Lucifer`s Estate.

Alexander Lucifer was known as a man with many qualities and someone that is not to be underestimated by anyone, for it was usually impossible to determine when he was in control or had known something that the others didn`t. And even if they did, he still could turn to his side, playing a role of someone who had no idea of supernatural and disguising his personal traits and hiding away the fact that he possessed far more information and knowledge then one would suspect. And he usually did so with?everyone?he met for the first time and didn`t determine whether they were trustworthy or not. Even Galeran was no exception, and he was Alexander`s most trusted ally and friend for some time. Rias and her Peerage were the prime victims of his ruse, along with Sona and her group. Secrecy was one thing that Alex always viewed as essential in all missions when he was in charge of Grigori Task Force. Under his command, this rag-tag group of hero descendants was made into A-class special strike force, with myriad of tasks to complete: from mere recon to full-on assault of fortified and heavily defended positions. In other words, Alexander was someone who could qualify as Grigori`s top commander-in-chief for special forces.

And Heaven`s Faction with the Christian Church was very well aware of this fact, as many of the actions of Grigori`s Spec Force have caused in sufferable damage to their operations and slowed and shut down the progression of many of their projects. Catholic Church in particular has become a very personal enemy of Alex Lucifer, seeing as they`ve once had the gale to actually abduct Alexander from Grigori`s care and imprison him in Vatican for three long months, under the pretext of: "providing divine protection to the lost lamb from the craving wolves, lustful for sin and blood." Those were the words that Alex has heard from the Exorcist that have taken him away from Baraquel`s protection. And, what an irony, this very same Exorcist now sits in front of Alexander, accompanied by two other familiar figures, Xenovia Quarta and Irina Shidou, both of whom were the acquaintances of Alex and Arturia, who was at Alex`s side at the moment. The rest of his Peerage were behind him, standing in full-battle alert, accompanied by Shirone, Asia, Akeno and all of the members of Sona`s Peerage. Issei was currently home, doing some chores and taking care of his own stuff, according to Asia. Grayfia, in accordance with the instructions, was staying with kids and providing them protection, alongside with Fenrir and Arcanna, along with serving as a secret ace in a hole if things were to go south. Kiba, however, was nowhere to be found and nobody has seen him in the past couple of days, which did pique interest of Alex`s, but only for a very short time. Rias and Sona were also here, as they were the next heiresses of their families and lived here, but it was most obvious that the real power here was in Alexander`s hands, so they were here mostly as observers and witnesses.

As for Alexander himself, he was on his own territory and in his own domain, so he wasn`t going to play a nice diplomat, as he knew the ways of Catholic Church and how they were operating. Along with that, he knew how will these three act: Irina was a happy-go-lucky girl with unshakable faith in God, along with being borderline obscure and idiotic in her ways, as she was over-reacting more than anyone; Xenovia was a prideful and devoted type, believing herself to be higher than anyone because of her status as a Holy Sword wielder and a Durandal holder. And then there was Griselda, who was a far more mature and knowledgeable, but also devoted to Church and ready to obey it`s every command, regardless of what it may include. Alex knew what she was capable of and what to expect of them. However, what was making him slightly nervous were the Excaliburs that they`ve brought along with them, which was already bad news for him and Arturia, who wanted little to nothing to do with those accursed weapons. Still, it might`ve been Alex`s imagination, but he felt some sort of.. vibration coming from those three swords. But it wasn`t in any way threatening, but as if.. a part of him was.. reaching out to them. Weird..

He was the first to talk, seeing as they weren`t going to start.

"Alright, I don`t have time to play diplomats with you, Griselda." Alex started off harshly. "Explain to me now, why are you and those two are here, with these wretched Swords, none the less? And do keep in mind, that if I find your presence in whatever way threatening or that you are hiding something, I`ll be more than happy to dispose of you in the fastest and most efficient way possible."

"Aw, why do you have to be such a meanie, Alexi?" Irina soundly pouted. "Aren`t you happy to see your best friend~?"

