The Devouring Dragon-Chapter 62: A Shift in Battlefields

"Beast King," Ajuka smiled pleasantly at me, and I just stared blankly back.

"Ajuka Beelzebub," I answered, my tone even as I stared down at him from my throne, "Did you wake up feeling suicidal today?"

There was no other explanation as to why Ajuka just suddenly forced his way into my palace. I was sure the mastermind probably had some type of escape plan, so he wasn't actually suicidal, but I still had no clue as to why he was here.

"Not exactly," Ajuka shook his head lightly, "Not suicidal, but perhaps a bit bold."

Bold was an understatement.

As I stared down Ajuka, I took in his level. He was by far the strongest person I had seen so far.

[Maou] [Ajuka Beelzebub] - Level 2000

The man was a huge step above his fellow Maou in Serafall, and even significantly stronger than Tiamat. Hell, even when Tiamat had used [Karma Control] on me, she'd still been 500 levels lower than Ajuka.

"Bold, or stupid?" I hummed, "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now, Beelzebub."

Even if he did have some escape plan cooked up, he was in a very, very, dangerous situation. Even if I didn't have my armor on at the moment, the amount of buffs I got for being within my own territory from my [Beast King] title more than made up for it.

Besides that, Tiamat was also standing right here, along with both Vargan and Velrissa.

"You can't," Ajuka said simply, and I felt a twinge of annoyance.

"Wanna bet?" I grinned lightly, but Ajuka simply shook his head again.

"I'm not being rude. I'm just stating a fact," Ajuka responded evenly, reaching into his long green coat. He pulled his hand out, and there was a small, glassy, red ball between his fingers.

"I call it a recall orb," Ajuka explained, still smiling pleasantly, "It's a new invention I've been working on. It remembers a magical signature and can instantly teleport the user to a designated location upon destruction. Since the signature is recorded within the orb and doesn't utilize a medium, there's no barrier that would be able to prevent it. The chance of you killing me before I use this is zero."

It seemed my assumption of his escape plan was right, but that still didn't explain why he was here.

"Did you just come here to show off, Beelzebub?" I raised an eyebrow at him lazily, "It's a neat little invention, but I'm afraid I don't care all that much."

I was acting disinterested, but his new invention was actually a bit concerning. It was one thing for Ajuka to be able to break through Tiamat's barrier, as there was only so much the man could do alone, but if he could mass produce an item that allowed for non-genius ultra-powerful devils to break through, then it would be an issue.

I wasn't pleased to learn that Ajuka could, in theory, create thousands of those orbs and drop an army into my territory at the drop of a hat.

"Of course not. But, first impressions are important, so allow me to introduce myself, even if it seems you already know of me," Ajuka said professionally, tipping his head at me lightly, "I am Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the four Maou, and former heir to the Astaroth Clan. It's a pleasure to meet you, Beast King, and to see you again, Dragon King Tiamat."

"I could've gone another century or two without seeing you again," Tiamat bit out, looking dryly at Ajuka, though his friendly smile didn't falter at her words.

"You already know me as well, but I'll make it official," I hummed, leaning forward as I locked eyes with Ajuka, "My name is Valon, but you will refer to me as the Beast King. I am the ruler of this kingdom, the conqueror of the Dragon King Tiamat, and..."

My grin widened, looking a bit predatory as I stared down Ajuka, "The future King of the Underworld."

"Quite ambitious," Ajuka chuckled lightly at my words.

He wasn't wrong.

"Now that you've wasted enough of my time with introductions," I smirked lightly, "Get to the point. Why are you here, Beelzebub?"

"To negotiate," Ajuka said simply, not elaborating further. It was an annoying tactic, but a good one when dealing with enemies.

If you kept your answers as short as possible, you didn't risk revealing any information that could be used against you.

Unfortunately for Ajuka, I wasn't in the mood to play games. I just raised an eyebrow at him, not saying a word.

"I would greatly appreciate the return of Serafall Leviathan," Ajuka finally explained, his face not shifting in the slightest.

"I'm afraid I enjoy having her," I shot back, "If you've come to try and get any of the hostages back, you're wasting both of our time. And I don't like spending my time on valueless things, alright?"

"I'm here to negotiate for their return, but not in the way you assume." Ajuka's lips twitched up slightly, and I could tell he was barely containing a smirk. "I'm here to offer you an alliance."

I blinked at his words, staring at him blankly.

The fuck?

I didn't let my shock show on my face, and I didn't react at all for a moment. A flurry of thoughts flowed through my head at his words.

I assumed it was some type of trick or trap - why would Ajuka, who was representing the Maou and the devil government as a whole, offer an alliance to someone they were at war with?

