::Author's Note::

Well ladies and gentleman, it's time. Arc two is officially up and running. I took the weekend to soak in comments and reviews, and I've been making some major revisions to the later chapters of this Arc. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, you're currently reading Arc Two of my Highschool DxD fanfiction.

Arc One, The Devil's Colt: Rise of a Hunter, can be found on my profile.

Let me start by saying what I DON'T want to do with this Arc. What I don't want to do is parrot the same story you guys have already heard a thousand times with an OC. So this will be the Arc where I gradually start deviating away from established canon.

I really want to make Jon's personality come through in this Arc. One of the biggest criticisms I got with Arc one was how he never seemed to get out of Issei's shadow during major plot events. I'm hoping to correct that with this Arc.

Posts may not come quite as frequently as they did with Arc One. (And by that I mean you may not get three chapters a day like I WAS doing.) But I do hope to try and post at least one chapter a day minimum to keep a steady flow of content going. Also I'll be making movie and TV references again, so if you find one, feel free to point it out.

With all that said, I present to you, Chapter One of Ashes of the Phoenix.

::End Note::

(The following story is a non-profit fan based work of fiction. All medias, references, and properties used in this work of fiction belong to their respective copyright holders. I do not personally own, nor profit from any of the characters, stories, songs, or media referenced in this work.)


Sona Sitri always did like storms, specifically the rain. That particular night she was sipping on a glass of her favorite red wine, a book in hand while occasionally watching the raindrops splash against the window of her Honor's House dorm room, when an unexpected visitor appeared. Through a white portal emerged a beautiful young woman with silver back length hair that featured two shoulder length braids on either end. She was dressed in a maid's outfit and carried herself with exceptional dignity and grace.

"I wasn't expecting a visit from Hell's strongest Queen at this time of night." Sona commented, taking a sip of wine. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Lady Grayfia?"

"Rias isn't at the ORC headquarters." The elegant Grayfia replied. "I had a matter I wished to speak to her about."

Sona chuckled, placing her wine and book down and finally standing to meet the Queen's gaze. She adjusted the bridge of her glasses before speaking. "In regards to the upcoming Wedding, no doubt. Is his Lordship truly so dead set on forcing his little sister into this? It's none of my business but…"

"It's understandable." Grayfia assured. "That you would have feelings on the matter. Outside of her Peerage you are easily Rias's closest friend after all."

The bespectacled beauty frowned before gazing back out the window solemnly. "I worry about her. This arrangement has changed who she is. She wasn't always as...severe as she is now."

"And what if I told you there was a chance that she could be freed of this responsibility?"

Sona glanced back at Grayfia in disbelief. "You mean the Rating Games?"

Grayfia nodded. "The Ceremony is still a few months away. Lord Lucifer has decided he is going to give his younger sister a chance to change her own fate."

"What made him change his mind?"

Grayfia fell silent for a moment. Outside, a bolt of lightning lit up the night sky.

"What do you know of Rias's newest Pawn?" She finally asked.

Sona gazed away, scratching her chin lightly in contemplation. "I've been watching him for awhile, though not nearly as long as Rias has. I was actually considering him for my own Peerage for a time but she beat me to the punch." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know nearly as much about him as she probably does, but I can give you the basics."

Grayfia nodded politely. "If you please."

Sona pushed up the bridge of her glasses before beginning. "His name is Jonathan Hyodo. And over the past year he has developed quite a reputation amongst the denizens of the Underworld. Specifically among the lowborn creatures of Darkness. They call him, Devils Colt. And he more than lives up to that nickname."

The silver haired beauty considered her words thoughtfully. "You make him sound like some sort of Boogeyman."

Sona laughed quietly. "Well, not exactly. Jon's no Boogeyman. It's more like...he's the guy you would hire to kill the Boogeyman."

Grayfia quirked a brow. "Oh."

She nodded her head before sitting on the arm of her chair and gazing up at the ceiling. "I haven't seen him in action myself. But I've heard plenty of stories from Rias. As she tells it, at his core, Jon is a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will." A smirk grew over her lip, she couldn't help herself. "Something a certain Phoenix I know of, knows very little about."

Grayfia smiled in amusement.

"You know Rias once told me she saw Jon kill three vampires at once, with nothing but a pencil. No powers, no weapons, just a tiny little pencil straight through the heart."

The Queen continued to listen, clearly intrigued by the story.

"And then one day...she gave him a seemingly impossible test. To murder a Fallen Angel of exceptional power, in the heart of a Church, surrounded by hundreds of elite Stray Hunters, armed to the teeth." She glanced over at Grayfia severely. "I don't know what happened in that Church, or how much Jon's Peerage assisted him, but the bodies we found the next day numbered in the hundreds. Along with a massive pile of black feathers."

The lightning outside cracked again.

"His actions laid the foundations for the peace that this city has recently enjoyed. We have not seen hide nor feather of any Fallen Angels here since."

Silence in the room. For awhile, only the sound of the rain lightly falling on the roof could be heard. Finally, Lady Grayfia bowed her head politely.

"Thank you, I'm certain my Lord will be most pleased with this information." She turned to leave.

"If I may, Lady Grayfia. Before you go." The Queen stopped. "Why is Lucifer so interested in this boy? So much so that he would give Rias this chance?"

Grayfia thought for a moment on how best to explain, finally deciding that honesty was the best policy. "The Sacred Gear that he possess. It is said to be one of the 13 Longinus, and is believed to contain the powers of the Red Dragon Emperor."

