"Codex: God and Devil Gates - Foreign Races
Around one year after the start of the Apocalypse and the spread of the God-Devil System through the Terra, enormous structures that became known as God and Devil Gates appeared across the Earth in various continents and various places.
Some of them appeared even in the forbidden zones that were swarmed by the Mutated Beasts and Magical Creatures, which couldn't be reached even by the forces of the Congregation.
Exactly one year after the appearance of the God and Devil Gates, it was discovered what these Gates were, even though speculations about their purpose had been present before.
Even though Terra was invaded by the Burning Legion, which attempted to destroy their World, only to be repelled by the united forces of the entire World, the God and Devil Gates facilitated the first stable contact between the inhabitants of Terra and the different worlds.
The first notable intelligent civilization that Terra encountered was the Saint Clan. The Saint Clan was also one of the worlds where the Z-Day happened, but contrary to the Terra, the zombies overran almost the entire World in a matter of months, and zombies started evolving to a more advanced form. The Flesh-Eaters, a race of humanoids that looked like humans but were in fact evolved Zombies, and then the Saint Clansmen, which were a high-evolved intelligent lineage of the Flesh-Eaters.
The Saint Clan and Flesh-Eaters attempted to invade Earth in order to obtain more slaves and food, only to be repelled by the Congregation Army, which resulted in a counter-invasion of the Flesh-Eater World.
The Flesh-Eater World was a planet similar to Terra, with land, oceans and continents; the 2nd World was a very ancient planet, that had a very technologically advanced civilization many years before the Z-Day, which took place on Planet Earth, in the 2nd World lived a race similar outwardly to ordinary human beings, but which had a civilization that was more advanced than the Earth's of the 21st century ...
For many centuries, the 2nd World civilization had been thriving and developing, a highly evolved civilization, that fell to the Z-Day due to a lack of personal power.
During Z-Day, the 2nd World, was devastated by a nuclear war, after the major nations of the 2nd World, in an extreme attempt to fight the hordes of Zombies, Mutants and Demons of the Burning Legion as the Legion also invaded this World, launched large-scale nuclear attacks, which led to immense destruction, reducing the 2nd World, to a world of ruins, making the 2nd World, an immense radioactive Wasteland.
From the Flesh-Eater World, the Congregation obtained countless advanced technologies and this propelled the technological state of the Terra to a whole new level and gave birth to the Hex-Tech.
The 2nd Species that the Terrans encountered were the Dino People, which was a rather curious case. It seemed that before the Advent of the Z-Day and the spread of the God-Devil System, the humans of the 3rd World, the Prehistoric World as it became known by Terrans, managed to resurrect the Dinosaurs through the very advanced Genetic Engineering.
At the same time, the Z-Virus and Z-Day caused mutations in the dinosaurs that became uncontrollable, advancing in both strength and numbers. In the face of these mutated Dinosaurs and Zombies, the humans started experimenting with the Genetics of their own and, in the end, started assimialting the DNA of the Dinosaurs into their very own, becoming a Dino People.
The relationship with the Dino People varied from Kingdom to Kingdom, as every different KIngdom of the Dino People had a different relationship with the Congregation, even though, most of them had hostile ones, due to the fact, that most members of the Congregation were humans even though Magical ones, but apparently, the Dino People looked down greatly on the humans.
However, if there was one race that caused the Congregation headache, no less than the Burning Legion, then it would be the Mechanical Empire ruled by the Artificial Intelligences and Mechs. There were billions of them, and through their sheer numbers, they were capable of bringing down even stronger beings in the Cosmos.
The Mech Empire-Congregation War was the most devastating war since the invasion of Terra by the Burning Legion during the start of the Apocalypse. The Mech Empire, as an alien Empire, which controls an army of military Mechas, discovered the position of the Terra, launched a large-scale armed invasion of the planet Earth.
Space Portals, called God and Devil Gates, allow the armies of the Mech Empire, deployed in various alien planets, to reach and attack planet Terra directly. The numerical advantage of the Mech Empire was something that was matched only by the Burning Legion, but because the Congregation already fought the Legion, they knew very well how to handle the swarm tactics.
The Mech Empire - Congregation War lasted for several months until the Mechs were pushed back beyond the Gates, while the main fighting took place mainly at the continents of Northern America, Central Europe, China, and Japan. Large swaths of territories were destroyed in the war, but once three Mech Lords were killed in the war and the Mech Emperor was defeated by the Grand Chancellor of the Congregation, the Mechs were forced to retreat as they were not without their own enemies.
When most of the Mech Empire was tied to fighting the Congregation on Terra, the Mech Empire was hit by its own internal problems, namely the remnants of the human rebellion and also by the nations of the Great Dragon Planet, which was once invaded by the Mech Empire while simultaneously several colonies were invaded by one of the Burning Legion's Leaders, Tichondrius.
It is safe to conclude that not every civilization out there was friendly... on the contrary, it would be more prudent to say, that most of them were hostile to the Terra. The Cosmos was a dark place... filled with countless dangers in the depths of the Void...
Yet it was also an undeniable truth that due to the access to the wider Cosmos, the Terra was able to advance to greater heights. Something which wouldn't be possible without the access to the Great Dark Beyond and the God-Devil Age."
- Excerpts from God-Devil Age
***
Azkaban, Azkaban Island, Great Britain
The more Dumbledore was speaking about the Greyback, the more nervous Selene became about the entire endeavor, and she was already getting emotional, judging based on her Cursed Energy that was going haywire all of the charts.
Interestingly enough, she was reaching the peak of the Special 1st Class at a staggering rate as all of the negative emotions that she was experiencing right now were fueling her advancement and the expansion of her Cursed Energy.
Shirou knew that it wouldn't be long enough before she erupted because this was probably the time when she realized that this entire thing was nothing more than a travesty. Even though she didn't want to believe that one of the most outstanding achievements of the Old World Coven and their killing of Lucian was a lie.
Not only that...
However, from Greyback's memories, she also learned that many Vampires from the Kraven's factions were working together with the Lucian and Lycan Rebellion.
