King of the World, a High School DxD/ハイスクールD×D + K Crossover fanfic

A/N: Surprise! I had a sudden urge to write yesterday, but I was too tired to work on Fallen Messiah, so I just decided to write something I've been toying with lately.

There are a couple KEY differences between FM and KotW, so don't think I'm suddenly abandoning Minato for Weismann. The biggest difference is of course the method of storytelling. FM is in third-person, KotW is in first. The natures of the stories are also very distinct. FM will be a very deep fic, and will focus on a ground-up approach (i.e. Minato will follow the storyline very closely and the plot of the DxD verse will revolve around him). That's not true for KotW. It will be a light-hearted fic, where Weismann is often only a spectator and isn't really involved with the main cast and plot of DxD. In that sense this story will be kind-of top down (i.e. Weismann interacts more with the entire world in general, so the focus of this story isn't on the Three Factions anymore). Of course, this story is just something I'm working on the side, and my focus will still be on the Gallant Jinta and Fallen Messiah. Speaking of which, Gallant Jinta is currently undergoing a rewrite as well. But it's way more cosmetic than Fallen Messiah's rewrite, (basically, I'm just changing the all the present tense to past tense and improving the flow of reading here and there).

Without further ado, please read on. This is something I did for fun, so don't place your expectations too high pleaseee.

My first encounter with the Leviathan went… interestingly, I suppose. She was the last of the Satans I had yet to meet. Of course, that meant my expectations weren't very high.

As Ajuka had put it, 'Besides me, the other Satans have… eccentric personalities, I suppose." So said the hermit-scientist who spent more time in his laboratory than he did anywhere else in the world. Then again, as a person who spent nearly a century in a blimp inactive, I was hardly anyone to judge him.

"Now, Weis-san, close your eyes!" The bubbly girl instructed me.

I did as I was told, and the scene of the twin-tailed-haired girl in front of me was replaced by blackness. Her outfit was a surprising choice for a Demon Lord, similar to an outfit an anime character would have worn. Her childlike personality and appearance did not help in portraying her status of authority. Maybe that was the whole point of it.

"Now, repeat after me, okay?"

I nodded.

"I."

"Adolf K. Weismann."

"Do solemnly and sincerely pledge."

"That I will devote my soul and my existence."

… Where was she going with this?

"C'mon, we don't have much time Weis-chan!"

I sighed, and echoed after her reluctantly, "that I will devote my soul and my existence."

"Now this is the most important part, okay? Make sure you say it fast and correctly!" She took a deep breath, "to serve the Satan Serafall Leviathan eternally."

"To serve the Satan Serafall Leviathan eternally… Wait, Wha-?"

"-Too Late! It's done!"

My eyes flashed open, and I saw that the girl had drawn a complex-looking magical circle on the floor around me while my eyes were closed. The pulsating light coming from it showed that it was activated. Judging by the sigils and the symbols, it was just as I suspected –a magic circle to join a Devil's Peerage.

Too distracted by the circle, I did not notice Serafall right in front of me.

"You're mine now, Weis-chan!" I saw the chess piece – a knight – clutched in her hand, and she shoved it into my chest before I had a chance to react.

"Mwahahahaahaaa!" She cackled viciously. "Now Weis-chan is mine too! Aju-chan will regret not claiming you as his Queen from the very beginning! Now two of the Three Aliens are mine!"

The Three Aliens, was that our new name? I do not believe Emiya would like that. Itachi, the quiet fellow he was, would most likely have no reaction. I stood there, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

"It's okay, Weis-chan – wait, now that you're my Knight, I can call you Adolf-chan, right? Anyway, Adolf-kun, even though Shirou is already my Queen and you're only my Knight, it's okay! I know you are both very strong, so you can be my second unofficial queen, okay?" Serafall pranced around, seemingly overjoyed her plan had worked.

My stomach was starting to feel strange, and the sensation of feeling sick crept up all the way to my mouth. Here it came. I could feel it travelling up my gullet, and I reflexively opened my mouth as the contents of my stomach came spilling out, accompanied by violent retching sounds.

"Oh my goodness, Adolf-chan, are you alright? I know being turned into a Devil can have some side-effects, but…" She stopped mid-speech when she saw what I had vomited out.