"Forget it, Irina. He was never a true friend of ours, for he is of Azazel`s seed and is the worst enemy of our Lord." Xenovia coldly replied. "Someone like him must be purged on sight without hesitation." Everyone saw that she moved her big sword closer to herself.

Arturia was the first to react.

"If you intend to carry out this threat to Alexander, then I welcome you to try." Divine Excalibur appeared in Arturia`s hand, shocking in its presence Xenovia and Irina. "That is, if your filthy pieces of junk are capable to match the full extent of my sword."

"How on Earth did such a perfect weapon end up in the hands of someone like you?!" Irina complained. "We are the God`s chosen and we always get the best of the best weapons! How come?you?have such an awesome sword~?!"

"How? For I have created it, Irina." Arturia answered, taking a serious position. "And my blade`s strength is equal to the Caliburn, which is said to be the strongest Holy Sword ever created. Can your imitations claim the same?"

"Why you.." Xenovia was about to get up, but was stopped by Griselda. "Lady Griselda, why are you allowing her to tarnish the name of our Excaliburs? To call them 'imitations' is a talk of a heresy.

"Heresy, huh?" Arturia raised a brow. "My family has always been tied with this sword, and we`ve learned better than to have any more dealings with it and Church. After all, you did steal it away from us for your own selfish reasons and even have broken it into these pale scraps."

"That is a topic for another discussion, Arturia." Griselda took the initiative and turned to Alexander. "Alexander, I understand that in the past I`ve made a poor impression of myself and you may have an even worse opinion of the Church, but I would like to put on hold all our squabbles and for you to listen to what I have to say."

"You sure have a good way of choosing words, Exorcist." Alexander coldly replied. "But it seems like it`s you who don`t realize something quite important here."

"And what would that be?" Xenovia asked him.

"You three are currently on Devil`s territory, with three Holy Swords and I, a current governor of this area, wasn`t informed of your arrival or whatsoever." Alex pointed out. "Even with this territory being rented to Devils by Shinto Faction, it is still our domain and members of the Church without the official approval from my superiors, are qualified as high-level threats and must be dealt with accordingly. And I highly doubt that you have an approval from Satans to be here, which in turn gives me enough of an excuse to kill all three of you on the spot, as a potential threat to our lives."

Xenovia growled while Irina paled at the said threat. Sona and Rias both didn`t expect that Alex would go to such lengths in his talks with members of the Church. They were expecting him to play a diplomat, but not an aggressor and someone who would risk to tarnish the relations between the Church and Devils like that. Alex`s Nephilims, most of them, weren`t really surprised that he was taking such a bold and terrifying approach. That was just one of his ways to conduct talks with the Church.

Griselda stiffened up and spoke.

"Do you really hate us so much that you would attack us just out of spite and under such excuse?" Quarta spoke.

"Is it so surprising for you, Griselda?" Alex asked her. "After all, your Church kidnapped me for 3 months and tried to train me into one of your "operatives". Alex recalled, surprising the Devils. "And that`s not to mention what you`ve done to Arturia, or would you like for me to recall all those 'projects' your Church supervised? Believe me, I have more than enough reasons to despise and hate your entire faction, so don`t tempt me. Get to the point, Exorcist."

Griselda sighed and decided just to comply with the demands of the Lucifer, as there was simply no other way to reason with him. It was partially her fault.

"Very well, Alex." Griselda complied. "I believe that you`re familiar with the name Kokabiel? It should be very well known to you, seeing as you were a leader of Grigori`s Special forces."

"Never met him in person, but know all about him." Alex replied. "One of the leaders of Grigori, Cadre-level and the major promoter for continuation of the Great War. Infamous for his immense bloodlust and battle hunger, along with being constantly at odds with Governor General of the Fallen Angels, Azazel. As far as I know, he was kicked out of Grigori for a month or so, becoming a renegade. And what does your being here has to do with one of the most dangerous Fallen Angles on the planet?"

"For over the past month, 3 out of 6 Excaliburs that were in possession of the Holy Church have been stolen by him. We have solid evidences to believe that he is currently in this area." Griselda informed everyone, surprising the Devils and some of Nephilims, while Alex was calm and collected. "So I`ve come here not for aggression, but to prevent it. I demand that you refrain from any activity that would affect our searches for the Holy Swords and bringing down Kokabiel along with his accomplices."

