(TPD) Chapter 44: The Meeting (1)

Chapter 44: The Meeting (1)

I really am ill-fated… While trying to get rid of my exhaustion, not only did I end up worsening it. My pelvis is now also in a world of hurt.

From the second he woke up, Avalon was already in a sour mood. The sinking realization that the meeting was happening this morning hit him in full force, alongside the fact that he had lost his chance to get any level of decent rest beforehand.

Great job Avalon… Great job…

Resting right beside him was none other than Adaloth, who wore a shamelessly elated expression on her face while she was sound asleep, completely in the nude, and tightly clinging to him with her arms firmly clasped around his waist—and her legs purposefully interlocked with his.

Are you trying to become a professional grappler or something? What's with this UFC-level hold?

He shuffled around in an attempt to break free of her grip, but without an abrupt Levi-tan boost doing so proved to be impossible.

"Mmmmm," Adaloth let out a groggy moan while she was asleep, subconsciously tightening her grip and causing him to wince from the anaconda-like constriction he was experiencing.

"...Adaloth! Wake up!" He started rapidly tapping her on the shoulder, desperate to save his body from being crushed as if it were being placed under a hydraulic press.

"Hehe… That tickles…" She murmured while clearly still half-asleep, snuggling closer to him and rubbing her head against his chest.

…I guess I have no other choice but to call upon one of my secret moves!

He moved his hand back with what little room he had, clasping his index finger and thumb together, carefully honing in on her nose like a cat staring at a mouse.

Pinch!

"Achoo!" An immediate sneeze followed, her eyelids finally starting to part as she awoke to the sight of Avalon's frowning face. "Mou… What was that for?"

"Take a guess," he shuffled his body, making it clear that he wasn't a fan of having his bones crushed into a fine paste.

"It's still early isn't it? We can cuddle for a little longer," she loosened her grip to a less painful degree, but it didn't remove it entirely.

"We have to get dressed and ready before everyone else, and I shouldn't need to explain why." If they were spotted coming out from the same room, then there were bound to be—questions.

"Hmph, you're such a buzzkill."

He performed a big stretch once he was freed from her clutches, loosening all his joints in an attempt to get some of the soreness from last night out of his system.

Hold on a second…

He reached down to the floor, picking up the pink, limited edition Levi-tan hoodie that he had been wearing.

No… No! No! No! It's completely soiled! There's no way I'm going to be able to wear this!

He could only lament and set his hoodie aside, finding his spatial storage pouch and reaching into it, pulling out an entirely different set of attire—the set that Zekram was under the impression that he was wearing at the moment.

At least I was fortunate enough to have brought this with me, otherwise I'd have to wear one of her shirts instead.

The outfit consisted of a pure-white greca-styled overcoat that reached all the way down to ankle-length, had golden edged cuffs, and a set of golden buttons running down the middle with the Bael Clan's insignia inscribed onto each of them.

But before putting it on, he took a whiff of himself, taking full notice of the lingering, pungent odor that was emanating from his skin.

I should probably take a shower first, before I end up with two pairs of smelly clothing.

Fortunately for him, the housing Oshino had prepared for them was luxurious enough to warrant each bedroom having a private shower room attached to it.

"Showering without me? I don't think so," Adaloth stood up, grabbing him by the hand and leading him inside.

At this point… I can only really be mad at myself…

After Adaloth decided that she had enjoyed enough shower-time fun, the two of them went around the house waking everyone up about an hour before they were set to attend the meeting. Giving each of them ample time to get dressed, and have a decent-sized breakfast beforehand.

Of course, with the amount of food Adaloth and Avalon needed to satiate themselves, they decided to eat long before everyone else.

"Everyone ready?" Avalon asked, paying particular attention to Acerola and giving her an affirmative nod, signalling that he hadn't forgotten their arrangement.

"We're ready, but there's something I just have to ask." Esdeath replied, pointing at his outfit. "What's with the wardrobe change?"

Lars also shared her sentiment, thoroughly shocked that their King had actually decided to appear—presentable for once.

Was there going to be a blue moon tonight as well?

"There's going to be a bunch of bigwigs attending the event, I'm just dressed for the occasion." He said as if he hadn't made a mental note to develop a cleaning spell that would enable him to keep his Levi-tan clothing on even if it were to get stained or soiled.

Lars and Esdeath exchanged a glance, a glance that told one another that they weren't buying a word he said.

Suspicious, they both thought in unison.

"I think you look good in that," Acerola smiled, walking up beside him to his left, adjacent to where Adaloth was standing.

"Already making a move on me? I'm flattered," he returned the smile.

