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"Normal speech” people talking.

‘Normal thought' people thinking.

"Kurama/Dragons” Kurama or Dragons speaking.

‘Kurama/Dragon thought’ Kurama or Dragons thinking.

"Jutsu/ Magic” is being used.

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Shadow Light

Chapter 19

Month End Meeting

The month ended smoothly and it's time for the leaders of the three biblical factions to meet in the meeting called by Sirzechs. All preparations were made and they are going to meet in a posh bar in London.

Of course, the idea was given by the friendly crow who suggested a bar to be a great place for powerful leaders to meet and chat. And all three of them were present at the bar in question to discuss.

"Why did you suggest this again?" Asked Michael, the eternal smile on his face changing into a small frown.

"Come on, Mike, you shouldn't always be like that. You should enjoy it once in a while. I assure you, you're not going to fall" said Zaz in a cheerful tone. Azazel decided to give code names, part of the fun you can say.

"Only if father was here to see this" murmured Mike and followed along with Zechs and Zaz. They ordered some drinks while Mike ordered nothing and Zaz ordered some juice for the well disciplined Angel.

"Here are your orders, Sir," said the bartender and placed everything on their table as ordered. Zaz looked up to see a familiar blonde face.

"Shall we begin?" Mike asked and Zaz nodded with a smirk.

"What is this about a new Sacred Gear I hear from Zechs about?" He asked in a calm tone though there are traces of steel and disappointment in it.

"Ah, yes. My beautiful creation. Do you have anything to offer on that?" asked Zaz in a confident tone. After seeing Naruto, his confidence skyrocketed as the blonde would help him if anything goes south. They made a privacy barrier around them to avoid the chaos around them and potential eavesdroppers.

"Yes. While I was investigating it after receiving Zechs letter, I went to Father's system to know more about it and I found an anomaly" said Mike and projected an image which has should have the list of the 13 Longinus created by God. But what they saw was different.

The 13 Original Longinus made by the God of the Bible +1. The screen read.

1. True Longinus

2. Zenith Tempest

3. Annihilation Maker

4. Shadow Light (+1)

5. Dimension Lost

6. Boosted Gear

7. Divine Dividing

8. Regulus Nemea

9. Canis Lykaon

10. Sephiroth Graal

11. Incinerate Anthem

12. Absolute Demise

13. Innovate Clear

14. Telos Karma

"What! How did it reach Top 5?" exclaimed Azazel in shock! He didn't expect this. He knew Skiadrum is strong and on his best day, he might defeat their Father, The God. But this, this is unexpected.

"Are you telling me you didn't expect this, Azazel?" Asked Michael. All the pretence and jovial atmosphere gone as the discussion dove into a serious topic.

"No, Michael. I'm know Naruto is strong and Skiadrum is strong. But to reach top 4, surpassing Dimension Lost, a High Tier Longinus is not expected" agreed Azazel.

He didn't expect this and now he is going to pay the full price of it. 'I can't understand why and how it happened' thought Azazel.

"So Naruto's Sacred Gear is a High Tier Longinus now," asked Sirzechs. It's not a question but a statement. Both Michael and Azazel nodded their heads.

"I wondered why Ajuka was attracted towards him so badly, maybe this might be the reason," said Sirzechs in a serious tone.

"What does Heaven think about this, Michael?" Asked Azazel.

"I didn't tell anyone about this. Only we 3 and the rest of the Seraphim know about his Sacred Gear"

"No. Ajuka and Lord-Zekram know about it as well" added Sirzechs.

"Yes. But they didn't know about its High Tier status and top 5 position" said Michael.

"Yes, that is true"

"No one in my Faction knows about it except me and Shamhazai might have an inkling, but doesn't know fully yet" confessed Azazel.

"What do you think of him, Azazel?" asked Michael. As Heaven's ruler and Guardian, it is in his best interests to assess the threat and take appropriate action.

"Well, when I found him, I thought he was about to die and ga-no, the Sacred Gear chose him"

"Yes, I know- wait, what do you mean by the Sacred Gear chose him, Azazel?" Asked Sirzechs and Michael nodded his head to the question.

"I should go back a few millennia to tell you that story. It was a few centuries after the Great War and when the world was started to recover from the bloodiest war in history. Skiadrum, the Abyss Dragon, The Black Dragon Emperor, The Shadow Dragon, was fighting that generation's White and Red Dragon Emperor's.

