Eighth, the Dragoon

by Arrixam

Through tragedy, Issei awakened a power which places him as a Predator, one of the most dominant beings on the planet. As the Eighth, he must defend the planet from a force beyond his current means. Ideals clash, blood is shed, and hearts are broken in his struggle to protect those he loves most dear. But he can do it. He has become Y Ddraig Goch. (Slight AU, OP Issei, OCs inside)

14. The Evensong

I, uh, don't have anything creative for this line.

Hello again everyone! You know the this song and dance. Thank you once again for reading another chapter of Eighth the Dragoon!

First! No omake this time. Chapter ended at 20k and pretty heavy. But don't worry. The epic conclusion of the Servant of Oppai will be with us! And then I can finally begin working on the Servant of Oppai: the Presequel!

Fudge it. I'm calling it the Unlimited Breast Works route. It's its own thing now. We've deviated from the canon anyways on this one.

Moving on.

I posted a list of Defiant Works on the forum under EtD Discussion. For those of you who are going to be asking me what a Miracle is (you'll see them this chapter and I know you're going to ask anyways) first take a look at what is posted in the forum. If you still have questions then feel free to ask me.

Seventh Predator Xi'long Li Qin was introduced! I neglected her character description on purpose. When Issei meets her something will be given.

Someone asked me a question but I couldn't reply because they were a guest. They asked "Can the Gift of Craft fully repair/create a Sacred Gear?"

Yes and no. The GoCraft can only enhance one's crafting skill to their highest efficiency. But if you pay the price and activate the wings, then you can break through the normal limits and make things outside your physical restriction. HOWEVER, you must first know what you're doing. If you don't know how to make a Sacred Gear then you're not going to magically produce one. All of the Gifts are limited to those of its wielder.

Right, well, you know the song and dance. I've replied to most people's reviews via PM (those that needed it anyways). If I missed anyone do please hit me up. I will be plowing through this Excalibur arc until it complete either in next chapter of the following. And by then I'll be posting Doll Maker and Throne of Shriou!

Followed by taking a long break to work on original projects. Might even post something on my Fictionpress.

RIGHT! ON WITH THE SHOW!

---

Sona could hear her heart booming inside her chest with how deafly quiet it had gotten. There was a hum in the air as Rolan adjusted his footing to fully face Issei and Serafall. She wasn't sure if there was some sort of energy flowing from him… but there was a sudden increase in pressure pressing down upon her and making her tense. Her peerage were not as prepared as some of the girls huddled closer together as a demanding comfort of safety and survival tactics.

Rolan took two steps forward. His eyes bore into Issei's; his red and blue glowing just as fiercely as Issei's green. Together, in perfect sync as though capable of reading another's mind, their eyes narrowed.

The murderous intent between them spiked. It made the room suffocating.

This was a game only the likes of two Predators could play. A Predator was directly linked with the World and was therefore given the necessary amount of information required to enhance their survivability and killing potential to the utmost extreme. They weighed another's potential, calculated their own worth and then challenged the other through mental simulations. Their instincts would not be able to tell them precisely what would transpire, but they knew enough what tactic they might pull up would or would not work.

Rolan thought of a way to reject Issei's challenge. Issei sensed this and adjusted his plan according to what he and Serafall had gone over. Upon the new tactic, Rolan rearranged his own decision and approached the matter in a new direction. Issei shifted his thoughts. Rolan threw in something new, something almost random to misdirect the Dragoon. The draconian Devil instead played along and then sprung a trap. Rolan's eyes narrowed as he backtracked and threw something a little more daring and out of his comfort zone. Issei's eyes narrowed in response at the feeling he would be pushed to make a heavy decision but decided to follow with his instincts and go along with it.

They would never know what went on in the other's head. The World would only tell them what would work, what would fail, and the price of both consequences. An entire battle was exchanged within the five seconds they stared at another.

It had ended in a stalemate.

Rolan looked away not in defeat but distracted by his own thoughts once their assessment was over. He stepped away to return to his spot near the desk once again, exposing his back to the Dragoon but never once lowering his defenses. His hands folded behind his back. "You've learned to fight back…"

And then, the Sixth Predator did the one thing no one would have ever expected him to do. Issei blinked as he couldn't believe it. Serafall gasped as she took a step back from the shock of it. And Sona became very, very, very afraid at the unpredictability of his actions.

He craned his head back and laughed.

A laugh filled with pride, respect, relief, and sorrow all mixed into one.

"All right, I'm listening," Rolan said in an amused tone as he faced Issei. Though his brow was still present, as it will always be, his lips were curled into a perverse grin that did not belong to his visage. "How do you propose we go about this… Rating Game?"