Sona nodded, already knowing this. "But what does that have to do with Jon?"

"Lord Lucifer believes that Rias saw something in that boy that the rest of us could not see. As it so happens, he was right." She turned and faced Sona. "We now have reason to believe that this man is in fact the reincarnated spirit of the Red Dragon Emperor himself."

Another burst of thunder from outside. Now it was Sona who was at a loss for words.

"Oh…"

Grayfia nodded. "If I were you, I'd keep that to myself. There's no telling the kind of targets you'd be painting on his back were word to slip out too quickly."

With that, Lady Grayfia vanished in another white portal. Leaving Sona to contemplate just what kind of Servant she had truly missed out on.


Somewhere on a dirt road roughly twenty miles outside of El Paso, Texas, a gentleman's club plied its sinful trade to the wanderers of the lonesome path. On that dirt road, a Chopper roared towards the club in question. Fire spewed from its tailpipes and the power of its V-Twin engine lit up the quiet landscape around it. As the Chopper rolled up to the building, a lone figure stepped off the bike decked in black. A Cowboy hat with two raven black feathers stuck in its crown obscured his face as he approached the entrance.

The bouncer standing out front stepped between him and the door and placed his hand up in the air.

"Sorry Sir. We're not open to the public today."

The figure continued to approach.

"Hey buddy. Did you hear me? I said this is a private party." The bouncer spoke again, more forcefully this time.

The man in black continued to walk forward undeterred. The moment he threatened to blow right by, the bouncer grabbed his shoulder.

"Look pal! I ain't in the mood for this! So whoever you are, turn your happy ass around right now and-"

Before he could finish his sentence the man grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him a foot off the ground with inhuman strength. The disoriented bouncer choked and gasped as he tried to free himself from his iron grip.

The stranger tilted his head up, giving the bouncer a view of his sharp bearded face for the first time. His skin turned white as a ghost upon seeing two glowing red eyes staring back at him.

"Li...listen." The bouncer choked out. "They just pay me to watch the entrance. I don't have nuthin to do with whatever satanic shit goes on in there, I swear."

The man seemed to consider him for a moment before pulling a pack of cigarettes from his jacket and popping one in his mouth. He lit the cigarette with a flame he produced from the tip of his finger, drawing deeply from it before blowing the smoke directly into the bouncers face. Finally, he dropped the hapless man on the ground before reaching back into his jacket and pulling out his wallet.

"Tell you what." The stranger in black finally spoke, pulling a wad of twenties from his pocket and handing it to the confused bouncer. "You take this, forget you ever laid eyes on me, and just continue standing here making sure no one else comes in. Sound good?"

The bouncer nodded and kindly scooted out of his way, cash in hand. The stranger entered the gentleman's club and looked around. The main stage in the center of the room boasted four poles, as well as four stages in each corner. Several dancers cycled through each stage, each dressed in full stripper attire. They were dancing in rhythm to S.E.X by Nickelback as well as a slew of other overtly suggestive songs designed to help get the small crowd gathered around each dancer riled up.

The man in black immediately walked up to the bar. The young lady serving drinks locked eyes with him and smiled suggestively, leaning her busty chest over the counter and biting her lower lip at him.

"What can I get you?" She asked in a flirty voice.

He sat at one of the benches and tipped his hat up, returning her amorous smile with one of his own. "Jack on the rocks. Old No.7, preferably."

"Coming right up, Handsome." The bartender turned and knelt down behind the counter to grab the whisky and a clean glass, treating the man to a view of her shapely ass through the skin tight jeans she was wearing. Once she had finished making the drink he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and took a swig.

"Should I start you a tab Mr…?"

"Jonathan Hyodo. But please, call me Jon." He introduced with a tip of his hat. "And that won't be necessary. I don't plan on being here long."

She nodded in understanding. Jon paid for his drink, being sure to leave a tip in her jar before making his way over to the stages. Hunting down a seat away from everyone else.

"Hey there, Sexy. Looking for a private dance?"

A brunette stripper wearing a purple lace bra and matching thong with a black garter and sheer stockings sauntered up to him right as he sat down. Flashing him one of her tits and beckoning him over with one little finger.

Jon's eyes scanned her figure up and down for a moment before shaking his head. "Tempting, I'll admit." He took off his hat and rested it in his chair, making himself comfortable. "But I'm gonna have to decline for now, sweetheart."

She pouted at him. "Aww, no fair trying to play hard to get. That's supposed to be my job."

He smirked, shooting her a sly wink before taking a swig of his whisky. "How much to see you get your pretty little ass up on stage?"

The stripper walked in front of him and straddled his lap, leaning into his ear and whispering in a heated breath. "For you baby, five bucks and you'll get front row seats."

He casually slipped a five dollar bill down her G-String. She kissed his cheek and then sauntered away to hop up on the stage in front of him. At that moment, a voice began speaking in his ear.

"Jon. Jon, come in. Are you able to hear me?"

He pressed his pointer finger against his ear. "Loud and clear, Rias. I gotta admit this communicator spell is pretty handy."

"I thought you might like it." Rias spoke back in her usual professional clipped voice. "Have you successfully made it inside the club?"

"I have." He looked around at the other patrons, occasionally slipping the stripper dancing for him a couple of ones. "Are you certain this place is where the target's nest is?"

"That club is the targets nest." She assured. "It may look pretty harmless on the surface, but make no mistake, the stray Devil we've been hunting for the last two weeks is here."