There, lying in a pool of hours-old noodles and soup, was a red chess piece. A Knight, to be exact.

Breathing deeply and still recovering from that, I mopped my mouth with a handkerchief in my pocket. Pointing towards Serafall's chess piece, I said, "and that is why Ajuka hasn't claimed me as his Queen."

She looked at me in disbelief.

"You. Don't move. Stay in that circle."

I shrugged my shoulders, remaining in the circle to humour her as she pulled out a cell phone from somewhere and began to press some buttons.

"Hello, Aju-chan?"

…

"No, Weis-chan isn't with me yet."

I raised my eyebrow at her blatant lie.

…

"Okay. Anyway, one of the Evil Pieces you gave me is broken."

…

"The Knight Piece."

…

"YES! I DID DO IT PROPERLY!"

…

"Erm… Who I am trying to induct into my Peerage? Er… Some human."

…

"Uhm… you know, just some regular human off the street. Tall, silver hair, grey eyes…"

…

"Yes, I know that sounds suspiciously like Weis-chan, but it's not!"

…

"REALLY! IT ISN'T HIM! Anyway, when I gave him the piece, he puked it out."

…

"HONESTLY, WHY WOULD I LIE TO YOU?"

…

"Fine, I'll hold."

She continued standing there, one foot tapping the ground impatiently while pressing the phone against her ear. Suddenly, a ringing sound began to emanate from my pocket.

"Hello, Ajuka." I said as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and received the call.

"FINE! IT WAS WEIS-CHAN! NOW CAN YOU TELL ME WHY IT DIDN'T WORK?!"Serafall screamed into her phone.

The call on my phone went dead.

…

"What? I don't understand. You're saying that Weis-chan can't become a Devil? That's why he's not your Queen?"

…

"But it worked for Shiro-chan and Itachi-chan, why not him?"

…

"Yes, I know Weis-chan is special, that's why I want him."

…

"Oh, I see! So it's not the Evil Pieces that are broken, it's Weis-chan himself that is spoilt! Ew then, I don't want him anymore."

…

"Fine fine, since you're calling me, just tell me what you want."

…

"What do you mean I'm the one that called you?"

…

"Just get on with it."

…

"What? But that's so troublesome!"

…

"Yes, I know I sound like Falbium, but it's true. Why are you asking me, anyway?"

…

"Just because I'm the Satan in charge of foreign affairs doesn't mean I am the one who deals with stuff outside of the Underworld, you know."

…

"I am?"

…

"Fine… I'll ask Shirou-chan to deal with it for me."

"Urgh," she finally hung up. She looked at me, dissatisfaction clearly on her face. "This is all your fault."

I looked at her in disbelief. "Sorry?" Because clearly she was to blame here.

"Apology accepted."

…

She sighed, looking dejectedly at the chess piece that was still covered in vomit. "It was such a good plan too…"

I didn't point out the fact that the only reason why the plan worked was because I had played along.

"Sigh… Just go back to your little floating laboratory, Weis-kun. I have a job to do now. Stupid Aju-chan with his stupid Devilnet idea…"

I found it hard to believe that the sulking girl in front of me was literally one of the strongest beings alive.

Anyway, with Ajuka's request granted, that meant I no longer had a reason to stay at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As I turned my back and prepared to leave, I heard Serafall call out.

"Weis-chan, wait."

I looked behind and saw Serafall hunched over my pile of vomit, one hand hovering dangerously close to the Evil Piece, still coated with my sick.

"Can I borrow that handkerchief?"

Emiya was a fast worker.

Ajuka and I were poured over the blue prints of the Evil Pieces, trying to determine how we could increase the duration of time after death a person could be reincarnated.

"Perhaps if we-"

"Ahem. Beelzebub-san, Weismann-san."

The sound of someone clearing his throat tore us apart from our work to look at the entrance of the lab.

There stood Emiya Shirou, wearing his signature red and black armor-gown, his hair a mixture of white and red. Was it me, or was there more white than red compared to when I last saw him?

"Oh, Shirou, you're here! Come in, come in! I'm so sorry Serafall made you do all that work for her."

"It's alright, it's my job as her Queen, after all…" He sighed. "Nevertheless, it wasn't much work. We already have a base of operations there; it was just merely some paperwork. We can leave anytime you wish, Adolf-san."