"…What?" Issei, however, still needed a moment to recollect his thoughts. He had never seen Rolan laugh before. The idea of him laughing was so alien in concept the thought never came to his mind. Hell, he had never seen Rolan smile. He thought the Sixth Predator was in a perpetual state of annoyance.

"I'm sorry, were you not a part of that psychic battle we just had?" Rolan's tone shifted to one of heavy sarcasm. His smile was gone. "Between the short span of time of when we last met to now you couldn't do shit. You come in here now with all your bravado and something to show for it. Clearly something happened within the past few days for you to grow a pair. And with Sera here, it means you've found a way to go around all the legal hoops. Hence forth challenging me to a Rating Game not as Issei Hyoudou to Chase Rolan, a Pawn of Gremory to a Devil of the Astaroth peerage, but as Demon Lord Hyoudou to King Fucking Oberon.

"Let's skip all the bullshit, shall we, and get to the point?"

"No!"

Heads turned towards the voice who shouted in protest. Sona Sitri had slammed her hands onto her desk and stood fast enough to knock her chair back. Her brows were knitted with a furious expression. Her ire was directed onto Issei instead of Rolan.

"No," she repeated as she took a chance to breathe, to channel her thoughts and push down her emotions. "Issei has nothing to do with this. Even as a… Demon Lord, Issei has no claim to challenge you to a Rating Game."

Issei had expected Rolan to make that argument; he never expected the person he was trying to save push him away like this. He didn't understand why she refused his help like this. Regardless, he steeled himself before losing his courage. "Yes I do. I've beaten Sona in a chess match. I qualify as a candidate to marry her."

Rolan stared at a moment at Issei, his head tilting slightly in thought. He blinked once before moving his attention towards Serafall, who had been quiet the whole time— something terribly not like her. She returned his gaze with one of her own, a challenging look filled with as many emotions as needed to tell him what was needed.

He nodded in acceptance before turning towards Sona. He asked dryly, more so speaking the words as an act of formality. "Is any of this true?"

"No," Sona dejected Issei's claim without hesitation. She gave a look at the members of her peerage who were about to speak out. They shriveled before her gaze by the time she returned to Rolan. "Other than my sister and Rias Gremory, you are the only one to have bested me in a game of chess."

"Hmph," Rolan released a small breath of air in something between a huff and a snort. He never had any intentions of believing her. His attention went back towards Serafall, who had stepped up.

"We have evidence to disprove that fact," she elaborated. "Witnesses not associated with Sona and a security feed viewing the results of the match within the student council office—"

"Nee-san, stop!" Sona shrieked out and immediately realized how she reacted. She might as well have admitted to have lied. Her shoulders slouched as most of her weight was being supported by her hands flat on her desk. "Just stop. I've already agreed to this."

As she looked down, her eyes widened. There directly in front of her was the legal marriage doctrine. All that was needed for it to be official was her signature. If she could sign it then there wouldn't be any way they could argue against it. She would be married legally. The ceremony was only a presentation.

Her hand twitched in direction to the pen laying on the surface. But the scroll folded up and flew off the table…

…Into Rolan's waiting grasp.

"There are going to be too many problems if you sign that now that this has been brought up," he explained. "I'd like to avoid the political bullshit as much as possible, thank you. Regardless if the evidence is false, it's still evidence and would be too much of a hassle to prove wrong. So, Hyoudou, how do you propose we go about this?"

Issei and Sona looked at another. Her face was contorted into a mixture of emotions he thought would never see coming from her. Sona was a rock, always had been. To see her brought this far out of her professional persona, to drive her into nothing more than a scared girl… it hurt him. She was looking at him through anger and hope, but not any hope in saving her. She wanted him to stop.

He wouldn't listen. Even if it meant his best friend would hate him for the rest of their lives.

Serafall spoke up in his stead, "We are using the old traditions in a game of kings, when war was out of the question. A tournament to decide which of you both is the superior ruler. As Hyoudou does not have a peerage and you, King Oberon, do not follow the same Devil traditions, you will both be free to choose your champions."

"A kings' game?" Rolan spoke in an unidentifiable tone. His eyes moved over towards the clock on the wall. "…I suppose I can stay for a little longer. But I'm not responsible for anything should the ley lines of this country act up again. Fine. We're going to need paper; lots of it for drafts."

Warning signs lit up within Issei's head. "…You're going to go along with this?"

