Weeks after Adrian's performance at Club Jump and resulting rejection; He had completely withdrawn into himself leaving Devil in control. As he walked down the corridor white divine energy snapped and popped like he was supercharged with electricity. A stray bolt of power struck Beast-boy in the rear causing him to spontaneously shapeshift into a starfish; this drew Devil's attention. He smiled a smile that was more a glare than a smile.
"Don't wet yourself Patrick I'm wondering where I can find Raven?"He asked with a little bit of menace.
"S-she's in the training room lifting weights with her freaky demon powers;" he replied shakily.
"Thank you; now I need to have a word with the little dimi-demon;" he all but snarled.
As he turned and walked towards the training room; Beast-boy changed back and pulled out his communicator hailing Robin who was also in the training room.
"Robin; Devil's on his way down and he has an aura of power that was crazy strong; I got hit by a stray bolt; let's just say Raven's got nothing on him. I think He may have lost it completely;" said B-B fearfully.
"Got it I'll keep him contained;" said Robin in his leader voice.
Raven felt it like a tremor flowing through her body; raw power was coming down the elevator. There was only one person she knew who was even possibly capable of that level of power. Devil walked out of the elevator only to be intercepted by Robin.
"No, Robin you idiot don't confront him when he is like this he's too powerful!" Thought Raven panicking a little, causing her own power to malfunction dropping the two one ton weights she was holding up with raw mental power.
"Stop; Devil you need to relax. Don't do nothing drastic;" said Robin sounding slightly uncertain.
Devil's tats began to glow white hot, his ghost wings appeared from his back, his eyes looked like two stars set into his face, and finally to top off the whole angry fallen angel look; his hair was white and his hands burned with white fire.
He clenched his teeth and threw out his right hand and Robin was slammed into the wall by sheer force.
"I have no quarrel with you Robin; do not interfere and I swear on my power that no one will get hurt;" said Devil coldly; he turned to Raven; his star bright eyes appeared to bore into her soul.
"Raven daughter of the demon lord Trigon; I challenge you to test of power!" He said his voice had a raw animal nature like the roar of a lion.
"How did he know? I haven't told him of my heritage;" panicked Raven.
"Do you honestly think I did not know of you little girl? I knew the moment we met your power identified who and what you are. You forget I am a fragment of a fallen angel. I know a demon when I sense one. But that's not why I'm here;" he sneered.
This angered Raven to no end, black energy began to radiate off her with almost the same intensity as Devil's. Her face became darkened by the coverage of her hood and four red demon eyes burned daggers at Devil.
"Then why are you here?" She replied her rage freezing the words as she spoke them.
Devil reach out one glowing hand and a long spear of pure concentrated light materialized in his hand.
"You will soon find out;" he growled deep in his chest sending shivers down Ravens spine. Was this fear…or something else, something more dangerous than fear?
Dark energy pooled from Raven's hands; preparing for a fight. Then Devil said something that completely threw her off her game.
"Raven don't think of this so much as a fight, think of it as a conversation;" he said with what sounded almost like affection.
"What?" was her only reply.
Devil smiled disarmingly; "Like Adrian can only truly express himself through music, I can only truly express my feelings in combat;" that was the only explanation he gave before he attacked
"Oh, hell he does not play fair;" she thought to herself as she blocked his oncoming spear thrust, dark and divine energy colliding.
Devil smiled again this time with even more warmth.
"You use a combination of magic and demonic power to cast your spells; I use pure divine power to fight. Our powers repel each other, but you know what they say 'opposites attract;'" he smiled
"What the hell? Is he flirting with me? No it's got to be a trick throw me again;" Raven thought confused.
Her power was magnified by the sudden and unexpected anger these thoughts invoked. She barely managed to corral her wild emotions.
"How are you so much stronger than Adrian?" She questioned
"I may be a fragment of the angel Azazel but I am the most powerful one of the three. You are dealing with a being with access to all of the angelic battle based powers. You felling a little out your element yet sweetness? He is right you are attractive when you are enraged;" he all but purred, eliciting a 'huh?' look from all the Titans.
Taking advantage of her moment of distraction; he struck her just below the last rib on her left side causing her breath to halt for a second giving him enough time to sweep her legs out from under her.
"Hmm, nice strong legs too, I can see why he likes you so much you are very pretty though I still do not understand why Adrian has shut down so. You struck him big deal you hit back and move on;" he said blocking first one then another but missing the block attempt on the last strike. Raven sends him flying into the opposite wall causing dry wall and rebar reinforcement to crumble and bend from the impact.
"Adrian has withdrawn? Why?" Said Raven confused as Devil picked himself out of the wall.
"That actually hurt a little, the hazards of inhabiting a human body I guess. Yes he has withdrawn, deep in his region of the mind we share. So deep I cannot reach him;" stated Devil. No more flirtation no more jibes straight to the problem at hand. And still relentlessly attacking putting Raven on the defensive again.
She grimaced as she took another hit this time the same place right side. He expertly spun his spear around his body bringing the tip of the butt up to hit her with an upward swing to the underside of the chin sending her on her back again. He spun the spear over his shoulder and around so that the tip of the point rested gently on her neck.