"Sounds to me that you suspect that I would ally with that creep. Just goes to show how little you really know about me." Alex sighed. "I refuse to follow these demands, Exorcist."

"What?! How dare you to refuse our demands?!" Xenovia demanded a direct answer.

"Yeah, don`t you know that we are the good guys here?!" Irina said insulted.

"You two really are idiots, aren`t you?" Alex dully noted, turning back to Griselda. "Let me make this clear and simple for you, Exorcist: there is no way in hell that I am going to allow someone as dangerous as Kokabiel to cause chaos and endangering this town and its people. And I am not allowing you to run around with your swords without my say so. I know well enough what happens once you allow members of Church to mess around in your territory. And I know especially well that when Excaliburs are involved, then a lot of innocent lives are at stake and that`s mostly because of the Church and your fanatical archbishops."

"So, does that mean that you are not going to refrain from interfering with us? Even knowing that if you do, we will have no choice but to kill you?" Xenovia asked him, moving her Excalibur closer to herself.

"Trust me, Xenovia; it will take more than 3 broken blades to kill me." Alex warned her. "Now, who are those accomplices you`ve mentioned?"

"From what we`ve gathered, Kokabiel has gathered around himself quite a number of accomplices and allies, many of whom you`ve used to work with very closely, Alexander." Griselda noted, making Alexander raise a brow. "According to our information, his accomplices are Arthur Pendragon, Diarmuid O`Dyna, Atalanta, Kojiro Sasaki, Jeanne d`Arc, Sieghard and these are only those that we`ve been able to identify."

Alex was in a state of mental shock, for he knew all these names and every one of them were the members of his task force and his close friends, some even more than just friends, closer to a family. Arthur was and is like a brother-figure to Alex and he is also someone whom Alexander deeply respects for his ideals and willpower. It was crazy, to even assume that Arthur would willingly go work for this crazy bastard, especially considering that he would be putting the life of Le Fey at risk, whom both Lucifer and Pendragon cared for deeply, Alex seeing her as little sister along with Arthur. And Excaliburs.. Arthur wasn`t even remotely interested in them, especially when he already has Caliburn in his possession and is invested to further his mastership of this blade. But what troubled also Alex was what Arturia must`ve felt like, hearing that her older brother was now working with a wanted terrorist and battle maniac. She was always idolizing him and wishing to earn his respect, but now.. Alex really felt bad for his Queen, along with his friends who also knew all these people and were friends for years.

Another shocking piece of information came with Diarmuid being involved in this mess. Cu Chulainn and Diarmuid O'Dyna were cousins on mother`s side, as Cuhullin`s aunt was a mother of Diarmuid. Alex always regarded Diarmuid as one of the most trustworthy and honorable warriors this age has seen, as he valued friendship, comradely and honor above all else and never allow himself to become a follower of a beast like Kokabiel. He has the pride of a knight and is honor bound to never stray away from the righteous path, as he is just as resolute in his beliefs as his ancestor. Cu Chulainn was a bit competitive with his cousin, but there was always a brotherly bond of friendship and deep respect for each other, so Child of Light knew that there had to be something really fishy, for his cousin would never, not even in the world conditions possible go work for that crazed lunatic. If he did so, he would`ve ashamed not only himself, but the lines of Diarmuid and Chulainn. And if he did so, then Cuhullin`s Gae Bolg will have to clash with his Gae Dearg and Gae Buidhe.

Atalanta, another descendant of Greek mythos and one of the top snipers and archers that this world has seen, steadily holding her position even above Archer. A huntress, proud of her abilities and strengths, while not shying away of her mixed line, as she is not just a descendant of a Greek heroine, but also a Nekomata. Actually, it was Alex that managed to convince her that her lineage doesn`t determine whom she can be and that if she loves her parents, then she must also love who she is, as she is the prime symbol of their love. And it also helped that Alex sprouted that he finds Atalanta's cat traits quite cute and beautiful, which did make her change her mind and be proud of herself. She was always someone who could tell what is good and evil, so there was really no way for her to end up working with Kokabiel, as he was known for despising all other races, and especially the hybrids. And that girl had a temper when in the presence of a racist.