Rolan gave him a blunt look. "Oh. I can kick and scream if you want me to; I'm quite good at it. Personally I'd rather avoid all this nonsense but somebody had to kick open the door. Since it can't be avoided, I'd had thought you and I were going to sit down and play a game of chess. But that's not going to be the case as you and I both know which one of us is smarter. Hence why we're having a Rating Game instead. We could argue back and forth for hours over the legal standpoints but the end results would have us back to this spot exactly. So why waste time?

"No, Hyoudou, I'm not going along with this so simply. Just because you learned how to bark back at us doesn't mean I'm going to be any softer towards you. Nothing has changed.

"Now is there anything else you need to bitch about or can we go over the rules?"

*Scene*

"And then when we ran away from home one time, I tripped and scrapped my knee bad. But Ise-kun carried me on his back the whole way and took the blame for everything. He told our parents he was the one who convinced me to—"

"For the love of—"

Serene and Virtue turned towards Xenovia who was about to defy the Third Commandment.

Xenovia coughed into her hand and drew back her annoyance. "Irina, while I am happy you got to see your childhood friend, that's all you've been talking about since Saturday."

"But Xenovia!" Irina pouted. "You don't get how awesome Ise-kun was! I have to preserve his memory now that he's become a Devil. Ohhhhhh this must be a test from God! I mustn't give in to temptation. Why did Ise-kun have to grow up into such a hunk?!"

"Those who desire richness fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction," recited Virtue. "Leave him. The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the Day of Judgment. There is no path for you to return to once he became one of them."

Serene look at her fellow Saint before reciting, "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Have faith in God, child. There is no sin in loving him provided you do not give in to your desires. All is determined by the will of the Lord. Keep faith."

This was how it had been ever since they arrived together in Japan. No, Xenovia could see the signs as early as when she met both Saints Serene and Virtue in the private jet. They simply could not get along and only tolerated another's existence because they had a common purpose. But that did not mean they didn't bicker back and forth (in their own way) like children. By using the verses of the Holy Book no less. And because they were using verses they couldn't argue against another else condemn themselves to blasphemy. Neither one of them were wrong.

But neither of them were winning either.

It made the whole trip awkward for the two Exorcists.

"Serene-sama, Virtue-dono, will there be a chance I could say goodbye to Ise-kun once we finish the mission?" Irina asked as she fiddled with her fingers.

"There is nothing to say farewell to other than a distant memory," Virtue shook his head. "The one you believe to love is but a lie. The young man who had captured your heart was the boy you grew up with."

"…So that's a no?" Irina deflated.

Virtue did not reply. Instead, he brought his attention back towards his fellow Saint. "Serene, why have you led us here? I have been patient long enough."

Serene stopped walking. "I wish to avoid bringing innocents into our affairs. To be this far from civilization strengthens that chance. Devil, come out so you may face us. I know you are there."

At first there was nothing. The three turned towards where Serene was looking and could see nothing but a sea of trees and darkness. None of them could detect anything lingering inside either. Time drew out and still nothing stirred. They thought she had been wrong.

…Until a blonde-haired Devil appeared from the shadows, unveiling what illusion he had wrapped himself to become visible. As soon as the shadows were lifted, they suddenly felt the dark presence flowing out of his body. He wished them a great deal of harm and could hardly maintain himself.

"…I had thought I figured out a way to avoid your detection," he began through narrowed eyes.

"Nothing is hidden from the eyes of the Lord," Serene said passively.

The Devil snickered in mockery.

Virtue stepped forward, his holy radiance emitting an aura around his body. It made the Devil tense but he did not falter. "Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. Continue; or run and flee. It matters not. This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish'!"

Serene placed her hand on his shoulder. It was not a gesture to stop him, but merely to gain his attention, to make him wait. Her eyes never left the Devil. "You are… Yuuto Kiba, are you not? The Knight of Gremory and acquaintance of the Dragoon Predator?"

She was stalling time, trying to make the boy see the second chance she was offering him. She wanted him to walk away before they would fulfill something that can never be undone.

"…I am here on my own accord," Yuuto responded through hardened eyes. "My business is not with the Church directly. My business is in regards to those."

His eyes shifted towards Irina and Xenovia. The amount of malice he had before spiked upon looking at them.

Rather, as Serene knew who this young man was, when he peered upon the only visible Excalibur strapped to Xenovia's back.

"Ah, so our culprit reveals himself," Virtue stated as he pulled white gloves from his pockets and began to put them on.

Hostilities rose further as Yuuto realized there wouldn't be any further talking. Two swords appeared out of the air in his grip. They carried demonic miasma.

But, as Xenovia and Irina revealed their Excaliburs, the Devil's energy might as well be as dangerous as a warm breeze. The holy radiance of their weapons lifted their spirits and rejuvenated their faith. It also began to weight down on the Devil. Combined with the radiance of Saint Virtue as he began to mutter prayers in fastening his gloves, the entire area was bathed in God's Grace.