"Gentlemen, if you would give us some time."
Shirou said as he knew that the Vampire Princess present needed some time to calm down because she was visibly distraught from the revelation that she had just heard.
Soon enough, everyone left the room, leaving only Shirou and Selene there as he used his own Cursed Energy to suppress her own rampant Cursed Energy.
Fortunately, they were in Azkaban, so these walls were powerful and sturdy enough to withstand bursts of energy even from the Special-Class individuals and remain unscathed at all.
"So it seems that you are starting to realize what is happening in the shadows of the Old World Coven. Well... this was to be expected either way..."
Shirou stated that this wasn't sitting well with Selene because while she knew that Kraven was craven, she didn't think that the man was a traitor either. This was something that she didn't really consider because she still believed that Kraven's killing of Lucian was true.
Now...
She found out that everything was just a ploy.
However, when she logically thought it over, she knew that it was a logical conclusion because when she started thinking over the details and all the connotations, it made sense that Kraven didn't kill Lucian.
Even during the times of the Lycan Rebellion, Lucian was their strongest warrior and combatant, so even technically, if he got severely injured, it was rather improbable that Kraven managed to kill him.
Most probably, Kraven indeed found Lucian and fought against him, but contrary to the public version, it was Lucian who spared Kraven's life and allowed him to return back to the Old World Coven as a celebrated hero.
This way, Lucian obtained someone inside the Old World Coven, and when Kraven got older and advanced to the next Class, he was named Regent of the Old World Coven. She found it always rather mind-boggling because even though Kraven was a Special 1st-Class Vampire, she never saw him fight or do anything remotely related to combat.
He didn't even train.
Or at least she didn't see him to train.
Now, it made sense.
He would do anything of those, because if anyone saw him, then everyone would realize that he was a fraud. Having raw power was one thing, currently using it was another, and being proficient in the combat was third.
Kraven may have the raw power of Special 1st-Class Vampire, but if his combat skills sucked, then he could be defeated even by some random 2nd-Class being with some combat skills because the raw power didn't guarantee absolute victory.
There were many cases where even the most powerful beings were brought low by those who were much weaker in the raw power spectrum, just because the powerful ones couldn't properly control and use their power or they couldn't really fight.
"The biggest achievement in our people's history is built on the lie..."
Selene was the most loyal soldier of the Old World Coven and one of their most powerful enforcers within the Death Dealers. Even though previously she wasn't the most powerful Death Dealer of the Old World Coven, she was chosen for the Head of the Death Dealers because of her skills, strategic and tactical mind, and administrative skills.
She wholeheartedly believed in the ideas of the Old World Coven, and even though she disagreed with some things, she served the Old World Coven, the Vampire Council, and the Vampire with utmost loyalty, dedication, and courage.
This included the orders of the Regent Kraven.
Suddenly, a small seed took root in her mind: if this was a lie, were there any other things in which she had been lied to?
There were many blank spaces in the stories that led her to become a Vampire when she was turned down by Elder Victor, but she never thought over them too much. Maybe due to her gratitude to Victor or her seeming hatred toward the Werewolves.
Selene was born to a Hungarian family sometime in the year 1383. Her father was a well-known architect who helped design a fortress for a Vampire general, Viktor. The fortress was a dungeon intended for the imprisonment of the Werewolf William Corvinus, who was condemned for his bloody and destructive behavior.
After her family was killed by the feral Werewolves, her entire family was killed by the Werewolves during on of their raids, she was turned into a Vampire by Victor because her hatred toward the Werewovles.
It was no wonder that she had the highest kill count of the Lycans from all the Death Dealers of the Old World Coven.
"Maybe... but you cannot allow history to tie you down to something. Even if your biggest achievement is fraud, it doesn't change anything in the power or existential status of the Old World Coven. You know... pride, prestige, and image... they meant nothing. People are alive, and that is all that matters. You just need to keep moving forward, and in the end, that's the only thing that really matters."
Shirou said that he could partially understand Selene's distress about the entire situation because for her, who devoted her entire life to fighting for the Old World Coven, it was something that deeply hurt her.
That one of their highest-ranked leaders was technically a traitor to the Old World Coven was a hard pill for her to swallow, but there wasn't much she could do about that.
"Once we find Kraven, you kill and decapitate him for his treason if it will make you feel better."
Shirou said to the Vampire Princess as he could see how distressed she was by everything, though hearing what he had said made her feel a bit better. But only by a bit, because she was still royally pissed off and very angry.
"I need to go through the extracted memories of Greyback."
Selene said, after she calmed down, as she wanted to go through the entire memories of Greyback that Dumledore extracted. She needed to know what was in those memories, because Selene knew that there was something more to it.
"I can see that something is bothering you. Almost like I saw emotions on your face."
Shirou stated because usually Selene was cold as ice and she would never show emotions on her face. Since they met, she never showed what she was thinking and kept her emotions close to her, as a very closely guarded secret.
"Well... if you want, you can talk about it. I may not be the best person around to give advice on such things, but still better at nothing... perhaps."
The Director of the Jujutsu Association said that because he knew that something was bothering her, and he also knew what exactly was bothering her. Shirou knew that Selene wasn't stupid, and she always had doubts about the death of her family and how they died.
The story that Elder Victor gave her about the massacre of her family at the hands of feral Lyancans was full of holes and was not really believable. She knew that it was impossible for her family to be so coincidentally found by the group of feral Lycans; such a probability was...
Really low.
Not to mention, her father was working on the essential things for Elder Victor. Selene knew that the castle that her father was building for the Vampire Elder was very important for the entire Coven at that time.
Such important things to the point, where her family was under the watch of the Death Dealers while at the same time, the village in which her family lived was under the control of the Vampires and was under their protection.
Yet, during the time of the attack.
Nobody came to defend the village?
That seemed to be very weird at best.
"Ts... I have a feeling that Greyback may know something related to the death of my family. I always felt some suspicions there, and now there may be some truth to it. If Greyback doesn't know about it, then I am sure that Kraven does know something for sure."