As polite and professional as always, I did not know why Shirou chose to stick around with Serafall, even agreeing to be her Queen. Then I remembered, he didn't have a choice. Just like Itachi.

"Hmmm… That was fast." Ajuka pondered aloud while scratching his green hair. "I think you should leave as soon as possible, Adolf. I have a feeling something's brewing up in the human world, and your presence there will certainly be beneficial to us."

Shirou and I turned to look at Ajuka in surprise. Ajuka admired human technology and engineering, and with my previous knowledge of the sciences and his knowledge of magic, we had teamed up together to replicate as much as we could for Devil Society. But that was where his fascination with the outside world ended. He didn't care much for their culture or their politics, and would only considering meddling if Devil Society was at risk.

"I've been monitoring the Earth-Underworld communications network we set up a year ago, Adolf. It seems that a few Fallen have been using it to communicate covertly. From what I've managed to gleam off of it, the Fallen are much more fractured than we believe. There is a significant portion of their numbers that seem discontent with Azazel's policy of coexistence."

"A coup?" I asked.

Shirou looked alarmed and added on, "if Azazel and his supporters loses control of the Fallen leadership, this could mean war between the Factions."

Ajuka nodded, "that's right. I've observed a spike in recent communications. It's heavily encrypted and coded, but from what I've managed to deduce, it seems that Kokobiel is at the head of it all."

Shirou clicked his tongue in annoyance. "That's not good. Kokabiel has a harsh line of intolerance when it comes to the other Factions, especially us Devils."

"That's why this is of utmost importance. By the way Adolf, I've told Azazel of your arrival. He'll be expecting you. If you're willing to, please do take some time off our project so we can exchange information."

"Sure," I said and Shirou looked surprised. The leaders of the Three Factions shared a shaky friendship, but that friendship was built upon their mutual desire for peace. If the current non-aggression treaty was at stake, they would all do anything in their power to prevent it. Thus, any peace-loving Devil would've have said yes to his request. But then again, I was human.

Contrary to popular belief, I wasn't Beelzebub's Queen, officially or unofficially. I wasn't obliged to do what he, or any Devil, told me to do. I was the King of myself. If I had to describe it, the relationship between Beelzebub and me was that of colleagues. I worked with him to improve the technology and science of the Underworld. In exchange, they gave me a nice home (I asked for something smaller than the original manorial estate they originally accorded to me) and a salary (which if converted to human money would turn me into the 27th richest man alive in one year). Of course, I could tell they were trying to butter me up so I would stick with Devil kind.

But still, I had no reason to stick my nose into their politics and their affairs, and they had no justification to involve me in them as well. That was why Shirou appeared shocked. In the three years I've been here, I've taken as neutral a stance as possible. I didn't officially affiliate myself with anyone or any organization barring the Technology Department, which I'm technically an employee of. There had been times when Ajuka asked me for assistance involving Devil affairs, but I've politely refused every time.

Until now.

"You're saying yes?" Even Ajuka had disbelief written all over his face.

"Of course I would say yes. This concerns billions of lives." I defended myself. "Honestly, just because I don't concern myself with the happenings of Devilkind doesn't mean I'm a monster. Lives are still lives, and if there's something I can do to save lives, I would. A Fallen rebellion has the potential to spark another Great War, and most likely other Pantheons and even the human world may get involved. Of course I'm willing to do it."

There was a look of relief on Ajuka's face, and Shirou gave me a nod of acknowldgement.

"Very well, Weismann-san, if you do not mind, we can leave for Kuoh tomorrow."

"That is fine, I will prepare my things."

"I find it odd we are going to a school of all places." I said to Shirou, who was walking besides me. Even though he had given up his humanity to become a Devil, I enjoyed his company greatly. He had a good and noble heart, and was easygoing and nice to talk to. He once told me he had the power to create a personal dimension, and that that was where he stored all his weapons. I've yet to see it of course, but I didn't doubt his honesty in the slightest.

"Your base of operations won't be here. It's a small house nearby. However, I feel it prudent that we announce our arrival to at least one of the administrators of this place. As you're representing the Technology Department, they do have the right to know that you're here."