Serene made no move to stop them. She had given him his chance and he threw it back in her face.

However, something did make them stop. Between them, a magic circle of crimson light began to etch into the ground. Devil's craft. Its pungent stench pushed back against the resilience of God's radiance, just enough for Yuuto to begin breathing again.

A small group appeared to intercept them. More Devils. The Gremory peerage appeared with the King personally at the front. Her demonic aura pulsed through the air enough to give space against two Excalibur blades and a Living Saint, but not enough to oppress it.

"Thank goodness~" Akeno said towards the Knight. "We've been looking everywhere for you Kiba-kun. Please don't worry us like that and run off again."

"Kiba-kun, are you hurt?" Asia Argento moved over to the Knight's side as soon as she could. Yuuto, in response, shook his head and looked away.

"Step aside, Devil," Virtue glared at Rias.

Rias returned the glare with her own, but it wasn't missed how she began to sweat by three potent signatures of divine presences. "I will not. I apologize for any disrespect my Knight has done onto you. I assure you he will be punished for his transgressions."

Xenovia and Irina would have let it go at that, granted Xenovia would have been bitter about it. However, they did not put away their weapons or lower their guard because things were being settled diplomatically. Rias had offered peace, after all. No, they kept their weapons up because they both felt battle would be upon them anyways.

Because Saint Virtue would not let it go. "Do you expect me to take the word of a Devil? No, no such forgiveness can be given to a heathen. If you shall defend him further, I will strike you down as an enemy of the Lord."

The entire area grew tense as Virtue shifted his stance to assault. Rias and her peerage prepared their selves for battle as their demonic energies spiked in retaliation.

"…Virtue," Serene tried one last saving grace before things got out of control. She was the only one who remained neutral and entirely unaffected by the two dominating forces. "This is the King of the Dragoon. Smiting her for any reason, no matter how righteous it may seem, would invoke the wrath of a dragon even the Lord had difficulty subduing. They have apologized. Do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the left also."

Most of the Gremory peerage flinched at the passage spoken through one who bore the Voice of God. Even Rias was susceptible, though she had been able to withhold her reaction by biting her lips.

Xenovia took a leap of faith. She lowered her Excalibur Destruction and gestured for Irina to do the same with her Mimic. "Saint Serene is right. As loath as I am to admit it… God will forgive us, Saint Virtue, if we continue to focus on—"

"I am a Voice of the Lord," Virtue spat. "I am Virtue. I am all that is good and righteous. And so I say in His Name the Devil hiding behind his master is a vice! They knew we were here. They had their chance to stay out of our way. He did not listen and must be punished. It is a sin not to. It is a sin to stay your hand before a Devil."

"Buchou, I don't think he's going to listen…" Akeno said through a thin smile. As much as she was soaking through her loins desiring to fry him with some Heavenly Thunder (the irony alone was getting her moist), another aspect of her was fearing against him. This was a Living Saint, after all. They were the most powerful fighting force the Church possessed aside from the Seraphim.

"…We will defend ourselves," Rias gave her last warning as the power of destruction was summoned by her will. Crimson and black lightning crackled through her fingertips as it seeped through her skin. She could feel it hunger to devour all that existed. She had to focus in order to keep it at bay, as though it were a living entity being held on a leash.

And, for some reason, this felt more powerful since her battle against Raizer Phenex. She was having difficulty holding it in, a first she ever had with the power she was born with.

"You will stay your hand, Virtue," Serene had enough and placed herself between both parties. She chose to oppose Virtue but kept her side facing the Devils should a fight break out anyways. Not that it would; Rias knew better than to pick a fight with a Predator.

"You would choose them?!" Virtue sneered.

"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you," Serene spoke in a most tranquil tone. "If you wish to continue, I will not be of any assistance. Nor will the girls. I am here to protect them and I shall not partake in anything that will bring forth the wrath of the Dragoon. But you? Vengeance will kindle a flame of your forest to consume your all."

Serene said nothing more as she stepped around Virtue, grazing one gentle hand past his bicep before reaching the Exorcists. She gestured for them to lower their weapons and follow her out of the forest. In doing so, she looked back over her shoulder towards Rias, then Asia, and then Yuuto. None of the Devils could understand the look she was giving them with her peaceful face.

Her eyes widened towards the direction behind them.

They watched as a crimson projectile glistening in the moonlight flew over their heads and struck Serene like a missile. The explosion sent debris flying everywhere with the unprepared Exorcists being knocked aside. Their cloaks went up in flames with the protections they wore underneath keeping them from dying. But that did not mean they came unscathed; scorch marks dug deep into their faces, only minimizing the damage through instinct and training by turning away and bringing their weapons up as last-minute shields.