Kojiro Sasaki, a different case from everyone else, but he is a trustworthy and very good operative, following the code of bushido and having a degree of honor, much like a samurai, but never above of using some tricks up in his sleeve. However, that guy really hates being ordered around and only allows for a few persons to give him commands and Kokabiel by any means never fit the criteria for this guy to follow his commands. That guy would much rather see that crow slashed up with his signature Swallow Reversal then as his boss. Something was really, really fishy.

Jeanne.. Another soul rescued from the hands of the Church that was taking her through all acts of horrible experiments. All because she is not a simple descendant, but Joan d`Arc`s Heiress and her reincarnation, just like Alexander. She is a lot like Asia, pure, humble and innocent, always with a smile and cheerful attitude, despite all that has happened to her. A possessor of Blade Blacksmith and a swordswoman, she was a very valuable teammate and a good friend to all in Grigori. Alex himself was glad to be able to call her on his best friends and possibly even more, as he did have to admit, French girls do have a certain charm attuned only them.. Someone like her could never,?ever?sign up working for or under Kokabiel, not in a million years, as Jeanne may be a little na?ve, but not to the level of idiocy. Another strange and frightening case..

Sieghard, one of the powerhouses of Grigori Task Force and one of two living descendants of Siegfried. A man lead by justice and honor, never straying away from the righteous path, but also known as someone not to be messed with, as his lineage holds not only the blood of legendary Siegfried, but also of a dragon Fafnir, as Sieghard is actually his grandson through father`s line and half-drake. Because of that, he is one of the strongest members of Grigori, rivaling in power even Lucina and Vali, which says a lot. And that`s not to mention his swordplay and skills with his primary weapon, the sword that creates true storms and whirlwinds, Balmung. He is driven by justice and would rather die than serve someone as malicious as Kokabiel, no other way around.

All of them, each and every one, all were Alexander`s friends, his comrades, brothers and sisters in arms. They were also the founding members of the Task Force and it`s elites in many different spheres of expertise, famous in the organization for their loyalty to the cause and to their leader, Alexander. Lucifer himself often partaken in missions as the coordinator and field commander and he knew how each and every one reacted, thought and fought. He knew the loyalty and truth when he looked at it and they were the loyalists of loyal. And they had enough moral and principals, along with the mind to not end up in the mess like this one. It simply couldn`t that his men now served under Kokabiel and were engaged with these Excaliburs. There must be a reasonable and understandable reason to all this..

'Hold on a minute..' Alex spoke in his own mind, looking up at Griselda and here girls. 'They are hiding something. Something that?they?do not want to reveal to me, wish to keep and avoid, only mentioning my own men as partners in this one, but.."

As Alex was contemplating, his friends and comrades in arms were being shocked and aggravated by these claims, as all of them were their friends and partners, respected allies and comrades. Arturia was the first one to voice everyone`s thoughts.

"How dare you, to lay such claims on our friends and comrades?!" She shot up angrily. "You must be looking for your own demise, to so boldly accuse my brother and my friends of the crimes they would never commit."

"I assure you, Arturia that our claims are backed up by solid evidences and witnesses." Griselda defended her own position. "I personally had to stand my ground against Arthur and his Caliburn just three days ago."

Arturia was shocked to hear that, to think that her big brother was involved with the Excaliburs. It must be a ruse, but she knew that Griselda wasn`t a liar and deceiver, as she was one of the few who actually sympathized with Arturia`s situation. She couldn`t just take it, that Arthur has become a minion in hands of Kokabiel. No, that`s not true, there has to be a reason. Could it be that Kokabiel took Le Fey as a prisoner and is threatening Arthur with her life?! If he did so, then nothing will save that renegade crow from the bite of her own Excalibur.