He had the upper hand in the fight when suddenly, an attack from the Red Dragon Emperor pierced through his core as the White Dragon Emperor restrained him. That was a surprise attack for the Shadow Dragon and he went on a rampage after that and killed both of them.

Then he realised something. Both the Welsh Dragon and Vanishing Dragon are strong together and when working together, they even managed to damage him. Though he didn't give much thought to it, he felt the combined power of them both.

Not being in their Dragon form helped things for the 2 heavenly Dragons in their match with the Abyss Dragon. Skiadrum started losing his power. He started investigating on this anomaly and found that his broken core is the reason for his power loss.

Skiadrum came to me with a plan. He trusted me as we know each other. He gave me this" said Azazel. An image of a broken small ball was seen in the image.

"A black ball?" Asked Sirzechs but Michael knew what it was.

"No. It is not just a black ball, it is the core of the Shadow Dragon" said Michael to which Azazel nodded in agreement.

A core is a part of the soul where all the power of the ego and soul is stored. All the Sacred Gears also have their connection with their holders written at this part.

For powerful creatures like Dragons, Core is everything and destruction of one's core leads to the Dragon losing all its power and only a husk remains in place of their former self. Sirzechs understood the power of cores and understood the gravity of the situation.

"Yes, it is his core. He explained to me how the situation came to be and what to do" said Azazel, giving a dramatic pause to build suspense. Neither Sirzechs nor Michael commented on his dramatic attitude.

"Skiadrum told me that his power is slowly withering away and that how it will be stored in this ball as he separated himself with it and asked me to do something to it so that the amassed power would not go out of control," continued Azazel.

"What! He asked you to do that?" Asked Sirzechs, surprised.

"What? Don't you have trust in me, Sirzechs?" Asked Azazel in a mock hurt tone which didn't fool anyone present.

"Yes. He put his trust in me and also, I didn't say he passed away, did I?" Asked Azazel.

"Though he is separated from his core, Skiadrum is one of the Heavenly Dragons powerful enough to give both Ddraig and Albion a run for their money. His remaining power sustained for quite some time. I tried all I could to repair the core. But alas! I couldn't" they both started listening more carefully as they knew this is the most important part.

"Just before his final breath, Skiadrum came to me, beaten and pale as a sheet. He explained how he is finally going to rest for good and asked me to make him a Sacred Gear so that he can keep both Red and White Dragon Emperors in check. He gave the remaining power with his ego into this core which I managed to preserve.

"I am leaving now, Azazel. I thank you for helping me and I promise to help you when you need my help through the host I'm going to choose when the right time comes. My only request to you is to make sure the core is stable before my host arrives. As you know how an unstable core can change any Dragon into a Chaos Dragon"

Were his last words before he vanished into the black orb in front of you" said Azazel, a sliver of emotion in the end as he saw Skiadrum as a friend.

"After that, I started throwing myself hard into my research and experimented with every type of power I could find my hands on"

"At last you added Holy Light Magic, the power given to you by God and got the one in front of us now," concluded Sirzechs and Azazel nodded with a smile and a thumbs up.

"Yes. I found the chaotic nature of the Shadow Dragon's magic to be very difficult to suppress for any other magic. When I added Holy Light Magic to it, the chaotic magic and the pure magic cancelled each other out without any sign of instability in them.

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I was surprised at first and tested its effectiveness and the results surprised me. They balanced each other out, one balancing the other without any struggle or malfunction. I decided its name then, Shadow Light, combining the 2 opposite elements in perfect harmony" said Azazel in pride.

"But Azazel, you know how Sacred Gears work and when one is created and especially in the case of a Longinus Class Sacred Gears, they immediately appear in the Heavens Miracle system that Father created.

Even if we consider it an Artificial Sacred Gear, don't you think it should appear in Father's system?" Asked Michael.

"What! Didn't you show us it on the list of Sacred Gears?" Asked Azazel. He knew it too well for it not to happen.

"Maybe something is different in this case. Didn't Azazel say something about Skiadrum choosing his holder? Maybe it meant that he want to be free and doesn't want to fall under the System's grasp until he found a suitable host" Sirzechs suggested. The argument was plausible for the other 2 and agreed on it.

"Ya. That may be it. We can't be sure. Whatever he found a host in Naruto and damn the blonde is strong" said Azazel in pride.