"I see. That's not wrong. But why are they in a school?"

Shirou looked at me quizzically. "You don't know? They are students."

What? The administrators of an entire city was a pair of teenagers? I made my disbelief known to him, and Shirou laughed.

"I know, I reacted the same way when I first came here as well. Rest assured however, they are competent. Or at least Sona is. I have not spoken to the Gremory heiress enough to judge if she fits the job. But they have done well, I suppose."

"Gremory? Isn't that Sirzechs'…"

Shirou sighed and shook his head. "To address the Satans by the first name, it must be nice to be a human, eh? Anyway, you are right. The administrators here are Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory, the sisters of the Satans Leviathan and Lucifer respectively."

No wonder they got to be administrators so young. I shook my head in disappointment. Even though Devil Society was older than humanity and technologically advanced for a mythical pantheon, their social structure was still archaic. Noble houses and social classes made cultural mechanisms like nepotism prevalent in their society.

"I know that look, but I would not be so quick to judge. They are both fine Devils and good people. And I'm not saying that because their siblings are my boss and leaders." Shirou said as we walked up the stairs. "Anyway, we're just going to see Sona for now since I'm already familiar with her. She's the Student Council President here. She's very professional, so I think you'll like her."

I looked at him. "If you say so, Shirou."

It felt odd calling him Shirou given that Neko had called me by that name during our brief time together. Every time I called him by name, I found myself thinking about my time in the previous world, more specifically, my time as Yashiro Isana. It had been fun – the most fun I had in the century or so I'd been alive. But with the Green King's plan, I had to end it all. But things didn't really go according to my calculations and now I was here.

Oh well, things here weren't that bad, even though I did miss the companionship of Kuroh and Neko.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of knocking.

"Sona, it's me Shirou."

There was a muffled cry of surprise from the room within.

"Shirou?! What are you doing here? You can't be here! If you're here does that mean she's here as well?!"

I looked at Shirou. Professional, I mouthed to him.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. Still, I wonder who 'she' was to have garnered that kind of response from the Student Council President.

"Relax Sona, your sister isn't here with me. I've brought someone else to see you."

I swore I heard multiple sighs of relief from inside. Wait, why would Sona Sitri be so afraid of her sister? Serafall was… Then again, I suppose that was justifiable.

"Okay," the voice inside was meek, "you can come in."

Shirou swung the door open, and even I was surprised at the grandeur of the room. The floors were carpeted with rich red velvet, and a mahogany desk sat at the end of the room with a bespectacled short-haired girl sitting behind it. I realized she had the same violet eyes as Serafall.

So this was Sona. Her eyes were level with mine, her hands clasped together resting on the table. Her lips were set in a straight line. All in all, she did exude an aura of professionalism, but after hearing her previous outburst, it wasn't very convincing to me.

In front of her desk was a pair of long tables facing each other to form a straight path from the door to the President's desk. Its seats were occupied by students all wearing similar uniforms. Only one boy, I noted with interest. Judging from the magical energy emanating from each of them, they all seemed to be Devils. The Sitri Peerage, I presumed.

"Hello Sona," Shirou greeted, "this is Adolf K. Weismann, and he'll be in Kuoh for a while to do some… uh… magical and technology stuff."

That was probably one of Shirou's few shortcomings. He wasn't stupid, but his theoretical affiliation to magic was near zero. He simply couldn't understand it. Any attempt on my part to explain the technical aspects of my job in Kuoh had been met with a blank face. According to Ajuka, Serafall had the same problem. Fortunately, she was hardworking and talented, and it was by sheer instinct and willpower alone that she managed to attain the power she had. According to Shirou, the same occurred for him. Ajuka theorised that was why they made such a great pair.

"Weismann?" Sona looked at me with newfound surprise and curiosity. "That sounds familiar."

The girl sitting next to her spoke up. "If I'm not mistaken, you are Beelzebub-sama's Queen, are you not?" She too had glasses, but unlike Sona her hair was longer, reaching almost her hips. The card in front of her labelled her as the Vice-President.

