Bill sat down to dinner with Rias's peerage, her parents, Ravel, Sam, and Bianca. Sirzechs and Millicas joined them as well, while Grayfia stood off to the side, ever composed as she silently played her role as maid. The dining hall was warm and elegant, the long table lit by the soft glow of candles reflecting off silver and crystal.
Zeoticus, seated at the head of the table, gave a welcoming smile. "So, Sir Strife, how are you enjoying your stay so far?"
Bill leaned back slightly in his chair, offering a polite nod. "It's nice. You have a lovely home."
Venelana smiled gracefully. "Thank you very much. But I must say, I was quite surprised when you showed up with Ravel."
Zeoticus nodded in agreement, his brow lifting. "Yes, I was too."
Ravel dabbed her lips neatly with a napkin before straightening her posture. "I have recently become Master Strife's servant."
The room went still for a moment. Zeoticus, Venelana, Sirzechs, Grayfia, and Rias all widened their eyes in collective shock. Even Millicas blinked in surprise.
Sirzechs leaned forward slightly, his voice calm but tinged with curiosity. "Truly?"
Ravel met his gaze with calm composure and gave a small nod. "Indeed, Lord Lucifer."
Zeoticus slowly turned his attention toward his daughter. When Rias noticed his stare, she narrowed her eyes sharply, glaring at him. "Don't even think about it, Father."
Zeoticus gave a casual shrug, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Worth a shot," he said lightly before turning his attention toward Sam. His tone grew curious. "And you, young man—what is your name?"
Sam straightened slightly, offering a polite smile. "Oh, my name is Sam Winchester. Good to meet you, Mr. Gremory."
Zeoticus chuckled warmly, waving a hand dismissively. "Please, just call me Zeoticus. And what is it you do for a living, Sam?"
Sam hesitated for only a moment before answering, his expression calm. "Well, back in my world, my brother and I are hunters. We hunt monsters, ghosts—anything that harms or preys on humans."
Venelana's eyes widened slightly in intrigue. "Really? You get paid for this?"
Sam let out a small, humorless laugh and shook his head. "No, unfortunately not. I actually tried to get out of the life once—went to college, almost got my degree."
Sirzechs leaned forward slightly, curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Really? What happened to bring you back to the life, as you call it?"
Sam's expression darkened, his gaze dropping for a moment before meeting theirs again. His voice grew heavier, each word laced with painful memory. "My brother asked me for help finding our dad, and I agreed to help him—just once. But after the job was over and I came back to my place…" He paused, jaw tightening. "I found my girlfriend supernaturally glued to the ceiling, her stomach cut open."
A stunned silence fell over the table.
Sam's tone remained steady, though grief lingered behind it. "Then, as if by sheer coincidence, my home spontaneously caught fire. My brother came back and pulled me out of there. Later, I found out a demon was responsible—and it just happened to be the same one that killed my mother. All of it was to prepare me… to be the vessel for my world's Lucifer."
Everyone at the table froze, eyes widening in shock. Even the normally composed Gremorys sat speechless. Slowly, their gazes turned toward Bill for confirmation.
Bill met their stares calmly, his expression unreadable, and gave a single firm nod.
Their eyes went even wider, the air around the table growing tense and silent as the full weight of Sam's words sank in.
Bill leaned back slightly in his chair, folding his arms with a faint frown. "Honestly, I want to just go after Lucifer and take care of him," he admitted, his tone edged with irritation. "But the boss said the apocalypse has to play out—or he'll have to rebuild Sam's world from the ground up."
Sam gave a tired sigh and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and I'd prefer that not happen, so we're just gonna handle it."
Sirzechs leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand as curiosity flickered in his crimson eyes. "Are you sure you can?"
Sam met his gaze with quiet confidence. "Yeah, I'm pretty confident. I'm a lot stronger now. I've got magic I didn't have before, and I have a piece of equipment that was designed for the sole purpose of catching Lucifer while he's outside of his vessel. Only catch is… I gotta use it while he's trying to possess me." He gave a small, wry smile. "So my chances are much higher than before—at least."