"How did the blonde get it anyway," asked Sirzechs in curiosity.

"Well, I found him on the streets of Tokyo in an injured state because of a magic spike I felt. I thought he needed medical attention. I always carry Shadow Light with me as it is my most prideful experiment and also I don't want it to fall into any bad hands.

When I leaned to check on him, I felt something vibrate in my coat and checked on the orb which was pulsing with power. I took it from my coat and put it on his chest. It went into his body as if it belonged there.

There was a large pulse of magic after that for a second which I managed to suppress with a barrier. Naruto said he felt light and we tested a bit and found that he got the Sacred Gear and it was working perfectly well without any damage to his body or soul. It is stable.

Naruto took to everything like a fish to water and he is the best student I have ever trained. He can make Light weapons as if it is second nature and came up with creative methods to use them.

As per his Shadow abilities, I suggested him to ask Skiadrum as I assumed the Shadow Dragon would be very happy to explain to his host, as they are linked by their soul. Skiadrum didn't talk to me per se, but Naruto repeated Skiadrum's promise and offered me 2 favours for saving him and giving him the Sacred Gear" said Azazel. Michael nodded and dots connected in Sirzechs mind.

"Wait, does that mean you are the one who sent him to Kuoh?" Asked Sirzechs. It was not a question, but a statement. Azazel smirked at the Red-haired Maou.

"Yup. I cashed in a favour"

"Why?" Asked Sirzechs in confusion.

"Do you think sending 2 Devil Heiresses and particularly sisters of Maou's in one town isn't a recipe for disaster?" Asked Azazel with sarcasm.

"It was meant to educate them in dealing with humans and cope with ruling a territory so that when the Lordship is passed to them, they'll do better," said Sirzechs defending his and his parent's decision.

"Moreover, my Ria-chan is so stubborn that she will not listen to anyone. What do you want me to do?" Asked Sirzechs in a serious tone, showing his protective brother side.

"Same goes to Serafall I guess," said Azazel and Sirzechs nodded.

"That's why I sent Naruto there. To keep them safe. I don't want anything disturbing the current Status Quo," said Azazel.

"Do you trust him that much?" Asked Michael in surprise.

"Yes. I don't know how, but I'm sure Naruto experienced the horrors of war. Do you know what he told me about his goal?" Asked Azazel. They didn't reply, waiting for him to continue.

"He spoke in a passionate tone about peace and how he will bring peace to this world," said Azazel with a fond smile.

Sirzechs and Michael's eyes widened at that. In their world, where the supernatural exists, having a goal to bring peace not in one faction, but to the world is definitely a foolish dream in anyone's mind.

But the way Azazel said it and the confidence he held in the blonde is unmistakable. They are slowly getting the full scope of Naruto Uzumaki now.

"Do you think peace is possible?" Asked Sirzechs. Among the people who want peace, Sirzechs will be first in his faction. He became powerful to bring that peace in his faction and will do anything to preserve that peace.

"Who knows. But I believe in Naruto. He has this natural charm that makes people believe him. I'll put my trust in him" said Azazel with an easy smile.

"Does that mean he doesn't belong to any Faction?" Asked Michael. Although he wants peace, protecting Humans and Heaven are high on his priorities much like Sirzechs and his own people.

"Yes. He told me that himself. He is not going to align with any one Faction. But will involve if any Faction steps out of line" said Azazel, repeating Naruto's words.

"But he joined Devils, didn't he?" Asked Michael. Sirzechs smiled at that.

"No, he didn't. From what I knew, Naruto didn't join us as in allying. But he joined us as a member, that's it. He is a High-Class devil or Hybrid already and didn't align with anyone and the most interesting part is, he is an overseer of Kuoh now" said Sirzechs with a nostalgic smile. He got 2 blank faces in response.

"Let me explain. In our Hierarchy, any Devil reports to a higher member. Take Ria-tan and Sona-chan for example. They are overseer's of Kuoh, correct. But that is Gremory territory and they should report whatever happens to my father, Zeoticus Gremory or in this case, Duke of Gremory and Kuoh.

But Naruto is not bound by this and does whatever he likes or in other words, he is independent. What he does directly falls upon his Sensei, Jiraiya-sama as the man is in charge of his student according to our hierarchy" explained Sirzechs.

