Chapter 4: Dragon on Mission
Nowadays it was almost comical that devil's work in human world had been degraded to mostly grunt's work. However for the sake of peace it was for the best, because their job description in the past could incite war at a drop of a hat at present time. So when a devil meddled with human politic and endangered human life in great number, they were considered not under protection of Maou and shall be exorcised without mercy.
However devil who was involved with this kind of plot would hide their track well, so it always involved infiltration and detective work. Issei didn't mind sneaking around but he minded it very much when it involved ridiculous disguise. Luckily this time he was just in cover as a waiter, serving drinks to these big shots. His problem with this setting was, he was forced put up some make up and contact lens to hide his complexion and eye color. Magic and the likes was no no because a devil would see through them.
And also…
"Hm~ This is simply divine!"
Certain gourmet enjoyed this party too much!
STOMP!
The gourmet almost choke on his food, swallowing heavily. They didn't speak because devil's impressive hearing sense would pick up any suspicious conversation. His message was simple and clear enough, stop eating already and don't forget the mission objective.
His current partner for this mission was a blond young man with light green eyes, and also the possessor of second strongest longinus class sacred gear. Dulio was as powerful as rumored, befitting his reputation as strongest exorcist. However he also had reputation as a lazy bum who loved good food and had trouble to say awake during meetings.
Issei had the honor to work with him pretty often in his service for Heaven faction, probably because Dulio was an endearing individual so they put him with Issei in hope the Sekiryuutei would side with them. Dulio himself had no such intention though, he was just very friendly. It was a waste of resource in Issei's opinion, because obviously sending two longinus user for covert mission was too much.
Dulio grinned at him before snatching one of fruit punch from the tray he carried. Issei sighed, at least Julio had enough sense to not drink alcoholic drink.
"Hm…" Dulio's eyes narrowed sharply.
Issei followed his eyes and spotted the general who was also the one who host the party they were keeping their eyes on was leaving the party discreetly. It didn't take long for another powerful figure to excuse themselves from the festivity. Issei counted they were six of them in total. That was quite a lot if they wanted to wrap this up quietly.
They glanced at the ongoing party uneasily, 'We also have this many people in close proximity… '
"Shoo!" They were alerted when a waiter hastily waved his hand over food station before balling something inside tissue paper.
Issei approached the waiter who was about to throw the tissue, "What's wrong?"
The waiter looked around warily before whispering, "There is a big fly on fruit salad, if one of our guest see it…" He shuddered, imagining the fiasco that would occur.
Issei narrowed his eyes, "A fly?" He snatched the balled tissue from the waiter. "Let me dispose of it!" He offered with cheerful smile.
"Oi!"
He walked out of the ballroom, and a moment later Julio exited from different door. Issei passed the balled tissue to Julio, and he could feel the residue of demonic energy. "A familiar? No… this is…" He unwrapped the tissue but he didn't find the insect instead of foul smelling dark green liquid.
"Screw subtlety." Issei cursed under his breath.
Dulio groaned, "Ms. Griselda is going to kill me!"
"Getting killed by Ms. Griselda is the least of our problem now!" Issei hissed.
The older longinus user agreed, pulling his cellphone out. "Hello! This is an emergency, I want all of our healers to be on standby, prepare medication for Belzebub's plague!" He groaned, "Just get here! I will explain later! Forget our cover!"
Issei snatched Dullio's phone and shouted, "Someone from old Belzebub clan poisoned their food! So get your ass over here is you don't want a mass hysteria that would blow over by tomorrow morning because so many important people of this country is going to drop dead in few hours!"
Dulio gaped at him, "Issei?"
He passed the phone back, "And that's how you explain to a slowpoke, just highlight the shit storm we have to deal with if they didn't move their ass this instance!"
"Ah… ha?"
"Come on! We have devils to exorcise!" Issei growled, "I swear! I will exorcise them in the most painful manner possible!"
"Issei! Duck!" Issei yelped when Dulio pulled him down, just in time to dodge a beam of light that tore through the mansion, leaving a perfect circle hole.
The two longinus user stared at the hole on shock, but not because destruction the said attack left but the nature of it. "That's… a light based magic?"
"But I don't sense the presence of fallen angel at all!" Dulio pointed out.
They sensed a strong presence but it was demonic, the smoke and dust cleared out and reveal a young devil. He was dressed in black armor with a cape. His curly brown hair reached past his hips with, his bangs covered most of the right side of his handsome face.