My initial thought was that he was cutting his losses. If he had decided that the war against me was too costly to continue, it would make sense that he was trying to get the hostages back peacefully.

But these were devils I was dealing with - creatures of sin. Even if Ajuka and Sirzechs were intelligent enough to cut their losses and try to make peace, I doubted the pillar families would stand for it.

I had nearly sent one of the families to extinction, and I had essentially spat in their faces in the process. I had humiliated them and started a war.

Their pride wouldn't allow them to just give in, even if it was the least costly move at the moment.

Finally, my lips twitched up, and a large smirk appeared on my face.

"You're aware that we're at war, aren't you, Beelzebub?" I asked, and he simply nodded.

"Of course, but it's a war that favors neither of us," Ajuka responded evenly, "Which is why I am here to negotiate an alliance on even grounds."

More interestingly, he said an alliance. Not a ceasefire, not a neutrality, but an alliance.

"Even grounds?" I raised an eyebrow at him, "The sister of your strongest soldier is my prisoner, and I even have one of you Maou held captive here. I'd say this war is much more unfavorable to you than it is to me."

"I agree," Ajuka nodded, surprising me slightly, "Which is why I'll show this to you."

Ajuka reached into his long green coat again, pulling out what looked to be a small piece of glass in a circular ring, almost like a spyglass.

"Succubi are remarkably similar to devils," Ajuka continued, and I could see where he was going, "They tend to be on the more... voluptuous side, something only common amongst high-class or powerful female devils, but they can use magic to disguise themselves. To an untrained eye, their life force energy is nearly identical to demonic energy. It'd be nearly impossible for the average devil to tell them apart."

"For the trained eye, someone like me can easily tell them apart," Ajuka said factually, not even a twinge of arrogance in his voice despite the smug statement, "And with this, so can anyone else."

Ajuka held the small piece of glass up to his eye, looking casually at Velrissa through it.

"I don't see how this has anything to do with an alliance," I shot back easily, using my own advice of not revealing more than I had to. Unfortunately, it didn't work on someone like Ajuka.

"I won't insult your intelligence, so please do not insult mine, Beast King." Ajuka didn't look upset despite his words. "You've been funneling succubi into devil-controlled cities and targeting the heads of noble clans. If I were to distribute these to soldiers in every city, then your soldiers would be snuffed out and killed, thus ruining your plan to take control of the pillar families."

I expected he'd have figured out about my plan with the succubi, and if his invention really did what he said it did, then it would indeed interfere with my plans. However, it wasn't the slam dunk he thought it was.

"Go ahead," I said bluntly, shrugging at his words.

While it would definitely set me back, the succubi weren't essential to my plans. It would definitely make things easier if I could limit Ajuka's power by taking over the noble families, but I could still just take the battle-first approach and continue to strengthen my army.

"Don't misunderstand, I have no intention of stopping your plan," Ajuka said, and I barely resisted blinking in surprise, "I'm simply informing you for the sake of negotiations. Consider it a favor that I won't distribute it, and do me the favor of viewing our faction as an equal."

That was definitely unexpected, but you had to expect the unexpected when dealing with Ajuka. The man's 'genius' moniker wasn't undeserved.

But I already knew how to deal with someone like him.

"A favor?" I chuckled, shaking my head lightly, "I believe that's called a threat, Beelzebub."

"That's up to your discretion," Ajuka countered, but I shook my head again.

"I refuse," I said bluntly, "Go ahead. Distribute that glass of yours, and kill every succubus you can find."

When dealing with the mastermind, the most optimal approach was to take away their resources. That was my initial goal in taking over the devil pillars, and the same was true for this conversation.

I wouldn't give him any information, nor would I allow him to take an inch. With a man like Ajuka, giving him an inch was the equivalent of giving him a hundred miles.

I was the one with the power here - I had Rias and Sona, I had Latia, I had Tiamat, and I had Serafall. I wouldn't allow him to shift the scales.

"You're meeting my expectations, Beast King," Ajuka's lips twitched up at my words, his pleasant smile becoming a wide grin. "I was worried you wouldn't be able to match me, but you have. I'll apologize for trying to gain the upper hand when we're already in an equal position."

He bowed his head lightly as an apology, and I schooled my face.

Truthfully, I had no idea what the hell he was talking about. With the hostages I had, I was definitely in a superior position in the war against the devils, but he was saying we're equal now? That the 'favor' he requested was a ploy to gain the upper hand?

But I just did the smartest thing you could do when you didn't know something: I stayed quiet, merely staring at Ajuka with a blank expression.

"We both know an alliance is necessary, Beast King," Ajuka said, not giving me anymore, "So, how about we speak about the terms now?"

Ajuka really was an annoying person to deal with.