They watched as Serene splattered into a million pieces of red mist and gore.

Virtue had taken the brunt of the blast but moved no further than a step forward with his head snapping back from the force. He stood his ground and suffered no visible damage. Only Serene's blood and intestines coated his back.

Asia screamed at the sight.

Yuuto pushed her out of the way and dove in front of Rias. Something crashed into his twin blades and sent his world shaking by the strength. His guard faltered. His own blades dug into his shoulders from the unreal force. But he had been able to protect both Asia and his King before the figure warped past him.

Saint Virtue had been better prepared than the Knight. Fists swung around at high speeds and with such power they created shockwaves with every thrust. His fists collided with something and created thunderous roars with every contact. But the figure remained unharmed as he brought his sword around to slash at the Living Saint.

Virtue deflected the sword with his sleeve, but it had torn at the touch of the blade. His divine protections had worked but then ruptured by the weapon in the assailant's hands. Which meant it was a most unholy instrument, something only the vilest of Devils and pagans could use against the Church's elite.

They were only battling for half a second, fists and sword flying in blinding strokes with every move warping the space around them. Though Virtue was stronger, faster, and more experienced, there was something terribly wrong at play. The holy text and angelic runes etched into his gloves and fabrics were having no effect on the assailant. His bones did not shatter nor did his skin burst into flames. And with every touch, Virtue could feel his divine protections losing its grace.

Until a swipe to his ribs had his blood splattering all over the grass. The cursed blade had done its deed, had overcome the radiance of holy protections, and had delivered a crippling wound. It made Virtue hesitate in his next strike from the pain and shock. He could continue on, but against a savage like this the one fragment of time needed to reset his concentration was most critical.

The shadowy figure snapped a finger.

Virtue's side exploded into a raging inferno of colorless flames. Pain consumed him as not even the blessings of his faith or his training could keep him upright.

The figure moved away. Two seconds had passed. Everyone was beginning to gather their wits and beginning to form retaliatory strategies. But they were still so slow. The two most experienced of the parties were quickly removed. All that was left were children who had hardly seen the worst the world had to offer.

Such as this monster.

The figure was before Irina. Her eyes widened as she realized the unreal speed of this creature and how outclassed she was. She brought up her Excalibur Mimic as it swung its black curved sword. The two clashed, creating sparks of gold and black energies as the two forces were never meant to have met. But he never meant to cut her.

He grabbed her wrist and snapped her arm in two. She screamed in pain and released Mimic… letting it fall easily into his hands.

Xenovia was moving, bringing her Destruction around to split the young man in half. They were beginning to see a pattern of his movements and could make out faint details whenever he paused to perform an action. A teenage boy, lanky, bald head, large ears, and a smile with far too many teeth and far too large to fit proportionately to his face. He moved inhumanly fast; his body should have been mesh even with supernatural reinforcements.

Impossibly, he caught Excalibur Destruction. Not with his hands, but with his teeth. His head swiveled around, bent impossibly to be parallel to her blade, and his mouth clamped down just before the edge could fulfill its divine authority. He had been able to avoid this Excalibur's destruction property.

Crimson and black marbled eyes moved from the blade down towards her.

Xenovia froze as she was swept away in an aura of madness. Something invaded her mind. It tore down the protections of her faith as this thing was reading into her soul. She felt defiled, tainted, and impure, all by but a look of those eyes.

His neck stretched. His teeth grinded down the blade, creating sparks from his razor fangs as he grew closer towards her. But she could not move. She could feel his breath on her as he moved towards her neck. She could feel his fangs hovering over the skin; her flesh opening on its own in welcoming those fangs to drink her blood before contact had even been made.

His head snapped back when a black ball of pure destruction splashed onto his right temple. A total of five seconds had passed since Serene had been attacked. That had been more than enough time for everyone to gather their selves.

"Get away from her!" Rias barked and fired more orbs of destruction. It mattered not if they were enemies seconds ago. This thing was her enemy. The initial attack, that speed, that inhuman flexibility, that smile… she had seen those things before.

Ten orbs of destruction fired off by her command, scattering away at first and then coming together in a grand collision so to confuse her target. But it mattered little when her enemy was no normal creature. It had been more than prepared, probably even before she initiated her attack, and had dodged her attack with utmost fluency. However, it didn't divert away from the group to gather distance. It dove straight for her.

He crashed straight into Asia's barrier, his face pressing against the invisible wall. Still his smile remained with his tongue sticking out as though this were one big joke to him.