"If you say so, President. But I'm telling you, I don't sense anything out of the ordinary here."

"Just trust me, my dear Servant. All will be revealed in time."

"Speaking of which, you still haven't told me what your role in all this is. I thought you guys were supposed to back me up for this one."

"Oh, that's on a need to know basis." A different voice spoke up, far more flirty and excited.

He grinned. "Wait a minute...Akeno? Is that you?"

"Sure is!" She giggled sweetly through his ear. "Don't you worry about a thing, silly boy. You'll see us soon enough."

"Umm, Jon? Are you there?" A mousy little voice spoke up next.

He lurched up. "Asia? You're in on this too?"

"Yeah…" She sounded incredibly nervous. "Listen, we've been practicing really hard. So I hope you like our routine when we...well I can't really talk about it. I was told not to ruin the surprise. Just promise me you'll watch. But...don't look at me too much. I mean…" She sounded incredibly flustered. "Oh God, I'm so embarrassed! I'm not sure I can go through with this!"

"What are you talking about?" He asked, his voice filling with concern. "Hold on, you girls aren't making her do something uncomfortable are you?"

"Relax, Jon. She volunteered. Asia wants to be a part of this." Rias assured. "We'll give her a few xanaxes and she'll be right as rain."

"Okay then. Asia, I don't know what yall are up to but I wish you the best of luck. I'll be rooting for you."

"I...thank you Jon. That means so much to me."

"Just remember to keep your hands to yourself at all times, Pervert." A cold biting voice spoke up.

Jon rolled his eyes. "Hi, Koneko."

"Alright, it's almost time for us to come out. Remember Jon, this whole plan relies on subtlety. If the Stray Devil senses your power he'll immediately retreat."

"Okay, what am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

"Just relax." Akeno assured. "Kick your feet up and enjoy the show. Everything will make sense in a moment."

"If you say so." Jon leaned back in his seat, sipping on his whisky as he continued to watch the girls dance for awhile. After about ten minutes he was out of whiskey and running low on ones, still wondering what the hell he was supposed to be doing.

"Okay Rias, this is starting to get silly." He spoke into his ear. "You finally wanna tell me what on earth is going on?"

There was no reply.

"Rias? Are you there?"

A few moments later the music stopped and the DJ spoke up over the loudspeaker.

"Alright alright, everyone! Let's give it up one more time for the lovely ladies of Wolf Tails Gentleman's Club!"

A ruckus applause of inebriated men roared throughout the club as the ladies left the stage. Jon's senses picked up the presence of four Devil's in the room.

"Now folks, we come to the main event of the evening! Returning customers will remember these lovely ladies from our sister venue in Dallas. For all you newcomers to our little den of iniquity, you're in for a real treat! Back by popular demand and for one night only, it is my honor to present the foxy and oh so fine Lucifer's Angels!"

The audience began to cheer even louder, some of them even chanting Angels over and over again. All of the lights turned to the center stage as smoke began to rise up from it. Four spotlights flashed on, highlighting the silhouettes of four voluptuous and curvy bodies striking various arousing poses. The men cheered even louder as the smoke slowly cleared.

Jon nearly dropped his glass. Taking center stage was Rias, Akeno, Asia, and Koneko, each of them dressed up in full stripper attire. As his jaw proceeded to hit the floor, Daughters of Darkness by Halestorm began to play over the loudspeakers. Their poses changed in beat with the opening drum of the song before each girl took to a pole and began breaking out their best moves.

Starting on the left was Rias in all her crimson glory. The bombshell President of Kuoh Academy's Occult Research Club was dressed in a black thong with red lacy frills and a matching bra with red tassles. Her hips gyrated seductively to the rhythm of the music. Occasionally, she would twirl her hair while using the pole as an impromptu dance partner. Gyrating, grinding, dipping, and twirling around it while nearly a third of the room dreamed of taking the pole's place.

Next was Asia, dressed in a backless Maid's outfit. While technically the most conservative outfit of the four, it still showed off her body in all the right ways. The skirt was practically non-existent, and her lacy white thong was visible for everyone to see. Her breasts were nearly popping out of her apron, and her backside was decorated with a cute little bow that just reached the tip of her luscious golden blonde hair. While she was clearly the least experienced of the four, her innocent and shy nature combined with that genuine smile she gave the crowd made it hard for the rambunctious men not to notice her. She was reserved and shy as she danced. Which gave her a vibe of innocence that made every guy eyeing her up drool all over the floor.

Akeno had, perhaps unsurprisingly, drawn the largest crowd to her section of the stage. Dressed in an outfit similar to Rias's, save for the cross stitched bustier that held and shaped her breasts perfectly. Her raven hair was tied up in a red ribbon and her thong had four red ribbon tassels, two on each side. Her oriental heritage, combined with the fact that she clearly knew what she was doing, meant no one could ignore the asian beauty as she danced. Akeno barely even needed to use the pole, having spent most of the time on her knees, swaying two and fro to the beat of the music whilst running her hands along her curvy, luscious frame.

Koneko was dressed in a purple bustier and lavender panties. The stockings on her legs were lilac with matching gloves that reached up past her elbows and her snow white hair was being held back by a hair clip with cat ears. What she lacked in chest size she more than made up for in her gorgeous curvy ass and impressive flexibility. Koneko spent most of her time turned away from the audience, bouncing her ass for her adoring audience to see in the few moments she wasn't showing off her pole dancing abilities. Her enhanced strength made Koneko able to hold herself in just about any position on the pole, even upside down in a complete split, while her purple thong barely concealed what lay underneath. As impressive as it was, Jon couldn't help but feel creeped out by the fact that most of the guys eyeing her up were clearly much older.