"That's right!" Sona looked as though she remembered something. "Emiya Shirou, Uchiha Itachi, Adolf K. Weismann. The three people involved in the Great Inferno who would later on become the Queens of my sister, Asmodeus-sama, and Beelzebub-sama"

I let out a breath of resignation. No matter how many times I explained it to everyone I met, everybody still kept thinking I was the Queen of Beelzebub. Ajuka hadn't made things any better, choosing not to correct them. He found it amusing.

"Great Inferno? What is that?" Asked the lone boy.

"Oh right, Saji, you weren't here yet. About three years ago, a giant explosion rocked the Underworld. Tremors shook throughout the lands, and there was nobody who did not feel it. Luckily, it occurred in the uninhabited region of the Underworld, so nobody was hurt. Still, a large portion of the area was burnt to cinders, and today, if you try going there you'd catch fire without proper protection."

Yes, it quite a big explosion, if I remember correctly.

"Huh? And he was the one who caused it?" Asked the blond boy, pointing to me.

Internally, I scoffed. I hadn't done a thing. I had no idea what was going on. All I remembered was activating Damocles Down on the Dresden Slates. The next thing I knew after the ensuing explosion, I was standing on a deserted, barren and fire-scorched land. At first I had been terrified. I was panicking at the fact that maybe my calculations were wrong (which almost never happened) and that I had somehow survived destroying the Dresden Slates, and the ensuing release of energy had turned Japan into an uninhabitable wasteland. Of course, after comparing the environment it was impossible for it to be Japan, or even Earth for that matter. The moon was different. It looked similar, but the arrangement of the craters and its size didn't match up.

Then I noticed the lying bodies that had been next to me. That was the first time I met Emiya Shirou and Uchiha Itachi. It was funny how, even then, the idea of teleporting into another world didn't cross my mind.

I was brought back to the present by Sona.

"No. Nobody knows who caused it. But given the sheer power behind it, all Four Satans personally went to investigate it. They found three individuals, all on the brink of death, but each exuding enough power that would have easily matched an Ultimate-Class Devil. So they reincarnated them into their Queens to prevent them from dying."

Again, I sighed, she was wrong. I had been perfectly fine – not even a scratch. Only Shirou and Itachi had been near death.

"I see. So that's why all four Satans now have a Queen." One of the girls said thoughtfully.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "I'm not Beelzebub's Queen, you know. I'm not even a Devil. I'm human, but I work with Ajuka to improve Devil Society's scientific and technological infrastructure. That's why I'm here, to improve the speed and capabilities of the Earth-Underworld Devilnet Network."

For a moment, the whole room was quiet.

"What?" Said Sona. "But… how did you survive that blast then? It was huge. I remember it! I thought that the Sun had exploded or something."

I shrugged. "I'm pretty sturdy, I guess."

Sona kept quiet for a short while, as did the entire Student Council as my words sunk in. Finally she seemed to dismiss the matter. "Oh well, I suppose I learnt something new today. Your history aside, you're still here to represent the Devil Government, albeit the Technological Department instead of the Satans themselves, correct?"

I nodded.

"That's it?"

I looked at Shirou momentarily. We silently agreed to keep the Fallen business from Sona, not wanting to involve children in what could be a very violent affair.

"Yes."

Sona pondered over my response for a moment. "Very well. However, I have reports of Fallen sightings recently," my ears perked up at that. Did she know? "But they are quite far away and being quite passive, so they should not disturb you. Either way, to avoid misunderstandings, you should still keep a low profile, and may I recommend using an alias? Your name is quite recognizable."

I smiled. I had already been planning on using one from the very start.

"Yashiro Isana. That will be my name for now."

Sona blinked in surprise. "Are you sure? It's a very Asian name for one who looks Caucasian…"

"It will be fine."

"Okay then," she still looked a bit unsure. "Welcome to Kuoh, Yashiro-san. I will inform Rias of your presence, and please do not hesitate to come to either of us if you require assistance."

"Thank you, Sitri-san." And with that, Shirou and I turned away.

As we walked out of school, I turned to Shirou. "You were right, by the way. She does seem quite competent."

"See, I told you. She's the complete opposite of her sister. It's why Serafall likes teasing her so much and why she gets so flustered at the mere mention of Serafall's presence."

I thought about it for a few moments. In spite of the professional façade she tried to put up, Sona Sitri was a real teenager who went to a school to be a real student. And not only did she have her role as Student Council President, which I assumed she did real work for, but her additional responsibility of being an administrator would no doubt add on to her burden. And when you consider her position as a Pillar Heiress, she really had a lot of her plate.