Selene said as she wanted to hunt down Kraven more than anything else in this world right now, because she felt that dammed coward knew what happened to her family. During the Lycan-Vampire War during the Middle Ages, Kraven was Victor's right hand, leading their war efforts against the Lycans.
Kraven was the one who knew the most about the Old World Coven aside from Elders, Council Members of the Old World Coven and Archivists.
"Now that I think over it, he even exiled the Head Archivist of the Old World Coven, Andreas Tanis, for apparent treason to the Elder based on spreading malicious lies in the history notes of the Coven. Nobody really paid attention to it, and overnight, Tanis disappeared from the Old World Coven, and since then, nobody has ever seen the man."
This was another thing that had been bugging Selene for a long time: the disappearance of the previous Head Archivist of the Old World Coven.
It was something very suspicious when she thought over it, but as usual, within the Old World Coven, nobody cared about that.
The war with the Lycan Rebellion took precedence over everything else, so the fact that some random historian was exiled from the Old World Coven wasn't that important in the great scheme of all things.
"Then you should probably find Kraven as well as the former Head Archivist of the Old World Coven, Andreas Tanis. One of the main reasons I came to Europe was to end the Vampire-Lycan conflict once and for all. This endless conflict between the two sites is already detrimental to the state of the world and is endangering all of us."
Selene knew that Shirou was speaking the truth because the endlessly long war between the Old World Coven and the Lycan Rebellion Army, which seemed to be under the command of Lucian, or so it was, was already creating many problems for the Old World Coven.
Nowadays, it is already pretty hard to hide the existence of the Supernatural and the entirety of the Moonlit World due to the always advancing level of technology that was making their effort much, much harder.
Even though within the Moonlit World, they were always common gup with new ideas on how to hide it, everyone knew that it wasn't enough. One wrong fight between the Vampires and Werewolves could expose it all, and pandemonium would erupt.
"I never really cared about the politics. Is the situation really that bad? Kraven always said that it would be alright or that it would be solved some way."
Those were always the words of the former Regent of the Old World Coven when a missive from other factions, similar to the Old World Coven, was received regarding something that had happened, and the exposure of the Moonlit World was on the table.
"Incompetent idiot. If not for the influence of your two species among the human governments, then everything would already be out. Not to mention, there is the fact that Wizardkin are doing their best to conceal your fighting across the whole of Europe, and many Noble Families are using their full influence to conceal everything that is happening from those who are not of the Moonlit World."
Shirou knew how much effort went into the conclusion of the Vampire and Werewolf activities across Europe, and to cover up the senseless war that was happening.
Like, really, really a lot of effort went into that.
Wizardkin and their Ministries of Magic had been working overtime for the past years as the war was getting more and more intense, with the Obliviation Departments were working literally non-stop.
"If not for the power of the Vampire Coven and Werewolf Tribes outside of this, who were trying to keep everything as it was, then intervention would have been discussed a long time ago."
Shirou knew that the other Vampire Covens, mainly the New World Coven, Nordic Coven, Siberian Coven, and several prominent Werewolf Tribes and Packs from North America and Siberia, were using their influence and power to keep the Wizardkin, Jujutsu Sorcerers, and Psykers at bay.
"Well... I swear that the only ones who are profiting from the entire ordeal are the Goblins."
Selene visibly cringed when she thought over the little greedy shits. Every single time she thought over them, she wanted to use the Blood Blades and turn them into the meat paste and cut them apart into ten thousand pieces.
Everyone needed money to wage war, and even the Vampires and Werewolves were not an exception to this rule.
Goblins were a highly intelligent race of small, magical humanoid beings with long fingers and feet that coexisted with the Moonlit World. Goblins conversed in a language known as Gobbledegook and were adept metalsmiths, notable for their silverwork; they even minted coins for wizarding currency.
Due to their skill in the area of finance and banking, there were many well-established Goblin Banking Clans or Goblin-Dwarven Banking Organizations that controlled large parts of the Moonlit World's economy.
Even though Vampires were mainly using just the services of Goblin Banking Clans, the greedy little shits were still charging them extras on almost everything that was related to the war.
She didn't really like the goblins, though the Werewolves hated them with equal passion as they were annoying, greedy little shits. Going to the bank for something was her least favorite thing out of all...
Yet only the goblins were manufacturing some of the things that they needed... though what was worse, goblins would sell anything to anyone as long as they paid. Not to mention, on the ranking of the trustworthiness, the goblins would rank at the top of the list, most probably occupying the 1st position.
"It seems that you have some really bad experiences with the goblins?"
Shirou chuckled as not many people had a good experience with the goblins, though he had to admit that the treatment that the goblins were giving to the Jujutsu Sorcerers, Vampires, Werewolves, and a few other powerful beings.
Goblins respected only the strong.
As long as you were strong, the goblins were strong enough, the goblins would give you respect. Otherwise, they would look down on you, as there was nothing more that they hated than weakness.
"You can't imagine... they little bastards are draining the Old World Coven of gold and other precious things for that dammed Mithril and Goblin Silver."
If there was one thing the goblins were even better at than waging war, fighting, and making money, it would be blacksmithing. The Goblin's skills in metalwork and silversmithing were unparalleled, only matched by those of the Dwarves.
But the dwarves were heavily isolationistic in their mountain fortresses and they never really interacted with the outside world if there was no need for that. Goblin-produced Goblin Silver was one of the most precious metals out there...
"Not all of them are actually bad... just most of them. They are a rather peculiar species because as long as you are an outsider, they won't hesitate to rip you off of every single coin you possess, but if you are one of them or a friend of their race, then they would literally fight for you and never betray your trust."
Shirou, during his life, had many dealings with the Goblins and met a few of their Kings, Clan Leaders, Master Smiths, and figures of prominence in their society. He personally had a very good relationship with Goblins and knew their race very well, including some of their more peculiar habits that were not really the best ones around.
