Meetings and Reactions

The Next Day (Old School House) (Rias P.O.V)

Standing outside the school building, Rias was considering the information she received yesterday.

'She said that she was from another world. That would mean that other deities have access of some kind to our plane. Why didn't Great Red stop her though? Even if she's a decent person, having three people with our type of authorities isn't good from a world balance perspective. Does he even care about balance? It would be nice to have that discussion with him, but I heard he's notoriously hard to get in contact with. Maybe I could find a contact point for Ophis. She's reported to have much more interaction with people than Great Red. She wouldn't be a direct source, but she knows his mind better than anyone. Hell, I heard they've had a few romantic encounters over the years. There are even rumors that the offspring were the red and white dragon emperors.' Rias mused to herself.

She was honestly disturbed by the implication that other conceptual beings had access to this world. It would have been a disaster if Termini was malicious in nature. While she may not be as strong as she used to be, she was still stronger than her and could cause a ludicrous amount of damage very easily. This was another instance where she thanked the fates for her demon-awakened power of prophecy. Without it, they likely would have had to face Termini in battle and suffered tremendous losses. Even if they won, Termini would have died without it really even being her fault. What a tragedy that would have been. Then again, quite a few tragedies that occur in the various mythologies stem from misunderstandings of some kind.

Once that thought passed through her mind, an inky black portal opened up and the Dragon goddess walked out. She could definitely feel her presence a lot stronger than before, which was a clear indicator that she was here in person this time. There was even a strong miasma spreading to her surroundings. Every bit of grass that she touched died and broke apart. If she came into contact with anything like this, they would be severely injured at the very least. There was another problem though.

'The attractive instincts are stronger now that she's here in person.' She noticed that the feeling from yesterday didn't decrease as she had hoped. Maybe this was a mistake? 'At least there is some level of spiritual contentment derived by her being this close. That'll have to do for now, but we'll have to get to know each other quick before I act rash.' What she didn't know was that this was a side effect of being a dragon. It actually slipped her mind that she was one. Dragons were a very lustful species in this universe, particularly in their youth; being a demon on top of that made the situation a whole lot more complicated.

"Great to see you again" Rias said as she unconsciously reached out and gave Termini a light hug, an action which shocked Termini immensely.

"A little fast, are we?" She said, not a little uncomfortable. She wasn't used to physical contact even if her instincts were prompting her to accept it.

Releasing the hug, Rias shook her head.

"It's actually common in different parts of the world as a greeting. Hell, churches do it all the time. While I may not be a member of that faith, we Gremories have always been a more affectionate clan. Devils in general are actually. Most devil females sleep nude and have little problem sleeping in the same bed as their peerage members even if nothing sexual is happening at that specific instance. If it makes you uncomfortable though, I can restrain myself." Rias patiently explained, trying not to admit to herself that she was feeling a little disappointment at the rejection."

"Interesting. Another quirk then. It's not bad though. I was just a little surprised is all. We can continue this tradition of yours." Termini said as she mimicked Rias's earlier actions causing a smile to appear on both of their faces.

"I think we're going to be fast friends." She said completely confident in her assessment.

"Really? Friends?" Termini asked her eyes widening a little. She really hadn't had a friend before. One of the downsides of being the being with the authority to bring everything to the beginning.

"Of course! We have similar authorities and you're a really cool person. I'd love to be friends with you!" Rias stated enthusiastically.

"Friends then." Termini responded. 'My first friend.'

"Let's go back to my room. We can talk more there. I'll introduce you to everyone as we see them. I'll also make sure to send a report about you to my brother so that we can cancel the counterattack that had been planned." Rias said. "Also, is there a way to reduce the amount of energy you're releasing?"

Pondering, Termini responded. "There is one, but it would require an outlet. I would need to create a bond with an object or person and channel the excess power into the bond."

"Would it be permanent?" Rias asked.

"In the short term? No. If it was kept for more than a year, than yes." Termini responded.

"Let's do that then. Honestly speaking, we could probably break the bond down with our authorities if we need to in the future." Rias smiled and accepted the bond. It sounded like a familiar contract, but without the built-in authority. The best part was the new energy she could slowly integrate over time. It would kill two birds with one stone. It would also be helpful to have on hand in the event Termini becomes an enemy in the future. Based on her interaction with her, she doubted it would come to that, but a decade on the run had taught her many lessons on caution.

Reaching out her hand, Termini began focusing on a ritual that created a spell circle on her abdomen. Once finished, she looked at Rias.

"Put your hand on the circle and focus your mind on building a connection with me." She said seriously.

Nodding her head, Rias placed her hand on the circle. When she focused her mind though, images began flashing through her head, she forced her mind to put those aside for later and focused on the oncoming energy that she would be absorbing. Focusing her integration power on the power, she felt herself becoming more than she was. It likely wouldn't change her authority since they were comparable. It was probably closer to two compatible entities bonding on a spiritual level if she had to guess. She wasn't completely sure though.