All eyes shifted to Bill again, silently asking for confirmation.
Bill smirked and nodded once. "Yeah, his odds are a lot better now, trust me. His world's Lucifer ain't that powerful. Honestly, I'm pretty sure most of the people at this table could beat him." He paused, his expression growing more serious. "Now, there is a Lucifer out there that's so powerful even I wouldn't fight him by myself. I'd want backup from my siblings—and the boss—before I'd even attempt it."
Issei immediately raised a hand. "Dibs on not going there."
Sirzechs chuckled lightly, though there was a spark of intrigue in his gaze. "I might just to see what kind of world has a devil that can put fear in a Horseman."
Bill gave a sharp, humorless laugh. "Trust me—it's a messed-up place. Honestly, I consider it a miracle that human society even exists there, much less thrives. They've got aliens, superheroes, monsters, demons, gods—it's really weird over there." He leaned back, his voice taking on a casual tone again. "My boss is gonna drop by there in the future, but I'm not sure when."
After about a month, the Youth Devil Gathering was finally underway. The grand ballroom was alive with laughter, chatter, and the faint clinking of glasses. The air shimmered with demonic energy and elegance alike.
Bill sat at a large, round table alongside the Four Satans, Michael, and Azazel. Sam and Bianca stood on either side of him—both looking every bit the part of honored guests. Bill wore a sleek grey suit that complemented his sharp features, while Sam's black suit gave him a composed, dignified presence.
Bianca, meanwhile, looked stunning in a black dress paired with matching heels and gloves. Her hair was tied back neatly into a ponytail, a look that made her seem both mature and graceful. But despite her appearance, she couldn't hide her nerves. She fidgeted slightly, glancing around at the nobles and high-ranking devils in attendance before whispering softly, "Brother, I don't think I belong here…"
Bill smirked, resting an elbow on the table. "You're literally royalty."
Before she could respond, a deep, regal voice interrupted from behind. "Yes, listen to your brother, my daughter. You are a princess—and deserve to be treated as such."
Everyone at the table turned toward the source of the voice.
A tall, imposing man approached—a picture of nobility and power. He had long, flowing black hair, a full black beard, and eyes like polished obsidian. His suit was immaculate: an expensive black ensemble paired with fine leather dress shoes. A skull-shaped tie pin gleamed against his chest, and matching skull rings adorned both hands.
He moved with effortless grace and sat down beside Bill.
Sirzechs blinked in surprise before composing himself. "My apologies, sir, but… who are you?"
Before the stranger could respond, Bianca's eyes widened in disbelief. "Dad? When did you get here?"
Sirzechs' head snapped toward her. "Dad? Then that means you're—"
The man gave a small, knowing smile and inclined his head. "Allow me to introduce myself. Hades—God of the Underworld, riches, Lord of the Dead, et cetera." His tone carried equal parts refinement and dry humor. "Your people sent an invitation to this world's Hades. But since he's no longer around, I came in his stead."
Michael frowned slightly. "He's… no longer around?"
Hades waved a hand casually. "Once Bill told me that Bianca was planning to go to school in this world, I… got rid of him—to preemptively stop any attempts he might make on her life in the future. Or worse, use her in some sort of experiment."
Bianca gulped, visibly uneasy. "I… didn't think about that."
Hades turned to the Four Satans, his expression sharpening slightly. "I expect she'll be well looked after, yes?"
Serafall quickly straightened, nodding earnestly. "Yes! We'll ensure she's taken good care of!"
Hades' stern expression softened into a pleased smile. "Good. That's wonderful to hear."
Bill chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair. "Well, when are we starting this little meeting?"
Sirzechs said evenly, "As soon as Odin arrives."
"Ah, Odin," Hades mused, a faint nostalgic smile crossing his face. "Unlike my idiot brother, he's actually a wise king."
Azazel smirked, resting his chin on his hand. "Yours might be—but ours is a very old pervert."