Both Azazel and Michael were impressed by the system and the way it operates. Though they knew there are will be some loopholes somewhere, it is effective and that's what matters.

"Impressive. I didn't think Naruto would do this" said Azazel, truly impressed by the blonde's cunningness.

"So he is not aligned to you completely, that's what you are saying" asked Michael and Sirzechs nodded.

"If you want, I'll share the copy of the pact that was recently signed by Naruto with Rias and Sona in the presence of Ajuka," said Sirzechs and a few documents materialised in front of them on the table. They all read through it carefully.

What they read astonished mostly Michael while Azazel had a sly smirk on his face.

'I didn't see such a plain pact in centuries. It just has the basic details and the approval of Ajuka in his official capacity' thought Azazel.

'Holy Father. What is this? Such a simple and vague pact that delegates authority to this Naruto. It is very interesting. I should meet him if possible, I will teach him a technique of two' thought Michael with a fond smile. The Leader of Angels was impressed by Naruto's skills and wants to meet the guy in person.

"I don't have any words I guess," said Azazel with a smirk.

"Yes. But I still have the same question. Isn't he still a rogue piece. You both know the position of Heaven. We can't afford another war in our current situation" said Michael in a sombre tone. As a leader, he shouldn't admit his weakness in front of his enemies. But the people in front of him are not only his enemies but his friends as well.

For once, he is going to admit the truth and see what they will suggest. Though Heaven may come out strong to others, they are at the risk of Falling but are also low in number compared to the other 2 biblical factions.

"I can understand what you are worrying about, Michael. But I assure you, Naruto will not start another war and if he does, I'll take full responsibility" said Azazel in a stern tone, making it clear that he is serious in this regard.

Michael looked unclear for a moment and thought about it a bit. He knew how Azazel does things and if he assures this much and goes as far as taking the blame if the blonde does something, how could he not agree.

"In that case, I agree. I'll stay neutral as well" said Michael and the other 2 nodded their heads. Azazel is Naruto's friend and he won't do anything against the blonde and Sirzechs can't do anything as Naruto is a member of his Faction now.

"Now that's settled, let's move on to other topics," said Sirzechs, the stance on Naruto's position decided. They started discussing other topics after that agreement.

Meanwhile, In Kuoh

Naruto was doing some 'things' in his club when a clone sent a message that Azazel, Sirzechs and another blonde-haired man were seen at a bar in London.

He assumed the blonde man to be Michael, the leader of Angels Faction and Heaven. The acting 'God' in the words of Azazel.

When he first came to this world, he sent his clones to most major cities to keep tabs on what goes on in the world and this time, they found a big fish. Immediately, his clone disguised himself as one of the bartenders went into action.

He heard the conversation through Shadow Tapping. Everything was heard by the original as well and Naruto understood why Azazel gave him the Sacred Gear or rather, how it chose him.

After they started talking about other topics, Naruto stopped hearing what they were talking about and returned to the work at hand.

"Hmm, I'm not aware of this, Naruto. If I had known, I would have told you" said Kurama.

"Yes, I know that, Kurama. I know you won't hide things from me. But isn't it interesting to hear?'' said Naruto.

"Yes. It is. But I think you are more interested in doing other works" said Kurama with a knowing smirk. Naruto returned the smirk at Kurama.

"I guess I do," he replied and started doing the work. He was currently writing an invitation to call a lonely Devil in the school.

"Reni-chan, can you please deliver this to Miss Roygun for me?" said Naruto as Reni was behind him. She nodded and took the cover to the Nurse's office.

"Do you plan on recruiting her now?" Asked Kurama.

"Hmm, I thought of doing that but thought better of it. Let's observe her for a bit. We still have a few months of school left and I'll decide later on" said Naruto.

"Huh, I think giving her time to cope up is a good idea. It will be interesting to watch I guess," said Kurama and went to sleep.

Nurse's Office

Roygun was reading something about Human medicine when she heard someone open the door and walk in. She stood up and walked to tend to the youth who injured themselves, but she was surprised to see a young girl walk towards her with no injuries.

"Yes, what can I help you with?" She asked in a soft tone.

"My name is Lavinia Reni and I'm the Vice President of the Ninja Club," said Reni introducing herself. Roygun's eyes lit up at the mention of Ninja Club.

"Roygun, School Nurse," she said introducing herself. But inside, her reaction was completely different.