Cu Chulainn was really pissed at the words of Griselda as well, as she was?claiming?that his cousin and brother in arms, Diarmuid O`Dyna, was cooperating with a wanted?criminal! Gae Bold materialized in his arm and he glared at the exorcists.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but did you just claim that my comrades and friends, are in cahoots with Kokabiel?!" Chulainn was on verge of killing those ladies. "You really have some nerve to say something like that, considering that my Gae Bolg is itching for some blood."

Xenovia simply smirked as she looked up at the aggravated descendants.

"Is it really hard to believe, that Kokabiel gathers the heretics as his allies?" She was grinning. "After all, you and your pagan gods have no true understanding of the concept of honor and loyalty."

Cu Chulainn was now pissed.

"Why you.." Gae Bolg was about to swirl, but he was stopped by another spear.

That spear belonged to Scathach, as she looked critically at Xenovia and spoke to them.

"Lady Griselda, I suggest you restrain your apprentices and apologize for these words." Scathach regally demanded. "As granddaughter of Morrigan and ruler of Dun Scaith, I find these words not only insulting, but also enough to become a cause for a war."

"Huh, as if Celts could ever put up any fight." Xenovia laughed at Scathach, making her narrow her eyes at blue-haired girl.

"No offence, but you guys have been living in the isolation for a long time, and our Lord`s true faith have long surpassed your power." Irina cheerfully stated. "So, you basically aren`t strong and we can beat you!"

And at that moment, the entire room has suddenly became darker and air has become.. empty and devoid of life, as if something was unleashed in the room for a mere second and sucked out all that was life in this world. Irina and Xenovia especially were frightened, as the feeling was most strong at them both, and they even didn`t manage to breath, as no air was there. Devils were confused, but Nephilims knew just what this feeling was and where it was coming from.

Deathly wind of Dun Scaith, realm that is ruled by an Immortal Witch and whose creatures are deadly to even deities. And the single person in this entire country and this side of the world that was a capable of unleashing this wind was currently here, holding her own Gae Bolgs and looking with death in her eyes at Exorcists, as she was just insulted in the worst way possible, as she and her brethren and family were called?weak. These foolish girls aren`t even realizing that their believes are all directed to a dead God and that even he, in his prime, always was afraid of her grandmother and ancestor. And Scathach was fully capable of accessing the powers she was granted and taught. And this was just a tiniest drop of the storm that is her true power.

Scathach looked at them again and spoke in her usual way and tone.

"Word of advice, foolish girls: if you claim to be powerful, be prepared to back this claim, for there is no other way you shall be respected." Scathach smiled as she saw the truth on their faces. "And now, tell the full truth, Exorcists."

Said Exorcists looked up at Scathach and gave her a questioning look. Scathach has taken a few lessons of reading people by their faces and emotions, along with how to follow the talks and their meanings. And all that she heard just now was her comrades who turned to Kokabiel and served him now, but there was not everything that was revealed to them. Witch of Dun Scaith wasn`t any meaningless grunt, but a lady of mind and power, for she had the access of her ancestors knowledge from the archives of her personal castle in Land of Shadows. And they taught her well of schemes and lie. And they were good, but not too well. And Scathach knew that her husband here was of the same mind as she. Using their own friends to make them look good and feel guilt and misery.. Conniving and miserable move, fitting for the snakes of their kind. She knew just what truly their Church was and she had all the reasons to despise and hate it. Now, she was going to get the straight answers from those servants of fanatics.

Alex looked up at his Celtic wife and she nodded to him, showing that she also understood why he was silent and contemplating. This kind of a bond, when a single look can say volumes was one capable only between the two souls that lived as one. Alex through all this conversation felt that these fanatics were hiding the real truth, telling half of what was real. Lucifer was good in reading people, really good, and these ladies were lying in his face, when they were the once that asked of this meeting. What a deceitful bunch these Christians are, telling only what?theybelieved was necessary to others to hear, lie or truth. If only they had?saw?their God and just what a damned bastard he was.

Lucifer took over his wife and friends, speaking in cold and strong voice.