Who was this person? Due to their occupation they memorized the face of most important devils in this era but they didn't recognize this devil. However they had a guess.
"Descendant of original Beelzebub I suppose?" Dulio voiced their guess out loud.
The devil suspected as a Beelzebub smiled, it seemed their stab on the dark on his identity was spot on. "I am Shalba Beelzebub, the true descendant of original Maou Beelzebub." He announced in haughty tone, 'It's a pleasure to know you weak human know the rightful heir of Beelzebub."
Issei narrowed his eyes, "I don't know about rightful heir, but the only devil using fly to spread plague is Beelzebub. What the hell you're trying to do? Spreading your plague here?"
"I am a devil and this country is the land of Uriel's believer…" Shalba answered, "It will be a boon for us to throw this country to chaos, I will show those fake Maou the way the real Maou deal with their enemy…"
Dulio tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't know if this is how Maou act, but what you guys are doing now is terrorism." By now it safe to assume they had lost the guys they were watching on, demonic possession was fatal if they were lucky they would find human on the brink of their death, and if not they would find some ash.
"Dulio, Issei… if you are wondering about the generals. I am afraid I can't sense their presence anymore…" Issei glanced to the side where an eight winged angel just landed, he was Uriel's subordinate and right hand, Raguel. He was dressed in white suits, which contrast against his chin length ebony hair.
Dulio grinned, "Yo, Holy-Raquel!"
Raquel crossed his arms, "I don't know the current Maou personally either but I know if they want to pick a fight with us they will attack us head on and not our defenseless believers."
Not so Devil-like perhaps but resorting to terrorize human was going to invite the wrath of both Heaven and Grigori upon Devil race. It was an unspoken rule to not touch human since the cease fire agreement was signed. Human was their precious resource after all.
"It's a relief to know we're dealing with member of fallen Maou faction." Raquel continued, ignoring Issei's groaning about old grudge talking. "If the current Beelzebub did this, we would wonder whether he has lost his mind to send his race to the first step of extinction." Raquel said with angelic smile that didn't match his words.
Shalba looked like he just swallowed a sour lemon, his fair face twisted in rage. "INSOLENT ANGEL! How dare you claim that fake Maou is better than I! The true Beelzebub!"
Sometimes Issei wondered why he chose Uriel to be his patron from Heaven faction, after all anyone who works under the angel of repentance and cruelty was like this. Oh right, it was all Azazel's fault. He had a grudge against Michael, lusting for Gabriel, and as for Raphael… Issei didn't know what problem Azazel had with the angel of healing but it left him with Uriel as his only option. At least Uriel liked him enough to not care that he was tutored by Azazel.
But still…
"Anoo… Raquel, can you please don't taunt this guy when we are still in the same building as over two hundred defenseless humans?!" Issei reminded him in pleading tone.
Raquel smiled at him, "That wouldn't be a problem." He snapped his fingers and in instant they could feel the change in the air.
Kuoh Town, Sona's sauna room.
"To be honest…" Rias trailed off, "I don't want to get on Sekiryuutei's bad side."
Sona nodded, "Only idiots get on a dragon's bad side." Especially when the dragon concerned was the one that forced three faction worked together to subdue them.
Especially since they were talking about two Heavenly Dragon that rampaged the battlefield of Great War, and forced three factions to cooperate in subduing them. Their history as Sacred Gear was as bad, destructing everything that get in between them and their eternal battle. Even though in Rias opinion, the man in possession of Boosted Gear seemed sane and not to mention had connection with her brother, Sona was skeptical the current Sekiryuutei was not as bad as his predecessors.
Rias tried to ask her brother about it, only to receive vague answer.
'Sekiryuutei-kun isn't going to hurt anyone, he is a good boy…' Said her brother, and suggested she should decide her next action with clear head for the sake of her servants. 'Leave the politics to me, you're not going to get in trouble with Sekiryuutei-kun. Rias…'
"By the way, regardless of Sirczechs-sama's opinion on him… whose idea it is to let him enter our town without notify us?" Sona asked in annoyed tone.
Rias rolled her eyes, "You know our siblings… either they're forgot or they think it doesn't matter to us. However while I am no ally of justice I don't feel it's right to let those Fallen Angels to act as they please in our territory and torturing an innocent girl, who is brave enough to stand between a crazy priest and my sweet Koneko."