Koneko charged out of the group. She was nowhere near as fast as Yuuto, but her steps made the wind lash around by her speed. Invigorated with the chakra she had gathered since the possibility of a fight against a Living Saint, she had been ready to unleash her full potential. As soon as he crashed onto Asia's barrier, she leapt forward and brought her fist around in a full-might Assaulter stance in perfect replication to Issei's.

The young man brought his head back and smashed it against the surface of Asia's barrier. Her spell should stop all manner of force as it was a conceptual magic instead of practical. But the invisible wall shattered like glass by such a simple strike. Free, he blocked the Nekoshou's tiny fist with the flat of his blade. A shockwave of chakra and raw strength shook the ground and air, but no damage had been done.

Yuuto was there in her shadow. His Holy Erasure and Void Usurper, both weapons of his design to battle those of the Church and the Fallen, were brought around. One to slash at his neck while the other to slice off the arm containing the Excalibur. With his sharpened presence, any visibility of his attacks were thinner than a strand of black hair within this dark night.

Naturally, the young man had been able to see this coming almost a mile away. Excalibur Mimic was raised to intercept Holy Erasure while his head snapped back with his face morphing and sinking completely flat to dodge Void Usurper. As the light-devouring blade was swinging through fast enough to create a blade of wind, the young man stuck his tongue out and allowed a small trickle of his blood to be spilt.

It had been the tiniest fragment of a second when the blade was brought around to finish its attack. No matter how fast Yuuto could make his body move, his mind could not keep up with such extremes. Even as he saw the blood stick to his sword he could not stop his body in motion from completing the swipe nor react. The best he could do was open his grip to let the blade fly away.

Only two fingers were lifted when the Void Usurper exploded in a combustion of colorless flames and shrapnel. His entire left hand was shredded with his upper body and face taking the remaining damage at full critical. Mystic steel and cursed flames tore through his skin and the concussion knocked him off his feet.

Koneko had been able to endure with the resilience of a Rook. Though nothing had pierced her skin, she had still been knocked down by the concussion.

Rias and Akeno both barraged him with orbs of destruction and Heavenly Thunder. The orbs tore through his skin, leaving black ooze to continuously devour his flesh to counter his regeneration. The white lightning was blocked by the black blade, but holy and pagan forces met to create a shockwave to push the young man away. Even with a distance gathered, the two did not let up on their attacks.

Asia moved quickly, falling to her knees to begin immediate treatment on the unconscious Yuuto. However, something was hindering the effects of her Twilight Healing. Something dark was pushing against her healing properties. Her eyes widened as she knew what this force was.

It was the same darkness that had cursed Nakashima Ayame.

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath.

And then, there was evil upon them all.

A swirl of sin blustered in the clearing, cycling around like a storm at the center where Serene once stood. Evil, true, shapeless, and abyssal evil rose from the ground, from the trees, from them and gathered into one spot. With all that was evil removed from their vessels, those wounded from the confrontation had been healed. No, simply the evil of their wounds had been extracted and the good within them spread to cover up the void.

A human shape began to form. A grotesque human form made of rotten skin, exposed innards, deformed limbs, disfigured organs, and jagged bones. The darkness that was absolute sin was absorbed into this body. But with every sin, more damage was done onto this body, making it more incongruous than before. The same damages done onto them was brought onto this disfigured creature.

But in an instant, the figure was gone. Taking its place instead was Saint Serene in the peak of her condition as though she hadn't perished.

She was pissed as she glared at the assailant with wrath equaling Heaven's might.

"Ah… shit," said the assailant. "This is going to suck balls."

It is mine to avenge; I will repay.

All the damage he had performed onto them had been redirected onto his self. All of it.

His arm snapped in two. His face tore apart and burned as though a grenade detonated before him. His side ruptured in a gaping wound the size of a fist. And, last, his entire being exploded into red mist.

His black blade and Excalibur Mimic clattered to the ground.

"Buchou! What—" Yuuto shot to his feet and created a pair of swords in his grip, ready to attack at a moment's notice. He, as well as everyone else, was in perfect health. There was nothing to keep him unconscious but his mind was still ready for battle. He had to blink and examine his surroundings.

It was as if nothing bad had happened to them. Both Devils and Church members stood tall without a scratch— without so much as a hair out of place or wrinkle on their clothes! It was as though they had been standing around the whole time instead of dealing with a monster who was going to town on them all.

Irina was the first to move. She eyed her Excalibur Mimic and immediately moved to retrieve it.

"Do not move!" Serene ordered in an extreme tone. "The Vampire still lives!"