The girls danced for the entirety of the song, during which point the crowd practically emptied their pockets for the ladies. As the song came to an end, the girls bowed and the men screamed in approval, Jon being one of them.

As the final chorus faded the song changed to Going to Hell by Pretty Reckless. The four girls known as Lucifer's Angels made their way to the four stages at each corner. The men all following like lost puppy dogs.

Not knowing what else to do, Jon decided to grab his hat and get in closer. Starting with Akeno.

He approached the stage she was dancing on, practically having to push aside half the damn club just to get close enough to talk to her. By the time he got there, she was already covered in a pile of dollar bills. Akeno was eating up the attention, running her hands all over her body and eliciting the most indulgently suggestive moans imaginable. The moment her eye caught site of Jon, however, there may as well have been no other guy in the room. She crawled like a panther over to him, the most alluring gaze in her eyes imaginable as he approached.

"Well well, what do we have here? If it isn't the infamous Devil's Colt himself." She bit her lower lip and beckoned him closer with her finger. "Mmm mmm, you get over here tiger."

He was happy to oblige, walking in close enough to touch her. She offered him her backside as she twisted and gyrated on the stage. He calmly grabbed her waist, eliciting a stream of erotic moans from her full lips. Akeno dipped backwards and rested her head against his shoulder, whispering in his ear.

"The stray we're looking for is in a sub-basement below this building. He feeds off the energy produced by the men here as they get more and more aroused. Shedding years off their lives for the sake of indulging his appetite."

Jon nodded, pulling on her ponytail and slipping a ten down the front of her thong in a way that would definitely have gotten him kicked out if he had tried it anywhere else. She gasped in surprise as the bill ran over her clit, eliciting a trembling moan of pure ecstasy from her lips.

"Oh Jon, you Devil you." She giggled at him. "Asia has more information on the target. Go take care of her next." Akeno pecked him on the cheek before allowing him to depart for the next stage.

Despite Asia's inexperience the men were eating up everything she gave them. Her more conservative outfit only added to the mystique of what may lay underneath that apron and frilly skirt. Despite her and Jon's past being evidence to the contrary, Asia was clearly perceived as the virgin in the room. And the whole club knew it. The pure innocence she displayed on her blushing face as she swayed her hips and cartwheeled in the air for her adoring audience only made them more excited. And the more excited they got, the more protective Jon found himself becoming. As it stood, he was knocking the horny crowd out of the way much more forcefully this time as he approached her.

"How are you holding up?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm just fine." She assured, her face turning pink as she covered her breasts. "Am I doing okay? I know the other girls are better at this than me but I am still drawing your attention, right?"

"Are you kidding?" Jon spoke truthfully. "I can't take my eyes off of you."

Her face turned crimson. Asia bit her lower lip thoughtfully and cast her gaze away.

"I mean...I feel like we've been a pretty bad influence on you." He admitted. "But damn...Asia I couldn't imagine a more beautiful woman wearing that outfit."

Her whole body started to tremble and she almost lost her composure. "Okay, I get it! Can you please stop saying stuff like that? If I get any more embarrassed I seriously might die before we even find the target." She whined pitifully before leaning in close and whispering in his ear. "Some of the men here are being paid by the Stray Devil to watch over the place. He's using the same magic he uses to drain the customers of their lifeforce to conceal their whereabouts."

Unable to resist himself, Jon slipped a ten down the back of her thong before giving her ass a sharp smack. Asia yelped in surprise before turning red for him again. He clutched her chin in between his fingers and whispered back.

"Keep this up, you naughty girl, and this Devil may just have to remind you of what happened the last time you wore something this skimpy in front of him."

Her breath caught in her throat. As Jon turned and left, Asia stared at him for a moment before sobering up enough to keep dancing. Though it had suddenly become far more difficult to hide her embarrassment now that her underwear had been almost completely soaked through.

Next was Rias, whose crowd rivaled Akeno's in terms of size. The moment she saw Jon approach she beckoned him to her with a dainty little finger and undid the back of her bra with her other hand. Dropping the bra to the floor, she covered herself with one hand and continued to twirl and gyrate her hips, running her other hand along her curves. As he leaned against the stage, Rias wrapped her hands around him, pressing her bare chest against his, her hips still gyrating to the rhythm of the beat.

"I trust you were pleased with the little routine we cooked up for you?" She whispered in a sultry tone.

"Where did you find the time to rehearse this?" He asked curiously.

She giggled in his ear, her breath hot and heady as she continued to sway her hips for him. "There's an elevator somewhere in the private dance room that should take you down to the target. Koneko has the key, take her back with you and she'll get you in." She then added with a devious little grin. "You two could stand to get closer anyway. Consider it a team building exercise."

He rolled his eyes. "You really think she'll go for that?"

"Don't worry. Koneko trusts you, even if she won't admit it. We all do, Jon. That's why we were willing to dress up and perform like this in the first place." Rias assured, the tone of her voice reinforcing the sincerity of her words. "Now go, my Servant. I'm counting on you to finish the job we started."

She covered herself again before offering the front of her G-String to him. Jon slipped a ten down the space she held open for him while she made kissy faces.