In a sense it was not their business, but considering this Sister almost got herself killed to protect one of their own it didn't seem right to let her go through whatever the Fallen Angels had in mind for her. Rias wouldn't be able to sleep at night if the girl was harmed or raped like that crazy priest said or worse turned up dead when they were mulling over what to do.
"Hm…" Rias sighed loudly as she stood up, "Sona… let me handle this by myself, I will keep an eye on the church to make sure that girl is safe at leats." And the moment they tried something she didn't like, their life was forfeit. It was good to know Grigori was not on their side, so she won't get in trouble.
"And you will ignore Sekiryuutei's warning?" Sona narrowed her eyes.
Rias crossed her arms, "If he deserve even half of respect my brother has on him, I don't think I am going in any trouble with him if I evaporate those scums to save an innocent girl who didn't deserve any of this." That was the same feeling she felt towards her peerage members when she gave them a second chance in life, they deserved better!
England, Swallow Mansion
It was not human world anymore, a surreal landscape that looked like a painting. The carpeted floor they stood on shifted to endless checkered tile of marble in monochrome color, reflecting the sky above that had replaced the ceiling.
Shalba scowled, "Angel's crystal rose barrier hm…"
A different dimension within a barrier that could only be created by high ranked angel. Known as the most complicated barrier boasting an almost impenetrable defense, trapping anyone within it until the caster dispel it. It also drove all human in vicinity away, and other mystical race would only see a beautiful gigantic rose in full bloom made of crystal from outside. Their voice couldn't reach the interior of this barrier even though they could see what happened inside. It only could be dispelled from inside with defeating the caster, from outside the attack had to be more powerful than the caster. In short, it was not a barrier any Devil wanted to be trapped within.
"Hmph!" Shalba harrumphed, "Come… I am powerful enough to take on one angel and two human by myself!" He boasted as he shot his palm forward, revealing symbol of twin snakes eating each other tails, symbol of Ouroboros.
Issei narrowed his eyes, "Ddraig… that's…"
[Yeah… I can sense the familiar power coming from it, Ophis… dragon of infinity.] Ddraig confirmed, [Since when Ophis is helping old Maou faction, I wonder?]
Raquel snorted, "My… how far they have fallen, boasting your ancestry so proudly and yet you are using a power that's not yours." He smiled pleasantly, "I mean… where is your pride if you're using power of a dragon to fight, and the power you inherited from your ancestor is only of use to make defenseless human sick…"
Dulio sweat-dropped, "Uhm… Holy-Raquel…"
Looking at how Shalba was ready to explode, Issei sighed loudly. "Seriously… for an angel, you really know how to hurt someone's ears." Although he had to agree with Raquel, for all that talk this guy was using power that was not rightfully his. "Can't we just fight already?"
"Right." Raquel agreed, "Then forgive me… Shalba Beelzebub, I will refrain from shattering your frail, glass like heart." He said in faked sincere voice.
"You… YOU!" It was almost comical how Shalba couldn't even say anything in retort, sputtering in rage incoherently at Raquel. If he was a human, he would be in danger from high blood pressure by now.
"Hey… is it bad if I have an urge to laugh now?" Dulio asked innocently.
Issei could almost hear Shalba's figurative line of patience snapped by Dulio's innocent question. However the deafening sound of laser like attack from Shalba's palm was not his imagination.
BOOM!
None of them bothered to dodge as that attack was meant to miss, a mere display of power. "Whoaa… it's really his power." Dulio said to Issei. "But shouldn't light based attack poisonous to Devils? Is it something to do with the power he borrow from Ophis?"
Issei shook his head, "That shouldn't be the case… ne? Ddraig?"
[No… even though Ophis possess immense power, I don't think s/he can change the nature of a devil. Great Red maybe… but as far as I know Ophis only able to share her/his power… Great Red might be able to do such thing but not Ophis.]
"So…" Issei concluded, "He must be using some sort of device."
Shalba roared, his main target appear to be Raquel. Obviously he didn't care whether he hit Issei or Dulio as long as he got Raquel. "Behold! My light of judgement, try and take it on!"
Raquel looked annoyed, "What a shameless devil to use light power God bestowed to us Angels… it seems you really have thrown your pride as a devil away!"
"What did you say?!"
Dulio and Issei who watched the two non-human sweat-dropped. "They're still at it?"
"Never mind…" Issei sighed, "By the way the gauntlets he is wearing…" Issei trailed off. "Suspicious."
