was happening right before him.

Before the wave of crimson energy could even touch Rizevim's skin, it had already begun to weaken drastically, the Crown Princess still showing no signs of hesitation whatsoever once it was only millimeters away from making contact with her.

"Devour," Rizevim commanded, the light enlarging past the size of the destructive wave and consuming it whole, facing no resistance at all as it effortlessly dismantled the frightening display of offensive might.

Or more specifically, Adaloth's show of offensive might.

"Aren't you a feisty little girl?" Rizevim smirked, enjoying the sight of Adaloth's frustration on full display. "You could've hurt your brother with that one."

"I wasn't aiming for him," she scoffed, turning her back and continuing to walk away, pretending as if she hadn't almost reduced him to ash.

"What did you just do?" He asked Rizevim in disbelief, eager to find out what kind of ability she had just used to so effortlessly dismantle an attack from Adaloth of all people.

It had taken him a second, but he was fairly confident that her power was a combination of Demonic Power, and Holy Power which he had gotten familiar with through being in Michael's presence.

"It's just a little party trick I got from my Father," she smiled, clearly uninterested in hiding the satisfaction she felt from crushing the younger Super Devil's attempt.

The power she had just used was derived from the signature ability of the original Lucifer, the Demonic Brilliance of Evil Light, or Dark-Light for short. Which was the only ability in Devil existence that allowed one to harness Holy Power, and one that belonged solely to the Lucifer lineage.

"But we can talk about me some other time, we wouldn't want to keep Levi-tan waiting too long would we?"

"Indeed," he couldn't help but agree.

---

Once the group had returned back to the conference hall, Serafall immediately perked up, approaching Avalon with an anticipatory expression.

"You're already finished?" He said in a presumptuous tone.

"Not quite, but we've pretty much sorted out the approaches each of us will be taking back to our respective factions." She took a deep breath, "As it would appear, we're going have to reveal the existence of both the Malebranche, and Ophis being active once more to the public."

"Well, we have to get them to agree somehow." He nodded in agreement.

"Myself and your brother will handle getting the common populace on board, can I entrust you with making sure the Great King Faction and the rest of the Nobles agree as well?"

"Of course, that's what I'm here for." He happily agreed.

"That's good to know," Serafall turned to Rizevim, looking at her with an understandable sense of caution and reverence. "Would it be possible to count on your assistance as well? Crown Princess."

Even though her position technically no longer existed ever since the old government had been disbanded, Rizevim's strength still demanded that Serafall treat her with ample respect, the only people capable of standing on the same level as her being Sirzechs and Ajuka.

"Usually my answer would be a resounding negative, but since Levi-tan is asking me, I suppose I could take it into consideration."

"That's all I can ask for," she replied contently. "Oh, Avalon, Adaloth, there's something your brother requested I tell you before you go off to deal with your duties."

"What is it?" The siblings tilted their heads in unison.

"Your Mother and Father wish to see you beforehand, now I have no interest in getting in between any familiar affairs, but I think it would be nice if you paid them a visit wouldn't it? It has been quite some time since you last did so, according to your brother."

Adaloth rolled her eyes, clearly uninterested in visiting the people she hardly acknowledged as her family. What an abhorrent waste of time.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Avalon on the other hand, albeit slightly nervous, was a lot more open to the idea. Even though there was a bit of discourse between him and his parents as a result of his engagement to Zekram, he wasn't interested in cutting them off.

And of course, there was Rias, his little sister who neither him nor Adaloth had talked to in an extremely long time, the Supremacy War having occupied pretty much all the time that they would've spent bonding with her.

Well, at least the time he would've spent bonding with her.

"Don't we have better things to—" Adaloth tried to shoot the idea down, but quickly got a harsh glare from Avalon in return which pretty much translated to shush. "Whatever," she rolled her eyes.

Serafall continued, "Once we've spoken to our respective factions individually, we'll organize an event with all of our governments so we can officialize the alliance. Oshino has already agreed to act as the spokesperson for the event, if we're able to bring it to fruition."

Having a representative from one of the three factions leading the event wouldn't suffice, since it could be interpreted as that faction trying to prove their superiority over the others, and establish themselves as the "true" leader.

"And of the Old Devils? Do we know where they are?" Avalon inquired.

"No, apparently Oshino has a lead, but he's holding out on us until we've officialized everything. The same goes for the Longinus he mentioned," she exchanged a glance with Azazel.