"You fought well. You're still awake after the nap tap I'm impressed;" he smiled offering the haft of his weapon to help her up, something, Robin noticed, that no seasoned warrior did if he or she did not trust the individual.
"Relax guys; they needed to work something out, right guys this fight is over do you understand?" Said by way of calming the rest of the team and issuing a direct order.
"Yes Robin this one is. But I hope we can talk again sometime Raven;" he said returning to his flirting.
Raven stood dusted herself off and rubbed her chin where a deep bruise was forming she was hurting now but she would be right as rain within a few days.
"Talk again? I'm still not entirely sure what this one was about;" she grumbled.
"Oh, well let me simplify it for you. You broke him now you have to fix him. If he gives up and dies I have no complete soul to bond with and since it's essentially a suicide I would not move on to the next life either, I would cease to exist, and since he won't listen to me you have to talk to him;" said Devil as if he was talking to a kindergartener.
"Well why the hell didn't you just say that instead of beating me into primordial goo?" Asked Raven angrily.
"You did something wrong and you needed to face the consequences of you mistake plus I was really angry at you… and I was just curious as to what your skills were;" said Devil with as shrug as if this was the most logical answer in the world.
"Okay; I'll go in and take a look, is there anything I need to know before I go in?" Asked Raven, still a little miffed about her and Devil's "conversation".
Devil gave that menacing smile again.
"Yes actually there is, as I previously said we share the mind meaning you will have to travel though two mindscapes instead of just one. And with me being the dominant personality at the moment you will have to traverse my mindscape first. You will have to be armed;" said Devil with a grim smile.
"But, I'm not a physical combatant; I won't know how to use any weapons;" said Raven a little scared.
Devil lifted her bruised chin gently using an uncharacteristic affection.
"I tell you this only to protect you, when you enter my mind you will be walking into the most brutal, bloody, and hellasious battle in the history of all creation. The Battle of the High Heavens;" he said in the most serious tone she has heard him use.
"How am I supposed to learn how to use a weapon instantaneously?" Said Raven confused.
Devil smiled. "Well it looks as though I'm going to have to augment your powers a little;" He said warmly.
"You can do that? Why can't Adrian do all this?" Asked Raven now even more confused.
"Yes I can; and soon Adrian will be able to as well. He has a few things to learn first; to do what I must do to help you I will need to focus is there any place we can go where I can work in peace?" He asked her quietly his voidish face inches from hers.
"What do I do? The only room in the tower that no one goes in is mine, well there is his room but that's not a better choice. Hell going to his room was probably going to incite more rumors than if she took him to her room;" thought Raven franticly.
"Here let me make the choice simpler for you;" said Devil with a wicked smile. As he took her hands in his and with a flash of blinding white light they were…
In Adrian's room… laying in a very compromising position on his bed.
"Well I had meant for us to land on our feet in the middle of the floor, but I guess your demon powers had another idea;" he chuckled.
"Sure blame the makeout tactic on the half demon;" smiled Raven with a blush.
"What the hell! He was flirting again and I am flirting back;" thought Raven fearfully and oddly enough a little exited too.
Devil and Raven righted themselves and he looked deep into her eyes. She blushed again.
"To work then;" he said softly.
"What do I have to do?" Raven asked.
"Sit so that I can synchronize with your soul;" said Devil
"Synchronize with my soul? Why would you have to do that? How do you do that?" Asked Raven confused.
"The same way you link with people's minds Angels can link with someone's soul, how is this applicable in battle you ask? When on the battle field Angels would join in pairs each one making up for the others failings. I am simply going in to bring forth you soul arms, arms as in weapon my dear;" smiled Devil with a laugh.
"This is so different from the towering inferno of power and fury I saw earlier. He is handsome;" thought Raven.
"Hmm, Umm. Shall we get to work then?" Asked Devil seriously
"Devil, what you may see in there well it won't be pretty;" said Raven self-consciously.
"You will be seeing into my being as well and being the manifestation of Azazel's fighting spirit well mine won't be pleasant either;"said Devil with a bitter smile
"Well how does this work?" Asked Raven uncertainly.
Devil spread his arms and wings wide. "Come enter my embrace and join with me;" he said warmly
Raven was nervous but she could not back out now.
She tentatively scooted across his floor and into his arms. He wrapped her in a warm tingling embrace; he lowered his head to hers placing the gem on her head squarely between his horns.
Then suddenly they were in a space that was full of light and color, she felt a pulse off in the distance. Looking in that direction she saw a black darkness yawning in the background.
"I told you it would not be pretty;" said Devil; His voice vibrating through her warm and tingly.
She turned in his direction and saw the most startling sight.
Devil in his full angelic majesty.
A full thirty two foot white wingspan, his hair was white as moonlight as was his skin. He held his dazzling spear.
"To find your soul weapon we will have to do battle again but it won't be full out combat like before. I want you to focus your mind on a weapon any weapon and I will strike it with mine. If it can hold out the strike it is yours. If it breaks then we will start over until one holds;" explained Devil.
Raven willed all her concentration into making a weapon. In her hand formed a sleek katana made of pure demon aura.
"Yes…" She said