Revelations and Goals

Gremory Mansion (Zeoticus's Study)

Zeoticus had a migraine. 'So much paperwork.' He sighed. 'Times like this, I wish I were a normal human, so I could wish for a normal daughter and mean it.'

It had been a week since the death match and things had gotten really busy. There were, of course, the lines of suitors asking for Rias's hand in marriage; they were all rejected. He definitely didn't need that blowing up in his face again. He's also received inquiries on her physical changes. Most of the features that denoted her as a Gremory are gone. In terms of appearance, she looks like she would better fit the Leviathan name. Especially, if the husk's (Riser's) testimony of what he remembers is accurate.

A massive eastern serpent dragon with pitch black scales and cerulean colored energy pulsing between it' scales. That is interesting. Based off the events he described, she projected her mindscape into a semi-physical form and pulled him into that space. That's a really useful skill for intimidation, but there is a problem. Why was she manifested in that form within her own mind? Rias may not be aware of this due to her lack of higher-level study in that field, but the form one takes in their own mind is always true. Other things can be manipulated, but not one's own form. This will require further study of her condition.

'In any case, I think it's time we went over Rias's plans going forward. This talk's long overdue and will likely affect a lot of plans in the future.'

Zeoticus pressed the button on the side of his desk. Within moments, one of the butlers appeared by his desk.

"Call Rias over to my office" Zeoticus said, eyes still focused on the documents he'd been working on. Might as well discuss this now.

Ten minutes later, Rias walked in.

"You called father?" She asked, still a little tired from her morning training session.

"Yes. I think it's time to discuss your plans moving forward. I'll be brief, do you still intend to inherit the Gremory house?" Rias's eyes widened. It was a very sudden question. One she didn't expect to receive so soon. She really didn't expect her father to glean her intentions.

"Short answer: No, but that doesn't really explain my rational. My plan is to find a way to repopulate the devils and create a utopia where all supernatural races can live free from prejudice." His eyebrow raised, clearly interested in what she was saying. "To do that though, I can't be tied down. I need to be an independent party. I don't plan to do it immediately though, not until I have the keys needed to start the project."

Trying to keep his composure in spite of the bitterness he was feeling at her desire for separation, he decided to press for more information. She had clearly thought this through and it was his responsibility as a father to have all the facts before providing his input. He can't help her if he's not aware of the full situation.

"And what are these keys?" She smirked, internally interested to see his reaction to what she was about to say.

"The keys I need are four of the known Longinus sacred gears. Sephiroth Graal (Principals of Life), Dimension Lost (Principle of Space), Innovative Clear (Pocket Dimension Creation), Annihilation Maker (Principle of Creation). My absolute priority will be obtaining the Sephiroth Graal. That will give me the ability to start learning how to manipulate life."

*Paap* A pencil could be heard dropping.

"How do you intend to make use of these sacred gears? Surely you don't plan on extracting all of them from their hosts and mastering them, right? That would take much longer than it looks like you're willing to spend and the gears themselves will actively try to reject one another." He was losing the battle he'd been fighting to not lose his composure. The implications of obtaining those gears were massive.

"Oh" Her eyes widening. 'I never got around to explaining that, did I'. She never explained her new state of being.

"I guess I never got around to pointing this out. I'm not a devil anymore." His eyes shot up. He was going to get to her physical changes later, but it sounded like they were relevant.

"I'm a Demon Goddess. Keeper of the Akashic Records, though admittedly, I'm still learning what that authority entails. In essence, I've achieved a similar state of existence as the original Lucifer, but rather than receiving my divinity from the dark half of God, I received it from a neutral entity with the duty of record keeping.".

Eyes widening, mouth gaping, Zeoticus expression revealed every emotion he was experiencing at the moment. If you wanted to fit a soccer ball in his mouth, it probably wouldn't be very hard.

'There are so many bombshells here! Where do I start. Wait, why don't I just continue the conversation and get all the 'how's and 'what's later.

"As much as I want all the details of that sentence now, I'll try to stay focused. How does this new divinity interact with these 'keys' to achieve your objectives?" She smiled, glad that her father knew how to prioritize.

"The most overt manifestation of my divinity as the Keeper of the Akashic Records is to understand the abilities of enemies I've faced and record them in my divinity. This would normally take time, but since my divinity is linked to my powers as a demon, which allow me to consume and integrate what I destroy with my demonic power, I would just need to destroy the Sacred Gears. Longinus sacred Gears, especially the holy relics, represent god's understanding of their associated principles. He was one of the few deities that understood that many world principles. Rather than take a long period to learn them myself, it would be more efficient to learn from his understanding and go from there."

Zeoticus was running through the ramifications of the act and was about to interrupt, but was stopped by a hand from Rias.

"In addition, I've also received another ability. The manifestation of the combination between the Demon and Goddess aspect. The ability to create Demon God Pillars."

"The same as our ancestors? The same pillars that the original Lucifer created?" His mind was going a mile a minute and it was only getting faster.

"Mostly, but a little more advanced. Lucifer wasn't a full god. He was just using fragments of the Biblical God's discarded divinity; the negative aspects of his personality. I've mantled the position of a full god. This gives me more room to operate when it comes to my pillar creation. Now, while there are many interesting details related to the creation of pillars, I'll focus on the one relevant to this conversation. When I turn someone into a pillar, they gain their own ability based off their most defining aspect. In the case of the sacred gear holders, the sacred gear will be shattered and integrated into the pillar; their ability will merge with the new pillar to create something new. Both the pillar and myself will inherit the concepts born from this process."

He had kind of expected something like this when she mentioned pillar creation, but to hear it from her is mind boggling. To think his daughter would become…. this. This would take time to process, but he needed to find out the rest of the details before she went off to start this journey of hers. *Sigh* 'At least she shouldn't feel the need to fall off the radar again'.

"How do you plan on preventing the same bloodline purism that's occurring now. Wouldn't you just be creating new bloodlines?" She expected this question. It really was a critical consideration when trying to build a kingdom better than this one.

"I'll make it so the pillars can create subordinate contracts with devils regardless of bloodline to give them the weakened for of their pillar ability. It's another manifestation of my authority as keeper of the Akashic Records, Knowledge Management."

'I'm not even surprised anymore.' He shook his head. 'In just a decade, my daughter has gained a real shot at fixing the flaws that took the rest of us centuries to even consider approaching. The closest one so far was Adjuka and the current peerage system only delays the inevitable. If what she proposes works, it'll be a solution as long as she's alive. We'll have to figure out inheritance systems for the pillars later.

Over the next few hours, Rias shared the other relevant details of her new found abilities, their implication, and the immediate political steps they should take in the near future. Long story short, they would not reveal any of this until she's succeeded in the best-case scenario. She would still be labeled as the heir in the short term, but her nephew Millicus would be trained to actually succeed the position.