"Thank you, handsome. You know, if there weren't laws against it, I'd let you stick it in me right here and now." She teased him in a bubbly voice, making sure everyone around could hear.

He groaned as he walked away, knowing damn well she had probably just painted an even larger target on his back. He could practically feel the death glares the other men were giving him at that moment.

Last up was Koneko. And Jon would have been lying if he said he wasn't at least a little nervous to try to put the moves on her. Even if it was just for the sake of the mission. Hopefully she had at least enough reservation not to launch him across the room just for touching her.

As soon as he got close enough for her to see him he could already feel the room drop in temperature. She scowled at him as he approached her stage and folded her arms defiantly.

"So uhhh…" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "That's a really cute outfit you've got on. Purple definitely works on you."

She groaned in disgust, rolling her eyes at him before hopping down off her stage. "Let's just get this over with."

Koneko grabbed Jon by the hand and lead him away to the private dance section. Several men were already enjoying lap dances from Woltail girls. The moment they were both inside, Koneko found a booth away from everyone else and shoved him down onto it.

"Hey! Easy now, girl." He chided. "I'm not the one who came up with this plan."

She put her hands on her hips, eyeing him warily. "Listen, from this moment forward you do what I say at all times. You get any funny ideas and I'll turn that thing between your legs into a smoothie."

He gulped reflexively, nodding in understanding. "You're the boss."

After a moment of silent glaring she sighed and reluctantly began unzipping the back of her top before dropping it to the floor. For all the girls talk of Koneko being flat chested, seeing her topless made Jon realize that had been something of an exaggeration. Koneko turned out to be quite busty for her size, which made him think that perhaps she was only perceived that way because she was in the unfortunate position of having to be compared to Rias and Akeno all the time. Which in hindsight, really wasn't a fair comparison at all.

"Eyes up here." She ordered, pointing to her face.

He did as instructed and focused on her two hazel eyes. As she straddled his lap the song that began playing was Mz Hyde by Halestorm. Jon kept his hands resting on the back of the seat, not wishing to tempt the wrath of the freakishly strong five foot four firecracker in his lap. After about a minute of her grinding against his lap she turned and offered him her backside.

"Touch me." She ordered with flat disinterest.

"Scuse me?"

"You're too stiff." She shot back coldly, pumping her hair up with her hands while she swayed her hips for him. "We have to make it look realistic for the cameras."

Jon's vision caught the sight of a red camera flare in the corner of the room. Understanding what he had to do, he gripped her hips in his hands and began running them up her belly to cup her breasts. She responded by leaning her head back against him and gripping the side of his face with her gloved hand, sighing softly into his ear.

"You'll have exactly thirty seconds to go through the door to our right and get down into the basement once the cameras shut off. After that you're on your own."

"Got it." He replied

Koneko ran two fingers down her panties and then brought them up to her lips. She then lurched forward and braced herself on the floor with her hands, going into a full split on his lap and bouncing her ass in his face. Jon spanked her hard enough to make her head lurch up in surprise. For the briefest moment she turned her head back and shot him a death glare. He knew he'd be paying for that one later, but decided it was worth it in the end.

She lurched back up and turned around placing her hands on his face and glancing up at the camera once more. The moment the red light flashed off she glued her lips to his in a way that took Jon completely off guard. As surprised as he was initially, he quickly slipped back into character and pressed her tiny frame up against him, sweeping her hair with his right hand.

As Koneko's tongue begged for entry, he gladly accepted her at which point he realized she was pushing something long and metal into his mouth. With the object successfully passed she pulled away from him, her face visibly heated despite the mean scowl on her face.

"Go." She ordered, hopping off his lap and letting him pass.

Jon shot up from his seat and walked briskly to the door marked 'Staff Only'. He kicked the door in, whereupon he was greeted by another bouncer armed with a handgun.

"Sir, you can't be back here." The bouncer stood up with one hand in front of him and the other reaching for his sidearm.

Jon tapped his boots together and delivered a high kick straight into the bouncers throat, plunging his concealed blade straight into the man's windpipe and completely silencing any chance he had of calling for help. As the bouncer fell, Jon spit the key Koneko gave him out of his mouth and approached the port on the wall it went to. He quickly inserted the key and twisted it clockwise, whereupon a hidden elevator slowly came up from the floor below. He hopped aboard and pressed the down button, descending into the bowels of the club.


The elevator descended for about half a minute before reaching a metal gate that marked the entrance to the sub-basement. Giving Jon enough time to pop a smoke in his mouth and light it.

"Is that you, Frankie? Shift change isn't supposed to be for another thirty minutes." Another guard walked over and lifted the gate. "Listen if-" He froze in terror upon realizing it wasn't Frankie staring back at him.

Jon pulled his infamous Peacemaker from behind his jacket and fired straight into the guards chest, blowing him backwards in a shower of blood. Another guard lurched up from his seat at the back of the barren concrete room, just in time for his heart to seemingly explode out his back as another depleted uranium round hit him square in the chest.

Devil's Colt twirled the infamous revolver for which he shared a name with on his finger as he stepped past the two fresh bodies he had created. He kicked the next door down and made his way through a long hallway. He was about halfway to the other side when the door in front of him burst open and five armed guards charged his position, drawing their sidearms and firing.