And that's when I decided I would not throw in war into her list of worries.

"Shirou." I said seriously.

"Yes?"

"Give me Azazel's number."

I recognised Azazel the moment I walked into the café. It wasn't only because I'd seen his face before, but also by the sheer presence and power he had. He was trying to suppress it of course, but with the Dresden Slates buried in my soul, there was little that could escape my eyes supernaturally.

"Hello, Azazel, thank you for coming." I said as I sat down across him.

"Ah. You must be Mr. Weismann, or I believe you call yourself Yashiro-san over here." He said, shaking my hand.

"Yes, please do call me that for now. I believe we have information for each other?"

Azazel nodded grimly. "Yes, what do you know? I heard from your King that-"

Not this again.

"-Ajuka is not my King. I am not his Queen. I am not a Devil. I'm human." I quickly corrected him.

He looked taken aback. "What?"

"It's true. I'm genuinely human." I recently discovered a way to quickly prove my identity to everyone who doubted me. From my bag I brought it out.

"Look a bible, and a cross" I pointed to the book in my hand while holding out the necklace around my neck. "See, I'm not burning."

There was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, and I pushed even harder.

"Dear God, I pray to you fervently in the hopes that even amongst your deceased state that you can help me tell the world I'm not a Devil." Looking at the shock on his face, I grinned. "See? No Pain." I gestured to myself. "Hu-man." I said slowly.

"You know? About God?" He asked incredulously, completely ignoring my proof that I was human.

"Of course I know. Ajuka told me."

"Then you know why some of my comrades are becoming more and more brazen. With the Devils becoming more and more passive and the Angels' reclusive nature without God, many believe that there is no time better than now for the Fallen to claim superiority."

"I see. Do you know how much of the Fallen population we are talking about?"

"About five per cent. But the numbers will surely grow if the five per cent can do something that proves that the Fallen have the power take control of the Three Factions."

He was right. War spreads like fire. "Then we must curb it fast. Do you have a lead culprit in mind?"

"No," Azazel shook his head. "My men have always had an independent streak in all of them. It is difficult to communicate with them, much less monitor them."

"Kokabiel," I mentioned, and Azazel's eyes widened. "Ajuka says Kokabiel was mentioned in many of the communications we intercepted."

"I see. He has always been vocal in his objection to the non-aggression treaty. I will look into this and tell you of what I find."

"That will be appreciated, and I will pass on the message to Ajuka."

There was a moment of silence between the two of us as the food arrived and we began to eat.

"You really aren't his Queen?" Azazel suddenly asked.

"Nope."

"Then why do you stick around in the Underworld?"

"I have a house. And my pay is good. But I suppose the real reason is because I enjoy the work I do. I am a scientist at heart. It makes me happy when I see my work being used to better the lives of the people, even if they are supposedly Devils."

Azazel looked thoughtful before a sly look appeared on his face. "I'll pay you double of whatever they are paying you if you come and work with me instead."

I actually considered it. But I quickly dismissed the idea. "Sorry, but I have too many projects I do not want abandoned. But I would not mind if you wish for us to collaborate in future projects. I'm sure Ajuka would not mind as well, in fact he'd probably love to work with more bright minds."

"It was worth a try," Azazel laughed, "but I will keep your proposal in mind."

Suddenly I saw them walk in and I stiffened, and I noticed Azazel behaving similarly.

"Azazel."

"Yes?"

"Is there a particular reason why you chose this café?"

"I like the food here."

"Is that all?"

Azazel angled the wine glass in his hand so that he could see behind him using its reflection.

"If you are referring to the Fallen girl accompanying the boy, then I swear I had no idea that she was going to be here."

So he had sensed her as well. They had taken a seat across me, such that Azazel's back was facing them, which was good so he wouldn't be recognised. They seemed to be on a date, with a smitten look on the boy's face and the girl smiling sweetly at him as they talked.

But they were far from the ordinary people they were pretending to be. The girl was a Fallen Angel, that much had already been confirmed. But it was the boy who was far more interesting. I had to sense him deeply, but it was there. There was a great power buried deep within him. It felt… draconic, and its presence was so massive and potent that even I felt nervous just sensing it.