"A-hem," Adaloth audibly cleared her throat, staring a hole through Acerola's forehead. "We're supposed to be on professional business right now, so could we please act like it for the time-being?"

Acerola covered her mouth with her palm, "Jealous are we?"

"What did you just say?" Adaloth's eyes narrowed, a hostile air starting to build up around her.

"Ladies! Ladies!" Serafall grabbed their attention, clapping her hands together. "Now's not the time to be bickering alright? You can fight over Ava-tan all you want after the meeting!"

This is why the Levi-tan is the best, he wore a proud smile as she watched his idol diffuse the situation.

"Your girlfriend's got quite the stare," Acerola nudged him with her elbow.

"That's my sister," he said plainly, looking at her with a flat expression.

"Hey, I'm not one to judge." She raised her hands, to which Avalon simply shook his and sighed.

Once the group stepped outside, each of them were met with the sight of a middle-aged figure awaiting them.

"I hope you're all well rested," Jin Toujou, who had been the one to greet them upon their arrival to Naoetsu Town waved at them while lighting a cigarette. "Follow me, I'll escort you all to the venue."

"Who's that?" Acerola pointed at him while looking at Avalon.

"Important guy."

"Ohhhhh," she nodded.

The chosen venue for the meeting ended up being a rented-out conference hall near the center of the town, which Jin ushered the Underworld's representatives into until they came across a well-lit, rather spacious room with a large table, and four large almost-throne-like chairs placed around them.

One of them had the Leviathan crest, and the other that of the Bael Clan's, making it clear that it was where they wanted Serafall and Avalon seated.

"I'm just on guard-duty, so I suppose you can relax until Oshino arrives." Jin didn't appear to be all that interested in the meeting despite its gravity, finding a corner of the room to enjoy some solitude in.

"Are we the first ones here?" Avalon asked, not sensing anyone else around them.

"Seems like it."

Avalon hummed, quietly taking his seat next to Serafall with the rest of his peerage and Acerola standing behind them.

"Ava-tan, this is your first time attending a meeting like this isn't it?"

He paused for a moment, but quickly caught onto what Serafall was suggesting.

"Don't worry, I won't get ahead of myself." He smiled, aware that Serafall still had her doubts regarding his ability to meditate with other factions as a result of his lacking experience.

To think I'm going to meet the leader of the faction we were recently at war with under such circumstances, this ought to be interesting.

He smiled to himself as he reclined back into his chair, making himself comfortable while cooking up an image of the Governor-General in his mind.

---

The waiting game continued for at least another five minutes, Jin and Avalon both adjusting their posture once they sensed something coming, the latter evidently far more intrigued than the former.

Out of nowhere, a blinding white light appeared on the opposite side of the table, assuming the shape of a cross as it illuminated the room in a manner that forced everyone other than Avalon to shield their eyes from its radiance.

A radiance that was particularly uncomfortable for Devils to be around.

"Apologies, I hope I wasn't too tardy." A soft spoken voice greeted them, countering the distressing feeling it's owner brought with him.

He was an exceptionally handsome-looking man who appeared to be around Adaloth's height, possibly an inch taller.

He sported long blonde hair that reached all the way down to his waist, accompanied by calming green eyes, with a disarming, almost droopy shape similar to Avalon's, enhanced by the peaceful smile he wore that felt like it was the very embodiment of serenity itself.

As for his attire, he adorned a vermillion-colored, silk-laden robe with a gold cross in front of a white alb, coupled with a pair of large gilded shoulder pauldrons with a long white sash running through them.

And most notably of all, was the golden halo hovering above his head, displaying his status as an Angel.

"Ya-hallo! Michael-chan!" Serafall waved at the Archangel Michael, Heaven's current leader in the absence of its fallen father. A truth that had been revealed to Avalon by Zekram once he had finished his training under her to assume the mantle of Great King.

"It has been quite some time, Lady Leviathan." He greeted her in a calm and composed manner, thoroughly surprising Avalon as he didn't detect even a morsel of hostility coming from the Archangel.

Isn't Michael supposed to act as a bastion of justice against evil? Namely us, remembering that he had promised Serafall to pace himself, Avalon chose not to make any audible comment on the matter. Either he truly doesn't feel a thing, or showing any wrath whatsoever—even against his sworn enemy is enough to make him fall.

If the latter was true, then he felt nothing but pity for Heaven's representative. To be so tightly constrained even after the creator of the rule had passed was quite an unfortunate reality to be handed, at least from his perspective.

"So formal as always, being too stuck-up all the time isn't good for your health Michael-chan! You need to loosen up every now and then." She wagged her finger at him with her eyes closed and head held up high, as if she was advising a misguided child.