He responded by summoning his Sacred Gear, the legendary gauntlet of the Red Dragon Emperor, on his left hand and using it to form a barrier of green energy between him and the gunfire. Once all of their magazines were spent, he lowered the barrier and hurled a ball of hellfire at their center rank. The explosion obliterated the target it hit while knocking the other four down to the ground. Jon then proceeded to pluck each of them off one by one with four well placed shots from his revolver. With his weapon spent, Jon popped the cylinder out and dumped the empty magnetic casings onto the ground, before opening his jacket and presenting the weapon another set of six bullets. Hungry for death, the unholy ammunition jumped from his pocket and merrily slid themselves into the six chambers of his weapon. He then popped the cylinder back in place and spun it for good measure.

As Jon reached the far door, he stepped over the bloody mess that once was five bouncers and took a long drag of his cigarette, blowing a plume of smoke before popping it back in his mouth and raising his revolver in the air.

Slowly, he opened the door with his left hand and pointed his gun forward, his eyes scanning for any sign of movement or anything that might be trying to jump out at him as he entered the room. Once inside the dark, near empty space, Jon noted a series of computer screens monitoring the club, as well as an enchanted pentagram in the center of the concrete floor, that he surmised must have been used to drain the lifeforce from the Stray Devil's victims.

"So...Rias Gremory, the Crimson Empress of Ruin, has sent her infamous attack dog to silence me." An inhuman voice spoke from the shadows.

Jon cocked back the hammer of his revolver. "Olaf Siobhan, the infamous Werewolf turned Devil and former Rook of Sylvanus Oriax. You stand accused of murdering your former Master and giving in to the wretched desires that have consumed you." He took a moment to draw from his smoke before continuing. "I'm under orders from my Master to bring you in. Alive or a corpse. The choice is yours."

"That bitch had it coming!" Olaf snarled. "If she had just given me what was promised, then she could have lived."

"You were offered a fair deal. Same as the rest of us." Jon retorted, his eyes constantly scanning around him for any sign of his target. The fact he couldn't see in the dark told him the shadows must have been a spell. "Face it, Olaf, you got greedy."

The Stray Devil chuckled menacingly. "You may be content to feed off the scraps your Master deigns to give you, but I've not lost my wild pride."

"At least I know the meaning of loyalty." Jon retorted, spitting his smoke onto the ground in disgust before stubbing it out. "You've spent the last two hundred years cowering in your little warrens, feeding off the carrion of society like the scavenging mutt that you are."

Olaf growled angrily at him, bringing Jon fully back on his guard. "I've survived for two hundred years being hunted by foolish Pawns like you. And I shall survive the next two hundred after you're dead!"

From the corner of his vision, Jon caught the gleam of two yellow orbs staring back at him. Before he had time to react however, the figure hiding in the shadows lunged at him with inhuman speed, knocking him to the ground and making him drop his weapon. Jon hit the ground and immediately recovered, righting himself up and turning to meet his opponent.

The creature in front of him barely looked like a Werewolf anymore. More like a chimera gone horribly wrong. His bottom half was that of a goat and his fur was mangey to the point of being almost completely gone. His claws looked more like talons and his teeth had grown to twice their normal size. Olaf roared at him, flecking yellow saliva all over the floor.

"Fucking hell, you're ugly." Jon commented, removing his hat from his head and placing it aside. "At least the last Stray Devil we hunted had a decent set of sweater puppies on her."

He placed his hands at his side. Two twin gauntlets appearing on his arms, as well as two matching boots replacing his leather ones. Jon's face became covered in the red dragon mark on his left hand, and his eyes turned blood red, his pupils glowing yellow and dilating into reptilian slits. On his forehead, two large horns grew outward, forming a corkscrew pattern. Finally, from his back, two massive dragons wings sprouted and flapped once. Blowing a gust of wind that nearly knocked the mangy beast off its hind legs.

"I'm a Dog am I, Olaf?! In that case, I'm gonna turn you into dog food!" Jon bellowed, his teeth having grown razor sharp incisors.

The two beasts lunged at each other, colliding in the air as they began a furious battle for supremacy. Olaf managed to knock Jon to the ground and assume the dominant position, bringing his fangs down to bite his head off. Jon responded by catching his jaw with his gauntlets, using his massive strength to pry the creature's teeth away from him. Olaf's tongue unfurled from his gullet, taking the form of a copperhead and slowly slithering its way towards Jon's neck. Its two fangs unfurled as a demonic hiss came from its mouth. Jon smashed Olaf twice in the side of his head with one of his gauntlets, stunning the monster long enough for him to press both his metal boots into the creature's ribcage and kick him away, sending the creatures eight hundred pound frame merrily careening into the far wall.

Olaf quickly recovered and lunged at Jon once more. He countered by ducking beneath the wolf at the last second and planting his right fist firmly into the creatures gut, completely knocking the wind out of him. He then grabbed Olaf by the leg and twirled him around in a circle before releasing him and sending his head smashing into yet another wall.

Jon took in a deep breath, reared back, and roared at Olaf. Spewing a torrent of hellfire from his mouth. The Stray Devil, acting purely on instinct, quickly scampered up the wall in time to miss the dragon's fire, what remained of his fur still singed by the heat of his opponent's breath attack. With an insidious grin, Olaf opened his mouth and launched his tongue at him from above. The copperhead soared towards Jon's neck, planting its fangs deep into his flesh. He cried out in pain, grasping at the snake that had embedded itself in his skin and pulling as hard as he could to get it free. However, try as he might, Jon couldn't get the damn thing to let go.

And that was when he started to feel his magical energy begin to drain.