"That's no ordinary boy," I said, and proceeded to describe to Azazel what I felt.

"That's a Sacred Gear. It sounds like a very powerful one, going by what you said. The Fallen's name is Raynare, by the way. Her mission here was to find and observe Sacred Gear users." He said thoughtfully. "But I gave her strict instructions not to interact with them or meddle with their lives."

"Observe them? What for?"

Azazel frowned. "I don't like what the Devils are doing, this whole business of reincarnating Sacred Gear users into their ranks. Sacred Gears were meant for humanity to defend themselves against the supernatural, but if they keep getting plucked away like this, they'll have nothing left to protect themselves."

I found myself nodding in agreement. It was something I did not like as well when I first heard about it. The whole reincarnation system was something too morally debate-worthy. For some, like Shirou and Itachi, it gave them a second chance at life so they could have a more fulfilling and meaningful one. But I have heard stories where Devils killed Sacred Gear users before reincarnating them, only to treat them like slaves afterwards.

"She's going to kill him, most probably."

"What?" Azazel blinked in surprised at my sudden declaration.

"She has strong feelings of malice towards the boy, but the boy is hopelessly obtuse about it, only feeling affection and lust. I think she's going to kill him later."

"And here I thought she finally found somebody that understood her." He sighed, "but then again, Raynare didn't Fall for the pleasures of the flesh." Then he paused, "how do you know all that by the way?"

I looked at him, internally contemplating if I should tell him that reading people's emotions was one of my abilities. There really wasn't much he could do even if he did know, and as the saying went, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

So I told him.

"That's… impressive." He said, almost disbelieving me, then he smiled coyly, "so what am I feeling now?"

I already knew he would ask that question. So had Ajuka when he found out.

"Curious, predominantly. But behind that curiosity, you're tired. You're disappointed as well. Yet you hold out because you have strong hopes for the future. And is that a hint of lust I feel?" At this point Azazel turned slightly red.

"Wait what? Clearly your powers aren't working properly."

I said the next part as a joke, but Azazel must not have known because his face turned completely like a tomato. "The lust is for her," I pointed at Raynare.

"WHAT? NO! You're being ridiculous. I see her as a daughter. Even though I'll admit I Fell because I like sex, there's no way I would stoop so low as to prey on her." Then he saw my smiling face, and he suddenly looked displeased. "You were pulling my leg on that last one, weren't you?"

I nodded and he sighed. "Nevertheless, I will keep an eye on her after this, and speak to her afterwards. Hopefully, this has nothing to do with Kokabiel."

"Yes, I hope so too. Thank you for the meal Azazel. Do keep me informed." I wiped my mouth with a napkin and got up to leave.

Before crossing the threshold of the door, I gave the brunette Fallen and the excited boy one last long look.

Azazel's call came late in the night, while I was doing some coding for Devilnet.

He sounded tired and irritated at the same time.

"You were right. Raynare was going to kill Issei, the boy."

"Hmmm… What happened?"

"They went to the park afterwards, where she revealed her Fallen form and attempted to kill him. Luckily, I managed to stop her."

"That's good. And the boy?"

"Turns out the Devils were watching her too. I couldn't stop her as she was the administrator, but she took Issei away. I'm ninety per cent sure he's going to be reincarnated soon."

So that was why he was bitter. I could understand his anger as well.

"Which administrator?"

"Rias Gremory."

I frowned. If it was Sona, I would have gone to talk to her, but given our lack of interaction, the same could not be said for Rias. Still, perhaps Sona would know of the boy's fate.

"And that's not all," Azazel said gravely.

"What else?"

"I asked Raynare whose orders she was acting on."

"And?"

"It's Kokabiel. He's planning something big, but I'm not sure what, when and where. I'll ask around, and I'll update you once I find out."

With that the phone went dead.

I looked at the blank phone screen, and then I looked at the lines of code on my computer monitor.

I decided to just call it a day, it had been tiring for all of us

I didn't hear from Azazel for a month, and what a month it was.