'Yes, he sent me something' thought Roygun with a squeal.

"Naruto-kun told me to give you this," said Reni and took the cover Naruto gave her and gave it to Roygun. Roygun took it in a snap and looked at it with adoration.

"Thanks" she replied in a low tone and lost in her world. Reni went back to her Club room after her delivery and as it is evening, most of the school was empty with barely anyone standing in her way.

With Roygun

She was jumping in joy when she received the letter and eagerly opened it and started reading.

'To Miss Roygun,

I'm happy to invite you to be Ninja Club's medical advisor. My Sensei explained everything to me and suggested appointing you as such based on your qualifications and expertise. I can't be happier to get such a great advisor to help me in my Club activities.

Details about what are your duties and when you are required are on the backside of the letter. Hope you will agree.

If you would like to discuss more about it, you can contact my Vice President, Lavinia Reni. She will explain more about it.

I repeat again, this is an invitation. If you want to decline, you can, you'll not be misjudged for that.

If you agree, fill the form and submit it in the Ninja Club Room to get your appointment letter.

Yours Sincerely,

Naruto Uzumaki,

Ninja Club President'

Roygun's heart melted by the way Naruto phrased those words. She will definitely join them. Who knows what adventures await her in that Club.

She happily took the form and started filling it with her details. Soon, she is going to get a family she lost and she is not going to lose it again.

Somewhere in Kuoh

Cheado, the priest came to Kuoh at last. He walked into the only church in the town, which was abandoned for a long time. He brought his partner to this job as well.

His partner is a Sacred Gear holder and works as a mercenary in addition to his services to the Church. He had a Sacred Gear called Slingshot. It allows him to fire bullets from any distance at his target.

Cheado covered himself with a black coat to avoid suspicion as they walked towards the abandoned Church. As it was night, no one noticed or doubted them.

"Are you sure this is the town, Cheat?" asked his partner.

"Yes, Trigger. This is the town we are looking for" said Cheado. Both of them are using their code names or working titles as they like to call them while they are on jobs.

"I can sense them, there are a lot of pesky Devils here," said Trigger with a hungry smile. Cheado looked at his friend. He is a man of above-average height and medium build.

He is a fair-skinned man with black eyes, which were looking at Cheado in disapproval. He has neck-length black hair. He wore beige clothes and black pants, completely unrelated to what Cheado wore to make it appear as if they are unrelated. He doesn't have anything on him as his Sacred Gear can be summoned anytime and anywhere.

"You know why we are here, Trigger. I don't want to get in trouble. The stunt you pulled on our last mission caused enough trouble for us that made us abandon the mission altogether" said Cheado in exasperation.

"Heh, that was boring. I just can't find myself when I saw those strays" laughed Trigger.

"I know. But this time it is different. I want to check up on the 2 Devil heiresses who rule this territory just to make sure we don't disturb them" suggested Cheado.

"Ok, but don't act all cautious like an old man, Cheado. We're just in our 20s" said Trigger. When Cheado acts cautious like some old man, it annoys Trigger to no end.

"It depends on your behaviour. First, tone down your blood lust. If they have good enough sensors in their group, we'll easily get caught"

"Ya, ya. I know" said Trigger in a careless tone and they started on their way to Kuoh High as Cheado knew about 2 Devil Heiresses education.

They reached Kuoh High. The buildings were marvellous with western architecture and there were so many buildings across the compound, it was difficult to pinpoint.

Cheado and Trigger jumped the wall and made their way towards the High School building they assumed to be and saw a lone figure walking in the corridor with no one around.

"What! School's over already?" Trigger nearly yelled.

"Quite! You idiot. You'll give away our position" chastised Cheado.

"It's evening already, school will obviously be over," he said in a matter of fact tone.

"But I thought-"

"We are not here to see if school is over or not. Come on, someone is moving. Let's keep our distance and wait till they were gone"

"Ok, who are we here for again," he asked with an innocent smile.

"This one," said Cheado in an annoyed tone and gave a photo to Trigger. Trigger widened his eyes at that.

"Idiot. She is the one moving around" yelled Trigger. One of the perks of using Slingshot is long-range vision. The user can see far with high clarity.

"Hahahahaha. I didn't think our job will be so easy. We'll follow her then" said Cheado with a confident smirk. Trigger sighed and resigned himself for the boring task again.

And Cut.

That’s it for this chapter folks.

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