"Like it?" Olaf, who now spoke with a slight lisp, dropped from the wall and slowly approached him. "My tongue can drain the magical power from your veins. Leaving you completely dry."

Jon dropped to his knees, tugging desperately at the snake to get it loose. But it was no use, the thing may as well have been made of nylon graft directly on his skin for all the good it was doing him.

"Soon, your body will be completely depleted of magical energy. You won't have the strength to even stand anymore, let alone fight. And once that occurs...your delicious flesh will be mine for the taking."

His gauntlets and boots disappeared, shortly followed by his wings and horns. His eyes returned to normal as he slowly started to lose the strength remaining in his arms.

"But don't worry, you'll still be conscious enough to feel everything as I slowly devour you!"

At that moment, a yellow blur darted between them. Shortly after, the snake that composed Olaf's tongue split completely in half, sending gushes of blood spraying everywhere. Olaf howled in agony, retracting his destroyed tongue and clutching at his wounded mouth as he continued to bleed through his teeth.

As the copperhead died of blood loss its grip on Jon's neck finally loosened enough for him to pry the snake away and toss it aside. He slowly stood back up, his legs still wobbly from having his energy drained.

"My precious tongue! You've ruined it!" Olaf bellowed half in pain and half in rage.

Jon clutched at the wound on his neck, quickly scanning for any sign of what it was that had saved him. A slick grin crossed his lips as he spotted a familiar blonde clutching a sword now stained with Olaf's blood.

"About time you showed up, Kiba."

The Pretty Boy who was Jon's Peerage Brother turned his head and grinned back at him, his sword still at the ready. "Well I didn't want to steal your thunder after all. I know how much you love showing off."

Jon chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, try not to make a habit out of that."

"I will crush you both!" Olaf roared, lunging at Kiba with his talon like claws unfurled. Kiba moved faster than the creature could have possibly hoped to react to, slicing a clear path straight through his stomach and nearly disemblowing him in the process. Olaf crashed back onto the floor, clutching at his wound. He then scampered away, sprinting down the hall on all fours while clutching at his wounded stomach. Kiba tossed Jon his revolver who caught it and aimed at the retreating Olaf. He fired off six shots that hit the wounded creature square in the back. Yet despite the added injuries Olaf continued to run, smashing through the elevator door and jumping up the shaft.

"Probably shouldn't just let him get away like that." Kiba offered Jon his hat back and they bolted down the hall after him. They unfurled their wings and ascended up the elevator shaft, reaching the top in a matter of seconds. Olaf had already smashed his way through the door heading into the club, and judging by the lack of music and chaotic sounds was probably already outside.

"Well this is turning into a giant mess." Kiba observed.

"We really didn't think this one completely through did we?" Jon asked as they made their way back into the private dance room. "No offense, but I feel like there was probably a better way to do this than the whole 'Lucifer's Angels' routine."

"Hey don't look at me. I was just in charged disabling the cameras." Kiba insisted. "This whole thing was Rias's idea."

"Ahem!"

They both stopped. Waiting for them in the private dance room was the stripper Jon was tipping earlier.

"Uhhh, sorry Miss, but now's really not the best time for a...lap dance." Kiba scratched his head awkwardly. This clearly was not his cup of tea.

Jon couldn't help but chuckle in amusement before glaring at the stripper. "Hate to break it to you, Bud. But I don't think she's here to perform."

Her eyes began to glow bright yellow as a hideous smile covered her face. Revealing a set of massive canines. "How astute of you, Little Hunter."

Her gorgeous body began to expand and grow muscle mass as well as thick gray fur. Her face contorted into the shape of a wolf and her hands grew razor sharp claws on each finger. A hideous roar burst from the back of her throat as she lunged towards them. Kiba drew his sword only to watch as the creature collapsed to the ground. Three holes in her chest following three loud cracks of Jon's revolver.

"It would seem our stray managed to make himself the Alpha of a werewolf pack." Kiba observed.

"Yeah, I suspected that might be the case." Jon explained before holstering his revolver. "I've seen this trick before. They suppress their powers and hide their scent with peach body oil."

"You've...dealt with this before?" Kiba gave him a weird look. "How many werewolf dens besides this one have you been to that were disguised as strip clubs?"

"More than zero." Jon admitted. "We better warn the girls."

A large crash sounded in the main room, followed by the sound of dozens of male voices screaming in panic.

"Somehow, I get the feeling they may already know." Kiba commented in a blithe manner.

They rushed back into the main room which had completely dissolved into chaos. Men were running around the place like chickens with their heads cut off, darting under tables, and hiding behind chairs. There were over a dozen werewolves clinging to the walls, on the center stage, and filling the aisles. They were all zeroed in on Rias and the other girls, baring their fangs and showing their claws.

"Rias!" Jon called, pulling out his revolver and aiming at one of the nearest creatures.

"Wait!" Rias raised her hand up. "You could hit one of the humans."

He groaned in frustration before lowering his weapon and summoning two Dragon's gauntlets to his arms. "She can't be serious right now."

"The President always was kind of a softy…" Kiba commented in exasperation before readying his sword again.

"We'll take care of the silicon brigade." Akeno assured, her fingertips sparking. "You two get after the Stray Devil."

"Oh please, bitch!" One of the werewolves snarled. "If there's anyone here who's tits are fake it's your-"

A bolt of lightning fried the she wolf into a pile of ash and bone. Akeno grinned sadistically, sparks still flying from her hands. "Hate to break it to you but my twins, just like my powers, are the real deal."