"I have a high opinion of you, Beelzebub," I countered, "Which is why you should take this as a compliment: I don't trust a word you say. Explain your thought process behind your proposal, and..."

I leaned forward, my eyes narrowing at him as [Lie Detection] activated, "If you lie once, then we'll truly see what's faster. Your ability to break the orb, or my ability to cut your head off."

"Understandable," Ajuka nodded at my words, beginning his explanation, "You know why we haven't attacked you despite your actions, correct?"

"You can't," I answered bluntly.

I had hostages and Tiamat - it was far too risky for the devils to launch an attack, as the forces it would take meant their own cities would be left defenseless to a third party.

"Correct," Ajuka nodded, "We are in a situation of mutually assured destruction. You know the principle well, I'm sure."

"A relationship where each side has the ability to destroy the other," I nodded, "It usually refers to nuclear weaponry amongst humans."

"Indeed," Ajuka agreed, "In this situation, Sirzechs Lucifer and myself are the nuclear bombs for our side, while you and Tiamat at the nuclear bombs for your side. If you leave your kingdom, it'll allow us to take the hostages and destroy your armies, as you can't risk leaving without Tiamat and facing us alone. In the same vein, Sirzechs and I can't attack because it'll risk the lives of the hostages and leave our species open to attacks from other factions. We're both in a locked stalemate that neither of us can break."

"That's wrong," I shook my head at his words, "You cannot break it, because you value your race's safety. I don't have such an attachment to my army, so I could sacrifice them to gain the upper hand."

In reality, I had spent so much time accumulating forces that I wouldn't dare throw them away, even in order to deal a crippling blow. If I left my territory and my forces to die, the return I would need to justify such an act could be nothing less than the death of Sirzechs or Ajuka.

Anything else wouldn't be of even value.

But, Ajuka believing I was cruel and uncaring would only benefit me.

"Of course, you could," Ajuka nodded, "In the same way that I could blow up your entire kingdom right now. However, in doing so, I would kill Rias Gremory and lose the support of Sirzechs, while not killing either you or Tiamat. It would ensure the eventual doom of my species for not an equivalent gain - because there is nothing as valuable to me as the prosperity of devils."

Unfortunately, this was Ajuka Beelzebub. He understood the concept quite well, and he knew I wouldn't do anything reckless. He really was annoying.

"So, for both of us, continuing this stalemate is the best course forward," Ajuka continued, "There is no move either of us could make that would benefit us more than it hurts us."

I hated to admit it, but he was right. I needed to stay holed up in my territory, continuing to expand my forces and allowing the succubi to worm their way into noble families.

If Ajuka disrupted the second part of that plan, then there was only more reason for me to remain stagnant and grow my forces.

In the same way, they couldn't do anything while I had Rias and Sona. Any battle would almost assuredly result in their deaths, and Sirzechs cared too much about Rias to let that happen.

But that made it all the more confusing why Ajuka was suddenly offering me an alliance. If it was in both of our best interests not to make any moves, why was he making a move?

"While we both know that, unfortunately, the Council of Elders do not," My eyes widened slightly as Ajuka continued, the situation starting to make sense. "They do not see you as the danger you are to our race, and would rather use this situation to gain more power over myself. They will overstep me, and they will launch an attack on your territory. While none of them may have the power that I or Sirzechs hold, the power of multiple elders is more than enough to turn your territory into a crater."

So, that was where this was going. Ajuka knew it was better to do nothing and allow me to merely exist, but the Council of Elders, who had enough power and sway in the Underworld to override the Maou's decisions, wouldn't sit by idly.

Considering Zekram Bael was included in that group of elders, I likely wouldn't be able to stop my kingdom from being destroyed. Tiamat and I could surely kill them in the process, but the destruction that came from the battle would be too much.

"When that happens, Rias Gremory will die," Ajuka said bluntly, "They don't care for Rias or Sona's lives, as the lives of heirs don't exceed their own greed for power. Even Latia Astaroth, whose death will lead to the extinction of a pillar, doesn't matter to ancient devils with unmatched greed."

He was only partially wrong. I would protect Rias and the rest of the hostages if there really was an attack, but Ajuka didn't know I cared about the woman so much.

"When that happens, Sirzechs won't be able to hold himself back," Ajuka continued to explain, "Even I cannot hold him back, while neither Serafall nor Falbium would try to. He'll slaughter the elders until he either kills them all or dies trying. Another civil war will break out, and our race will perish in the process."

So, Ajuka was being put in a rough spot. If he continued to do nothing, the Council of Elders would slaughter my hostages, get themselves killed in the process, and piss off Sirzechs enough that he'd throw away his title of Maou and start another civil war. freewёbnoνel.com

But Ajuka was the one in a rough spot. Not me.