Goblins were a rather fractured species, and even though they had a King, it was more like a ceremonial role, and the true power was in the hands of the Goblin Smith Council. One could say that the Goblin King was sharing the power with the council, which consisted of several other Clan Leaders, Master Smiths, Elders, and others.
"That's rather an unpopular opinion within the ranks of the Old World Coven, and I don't think that many would sign under it."
Selene said with a slight grin for the first time since they started talking, and he had to admit that she was pretty when she smiled.
"Well, now that we have come to some conclusion, we should probably head to the rest and finish the dealings in Azkaban."
Shirou said as they left the room and went to the rest of the people who were in a hushed discussion about the state of things. For the Brits, it was a dire situation that they would rather not have, but there was nothing they could do.
From the mind of Fenrir Greyback, they gathered a lot of information about Voldemort and his forces, like a lot of information. It was clear that the Aurors and the forces of the Noble Houses of Great Britain would need to start acting.
"It seems that you are in a good mood, despite everything."
Shirou stated as he looked at the men gathered around him, as they were in a very good mood, he concluded that it was because of the information they obtained from the Greyback's mind.
For the Brits, there must be a lot.
Mostly about Voldemort and his forces... that was something that was bothering them for a long time, but right, for the first time, they obtained a piece of firsthand information about Voldemort's forces and their layout.
"Well, yes. It is the most pleasant thing to finally have information on the Dark Lord's forces, including a few of the places where his Death Eaters are congregating, and we also managed to get a few names of his biggest supporters."
Dumbledore was jovial as always, and even the other people gathered looked much lighter and more satisfied. Shirou knew that Voldemort was a pretty powerful Special-Class Magus, one who was mad enough to do countless dangerous rituals on himself to increase his power.
Many were forbidden for a good reason.
"Voldemort has been smart about his allies and hiding their identities, not to mention his Death Eater Forces are using some weird form of evasive Magic, making them hard to track. For the first time, we managed to locate several of their important strongholds that we need to raid."
Arcturus Black stated with distaste as he knew that Voldemort was a smart player of the game and knew how to play it.
Though it wasn't that surprising how many of the Noble Houses pledged their loyalty to Voldemort, seeing that even some of his own houses were in communication with the Dark Lord...
It seemed that House Black would have a few fewer members...
Even though Voldemort was powerful, that was an undeniable truth because even among the other Special-Class beings, he would be ranked very high; he wasn't that powerful to be able to disregard all of the Magi Families and some factions in Great Britain to such an extent.
"We should start clearing out the Death Eaters as soon as possible. It will only be a matter of time, until they start moving out their forces now that we have Greyback."
Bartemius Crouch, who was Head of the Department of Magical Enforcement, said that there was a collective agreement among the people that were present that they needed to act fact.
"I say that we will conduct raids tomorrow at all of the known locations. I will gather all of the Aurors and prepare them for the raid, but the Auror Department won't be enough. Without the forces of the Noble Families, we cannot arrest all of them at the same time, not to mention the arrests of the Nobles who are in cahoots with Voldemort."
Everyone looked at the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement of the British Ministry of Magic as there was general consensus with his words. As unfortunate as it was, the Auror Department was far from enough in this operation alone without the help of the allied Noble Families.
"The House Black would participate and provide all manpower that is possible for this endeavor. I will also personally take care of that French upstart pretender; they have been on my nerves for too long already."
Arcturus III. Black, the Patriarch of the House Black was the first to provide his personal forces, mostly because he wanted to curb Voldemort's influence, but at the same time, the old Patriarch also wanted to destroy those annoying slimy blonde Frenchmen who were pretending that they were British.
"As will the Barthomeloi Family."
Augustus Barthomeloi was the next one who immediately supported the proposal of Barty Crouch, as Voldemort was too dangerous to be left alive. In this world, there was nothing more dangerous than a Special-Class being who was willing to disregard his very own life in the pursuit of power.
He knew that very well firsthand.
He met the Dark Lord not long ago.
As usual, the Dark Lord wanted to recruit them for his cause, but Augustus Barthomeloi was someone who wouldn't be ordered by other people. Even though the Patriarch of the Barthomeloi Family was very confident in his power as the Special-Class Magus of the Barthomeloi, even he had to admit that Voldemort was...
Above his capabilities.
He could clearly see many things that the man did to himself through the forbidden rituals and other means. His raw power was probably even above that of 99% of the Special-Class individuals in the world, and that wasn't talking about the rest of the man's capabilities.
"As will the McRemitz Fraga Clan."
In the end, everyone from the Birshish was in agreement to conduct the raids on Voldemort's forces tomorrow, which was something that even Shirou expected to happen this fast.
"If you would allow, I would like to offer the services of the Jujutsu Association in this regard. Someone like Voldemort is too dangerous to the current stability of the Moonlit World."
Shirou said after some time of consideration because they still had some time, and, in fact, Voldemort was on his list to dispose of for the betterment of the Moonlit World, as his ideas and strength would only result in war or worsen the situation in which they were already in.
"That would be most welcome of you, Lord Amakusa."
Bartemius Crouch said that having the help of one of the most powerful Special-Class beings in the entire world across history was very good news.
"And you, Lady Selene?"
He then turned his sight to the Vampire Princess of the Old World Coven, who looked at Shirou for a moment.
"I will stick with him."
She pointed at the Sorcerer Marshall.
"Then, if you want, I would be delighted to provide you with lodging for the night at Hogwarts. In the castle, there are many empty rooms, and I would like to discuss something in private with you, Lord Amakusa."
Surprisingly, it was Dumbledore who spoke as Shirou nodded.
He didn't know what the man wanted from him, but it wasn't every day that such powerful people had the opportunity to converse together and hatch some nice scheme. Even though Dumbledore looked like some kind of grandfather, the man was more of a schemer than anyone in this world and was a very dangerous man.
"It would be my pleasure, Headmaster Dumbledore. However, can you allow me to ask about the diet of my companion? Do you have some fresh Blood from Dragons or any equally powerful Magical Creatures?"
Shirou asked in Selene's place because she would need a special diet for her.