Blood and shadows gathered as though her words were a trigger. They latched onto the dirt, rocks, and wood of the land, dragging it to the center of where the Fourth Predator had once stood. Bone, flesh, organs, tissues, nerves, vessels— everything that made up a human body began to weave together and give shape to the giant man. A bloodied and muscle-exposed hand grabbed the holy and cursed weapons on the ground.

The black blade glowed in a horrid light as crimson vein lines pulsed upon its surface. Shadows warped and spun clothes and reknitted flesh faster. The regeneration was almost instantaneous.

Fourth Predator, the Vampire, gave a smile that split his face in half. The illusionary identity he had before to attack the group had been destroyed from Serene's retaliation. Therefore, he stood before them in his true form.

"Damn," he gave a heavy sigh, yet keeping his large smile and cackling in between. "Thought I had you there. And did you really have to rip my mask apart? Now I'm going to have to fuck with some other kid and their family to sneak back into the academy."

"…How long?"

Power pulsed through Rias. The power of destruction oozed out of her in wisps of black lightning and ribbons. It floated lazily around her in the same way a cobra fooled its enemies into thinking it was going to be lax in its hunt. The air, nay, the space touching the black tendrils ceased to exist as it devoured all in its wake.

Absolute hatred channeled through Rias as she her Devil craft made her eyes glow with brimming power. "How long have you been that person?!"

The Fourth looked at her. His smile grew until each edge of his lips touched his ears and then curled into swirls within his cheeks. Hundreds of jagged teeth clattered as he giggled at her question through barely maintained excitement.

"Always!"

The one he was disguised had once existed. But not in a time since they knew him. It could be as early as when he enrolled into Kuoh or it could be as far back as the first days he became a Predator. Regardless, the person in question they thought they knew had never existed. It had been a lie with the Fourth masquerading as that individual the entire time.

Matsuda, Issei's dear friend, had been the Fourth all along.

The impact of such information rendered the Occult Research Club frozen in place. The Fourth had been among them the entire time and they never knew. He had been beside Issei for a time immeasurable and not even the Dragoon Predator had known.

Virtue stepped forward. Without sin to hold him down, his divine rights were unleashed at their full potential. His body emitted rays of white and gold as holy words etched onto his clothing and angelic runes shone on his gloves. Those aligned with his faith boosted their parameters to superhuman levels while it brought the Devils to their knees and burning pain. Xenovia leveled her Excalibur Destruction as Virtue amplified its divinity. Irina, who had no weapon to attack with, clasped her hands together and silently whispered prayers. Though she possessed not a Voice of God like the Living Saints, her faith was strong enough to support the divine presence further.

Serene extended her arm and clasped her hand down at something unseen in the air. Light penetrated the area as a pure silver sword materialized in her grip. It was as long as her entire arm with every part of it forged out of silver. However, in the moonlight, it glistened red.

The Church's greatest warriors, masters in turning virtue and sin into a weapon respectively, were ready to vanquish the greatest enemy of Heaven that had surpassed the Heavenly Father's adversary the Earth Mother.

The Vampire gave an exaggerated gasp and put his black blade up to cover his mouth. He whispered something far too quiet for anyone to hear.

Serene shivered. Her body fought against her as it jerked around. She moaned in an effort to remain upright.

"…No!" Virtue's eyes snapped towards his counterpart as he realized what was going on.

Serene tried to fight it. But no Living Saint could deny it. She fell to her knees and tried to mutter something— either a curse or a prayer to strike at the Fourth. But her body would not obey.

Somehow in some way, the Fourth knew her name.

But so too did Virtue.

"Amelia Rosewood," he refused to allow the greatest heathen to gain control over Heaven's most powerful fighting force. "Die!"

The silver sword pierced through her heart. Serene gasped and leaned forward. Her hands gripped tight around the hilt as her arms obeyed Virtue's command and pushed the blade back until the guard was at her breasts. She collapsed; her hands still holding on to the hilt in a permanent grip. She would never let go of the blade.

Nobody moved. There were several different mixtures of disbelief floating among the group. They had seen Saint Serene burst apart into fragments and reappear shortly after. Surely something like this would be nothing in comparison.

But that disbelief was beginning to wash away as the seconds ticked away. Nothing changed. Serene did not get up. She did not remove the blade. The blood flowing down the silver edge began to sink into the metal as though the sword itself was drinking it in. They had thought this was another aspect of her Miracles. But, again, nothing happened.

A full minute passed and Serene never got back up.

"Amy," the Fourth muttered with his own level of disbelief. "Get up."

Her body did not twitch. Serene of Finland, Amelia Rosewood, was dead.