"We've got this, Jon." Rias assured, her hair blowing upwards and her body radiating with unholy power. "You and Kiba go."

"But what about…" His gaze turned towards Asia worriedly. However, upon seeing her hiding behind Koneko, who had just finished kicking a she wolf's teeth in, he realized he didn't need to worry. "...ah hell, let's go Kiba. We're wasting time."

The duo fought their way through the club towards the entrance, bashing and cutting through anything that got in their way while shoving patrons aside. They blew by the terrified bartender and smashed through the front door before running outside.

"There they go!" Kiba pointed towards a convoy consisting of a black truck, a black jeep, and two bikes as it took off down the dirt road.

Jon sprinted to his bike and mounted it. He revved the engine before peeling out of the parking lot and braking in front of Kiba. "Get on!"

Kiba hopped onto the back and the two took off towards the convoy. Jon's bike roared down the dirt path, fire shooting from its tailpipes as they slowly gained on the vehicles. Olaf had squeezed his massive frame into the back of the truck at the very front of the convoy. The moment he saw Jon's bike gaining on them he shouted for the two men on the bikes.

"Get him off of us! I'm not healed!"

The bikers reduced their speed to close the gap between them before pulling out sawed off shotguns. They fired on Jon's bike who responded by quickly throwing up a barrier with his left gauntlet.

"Get me up alongside one of them!" Kiba shouted over the roaring engine.

"Got it!" He waited for a break in the firing before gunning the engine and placing them between the two bikers.

Kiba hopped off Jon's bike and onto the one to their right, stabbing its driver in the back with his sword deep enough for the front of the blade to come bursting out of his chest. As this occurred, the other biker successfully reloaded his weapon and fired at Jon, who deflected with another barrier. Jon pulled out his revolver and fired a round straight through his skull. The opposing bike veered off course and crashed into the dirt.

With the bikes down, Jon and Kiba revved the engines of their vehicles and approached the Jeep. Two goons in the back seat armed with AK-47s turned around and began firing on the duo of Devils. Jon threw up another barrier to protect himself while Kiba used the dead body still attached to his blade as a meat shield.

The Knight of Rias gunned it before leaping into the air and landing on the side of the Jeep. In one swift blur of a motion he disarmed both shooters and slit their throats, before kicking the goon on the left out of the vehicle and plunging his sword into the back of the driver's seat. Stabbing the driver straight through the heart. The Jeep veered off course and crashed, giving Kiba just enough time to jump out and land on his feet before it rolled end over end into a ditch.

"The rest is up to you Jon." He spoke aloud while sheathing his sword and watching as his friend took off after the truck. "Happy hunting."

Off in the distance Jon was quickly gaining on Olaf's truck. The Stray Devil roared with bestial vigor, producing two AK-47s from the bed of his vehicle, one in each hand. He fired the two assault rifles at Jon wildly, whose neon green barrier continued to hold strong despite the onslaught.

"It's gonna take something a lot stronger than that." Jon quietly commented to himself.

Olaf threw the guns away, having spent both clips. He then pulled out what Jon instantly recognized as an RPG and slung it over his shoulder.

He smirked before lowering his barrier and drawing his revolver. "Now that's more like it."

"Deflect this!" Olaf roared before firing the rocket propelled grenade.

Time seemed to slow down around Jon as the rocket left its silo. Jon's heightened senses kicked into overdrive as he aimed and fired his weapon. Sending a single round straight towards the tip of the grenade. The projectile detonated at the midpoint between Jon and Olaf, sparing Devil's Colt from the worst of the blast.

For a moment Olaf thought he had been victorious, only for his eyes to bulge in terror as Jon's bike came roaring through the cloud of smoke and fire like the Reaper rising up from Hell itself. Jon aimed his revolver at Olaf who ducked into the bed to save himself from a fatal shot. Only for Jon to then change his aim while he wasn't looking to the gas tank on the side of his truck.

The gun fired and the tank exploded, taking the truck, its driver, and Olaf along with it. The stray Devil flew through the air, his skin and fur on fire, before coming crashing back down to Earth. Despite this seemingly fatal blow, he righted himself and bolted, taking off nearly as fast as the truck was going, running purely on adrenaline and his will to survive.

Jon slid hard to the right, sweeping his back tire out to the side and coming to a dead stop. He chuckled as Olaf sprinted away like the wounded animal he was. This really was a Hunt.

He dismounted from his bike and pulled a large pump action rifle out its hidden compartment on the side. He aimed the rifle directly at his quarry before priming the weapon and using his boost ability. The decals on the weapon began to glow as he fired off a single round.

The bullet left the barrel like a beam of neon green light, flying straight and true through the back of Olaf and out his chest. The monstrous beast finally collapsed to the ground, sliding in the dirt a few feet before coming to a dead stop.

Jon took his time approaching the wounded Olaf. By the time he had made it all the way over there the Stray Devil was already on his last legs. Having only managed to crawl a few feet after being shot. Devil's Colt slung his rifle over his shoulder and pulled out his revolver. He got in front of Olaf and aimed the gun at his head.

"Any last words?"

Olaf coughed up blood and then snarled up at him. "Go to Hell…"

Jon rolled his eyes, which began to glow dark red. He cocked back the hammer with an audible click.

"Where do you think I came from?"

The gun fired, splattering the creature's brains all over the dirt road.