"So, you intend to form an alliance so the Council of Elders has no reason to attack?" I smirked, leaning forward as my words were dark and sinister, "What if I told you that I don't care? Your species is my biggest hurdle to ruling the Underworld, and sacrificing some land and my armies is a small price to pay to get you out of the way."

It wasn't like I'd lose all my forces anyway - even if the ensuing battle was destructive, I was sure I could protect the most important subordinates, like Raya, Vargan, Velrissa, etc, and the direwolves and succubi reproduced quick enough that even losing the majority of them wasn't that big of a blow.

If the situation Ajuka laid out really did happen, I'd be the one who benefited the most from it.

"That's fair," Ajuka surprisingly agreed with me, but he continued, "But, do you think you'll be able to protect yourself and those you care about without our protection?"

Their protection? I'm protecting everyone just fine now, and we're at war!

Luckily, Ajuka continued as I didn't answer, "Those in power fear those who are rapidly gaining it, Beast King. There's a reason Sacred Gear users are hunted before they even know what they were born with."

He wasn't wrong there - the original reason Raynare had targeted Issei was because Azazel ordered her to. The man hadn't even been apologetic about it either, simply deeming that taking out a potential future threat to his faction was justifiable.

"The reason other factions are ignoring you is because of your hostages," Ajuka said bluntly, "No one will attack you, because killing Rias Gremory or Sona Sitri means incuring our wrath. When they die in the Council of Elders' attack, that barrier will disappear. You'll be viewed as a budding threat by the Grigori, by Heaven, by Asgard - by every god and faction in the world."

He made a pretty good point. Up unti now, I hadn't been contacted by anyone other than the devils and the Khaos Brigade - which contacted me through the Old Satan Faction branch - despite making a Dragon King my familiar.

I figured I would've been flooded with meetings from other factions, either to try and recruit me, form an alliance, or to put me down before I gained too much power. I hadn't thought about the hostages working for me this way, but it made sense.

The devils were certainly one of the strongest factions in the Underworld, and no one wanted to make an enemy out of me while I had Rias and Sona held hostage. If they did something that caused one of them to be injured or killed, then they'd have to answer to Sirzechs.

But I wouldn't give in to Ajuka so easily.

"So, you want to go behind the elders' back to make a deal with me," I simply grinned at him, "But you said you won't stop my succubi. Am I to take this as you betraying your kind, Beelzebub?"

He wanted an alliance, but he was willing to let me take control of the noble clans. This could be nothing less than a betrayal.

"Not at all," Ajuka grinned back lightly, "In fact, I'd say I'm doing what's best for my kind. The elders are stuck in the past, and our race's benefit comes from adapting to the future. Take them, and work with me to create a better future for both of us."

"What's to stop me from taking your whole faction for myself afterward, Beelzebub?" I leaned forward, my eyes shining lightly as I grinned hungrily at the devil, "Leaving the elders in my hands means leaving all the power in my hands."

"Nothing," Ajuka's lips twitched up, his grin turning slightly maniacal, "I'll give you the power that you want, but don't take this as a surrender. I'm simply shifting the battlefield."

My eyes locked with his own, and I was sure we both looked insane at the moment, "The future of both our factions will be ensured. I've fought enough battles with lives at stake, so let's put something else at stake this time, Beast King."

He took a step forward, spreading his arms out as his eyes shone, "In the end, only one of us will be able to stand at the top. Instead of a battle of power, let us partake in a battle of intellect."

A battle of intellect against a supergenius? I'd have to be insane to accept.

But, despite the odds being stacked against me, my grin only grew wider. Ajuka's offer was too good to pass up, and we both knew it.

He was offering me a battle where every advantage was in my favor. I would have the pillar heads under my control, freedom from being holed up in my territory, the benefits that came with Tiamat being my familiar, and I even had Serafall under my contract. Not to mention the growing favor of Rias, Sona, Latia, and Ravel.

My plans would only accelerate, too - having resources from the rest of the Underworld, as well as no longer having to be so secretive with the succubi, meant that gaining more power would only be easier.

I wouldn't have to snatch devil society out from under Ajuka's feet - he was offering it to me on a silver platter.

My opponent shifted the battle to one where he outmatched me at every turn, but he did so in a way that gave me every handicap.

I couldn't turn him down. The first battle ended in his favor, but the war is far from over.

"I accept," My eyes shone back, and the deal was done.

My war with the devils ended unexpectedly, and my war to rule the Beast King-Devil alliance against Ajuka began.

More specifically, my war to rule all of devilkind began.

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AN: Thank you for reading! The next Chapter will be out tomorrow!

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