"Haha, I'll try my best."

From the way he spoke, Avalon was pretty confident that he wasn't intelligent enough to heed Levi-tan's sage wisdom.

You poor lifeform, too lacking in common sense to comprehend Levi-tan's advice. You are forever fated to lead a life of misery, if he weren't a Devil, he'd perform a silent prayer for him.

But as it would seem, Michael hadn't arrived at the meeting alone.

Beside him stood a beautiful woman with wavy ankle-length blonde hair, fashioned into a braid by a black bow with bangs hanging over her forehead, alongside chest-length hair strands spanning down both sides of her torso, full pink lips, and a voluptuous body.

Especially around the chest area, with her bust undoubtedly capable of rivaling Adaloth's—something the Ruin Empress was already glaring at the unknown woman for.

Like Michael, she too was wearing a white robe, with blue outlines instead of gold, and extravagant decor around her hip. The shaping and design of which seemed reminiscent of a high-ranking Church official.

What's this? Avalon turned to face her, the woman's outline suggesting that she was wearing something on his face which he couldn't quite make out with his blindfold still on.

Therefore, he decided to the right side of his blindfold out of plain curiosity. Even though his fatigue had yet to completely dissipate, it had recovered enough to allow him to spend a brief amount of time with it off.

And what he saw—left him thoroughly shocked.

She was wearing a blindfold.

It wasn't one that was specialized in any capacity like what Avalon was wearing, which meant that the woman was more likely than not actually blind.

"You must be Lord Bael if I'm not mistaken?" Michael spoke, catching into Avalon's intense staring like everyone else in the room. The nature of his eyes startling the Archangel a bit, but not breaking his composure.

"That would be me," he replied, still not facing Michael as his attention remained solely focused on the stunning woman—which caused her to shiver a little under his unbreaking gaze.

Michael raised his hand, gesturing towards her. "This here is Sylvia Strada, she's an Archbishop from the Catholic Church who's attending this meeting so she can convey everything back to the Church, as I will be doing for Heaven once it's concluded. I hope her presence isn't bothersome?"

"No, not at all." He stood up from his chair, causing the entirety of his peerage to make a "here we go again" face.

"Ava-tan?"

Like a flash of lightning, Avalon disappeared from his seat, and appeared right in front of Sylvia. Causing her to flinch out of shock as he leaned closer to her, the one eye he had revealed practically burning a hole through her blindfold.

The sheer speed at which he had moved caused both herself and Michael to have a delayed reaction, as if their brains needed an extra moment to register that he had even moved at all.

"...Can I help you?" Sylvia asked in an unsure tone of voice, her only confidence lying in the fact that she believed he wouldn't do anything rash while they were in the neutral zone.

He didn't offer her an immediate response, his smile gradually widening all the while.

"You're using the same technique I am to sense your surroundings, but it's not as detailed as mine." He observed aloud, "However, your eyes are definitely capable of doing something in spite of the fact that you're genuinely blind."

Right as Sylvia was about to say something, he raised his hand up to her in a silencing motion.

"You don't need to tell me anything, and I apologize for startling you. Although, I would like to talk to you after this meeting if that's alright with you? I've never met someone with a similar circumstance as mine after all."

"Uhm…"

Michael intervened, "Lord Bael. Maybe it's for the best that she's given some time to dwell on the matter?"

"Of course," much to the Seraph's delight, he reeled back without any fuss whatsoever.

Thwack!

Once he returned back he was given a swift chop on the head by Serafall.

"That was very naughty of you Ava-tan! If you want to make new friends, it's important you be polite!" She pouted, holding both sides of her hips.

"S-Sorry…I'll be more careful next time." He deflated into his chair, a sunken expression now present on his face.

What have I done?! I made Levi-tan mad! I have no other choice but to slit open my belly as repentance!

Thankfully, the last faction that had been invited to the meeting decided to make its presence known before he could do anything extreme.

A large gate had appeared out of thin air, with dark, space-like matter flowing through it like an ethereal ocean as two figures stepped through it.

"Oh? It looks like I'm the last one to arrive, how embarrassing." A laid-back, middle aged voice greeted everyone.

He was a tall man with a much more rugged appearance than Michael, sporting pitch-black hair with dirty-blonde bangs at the front—giving him an almost delinquent-esque visage, the look finished by the black goatee on his face.

"So you're still alive," this time Eurus was the one to step forward instead of Avalon, who had been completely silent until now since they had departed their temporary abode.