Vampires didn't really drink the blood of humans as it was told in the myths and legends, instead they were feeding mostly on the blood of powerful creatures, though they could also stomach human food.
Though the only source of food that was able to satisfy them was the blood of powerful Magical Creatures. They needed the blood of powerful creatures not only to sustain themselves but also to keep themselves powerful and increase their power even further.
"That won't be a problem. Everything would be taken care of on the Hogwarts for your own needs as well for the needs of Lady Selene."
Dumbledore immediately said that the House Elves within the castle would take care of everything.
A House Elf, sometimes also referred to as just an Elf by those without proper education or just ignorant, was a magical being that was immensely devoted and loyal to the one designated as their master.
House Elves served Wizardkin and were usually found under the employment of old wizarding families taking residence in elaborate establishments, like mansions, and must do everything that their masters commanded unless they were freed. A House Elf could only be freed when their master presented them with clothes.
House-Elves had their own brand of Magic, which, despite their small physical size and lack of Magical Focus, was very powerful. Due to the need for Magic, the House Elves were sticking mainly to Wizardkin as the members of the species couldn't supply them with Magic.
Shirou always wanted to contract a House Elf, but as he lacked Magic, it was impossible.
The House Elves couldn't accept a bond with the Jujutsu Sorcerer as they would not be able to assimilate the Cursed Energy, which would kill them. Cursed Energy was too dangerous and destructive due to its Negative Nature, compared to the more neutral Magic, which was composed of neutral particles.
Magicules, which were creating Mana, the building block of all Magic in existence.
"Then it would be our pleasure."
Shirou said as Selene nodded at his words. Meanwhile, on the side, the Patriarch of the House Black frowned heavily, seeing that Dumbledore managed to snatch the attention of the Director of the Jujutsu Association and Acting Regent of the Old World Coven.
Even though the presence of the Vampires and Jujutsu Sorcerers in Great Britain was weak, their influence was still very deep across Europe, especially that of the Old World Coven. The Vampiric faction was probably the most powerful European faction out of all.
The reason why the Old World Coven was even named such was due to the fact that it was the very first Vampiric Coven created by the Primogenitor Marcus Corvinus, and it was their most powerful Coven.
All other Covens were created from the Old World Coven by the members of the Old World Coven, be it the New World Coven, Nordic Coven, Siberian Coven, Middle East Coven, and countless smaller Vampiric Covens.
The Old World Coven was the most influential out of them, and if one had a friendship with the Old World Coven, then one had a friendship with the entire Vampire Race under the Vampire Council.
Arcturus Black wanted to establish a relationship with Old World Coven, and today was the perfect opportunity for that. But he didn't expect that Dumbledore would be so shameless and hogging all of the attention of Director Amakusa and Acting Regent Selene for himself.
As he looked around the room and saw the faces of his fellow nobles, he could see that the sentiment was shared among them as neither of them had any fondness for the Headmaster of Hogwarts and Chairman of the Wizengamot.
***
Hogwarts Castle, Highlands, Scotland, Great Britain
Hogwarts Castle was a vast, medieval-style fortress with towering spires, arched windows, and an imposing, gothic aesthetic. Built of massive gray stone, its exterior was weathered and ancient, giving it a timeless and noble appearance.
The castle sat high on a rocky cliff, overlooking the dark waters of the Black Lake, with dense forests stretching in the distance, the Forbidden Forest. One of the famous danger zones of Great Britain, inhabited by some of the most dangerous and powerful Phantasmal Species.
The structure features multiple towers and turrets, the tallest being the Astronomy Tower, which offers breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. The castle's many wings and sections are connected by bridges, courtyards, and winding staircases. Ivy and moss creep along parts of the stone walls, adding to their aged and enchanted look.
Hogwarts's numerous windows vary in size and shape; some are tall and pointed, in the style of gothic cathedrals, while others are smaller and rounded. At night, the castle was illuminated by a warm golden glow from within, making it appear both welcoming and otherworldly.
The entrance features a massive oak door leading into the cavernous Entrance Hall, while other grand archways and hidden passages offer alternative ways in and out. The castle was surrounded by lush green grounds, including sloping lawns, a Quidditch pitch, and various magical creatures roaming in the shadows of the Forbidden Forest.
The entire castle exudes an air of mystery, wonder, and centuries-old magic, making it one of the most iconic and visually stunning locations in the wizarding world.
Selene took a liking to the Wizarding Castle the moment she entered its halls because it looked grandiose, gothic, and certainly had some sort of appeal to the Vampires. For Selene, this would be the most ideal home, so she was rather satisfied with their temporal lodging as they would be participating in the raid against the Death Eaters.
Dumbledore led two of them directly to his office, as it would take some time for the House Elves of Hogwarts Castle to prepare them their quarters. Interestingly enough, Hogwarts once had some guest rooms, but those were long ago transformed into additional classrooms, so now, the only guest rooms are the private quarters in the Slytherin Common Room.
Salazar Slytherin created the most extensive dormitories for the students, including many huge rooms for the students that were Lords of their own Houses as such cases happened from time to time, though they were not that often like one would think.
Most of these rooms were not used for many years, so the House Elves were right now working very hard to clean out the rooms for the guests. Even though the raid would be tomorrow against the holdings of the Death Eaters, both Shirou and Selene would be staying in the castle for at least a week.
Shirou decided to let Toji have fun hunting for the Kraven, and at the same time, maybe they would get a better lead on Voldemort during these raids because nobody knew whom they would arrest during the raids.
Shirou found the castle rather charming, and he found it rather a nice vacation spot.
The Headmaster's office was the room in Hogwarts Castle that served as the private study of the incumbent Headmaster or Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where they worked, and presumably lived during the school year.
It was located atop a tower that was accessed through the Gargoyle Corridor. It was reached by means of a circular, moving stone staircase, which in turn was concealed by a gargoyle on the third floor.
As Dumbledore stated the password to the gargoyle, which was the name of the brand of his favorite sweets, the gargoyle stepped aside in response. Both Shirou and Selene noticed that the gargoyle was a Special-Class gargoyle.