First, it turned out that Hyoudou Issei really did end up joining the Gremory Peerage, but not in the way I imagined. His induction had been slow, with Rias offering him a choice from the very start. They had shown him the ropes of being a Devil, and apparently he liked it. Within a week, he had traded away his humanity. All this I found out from Sona, who also told me about Rias' arranged marriage.

I watched the Rating Game live from my Kuoh apartment, thanks to my amazing work on Devilnet that allowed Devils on Earth to stream things live from the Underworld. The boy held the Longinus Boosted Gear of all things. No wonder he had felt so menacing in the café. It had been quite the debacle, the Rating Game and disastrous wedding that followed afterwards.

I couldn't say I wasn't happy with how things turned out. In the end, the boy wasn't forced into becoming a Devil, and the Gremory girl had managed to escape the arranged marriage as well.

And then the Excaliburs got stolen and things started going downhill fast. In the higher ups of each Faction, there was a lot of finger pointing. I had a sneaking suspicion that somehow Kokabiel was behind it, but with no proof, I chose to keep my thoughts to myself, not wanting to add more fuel to the fire. Ajuka called me to warn me of imminent war. Heaven blamed the Fallen for the theft, which Azazel vehemently denied, which caused seeds of doubt to grow in everybody's minds. The threat of imminent war had never loomed so close in recent history.

"Yashiro-san."

The call came in the middle of the night, just as I was going to bed.

"Hello, Azazel, I hope you call me bearing good news."

"I do not. I know what Kokabiel's up to. He's the one that stole the Excaliburs by the way. But that's only a small factor in his grand plan. He wants to start another Great War."

"How?"

"He plans to kill Kuoh's administrator with the Excaliburs. Then he would spread doubt that the Excaliburs were actually stolen, and that the Church merely pretended it was so that the blame for their murders wouldn't fall on them. Given the relationship between the Satans and their siblings, it won't really matter, and they'll attack anyone they even mildly suspect. And then bang, we have another Great War."

"That is not good news at all. How do we stop it?"

"Well, I have even worse news. Kokabiel's plan starts tonight, he's already made his way to Kuoh Academy. I'm not really in a very convenient position right now, but I've already dispatched one of my strongest to stop him. But I fear he may not make it in time. Yashiro-san, I know you're human, and that the Supernatural World doesn't technically concern you, but will you please lend us your aid?"

"Say no more Azazel, I'm already out the door."

I clicked the phone shut and breathed in deeply.

I closed my eyes as I let the aura of the Green King overflow within me. The change was immediate. My body felt lighter and a tingling sensation ran through my veins. I could hear the buzzing of electricity as my body was consumed by it.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I did was look up. The world was tinged green due to the aura that surrounded me, but that was not what I was looking for. Directly above me, hundreds of feet in the air, it hung there.

A single Sword of Damocles suspended in the air, arcs of lightning dancing around it. At the centre of it, a green core glowed bright, pulsating with energy. I hadn't summoned one in so long – my job as a researcher didn't require it, and I had almost forgotten the grandeur and the magnificence of seeing it. It was huge, as tall as a medium-sized skyscraper, and the energy pulsating off from it sent shivers down my spine.

The Dresdens Slates were truly terrifying. Previously, even us Kings only received a tiny fraction of its true power. But now, with the Dresden Slates embedded within my body and soul, all of the energy of the Slates was at my disposal. It was a terrifying thought, to have enough energy to destroy the moon at my fingertips. It was a miracle that my body did not spontaneously combust from the sheer amount of power that it was suppressing. A perk of being the Silver King, I suppose. An invulnerable body and mind, and probably no other King would be able to accomplish such a feat.

But there was no time to waste dwelling on such things, the lives of the Gremory and Sitri Peerages were at stake. I flexed my newfound electrical body, and time slowed down. The cars in front of me, once driving faster than an Olympic runner now looked completely stationary to me.

Glancing down at my new human-shaped electrical body, I charged forward towards Kuoh Academy, and a loud boom from breaking the sound barrier was the only sign that I was even there in the first place.

A/N: Tah dah. I liked writing this quite a bit. Tell me if you enjoyed reading it as well, please? If not I can always stop it right here and now. But if you did, it's certainly something I wouldn't mind expanding on.

As always, do read'n'review, fav'n'follow, and message me any mistakes you see or thoughts you have!

Ciao,

Paulzies