Crossing Paths with the Ancient Ones again

"Have you sent a mission for Masaru?"

a young crimson hair man with a silver-haired maid was currently in Ajuka's office to meet in secret for the impending mission

"Yes, I already contacted Edward of Diehauser's peerage to have him take care of Masaru since we will be working together with Jacob Black, Julia, Circe and Diehauser of their team and Falbium for the upcoming mission after all. I will definitely not allow Masaru to be here"

"To think Ajuka Beezlebub my closest friend would take a liking to a boy this much, just what has he done to interest you this much?"

Ajuka smiled at Sirzech

"Because he has something that can complete most of my research, and he does remind me of myself in my younger days"

Sirzech thought about what Ajuka mentioned and he could naturally agree some parts of Masaru does resemble his friend in the past,

"That vapour Bomb magic is truly amusing... Using human knowledge to scare them, those useless old coots"

Ajuka laughed heartily for the first time remembering the faces of the council at the mention of that bomb.

"Well it is honestly thanks to Masaru's little flashy bomb we caught one of those traitors with evidence, after all, it's not easy to get it against a council member."

Sirzech said with a smile, Grayfia went out to make some tea for the two gentlemen,

"Honestly I would not mind if he could go even flashier so the traitors in the devil noble society will grow more restless, because it's easier to fish in troubled waters"

Ajuka coughed looking at Sirzech with a playfully stern look,

"Don't put my disciple in any more dangerous situations, I allowed your request to have him partake in the Bael Territory Defense, the Northern Border Defense and now this Dragon Valley to resolve matters while diverting the attention of those old devils away from you but even that will have a limit"

Sirzech could only scratch his cheek feeling embarrassed.

"The Dragon Valley was something Masaru would have to do but that sudden revolt of the dragons was a bit worryingly which was why I got Tannin to request for Masaru, honestly did not expect Tiamat to get involved in all of this"

"I wonder what the devil world would think if they are soon to realize just how cunning and ruthless this siscon actually is"

Ajuka could only feel helpless, this man would use any means necessary to achieve his dreams but he will do it in such a manner that it will not cost unnecessary lives otherwise Ajuka would have stopped him before he made use of Masaru.

"Well, we are just waiting for Falbium's call and then we will move"

Sirzech relaxed thinking of his next movements to clean out the traitors before he will move to the next step in reaching out to Michael of Heaven and Azazel of the Fallen angels, for the sake of the Devil's future he must succeed.

>\/<

A few days later, in the town of Kobe, Japan. Edward was leading Masaru and Jeanne on a stray devil hunt, although Masaru and Jeanne have experience in fighting it was still necessary to teach them the basics of what will be required of Masaru once he takes over the management of the town while studying in Kuoh Academy.

The other members of the peerage under the guidance of Diana has been taken to the mystical forest to sign familiar contracts, leaving only Jeanne who was still catching up on the basics.

"Why are we hunting stray devils? If they wish to leave the peerage can't they leave?"

Jeanne asked one of the most obvious questions, Edward smiled bitterly.

"For better or for worse, the evil pieces are essentially a slave contract to understand it easier. When one joins the peerage they must live and die for their king, this is the common sense of a peerage, but then again this depends on the King, like Masaru who gives you all freedom to pursue your dreams without restrictions is uncommon but there is many of them like the Gremory Family and the Sitri Family."

Edward checked the radar to ensure they are on the correct path towards the stray devil before continuing

"Then, you get the common kind of masters that abuses their peerage members, demands the ridiculous amount of effort from their peerage, well they are treated as real slaves. And you should know under such circumstances most stray devils simply choose to run away from their master.

"There has only been one known case where the peerage member killed their master since it's common that the master is stronger than his peerage members otherwise how will he control them.

"Now stray devils, the way how to detect them is easy. Once they betray their master, as punishment for their betrayal the evil piece will cause a mutation to their body transforming them into unsightly beasts which leaks out a special aura that the Evil Piece system picks up.

"The team investigate the master and the reason behind the betrayal and another team is ordered to dispose of them like we are doing right now."

He looked at Jeanne while answering her question

"It's easy for a long live Race to remove the piece at the cost of their lifespan but if a human does remove it they will die. Which is why I said the evil pieces is similar to a slave system, you girls should feel fortunate that Masaru is who he is"

Jeanne who learnt the cold hard truth about being a devil could not help but feel her spine go cold but when she felt the warm hand of Masaru touch her back it warmth up her body, when she saw the look in Masaru's eyes being complicated she knew he was wondering whether she regrets her choice but she pinched his cheek

"OUCH!"

Masaru pulled back feeling that pinch was quite painful looking at Jeanne who pointed at him with an angry look

"I don't regret joining your peerage! I doubt I will ever regret it! Because it's...."