Opening her eyes, she noticed that the miasma that seemed to surround Termini was significantly less than it was. At best, it was a thin film that covered her person. Now, she would be able to come in contact with people and not harm them. Non-pillar would still feel a suffocating terror though when looking at her person, but they would be able to interact. A very useful detail for the upcoming conference.

With everything done, a Cerulean teleportation circle ignited beneath them and they vanished; their target was her room in the joint faction's manor.

Sirzechs's Office (Sirzechs's P.O.V.)

Sirzechs was currently working in the office he had set up for himself in the joint faction's mansion. Grayfia sat at a desk next to him in her classic maid outfit working on her own set of paperwork. They had been busy with organizing the event, the response plans to various scenarios that could play out at the event in three weeks. It was a time consuming and strenuous effort. It was to be expected, especially when you consider the world-shaking implications of the biblical faction uniting under a single mythology. If you count their new goddess and her pillars, they would be a force to be reckoned with. The three factions they would have to be concerned about would be the Norse, the Greek, and the Hindu factions.

Coincidentally, Odin had reached out to the three leaders about discussing a potential alliance with them under the condition that the biblical faction unite as one. According to him, it isn't worth the effort to ally with a divided mythology. The Vampires had also reached out. Apparently, the Carmilla faction was able to unite the Vampires following his sister's operation. That base contained the primary military force of the Tepes faction and most of their key players. The Carmilla faction had been trying to locate it for months and they were elated to hear about its destruction. Queen Carmilla would be attending a follow-up meeting to discuss alliance terms and hopefully talk to their beneficiary. Odin and the vampires would be attending a meeting with them the day after the three factions officially meet. Rias doesn't know this, but a treaty is pretty much guaranteed to be signed. Michael, Azazel and himself had been planning this for a very long time. Rias's adventure into the Tepes base just gave them the excuse to pull the final string.

"Rias really shattered the status quo, hasn't she?" He asked his maid wife.

"Indeed. She definitely doesn't do things half-way. Considering we may have a real apocalyptic threat on the horizon, let's hope she pulls off another positive stunt." Grayfia stated, her eyes still focused on the paperwork in front of her.

"I doubt it." He shook his head. "A battle with that kind of entity would cause immense damage and I highly doubt they'll become friends. I think the best-case scenario would be to see if it'll just pass our world by and not let itself be summoned." Then he paused, as if struck by inspiration. "You know what? She likes to do things others would call ridiculous, so I'm betting they'll become friends." He said as he nodded to himself.

"We'll have to see." She finished. She was about to move on to the next topic of discussion, when a cerulean teleportation circle lit up in the center of the room.

"Well. Speak of the…. "He stopped. A potent sense of dread could be felt from the two beings. One was his lovely sister who gave off an even more potent dreadful feeling than before. The other was the being he suspected was the human form of the seven headed dragon Rias saw in her vision. She was terrifying. He would honestly admit she was very beautiful if he his mind could shift off of the despair he felt in her presence. The odd thing though, was the fact that Rias had her arm around the other being like they were pals.

Grayfia looked at the scene as well, her face frozen in a stern countenance. Her eyes shifted his way, her eyes narrowing as they borrowed into his.

"I was kidding. It was supposed to be a joke." He said, his hands raised up as a show of exasperation.

Confused, Rias looked toward Grayfia.

"What is he talking about? She asked.

Grayfia looked back her way. "We were talking about the ridiculous ways you could have handled this situation. This was probably the most unexpected." She said while shaking her head.

Chuckling, Termini looked at the group in mirth. It had been a long time since she could personally be involved with such a comedy. Truly, coming with her new friend was an excellent idea. She would have to thank the creator god of her world for freeing her of her obligation.

"Hello, my name is Terminus Orbis. I'm the former destroyer goddess of my world. I say that, but I just decided when it was time for the world to start over. I believe I have been relieved of my duties and have now decided to stay with my new friend here." She said with a mirthful smile. These people were a lot less serious than the gods of her old world.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Sirzechs Lucifer, the current ruler of the Devil faction and Rias's older brother." He stood up and walked to shake hands with the being who put his instincts through a blender. It was more challenging than he'd ever admit, but if his sister could make friends with her, he'd just have to get over it.

Grayfia stood up and walked over as well. "I am Grayfia Lucifuge, Master Lucifer's maid and wife." As she shook her head, Termini gave her a strange look.

"Not the strangest marriage I've heard of, but I didn't expect to see it from the head of a faction."

"I try to tell her it's not needed, but she just doesn't listen." Sirzechs whined.

"If I wasn't here serving this function, your productivity would drop by more than 50%." Grayfia stated with a huff.

"She's got you there, big brother" Rias smiled brightly at the banter. This initial meeting was going well. It looked like they would get along well.

For the next hour, they rehashed what was discussed in the last two days, the addition factions that would be attending, and some of the implications that came with other world having access to this one. It would be necessary to seek out Ophis in the future to understand her thoughts on the matter.