"All this time you three have been sitting here and stating of how righteous and truthful you are, but you all are forgetting something." Lucifer narrowed his eyes. "I have seen the real face of your Church and true core of it, so I know when I see deceit from your kind and I know just how to recognize a lie or half-truth. And you, Griselda, have just used the latter."

"Alexander, I attest that.."

"All 6 of your Excaliburs are the most valued and the most guarded treasures of the Church." Alex continued. "I am very well aware of the amount of care and scrutiny you put into protecting and keeping something in your own bounds, and Excaliburs are at the top of your priorities to protect and guard. The amount of protective fields, quality of your own holy protection and every single guard.. Believe me, I thoroughly know that there is no way that even a Cadre Fallen Angel would be able to get even a single Excalibur, unless Kokabiel had an inside source or someone that was the best informed of Excaliburs, has or had an access to them and their defense systems and knew all about them. And how to bypass those defenses.."

"Are you insinuating that someone within our holy Church has been assisting Kokabiel?!" Irina shockingly asked. "Alex, just how can you be so cruel to your best friend`s feelings?!" Irina looked heavily insulted.

"Irina, first: we are not even remote friends, for I have never sought to be friends with you and Church. Two, your holy Church has kidnapped me and tried to make me into one of their fanatical followers. Three, I couldn`t care less of feeling of the girl that thinks that being a follower of God grants her the right to be ignorant and oblivious of feelings of the others." Alex explained his reasoning, turning to Griselda. "Now, Quarta. If I don`t hear the full truth and all details in the next minute, then I will personally vaporize all three of you on the claims of you threatening the security of this region and its people. And believe me, I?will?make it look like it."

Griselda knew this look and this voice, as she knew Alexander and just what he was capable of. He knew how to be heartless and merciless, along with deceitful and manipulating. If he laid claim that he could do what he said, then he really could and?woulddo so in heartbeat. Senior Exorcist truly didn`t say the truth and there was a reason as to why she wished not tell the full truth. Alexander`s and Scathach`s analysis was correct on all levels and there truly was a person that helped out Kokabiel and continues to help him to this day. However, if she were to reveal this name to Alexander, then there was no telling how Alexander would react to it. But, the further she dealt in the lies, the stronger and more powerful was his response and more trouble would it bring to her.

And yet, there was very little choice, for she and her subordinates were facing. Before them was one of the deadliest and most professional groups of warriors, led by a man whose knowledge and mind were nothing that could be underestimated. Griselda already knew that Alex wasn`t someone, she could convince or trick. There was just a single option left to actually win the slightest chance of him being cooperative with her.

Sighing, Griselda decided to actually do as he has told her. Even though she knew that telling him this would probably cost her own life.

"There is someone who helped Kokabiel get those Excaliburs." Griselda spoke up. "The name of his accomplice from the Church is.. Valper Galilei."

Everyone in the room was silent, for some didn`t know this name, the Devils, at least. But Nephilims, those that were with Alexander in his Spec Ops.. This name was anything, but new to them, for they have already encountered the madman. They knew firsthand what kind of an obsessed and heartless man he was. Obsessed with the studying the Excalibur, trying to find a way to wield it and use it to the fullest, just to witness it`s power. He had nothing human in him and all that he desired was Excalibur, as he didn`t even bother with the victims and sufferings of those that ended up in his hands.

However, while all that was common knowledge to Grigori and Church, they?knew?what this man was. And Alexander was no exception when it came down to hating him, but he was the person that topped the list of his haters. And right now, just a single mention of this mad dog`s name made his blood boil and fists clench, but not just because of the them mention. No, there was far more to it.

Alex growled and looked at Griselda with a furious glare.

"Griselda, are you telling me, that this mad dog is still alive?!" Alex shouted at her, releasing his aura, scarring the Exorcists and Devils. "You hypocrites! You and Michael were the ones that swore to me that he will die for what he did, Griselda! I`ve believed in your words of justice and now I learn that you`ve left that son of a bitch alive?! Just what reason did you even have to not kill him, Griselda?!" Alex demanded a straight answer from her.

"The Church and Heavens.. needed his knowledge and his work was more than needed to us." Griselda-->>

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