"Haha, that should be my line don't you think?" He chuckled, stepping into the room's lightning and revealing the maroon-long coat he was wearing, which was strangely breezy around his chest area for some reason. "It seems you've gone ahead and become a Devil, I certainly didn't peg you for the type to lower your head."

He shifted his attention to Avalon, who happily locked eyes with him in return.

So you're the person whose friends we killed back then, talk about a meeting long overdue.

"You must be the Weeping Angel who defeated her, it might be a little late—but congratulations on your victory. Although I'm not sure whether recruiting her of all people is in your best interests—"

"Drop it," for some reason, Avalon's voice sent a chill down everyone's spines.

Except Jin's of course.

He was just chilling.

Avalon stood back up, reassuring Serafall that he knew what he was doing before approaching the man.

"I've been wanting to meet you for some time now, Governor-General."

Indeed, the man in front of him was none other than the leader of the Fallen Angels—Azazel himself.

"Ever since I killed Armaros all that time ago," Azazel's lip quivered. "I've been eagerly looking forward to coming face to face with the man he called his leader, wondering what kind of person could possibly give life to a spirit like the one he showed me."

A sense of tension started to build up in the room, everyone wondering what possible reason Avalon could have for trying to rile up the Governor, seemingly for no reason whatsoever.

"Day after day, I kept building an image of you in my head. Confident that you'd come after me, or at least one of my peerage members in person for killing your friends." His facial expression shifted to a sudden frown, "But you never came, on the contrary, you decided to leave. Could you imagine my disappointment?"

Azazel subtly clenched his fist, unclenching it a short while after.

"Well, I'm sorry—"

"Sorry? You're apologizing? What for?" He blinked repeatedly, tilting his head. "I killed people you had been friends with for millenia, the entire time that I've been alive doesn't even account for a fraction of that, Governor. Doesn't that anger you? Doesn't that bother you, even a little? Or did all that time not mean anything to you? Were they naught more than just disposable pawns in the grand scheme of things?"

Azazel narrowed his eyes, knowing that Avalon had left his guard wide open on purpose, practically begging for the Governor to do something in retaliation.

He knew Avalon wanted to provoke him, but just wasn't sure why.

"That's enough," Jin stepped forward, putting his hand in between them. "You've all been gathered here to have a civilized discussion, now to antagonize one another like children." He was glaring especially hard at Avalon.

"I'm not antagonizing him, I just want to get to know him a little better."

"Uh-huh," Jin narrowed his eyes, clearly unamused.

He chuckled, "Alright alright, I'll stop." He started to walk back to his chair, but not before shooting one last glance at Azazel. "However, I think you and I should find some time to sit down and talk with each other soon."

"Yeah, soon." Azazel replied with an understandable amount of annoyance, certainly not expecting to be ambushed like that the second he entered the venue.

This time, Serafall didn't have a light-hearted reprimand in store for him.

She just quietly observed him from the side, an uneasy feeling stirring within her gut the longer her gaze lingered.

Just a second ago, Avalon was his usual—annoyingly flippant self. But somehow, that had changed in what felt like a split-second.

He had become malicious, without being provoked even in the slightest.

That must be the side of him that made him Zekram's husband, Serafall concluded, deciding it was for the best to pretend like nothing had happened—for now at least.

"It's you!" Esdeath broke the awkward silence, both her and Lars staring at the teenager that was accompanying Azazel with sheer bewilderment.

He was a white-haired youth with light-hazel pupils, probably a few years younger than Lars and Esdeath at most, wearing a black leather jacket with Grigori's emblem plastered on the right shoulder side.

But the youth's attention wasn't anywhere near the Bishop and Pawn, completely focused on Avalon's Rook instead.

"I want a rematch."

He was none other than Vali, who had been kidnapped by Eurus shortly after he had taken refuge in Mortis during the end of the Supremacy War.

"A rematch? I don't even know who you are," Eurus haphazardly picked her ear, ignoring Vali's sentiment much to the Dragon host's annoyance.

"Stop playing dumb! You're the one who grabbed me while I was at—" Azazel intervened, putting his hand on Vali's shoulder and shaking his head.

It's too early for that Vali, you're strong. But you're not at a level where you can take on a Super-Class being just yet.

"Oh! Would ya look at that? The gang's all together!"

And at long last, the man of the hour, Oshino Meme, had arrived. Casually stepping through the front door and greeting his attendees.

He surveyed the room, taking note of the facial expressions of everyone around him.

"Haha! You all look lively! Did something good happen while I was gone?"

"..."

He frowned, "How dull. Oh well, let's get this thing started shall we?"

---

Now we're really getting into the meat and bones of Volume 2, let's see how this meeting ends up changing the landscape of the supernatural world shall we?