Gargoyles were particular Magical Creatures; they were very powerful and dangerous, and they usually had strong relationships with the Vampires in general, although it wasn't uncommon for the Gargoyles to be in contract with powerful Magi or other beings in exchange for Mana.
Usually, the Gargoyles entered into contracts with powerful beings so they had stable access to a steady supply of Mana or Cursed Energy so they could continue growing their strength like the Gargoyle in front of them.
The Gargoyels were also very intelligent Magic Creatures, no less intelligent than humans, albeit they were very closed off and scarcely communicated with the outsiders or with those with whom they didn't have a contract.
Still.
Seeing a Special-Class Gargoyle was rather rare as most of them were guarding the headquarters of the powerful Vampire Covens or some Magus Houses. Like the Ördögház, which, in fact, had several Special-Class Gargoyles on guard, none of them acted when Shirou stormed the headquarters of the Old World Coven.
That was mainly attributed to the fact that neither Shirou nor Toji had any malicious intentions towards the Vampires inside or the Old World Coven as a whole because the Gargoyles acted only when there was an existential threat to the Coven.
"This is our residential Gargoyle, Renath. Leader of the Gargoyle Clan of the Hogwarts. Because Hogwarts was built on the series of the Leylines, most precisely in one of their crossroads, the four founders of Hogwarts managed to convince the entire Gargoyle Clan to make their home in the castle. In exchange for protecting the Castle, they get a steady supply of Mana that is being generated by the Leylines. After many centuries, the Hogwarts Gargoyle Clan is more than one hundred members big, and there are many powerful Gargoyles among them..."
This was a very high number for the Gargoyle Clan, even bigger than at the Ördögház, but once again, the Ördögház wasn't built on the Dragon Vein nor on the Leyline Matrix, so this place seemed to be much more attractive to the Gargoyles.
"Very impressive, Headmaster Dumbledore. This place is a literal fortress, Headmaster."
Even though Hogwarts was a school, first and foremost, it was a castle, and it was one of the most powerful fortresses in Europe; it was also ranked as one of the best-defended fortresses in the entire world.
The Wards and Barriers in Hogwarts were legendary across the entire world, and the fact that they were built on the Dragon Vein was only a testament to it. Only a few places like this were this kind defended like the Hogwarts...
From his head, Shirou could only name three.
Headquarters of the Jujutsu Association, the Star Tomb of Takamagahara.
Seat of the Vampire Council, the Millenium Castle Corvinus.
Headquarters of the Congress of the Psy-Council and Magic of the America, the Wandering Sea.
"I must then thank you for your compliment, Director Amakusa. If it would be possible, I would be honored to watch the Star Tomb of Takamagahara."
Star Tomb of Takamagahara, named after the mythical dwelling of the Shinto Gods, their heaven abode.
In Japanese mythology, Takamagahara, "Plane of High Heaven" or "High Plane of Heaven", also read as Takaamanohara, Takamanohara, Takaamagahara, or Takaamahara, is the abode of the Heavenly Gods - Amatsukami. Often depicted as located up in the sky, it is believed to be connected to the Earth by the bridge Ame-no-ukihashi, the "Floating Bridge of Heaven".
The Star Tomb of Takamagahara was located in the depths of Tokyo, with the entrance being under the Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College. Shirou found it long before the city of Edo even came into existence as he discovered an enormous subterranean area underneath the location of Edo, later known as Tokyo.
He started building there the headquarters of the Jujutsu Association mainly because, like Hogwarts and other areas of importance, the Star Tomb of Takamagahara was the place where several of the Leylines were crossing, and it was Dragon Vein and Leyline Nexus.
Not to mention, Shirou always felt that the Star Tomb of Takamagahara had some sort of mysterious origin that was beyond their understanding. Not only was the Star Tomb of Takamagahara the headquarters of the Jujutsu Association, but it was also the central network for the National Bounded Field Network.
"I am sure that in the future, there will be a lot of time for that, Headmaster Dumbledore. So, what was it that you wanted to talk about in private with us?"
Shirou asked as he sat on the chair opposite Dumbledore as they entered his office together with Selene, the Vampire Princess, who remained silent as her presence was mainly ceremonial.
The Headmaster's Office itself was a large circular room with many windows and many portraits of old Headmasters and Headmistresses. The portrait of the immediate predecessor of the current Headmaster or Headmistress hung behind the Headmaster's desk, and those of their earlier ones were mounted on the surrounding walls.
The Hogwarts Pensieve, which had been possessed by each Headmaster since the school's founding, was stored behind the Headmaster's desk together with many different artifacts that the Headmasters of Hogwarts either collected, bought, or got as gifts during their tenure as the Headmaster.
This place really seemed to be like a museum.
In addition to its duties as the office for the Headmaster, the Headmaster's Tower was the permanent home of the Sorting Hat, which belonged, originally, to Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders.
"Of course. Anything to eat or some refreshments?"
Dumbledore asked before they went to the topic of something important as he asked his two guests.
"Just a cup of tea."
Shirou wanted tea, and Selene ordered a cup of Blood, which was the most suitable refreshment for her. Among the Wizardkin, many feared the other races, especially the Vampires and Werewolves, though their fear was also extended to most other Magi, Psykers, and Jujutsu Sorcerers.
It mostly stemmed from their own inability and weakness because while the Wizards were incredibly versatile, far more than any Jujutsu Sorcerer of Psyker could ever be, at the same time, it also came at the price of strength.
For the Wizards, it was incredibly hard to reach higher Classes, especially reaching the Special-Class.
Soon enough, their request was fulfilled by the House Elves, as Shirou had to admit that they were incredibly useful creatures. For Shirou, they brought a traditional British tea of top-notch quality, and for Selene, they brought a cup filled with dragon blood.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore took some sweets for himself as they were his favorite type of treat.
"So, spill it out... I can see that you are scheming something in all of this, and you have invited me for a reason."