"I see, then we better get moving."

"Agreed."

---

Underworld, Archduke Gremory's Household.

Sitting on the living room couch was a young girl, probably around the age of 9, clutching a teddy bear in her arms with her lips pressed together, and a hesitant expression on her face.

She had long crimson hair, deep-blue eyes, and wore a simple plain white dress with an eloquent design etched into its fabric.

"Rias? What's wrong?" The flaxen-haired woman sitting beside her asked, being none other than her Mother, Venelana—who had naturally picked up on her daughter's apprehension.

Rias didn't respond, simply clutching her stuffed animal tighter.

"Are you nervous?" But it wasn't hard for Venelana to discern what was wrong.

Her older brother and older sister were visiting today, both of which she had absolutely no recollection of whatsoever, other than the fact that they were around when she was born, and for a few months afterwards, which she had been informed about by her mother.

And like her eldest brother, who she had interacted with to a memorable degree, they were both exceptionally decorated, with both of them being War Heroes during the Supremacy War—and her brother now being the Bael Clan's Great King.

Her Mother hadn't yet broken the news to her, as she was not only unsure whether it was the right thing to do at this stage in her life, but how she would do so in the first place.

But the truth was that unlike her siblings, Rias was born ordinary. Not below average, not especially weak, but not blessed by her genetics like they were.

She wasn't a Super Devil, and that was a chip that was going to find itself on her shoulder one way or another once she got older.

The sheer pressure and expectations that she'd have to endure were going to be exceptionally tough, and Venelana feared that they'd crush her if they didn't find a way to prepare her. It was a Mother's duty to keep her child safe after all, both physically and mentally.

Rias replied with a stiff nod, causing Venelana to start gently stroking her hair in a soothing fashion.

"It's alright to be nervous, but they're still your family, and they care about you deeply. You understand that don't you?" Venelana wasn't especially worried about how Avalon would behave, but Adaloth? She wasn't too sure.

She had always been the more distant one, and despite being her Mother, Venelana was rarely ever able to tell what was going on inside her head, the only person Adaloth seemed open to was her twin brother—and even that relationship wasn't all that clear to her.

No, it should be fine. Even though she sometimes appears detached, she's never actually done anything hostile.

"Yes," Rias' voice was timid, even though Venelana comforting had lessened her discontent, it hadn't dispelled it completely.

Time continued to tick by, evening eventually arriving as the artificial sun looming over the Underworld had just begun its descent.

And then it finally came, the sound of knocking resounding from their front door, alerting the entirety of the Gremory family currently residing in the living room.

"I'll go get it," Zeoticus spoke, gesturing for one of the attendants that were about to approach the door to let him take over.

Why am I starting to feel nervous now? These are your own children Zeoticus! Well, I'm pretty sure at least one of them is.

Uponing opening the door, he was met with the sight of two figures that towered over him, but both of which he immediately recognised, as his daughter and Ajuka's—, and his son.

Avalon had sent his peerage ahead of him to the Bael Clan's estate, and Rizevim apparently had something she wanted to talk to Zekram about, so she decided to follow along with them.

"Woah," Zeoticus took a step back, looking them up and down. "You two haven't grown even taller while you were up there have you?" He blinked repeatedly, still finding it hard to cope with the fact that he was the shortest male Gremory.

"I wouldn't put it past our genetics," Avalon chuckled lightly. "How have you been?"

Zeoticus flicked his brow, "Busier than usual, that's for sure. No thanks to your wife," he gave Avalon a light jab to the ribcage. "Being Archduke reminds me of how incompetent I was when I just became the Clan Head all over again," he rubbed his forehead.

"I'm sure you'll manage," he patted Zeoticus on the shoulder, stepping past him and entering inside.

"It's nice to see you as well Ada—" Adaloth on the other hand, didn't even acknowledge his presence as she followed Avalon, completely uninterested in being here. "Alrighty then," he exhaled.

"Sweetie!" Venelana happily brought Avalon into a tight hug, "Ah ah ah, you're not going anywhere." And also made sure to snag Adaloth before she could scoot away like an antisocial teenager.

"It's good to see you again Mom," Avalon beamed while his sister wore a deep frown. Don't think the silent treatment getting you out of this one, he pinched Adaloth's waist, giving her a mildly threatening look.

"It's good to see you again," Adaloth replied reluctantly.