The older Longinus user grinned, stretching his arms. "Hm… leave it to me! Back me up, Issei!"
"Roger." Issei raised his left arm as Boosted Gear materialized.
[BOOST!]
It was very easy to proceed with their plan as Shalba was completely distracted by Raquel, and he didn't even notice the cold air aimed at his arms blowing from Dulio's Zenith Tempest. It was too late when he realized his arms was sealed within an ice block, he quickly tried to crack the ice open with magic and brute force but he didn't even manage a scratch on it.
"What the?" Shalba gritted his teeth in frustration and at last noticed the two human he had forgotten even exist until now.
Dulio smiled at the devil, "Don't bother to try… that ice is produced by my Zenith Tempest and strengthened by Boosted Gear." He craned his neck towards Issei who was standing beside him.
Shalba's eyes widened in shock, "Zenith Tempest and Boosted Gear?" Two Longinus users were here?!
"You're not going anywhere, and we have sealed your arms…" Issei stated, "So can you just give yourself up and withdraw your plague from those nobles?"
Dulio nodded, "It's your choice and to be honest we don't want to fight you…" Dulio trailed off. "We may accidentally kill you."
While Issei found Dulio's blatant honesty endearing, sometime the older Longinus User simply too carefree to notice sometime he shouldn't open his mouth. "That's you, not me." He was not strong enough to kill an ultimate level devil by accident, if he did it won't be by accident.
Shalba snapped, "How dare you mere humans to ridicule me!" He unleashed his power, shattering the ice to pieces.
The two human and an angel backed away from Shalba. He was panting and his gauntlets had cracks and emitting visible leak of energy. This was the type of enemy you should have subdued at the first opportunity, and would do the last thing they wanted him to do when backed to the corner. It seemed they had to forget subduing and fishing out information from this Devil. Issei didn't want this option either but he'd rather endured sermon from Uriel and apologizing to Maou and the headache that would follow rather than risking the life of two hundred humans.
"You…" Issei paused when he found himself on the receiving end of Shalba's glare, so full of hatred and acidic. If someone could kill with eyes alone, Issei would have melted under his gaze. Just now Raquel was Shalba's sole target of attention but now it was him, and the Devil acted like Issei had murdered his puppy.
"Dragon…" Shalba gritted his teeth, "You! Sekiryuutei is no different than Vali, that half-bred with no pride as descendant of Lucifer! You and Vali are…"
…
…!
In their imagination suddenly curtain of silence was pulled over their ears but they could read the words Shalba's lips formed. Dulio and Raquel gasped in disbelief, instinctively stepping away from their companion who had gone very silent. There was no killing intent, anger or any emotion from him. It almost like his surrounding had become a void.
Issei's eyes narrowed murderously and his eyes shone in eerie green hue. "What. Did. You. Say?"
And in that instant the scenery of that dimension turned to a purgatory.
Grigory HQ
Tamiel, the head of Grigori's business department couldn't believe she was roped to a treasure hunt. Not to mention the thing she was looking for was apparently something that was not even here, she had to check if there was something bulky and cross shaped missing from their storage room. Grigori aside from a government body was also a research faculty so it was no surprise they lost track of their inventions that started since the era of Great War, in which they didn't even have computer back then to keep the list.
So it was understandable if something cross shaped was missing, God knows why the hell they who had fallen from grace still creating things in that shape, they needed a long time to check what was missing.
So far they had sauna rock device, check!
Dream catcher/recorder, check!
A rocket in cross shape, check!
There was also a portable jet in here in cross shape, which would make anyone who used it look dumb. Tamiel didn't even know who created this thing as who needed a jet if they had wings?
Why the head of business department was roped to this job? Because her job got nothing to do with magic or mechanic, so no one higher ups suspected would notice she and a number of her subordinates went missing.
"Ms. Tamiel… I get the barbeque grill using solar panel with me." One of her subordinates called her, and indeed the said object fit the profile of bulky and shaped like a cross.
That was it! She was going to write a protest letter and begged Shemhazai to subject Azazel and entire department of technology to clean up all those useless junk they called invention! "Argh! Ignore those useless things! Crosscheck the list with prohibited item that need up to A-rank clearance!" Tamiel shouted in frustration.