Jeanne did not continue, instead turned around following after Edward thinking

'I'm happy because it's you'

Soon they arrived at an old abandoned house, the surrounding humans were made to fall in a deep sleep with Masaru's magic. Edward went around the back while Masaru and Jeanne were moving to enter the house from the front, there was a strong putrid smell lurking around the door.

Feeling disgusted at this smell Masaru covered his hand with a thin layer of barrier magic to prevent his skin from making contact with the handle, he gripped it then turned it before pushing it open and the smell that was kept inside came out like a wave finally set free causing Masaru and Jeane to feel nausea.

The disgusting smell disappeared the moment Masaru used wind magic to cast an Air Filteration magic to remove the unpleasant smell within a few meter radius of them as they started to go inside the house.

The walls covered in thick moss were showing signs of decay to the point it was a miracle it was still even standing, there is a rotten mixture of garbage's all over the house especially the food already had decayed for a long time.

There are signs of blood splattered here and there. On the left of the lounge room which was a complete mess, the couches were snapped in half and the leather has signs of being gnawed at.

There were even traces of yellow-brownish slime around the bite areas, on the right was the dining room filled with broken wooden furniture.

"Okay let's search the second floor"

Jeanne nodded at Masaru's plan since Edward is entering from the back door he can check the ground floor from the back to front and they will inspect the first floor,

[I have been feeling lonely these days you know, oh how I miss having an orgasm in battle]

Masaru who pulled out Deadheart could hear Drago's voice that was completely lazy in contrast to it's excited state when he is baptized in blood.

'Do you sense anything?'

[No, I don't sense anything but I can tell whatever permeated this entire house in this disgusting smell should be up stairs]

When Masaru's first step touched the stairs it gave off a creaking sound, Masaru stopped waiting to see if there are any movements upstairs but there was none so he started taking one step at a time while keeping his vigilance up.

Jeanne herself felt this house was simply too creepy if she had a choice she would rather just flatten this entire building than to enter it. Masaru however who had experience in entering the creepy house since the Vatican fared slightly better.

What they never knew was the entire house was locked down, Edward could not even get inside and the stray devil they were searching for was upstairs like Drago said. The moment they were on the first floor Masaru could not immediately recognize this strange familiar sensation as if he was in a different dimension than the human world.

At first, he became incredibly vigilant that even Jeanne flinched at his change of aura, after a while, he shrugged it off when he realized that there was nothing around thinking he is probably feeling uncomfortable with how familiar this situation appears to be.

The first floor only had three rooms, the first room they inspected was the bathroom that had a broken toilet yet the shower bath was still intact and it was clean, unlike the other rooms.

When Masaru and Jeanne left the Bathroom a shadow behind the broken toilet grew larger and larger till it stopped, from the form it appears to be a humanoid creature with three pairs of arms and it's leg forms were similar to how it looks like when a monkey stands.

"This house is giving me the creeps"

Jeanne spoke while following Masaru at his side, Masaru naturally felt something was wrong in the bathroom thanks to his spellbook reacting to something but since he could find nothing he could only come back later when he inspected the last two rooms.

The next room was a bedroom that was completely empty with only a single piece of paper and pen, seeing this scene Masaru remembered the ghost story about the pen spirit but he was in no mood to play it so they left the room.

When they left right above the pen and paper a girl that was hanging on a rope around her neck appeared, her face was blue due to the lack of oxygen and her eyes were bulging out.

Just as the door closes the rope loosen around the roof allowing the girl to silently land on the floor, slowly yet silently following behind it's two new visitors.

Masaru and Jeanne entered the third room that was an office with a bookcase installed against the wall filled with books all over, with a single table and stair in front of the dirty window.

Jeanne went over to the Table and noticed there was a diary being kept neatly inside one of the cupboards of the table took it out while taking a seat, she started to read.

05/11

a new visitor has arrived in the house, apparently, it was my mother's acquaintance who will be living with us for a while. But the strange thing was its shadow had six arms and its legs were different from his body, could he be a monster in human skin? I warned my mother several times but she laughed it off.

07/11

This time a girl came, she too will be living with us and also going to school with me. She has a rope tied around her neck, every time I tried to remove it since I could hear her wheezing while she tries to breathe she would glare at me. The manner of her glare makes it look like her eyes is about to pop out, could it be all my mom's friends are monsters?

12/11

Mother has changed, ever since her face had strange black veins emerging from her face she became less and less concerned with me.

Tonight before I went to bed I noticed the girl's room was open but inside there was only a pen and paper, feeling curious I went inside and tested the pen spirit ghost story and it turned out to be true...

But just as I finished it

I felt it gotten colder and heavy as if feets were stepping on my shoulders?

yet when I looked there was no one else...

I have to leave this house

13/11

Mother has left for a business trip, the house began to grow creepier...