Shirou started after he took a sip from his tea, enjoying the taste of the perfectly brewed English tea. He new that Dumbledore was scheming something because that was only natural for someone like him.
"Well... I would like to request support from the Jujutsu Association and Old World Coven in the fight against Voldemort. As you have realized, the Ministry of Magic is highly incompetent and unarmed to the threat of Voldemort, who has highly militarized forces. He even incorporated training methods from the No-Majs most ironically."
Hearing this, he wasn't really surprised hearing this, neither was Selene, though the last mention that the Wizardkin Supremacists were using the training methods of the No-Majs, certainly had some twisted irony in it.
"You are aware that the Association is in a place far away? And the Old World Coven has other problems than some Magus Terrorist?"
Shirou made eye contact with Selene for a moment as she sent him a look that was telling him to handle this all. She wasn't a politician but a warrior, and even though Shirou wasn't built for the useless political talk, he was far more skilled in it than she could ever be.
"The distance has never been much of a problem for the Association to project its power. And due to your effort to end the Vampire-Lycan War in Europe, the forces of the Old World Coven would be able to deal with the rogue Vampires that joined Voldemort's ranks. I think that the Vampire Council would be glad to have them resolved."
Dumbledore's point made sense to him, but at the same time, he wasn't really most pleased by the fact that the old coot was too informed about his movements. This wasn't something that he enjoyed that much, as he knew that Dumbledore was one of the biggest schemers in the entire Moonlit World.
One needed to be extra careful around that man.
Schemers like him were the most dangerous around.
"Let's skip this dance and go straight to the matter. What exactly do you want from me, Dumbledore? This is certainly beyond the scope of standard military aid to deal with the local terrorists and other unsavory elements."
Shirou didn't have much patience for this because he knew that Dumbledore was plotting something, and it certainly wasn't anything good for them en masse. He was scheming something, and for that, he wanted the support of the Jujutsu Association and preferably even that of the Old World Coven.
"The state of Britain can't last like this... the stagnation of the Wizardkin Society due to the power of the Noble Houses is severely holding our advancement. And this state isn't limited just to Great Britain but to all of the Wizardkin societies in all. Though unfortunately for us all involved, the state of Great Britain is probably the worst by all; due to the highest power of the Noble Houses in Great Britain, the state of the Ministry of Magic is by far worst, and we cannot handle the Death Eaters on our own without the extensive support from the Noble Houses... among which, you should be aware of the allegiance most of them..."
Shirou didn't say anything as he just nodded hearing this, because he was aware of the troubles that the Noble Houses and Magus Families were bringing with them.
Some of the strongest Magus Families in Great Britain, like Blacks and Barthomeloi, were stronger than the entire British Ministry of Magic, even if the power of the British Ministry of Magic was multiplied by ten.
It was a rather common thing for the Noble Houses and Magus Families to have their own personal soldiery and troops, which were creating their power base. And that wasn't including the powerhouses from their own lineage.
Most of the British Noble Houses already owned their allegiance to Voldemort and Death Eater, especially those from the Sacred 28 Wizarding Families of Great Britain.
The Sacred Twenty-Eight were, according to the author of the Pure-Blood Directory, the 1st-Class Wizard, Cantankerus Nott, the Twenty-Eight British families that of the pure Magic heritage.
Obviously, this list didn't include the Magus Families as they were not really considered as the Pure-Blood Wizards. The main distinction between the Wizarding Family and the Magus Family was the number of generations that consistently produced Magus in each generation.
To be a true Magus Family, the Family needed to produce consecutively Magus through three Generation that are counted as the descendants from the union between Magus and Magus, Magus and Jujutsu Sorcerer or Wizard and Jujutsu Sorcerer, or Wizard and Magus.
Even though many of the Sacred Twenty-Eight produced Magus from time to time, only a very small number of the Noble Houses was able to produce Magus every generation, like the Blacks, Barthomelois, McRemitz Fraga, and a few others.
"What exactly did Voldemort promised to most of them to follow him? As far as I know, his upper leadership is aware of his origins."
Tom Marvolo Riddle, Half-Blood in the terms of the Blood Purity, was rather controversial for the traditionalists that were staunch supporters of the Pure-Blood Supremacy, and at the same time, he was also the 1st-Generation Magus.
"Aside from the nonsense that he is basing his propaganda on... what else could he give them? He proposed them a Reversal Circuit of Regression."
This time, even Selene perked up when she heard that because she recognized the ritual from the libraries of the Forbidden Lore of the Old World Coven and Vampire Council that she read in the Millenium Castle Corvinus.
Magi had the Magic Circuits.
A pseudo-nervous system that spreads itself through the human body and what qualifies a person to be a Magus.
The Magic Circuits have two basic functions; one is to convert Life Force into Magical Energy, meaning the Mana. And another is to allow their owner to access Thaumaturgical Foundations.
The Magic Circuits are also paths that connect the material world to the astral plane.
To perform Mysteries, a Magus sends a command and magical energy to a Thaumaturgical Foundation through his Magic Circuits and activates one of the Magic Formulae included in the Thaumaturgical Foundation as if someone switched a computer on and sends it commands to run a computer program.
Most Wizardkin Families that produced the Magus only occasionally were still passing on the Magi DNA and the Genome, yet the Magic Circuits in them still existed but in the Regressed Form.
Once in the past, one mad Magus created a method of reversing it all.
Reversal Circuit of Regression.
Holy Grail for the Wizardkin who wanted to become Magus.
A Ritual that was able to Reverse the Regression of the Circuits.
As the Magic Circuits resisted within the Magus's soul, and what is found on the body is just a physical expression of them that stretches itself throughout the body in a fashion similar to the nervous system.
They are composed of core components, which are the actual Magic Circuits, so to say, and bypasses that connect those components to the brain.
Magic Circuits do not change, and once damaged, they cannot be repaired by ordinary means and any means of adjusting the Magic Circuits were extremely dangerous and hazardous.
This was what made the Reversal Circuit of Regression so precious because it was the only method that was known to the Moonlit World that was without side effects as long as the sacrifice was made in the ritual.