Hades laughed quietly, his tone rich with amusement. "So is mine. He's just good at hiding it. In fact, the two of us went bar crawling together back in the old days—before Zeus started getting upset about us associating with other pantheons." He leaned back thoughtfully, his expression softening. "Haven't talked to poor Ereshkigal in centuries. I hope she didn't fade…"
The table fell into a mix of surprise and awkward silence, while Bill simply smirked, clearly unsurprised by the god's casual tone.
grin. "You're already a lot better than our Hades."
Hades laughed—a deep, smooth sound that carried a trace of amusement. "Yes, trust me, I know. He's literally everything my Zeus paints me as."
Before anyone could reply, an elderly voice called out from across the room. "Did I hear that right? You're Hades? Since when do you not look like a nine-foot-tall skeleton?"
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
An old man with long gray hair and a matching beard approached, his white robes flowing lightly as he walked. An eyepatch covered one of his eyes. Without hesitation, he sat down across from Hades and smirked. "I like the new look, Skeletor."
Hades chuckled, his black eyes gleaming with mischief. "Ha! Where's your parrot's, Greybeard? Did they finally get sick of you and fly off?"
Odin let out a bark of laughter. "Damn, did you get a personality when I wasn't looking?"
"I'm from another universe," Hades replied simply, his grin widening ever so slightly.
Odin blinked, then leaned back with an approving nod. "That explains it. You're definitely Hades—but you're also… a lot more. I'm pretty sure you could take out everyone in this room if you wanted."
Hades' expression darkened slightly, his tone becoming colder yet calm. "So long as no one lays a hand on my daughter, it's fine."
At that, Bianca's face flushed bright red. "Dad! You're embarrassing me…"
Hades chuckled warmly, his gaze softening as he looked at her. "Then perhaps you should go and mingle while the adults talk, dear."
Bianca crossed her arms and gave a small sigh before smirking. "Well, that does sound better than watching a boring meeting." With that, she gracefully stood and made her way toward the punch bowl, where Sona and Tsubaki were chatting.
Once she was out of earshot, Odin leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard with a grin. "Damn, bone boy, didn't know you were still having kids. Then again, you are a different Hades."
Hades gave a calm nod, his expression thoughtful. "Yes. There are many demigods in my world from both the Greek and Norse pantheons—especially with Freya and Thor being the biggest contributors to the Norse demigods."
Odin sighed heavily, muttering, "Of course they are…"
Bill smirked slightly and turned his head toward Sam. "Sam, if you'd be so kind, could you go make sure no one bothers my sister?"
Looking visibly relieved to have an excuse to escape the meeting, Sam said, "Yeah, no problem."
Hades inclined his head politely. "I appreciate it, Mr. Winchester. I shall remember this when you die."
Sam froze for half a second, his expression tightening with nervous humor. "Yeah… glad to be on the Lord of the Dead's good side." With that, he turned and quickly walked away, leaving the gods and devils to their discussion.
As Sam made his way across the hall, his shoulder brushed against someone, and he immediately turned to apologize—only for the words to catch in his throat. Standing before him was a stunning woman with long silver hair, striking blue eyes, and a neatly fitted gray suit adorned with a pink ribbon tied in her hair.
His eyes went wide. "Rose… is that you?"
Rossweisse blinked in surprise before breaking into a warm smile. "Sam? What are you doing here?"
"I'm a friend of Strife—the Horseman," Sam explained, still trying to process what he was seeing.
"Really?" Rossweisse tilted her head, curiosity glimmering in her eyes.
"Yeah," Sam said, rubbing the back of his neck. "What about you? What are you doing here?"
Rossweisse shifted slightly, looking a bit sheepish. "Well, you see… the thing is, I'm not actually a magician like I told you I was. I'm a Valkyrie—and my real name is Rossweisse. My boss is Odin." She peeked up at him through one closed eye, nervous. "Are you mad at me?"
Sam let out a soft laugh. "Mad? No. How many guys can say they're dating a Valkyrie?" He gestured toward the refreshment table with a grin. "I'm supposed to be chaperoning. You wanna get some punch?"
Her expression brightened instantly. "I'd love to," she said with a soft smile, following him toward the table.