Swallow Mansion
It was over, their enemies were gone, and healers came just in time to prevent the worse. It was almost a miracle they managed to cover everything up, including putting false memory of a magnificent party that had gone without a hitch. It would be a nightmare if all these victims remembered their agony last night, suffering from Devil version of cholera. The cleanup crew had a rough night cleaning the vomit and other bodily fluid from the carpet.
Dulio overheard his comrade from cleanup crew cursing, "What a fucked up night."
They were lucky Raquel who acted as overseer was not within hearing range. Inwardly he agreed with them though, it was a hard night. It was initially just a recon mission, watch over the suspected possessed guys and find out what they were up to. They didn't expect the Devils would try to kill humans last night, and screwed their mission.
This was going to be one hell of political nightmare with Devil factions, considering old Maou faction almost wrecked an Angel's territory. Though the choices were obvious, either the Devils moves to arrest them or they gave Heaven faction a full right to deal with those devils as they see fit.
"So… this is mine, ne?"
Dulio stared at what Issei was holding, the left arm of Shalba Beelzebub. The only thing left on the scene; terrorist had escaped after Issei gave him a beating of his life. "Well… in a twisted sense of logic, it's your spoil…" He drawled hesitantly, "I guess."
Issei looked a little disappointed, "For someone who supposedly an ultimate class devil he is so weak…"
[To be fair…] Ddraig interrupted, [You're using that guy as your standard for Ultimate Devil… don't be arrogant partner. That Shalba was underestimating you and you catch him off guard.]
Issei harrumphed, "Most of my battle is won because my opponent look down on me." He admitted without shame, "In my opinion if he really deserve his status he shouldn't be beaten by me that easily…" The fight was not interesting at all regardless whether he managed to get a lucky shot that rip Shalba off of his left hand.
Dulio shrugged, "Then again the current Maou are a bunch of monsters, especially Lucifer and Beelzebub." They couldn't even categorized as a devil anymore.
"That aside…" Issei frowned, "Spoil of war or not I should pass this to someone to check this thing out." He tossed the limp arm lightly up and down. "I mean… this device enable a devil to use light power."
This was quite a problem, at first glance it was just a tool but also represented a sensitive issue they didn't want to touch. Dulio glanced around, and relieved that everyone was too busy to pay attention to them. "Sneak it to Grigori." Dulio whispered, shuddering what would happen if that thing was handed over to research department of Vatican. "Keep us informed… this kind of thing could leak that out if handled improperly, and no one want to touch it even with ten feet pole."
Issei sighed at that, "Ha-ah… at the time like this I envied Azazel, if only… everyone who live could think that way… Fine, I will go to Grigori and I have my own issue to take care of anyway…"
That even if the God had died, the world was still alive.
Kuoh Town
They had met Asia again in the same café, and relieved that the Sister was fine. Asia assured them that she was not to be harmed by Freed under Fallen Angel's order, and she came to visit them because she was worried about Koneko-chan. She remembered Koneko-chan's left arm got hurt by Freed's sword and asked if she could heal it. The said wound was already healed by Buchou though, but Koneko thanked the Sister for her concern.
"You…" Yuuto trailed off unsurely, "Really are too kind…" Shaking his head exasperatedly, he couldn't help but comparing Asia with his deceased friends. "But also foolish."
Asia didn't look offended, in fact she was just smiling as if she agreed with him. "Perhaps I am but… until today I never regret helping that Devil." The one who caused her to be exiled by the church, "Even now… coming to this town, meeting with Kiba-san… Koneko-chan and Issei-san… I am happy, there is nothing to regret."
Koneko glanced at her, "That's one way to look at it." If her sister never betrayed their master, she would never met her current comrades. There were painful moments in your life that would lead to present happiness, so never regretted the tiny path you made through hardship in life as when you looked back you would feel proud of yourself.
Asia smiled at them, "Thank you very much for today Kiba-san, Koneko-chan… I…"
"What do we have here…" A cold voice interrupted.
I am not cutting Shalba VS Issei, it would be told in different perspective in next chap... To be honest I am pretty bored already of Asia arc. Just to avoid misunderstanding, I didn't see Asia as a perfect girl... she is definitely not my favorite. However this is HOW Asia is portrayed in her arc, she seems pretty desperate to sacrifice herself for the good of others. This is because she has not learn there is more in life than helping other people. Because of her background, Kiba and Koneko could sympathize with her. Their past, especially Kiba overlap a little with hers after all.
It's a good thing in DXD universe, nothing is too dark and so on. I mean...