"How the Voldemort obtained something like that? The only known copies are in the hands of the Jujutsu Association, Barthomeloi Family, and Addams Family, and one of the original books is in the vaults of the Vampire Council."
Dumbledore chuckled awkwardly this time, rahter strongly, because this was something not even he had any explanation for and it remained a mystery.
Even though Voldemort was powerful for Special-Class Magus, he wasn't that powerful enough to obtain the object from the hands of one of the four factions that possessed the book on the Ritual.
Not to mention, he was even smart, because the old Headmaster knew that Tom was careful and cautious, very much cautious. He would never directly attack anyone whom he wasn't confident in defeating and annihilating.
Albus pondered over this problem for a long time.
He knew that if Tom attacked the Addamses for the book, then that bunch of madmen would be pursuing him to the end of the world. Barthomelois would fight to the death, and attacking the headquarters of the Jujutsu Association or Vampire Council was utter foolishness.
"I truly don't know. I don't think that Tom is lying about this, because that would be far beath him. He is far too arrogant to consider lie as his weapon, so my best bet is that he obtained it from some ruins. As you all know, the copies that Association, Council, Barthomeloi, and Addams Families possess are not only ones."
This was something that all involved knew.
If Voldemort truly possessed something like the Reversal Circuit of Regression, then it was no wonder that he was able to sway so many Wizardkin Noble Houses and make them his blind followers.
"The Association would provide help... but only in dealing with Voldemort and nothing else. If you think that you can use this to push for your agenda against the Noble Houses, then forget it."
Even though this wasn't the best outcome that Albus Dumbledore hoped for, it was far from the worst, so he needed to be content with what he got. Though...
"And for the exchange?"
Everyone knew that the Director of the Jujutsu Association wouldn't be doing this really for free.
"Hmm... when the Ministry and Wizengamot will decide what to do with the confiscated property, the Association wants the cut. And I am not talking about money... resources, businesses, and their Legacy."
For a second, Dumbledore frowned and considered negotiating for something different, but in the end, he related to the conditions that the Director of the Jujutsu Association put forward.
"Then we have an agreement. Through your cooperation with the Old World Coven, it will depend solely on the Selene next to me."
Shirou smiled as he pointed at the Vampire Princess of the Old World Coven, who was cutely munching on her cup of dragon blood. Hearing that she was called, she pondered over the matter for some time until she came to the decision.
"All criminals who reached 1st-Class and above who would be alive would be handed to the Old World Coven."
Contrary to Shirou's and Dumbledore's dance, which lasted for half an hour, as they first danced around the topic before they really started talking and negotiating, Selene wasn't interested in all of that useless thing.
If the Vampires were to help, then Selene had very straightforward yet also most problematic conditions. She wanted all of the 1st-Class and above Wizards, Magi, and beings that were captured during the conflict as payment.
They would do well as the blood banks for the Old World Coven.
This was a problematic aspect because normally, the criminals needed to be judged by the Judicial System of the Ministry, but everyone knew that it was corrupt.
"Such a thing could be arranged... if the Old World Coven and Association support some cleaning in the Ministry of Magic."
Shirou raised his brow as Selene immediately shot him a loot because she eagerly awaited his answer, and indirectly, she was telling him to do something about that. Seeing Shirou nodding made Selene smile a bit as the Jujutsu Marshall shot the old goat a sharp look because the man played his cards too well.
"The Association will help gladly in this... in the end... it would mean more opportunities for growth, do you think? Lord Dumbledore?"
Shirou asked with a sharp tone as he shook hands with Dumbledore.
As they were talking, another man arrived at the Headmaster's Office.
He was a very far, bald, old man. He was short with a huge belly, so large that the buttons on his waistcoat usually threatened to burst off. He also had a shiny pate, prominent, gooseberry colored eyes, and an enormous, gingery blond, walrus-like mustache.
Though it seemed that he had a particular liking for lavish, old-fashioned clothes: waistcoats with gold buttons, his suit was made from top-notch materials.
"Horace here will take you to the Slytherin Dungeon. Unfortunately, it's the only place within the castle with the Lord Housing still intact."
Most of the Lord's Chambers had already been renovated long ago into facilities for the school or other rooms; now, only a few of them remained, all within the Slytherin Dungeon, as they couldn't be changed due to the Wards themselves.
It seemed like Salazar Slytherin programmed the Wards to protect those rooms at any cost, or rather, any major changes to the Slytherin Dungeon were impossible to make due to the Wards.
"Greetings, Princess Selene. Lord Amakusa. I am Horace Slughorn, Head of Slytherin at Hogwarts and Master Potioneer, and I am also a professor of Potions at the school."
Shirou gave a man a second look, because he was Potion Master. Those were very rare, and it was one of the most respected Professions in the entire Moonlit World because everyone needed three things.
Alchemists, Artificers, and Pioneers.
Alchemists were always in the highest demand, and there were not many of them. Alchemists mastered the Art of Alchemy, and they could do what the Artificers and Potioneers could do, even to a much greater degree.
Artificers were basically upgraded blacksmiths who were creating equipment like weapons, armor, and other things.
Pioneers have created potions.
Potions were very valuable in the Moonlit World, more than weapons, armors and sometimes even more than Artifacts. Potions were curing diseases, healing wounds, and various ailments that one contracted.
Just the Jujutsu Association alone was emptying several Potion Masters who were brewing potions for their needs. The mortality rate of the Jujutsu Sorcerers would be pretty high otherwise if not for the potions.
"Then we would be in your care, Master Slughorn."
Shirou addressed the man with his title as the Master Potioneer, as he found that more appropriate, and he also wasn't a student at the school. They soon followed after Slughorn, who led them to the Slytherin Dungeons.
Dumbledore was left in the office as he pondered over the result of the negotiations, as he was having headaches already over the things. He knew that the situation with the conditions of the Old World Coven would be very problematic...
Not many would be thrilled at the idea of giving those who were technically the citizens of Great Britain to the Vampires. However, it was also true that the deal was too good for them to pass it by.