This room is the only safe haven for me...

14/11

a Strange lady entered the house to stay the night, her skin was showing strange signs of puss growing on her hands and face like she was changing into a monster...

I have to escape!!

15/11

It's too late, they realized I knew they were monsters I can't leave this room!

That was the last entry of the diary, Jeanne felt either this child was mental or this house was completely spooky. Masaru, however, discovered a secret door behind the bookcase, but he never imagined to see a decayed corpse of a child inside the secret room.

Jeanne who saw this felt her body suddenly grew colder, yes they are devils, yes there are monsters. But even for her, this situation was simply too scary, it was only then they began to hear scratching sounds approaching the office as well as a grinding sound as if someone was pulling something while approaching.

>\/<

Meanwhile in the town of Kuoh,

"Why have you betrayed me!?"

Masaomi Yaegaki felt rage boil within his heart as he gazed at his once comrades who were working together with Devils to attack him and his Lover Cleria Belial. Just as they were about to get surrounded several of Diehauser's peerage members that were not part of the other mission Diehauser was busy with appeared, they only knocked out a few devils and disappeared taking Cleria, Masaomi and these devils with them.

"DAMN! We have been had! Search the perimeter!"

Touji Shidou gave out orders to the exorcist to make their moves to search but nothing they did came to fruition, he was not sure who those devils were but they were certainly not their partners in this operation.

Touji did not know who help Masaomi, but he knew he will not be seeing his ex-subordinate anytime soon.

>\/<

"Julia! Get over here now! Masaru and Jeanne are locked inside an abandoned house where the Stray Devil was located at, but the moment they entered the house I could not enter it!"

Edward felt like going nuts but he could not move because he remembered the report Masaru gave them about the different dimension since Masaru himself was not certain if the exit will be destroyed together with the door Edward could not take chances but pray that the two kids will be saved.

'Elder sis Diana is going to kill me for this'

>\/<

Jeanne who read the diary felt those two creatures were approaching but where is the third one that visited for the night!?

"Calm down, take a battle stance and get ready to fight even if we destroy this house... I feel whatever is behind that door is dangerous"

Masaru took his stance while staring at the door, they could see two shadows moving around the door but not daring to open it.

'Are they vigilant? Or is it they can't enter?'

Even Masaru did not dare walk over to open the door, only an idiot would.

Instead, Masaru began to look around the office room to search for a way to escape from this room he noticed Black veins hidden well behind the bookcase, seeing this Masaru could feel that fear he felt once at the Airplane resurfaced.

"Jeanne... Stay vigilant at all times, kill anything and everything in the house no matter what it is got it?"

Jeanne who heard Masaru speaking with an authoritative voice that was different from usual,

"It seems those creatures I met once in the Vatican has appeared in Japan... This is going to be troubling. Damn it, if only I trusted my instincts at the start"

"You mean those ancient one creatures you fought before you saved me?"

Masaru nodded, he could more or less guess that Edward never managed to get inside this house since he could not sense him at all which meant they have indeed entered the different dimension.

"Well right now we are in a different dimension where these creatures live, it is probably why we can't sense Edward's presence at this moment. We have no choice but to fight our way through to the front door to escape"

"Can't we simply bust through the window?"

Masaru shook his head while thinking about the battle he had against the creature underground,

"I am not sure if there is a sort of law rule that maintains this dimension, but from my experience, the only way to leave is to leave from the same place you entered. Luckily you can wreck the house as much as you like it will not affect the space but I don't know what would happen if the house door is to break so keep the damage minimal"

Masaru walked closer to the door when he noticed the shadows were gone from the door, the thing that worried him the most was the fact he could not detect these creatures with magic.

Slowly he opened the door while peeking through the opening, seeing it was clear he took Jeanne's Hand while moving silently as possible.

Just as they were about to pass the empty bedroom the six-arm shadow suddenly emerge from the corner chasing Masaru and Jeanne into the empty bedroom closing the door.

Jeanne began to channel her holy element magic to enhance her sword while looking sternly at the pen and paper, if the words of the diary were to be trusted then the girl with a rope was somewhere within this room.

If it wasn't because Jeanne being the inheritor of Joan of Arc's soul her devil constitution would have already caved into the holy element, seeing Jeanne's reaction Masaru gripped his sword firmly while channelling his Ki within his body.

"What wrong?"

Jeanne who heard Masaru's question began to tell him about the Dairy, it was only then that Masaru understood.

'So this is why you could not detect them?'

[Naturally, even I am shocked to see such bloody strange creatures... They appear to be weaker than the ones you faced in the Vatican but it appears these two creatures specialize in stealth, so be on your guard]

Just as Masaru walked over towards the Pen and paper, he saw a trace of wet ink emerging from the paper.

Look above you...