"You're still all doom and gloom as ever," Venelana pinched Adaloth's cheeks, uncaring of the fact that she had to get on her tippy toes in order to do so. "You ought to lighten up some more like your brother, I'm still waiting for you to bring home a husband," she slowly turned towards Avalon. "Preferably one that's in the same age range as you."

He coughed nervously, "I'm sure she'll find someone eventually." he leaned over Venelana's shoulder, noticing the outline of a young girl peeking at them over the couch—being none other than Rias.

Upon realizing that she had been spotted, the youngest Gremory hurriedly hid back behind the couch, causing both Venelana and Avalon to smile.

Cute.

"And who's that little rascal back there?" His posture softened considerably as he crouched down, putting both hands on his thighs.

"Rias, come out and say hello please." Venelana spoke just as softly, looking at Rias with a reassuring expression as she slowly peeked out to look at Avalon and Adaloth again.

"H-Hello…" She stammered a little, clearly a bit unnerved by the somewhat intimidating stature of her older brother and sister.

Especially when one of them was wearing a blindfold, even though Venelana had already told her that her brother had some kind of "condition", seeing it first-hand was much different from hearing it alone.

"I doubt you remember me, but I'm Avalon, your brother." He put his arm around Adaloth's shoulders, "And this ball of endless grumpiness is your sister, Adaloth." He put his fingers on the corners of her mouth, stretching them to make a goofy smile.

"Owowowowow!" Of course, doing so resulted in him having his waist forcefully pinched. "Alright! Alright! I'll stop!"

"Watch yourself."

But much to Venelana's delight, their shenanigans had caused the mood around the house to lighten up significantly, the discomfort of Rias' face reducing a noticeable amount as she appeared to be a little less restrained.

"Hmph, you have no tact," Avalon pouted. "What if our little sister ends up mimicking your violent tendencies?"

Her eyes twitched, "I'll show you a violent tendency." She put Avalon in a headlock, causing him to rapidly tap her on the arm as he felt his neck getting crushed into a fine paste.

"That's enough! You're overdoing it now!"

And then the sound of giggling followed, coming from none other than Rias who couldn't help but laugh at the spectacle unfolding before her.

Venelana breathed a relieved sigh, elated now that the tension in the room had fully dissipated, and plastered on a proud smile as she inwardly commended her son for helping his younger sister ease up.

"Lunch will be ready soon, so I suggest we take some time to unwind and relax while we wait. I imagine you two are quite tired from all the traveling you've done."

"I think that's a great idea," Adaloth replied, more than eager to get away from the strange, crimson-haired, short creature now looking up at her with curiosity instead of concern.

"Then why don't you spend some time with Rias?" Venelana beamed, "There's something I'd like to discuss with Avalon in private."

I'm a War Hero, and you'd have me entertain some exceptionally tiny organism? Does reputation count for nothing in the Underworld anymore?

While Venelana and Avalon walked elsewhere, Adaloth felt Rias tugging at her pants.

"Do you want to watch Levi-tan with me?"

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

---

"What's up?" Avalon asked once they were somewhere more secluded.

"I'm not sure if it's really my place to ask, but could you tell me what happened while you were up there in the human world?" Venelana's posture straightened, and her tone grew more firm.

Ah, so that's what this is about.

He shrugged, "I don't see why not. Everyone's going to find out about it soon enough," her eyes widened a little. "Long story short, we're all going to be friends now! Isn't that great?"

"We?" She repeated with a smoulder.

"Devils, Fallen Angels, and Angels." He made a circle with his arms for some reason, "We're all uniting to defeat the big bad Infinity Dragon! Like in Levi-tan episode #453 where she teams up with—"

"Hold on a second," she held her hand up to him. "You're not talking about an alliance are you? Less than a half a decade after we just killed thousands of Fallen Angels, and three of their Cadres?"

"That's precisely what I'm talking about," he replied confidently, as if nothing about that statement was even remotely shocking.

She remained completely silent, intensely observing her son's idiotic expression in an attempt to gauge whether he was joking or not.

"And what's this about an Infinity Dragon?"

He scratched his chin, "I think his name was Ophis or something, apparently he's the one sheltering all the Old Devils, who also have the Malebranche we need to recover before they have a chance to potentially use them, and kill everyone."

Yet another awkward silence followed.

"I need a drink."

---

Average TPD activities.

Type shit.