"Well this fucking blows," the Vampire cursed as he clicked his teeth. "Yeah, the World acknowledges it."

He so declared with a voice of power fueled by the essence of the World, "I am Third Predator, the Vampire."

"No!" Asia screamed and ran to Serene's side. She fell to her knees and shook the late Living Saint. Her body was still warm but fading away fast. She tried to remove the sword but it wouldn't budge. Panicking, knowing it wouldn't work but refused to face reality, Asia activated her Twilight Healing as though it would bring the woman who raised her back to life.

Virtue kicked her square in the jaw. "BACK AWAY WITCH! I'll not have you defile the body of a Prophet of the Lord with your devilry!"

Asia began to sob. Not from the pain of the strike but from the fact she knew Serene was gone from this world. She lay there with her face in the dirt as the tears flowed down.

Rias' anger flared. It rose from her Bishop's treatment and from her inability to defend Asia. She could move and strike against the Living Saint even as he continued to radiate his holy presence, but she could not risk dropping her guard in the slightest with the Vampire still present.

"…This changes nothing," Saint Virtue returned his ire towards the Vampire. "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last."

More divine power flowed out as the Voice of God called upon his rites. The air shimmered as a Miracle was in the process of being unleashed onto the world.

The Vampire's smile returned with a vengeance. What he said next distilled the holy presence with a defiled aura of his own. "I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!"

The members of the Church's eyes widened in horror and surprise. The Vampire, the bane of Heaven, was incanting the next line of Virtue's text with his own pagan divinity. While Virtue bathed the world in righteousness and light, the Vampire darkened it with wickedness and rot.

"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later!" Virtue continued his incantation. The air shimmered again to push back the blaspheme words.

"The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this~" the Vampire chose to sing this time, further mocking the Words of God.

Together, they challenged another and invoked the last text.

"The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches!"

Seven swords appeared around the two. Seven swords forged of light and beauty and seven swords forged of darkness and taint. Swords as bright as stars that lit the way for travelers and swords as dark as the night to hide the evil lurking within. Light devoured the dark and the dark devoured the light, creating a realm of gray between them. They floated and revolved around them at a steady and traceable speed.

Rias and her company realized how outclassed they were when the fighting began. Swords fired off like arrows, cleaving the trees and tearing the earth with every swing. Virtue and the Vampire were moving far too fast for their eyes to keep up. Their movements should not have been physically possible. Thunder roared in the clearing as the landscape was being remade with every blow exchanged. Like and dark clashed, creating tremendous tremors that shook both her body and soul.

"Buchou!" Yuuto shouted at the top of his lungs behind Akeno's barrier. It was the only thing keeping them from getting sprayed with shrapnel. "We need to leave! Now!"

There would be no shame in retreating at this point. Her enemies were the strongest of the Church and one of the eight Ultimate Killers of the planet. "Get the circle ready!" she shouted back, trying to order over the deafening booms of the battle. "Get Asia! We need Issei!"

"WAIT!" the voice of the Vampire was louder than the clash he was creating. "I'm not done FUCKING with you people yet!"

He was upon them before they could react. His body had vibrated from where he was brawling with Virtue twenty meters away and then suddenly appeared directly in front of Rias. She was completely unprepared as the sick monster was within her breathing space with his Cheshire smile and marbled eyes of swirling chaos. There was nothing she could do. Even if she had been prepared he was leagues faster than her.

Yuuto slammed his shoulder into her as he used his Devilry to accelerate at his maximum speed. The force ruptured the ground and he could feel his legs screaming from the strain, but he was far too focused in both panic and adrenaline to worry.

The Vampire's black curved sword carved into them both. Yuuto hadn't been able to get there in time but he had been able to save Rias from a lethal strike; his blade carved across her chest and through her shoulder but it had been shallow.

But the same couldn't be said for him.

His neck spliced open.

Instinct took over as he fell to his knees, dropped his weapons, and covered the gash with his hands. He couldn't breathe. The blood was flowing out of his wound at an alarming rate. He needed to close it else die in a matter of minutes. It hadn't been critical, but still warranted immediate attention.

In the middle of a battle the likeness of receiving any was low.

"KIBA!" Rias shouted in frenzy. Her power spiked and discharged through her hands fierce and mighty enough to draw blood from her fingertips. But her power of destruction surged like never before. A beam of her carnivorous ability fired in a Jetstream.

The Vampire brought his weapon up plus the sacrilege Miracle blades around in a shield. His eyes widened slightly when his Miracles shattered and he was pushed away from her attack. Though his blade blocked the majority of her attack, the splash damage tore apart his flesh and remained attached to his skin like parasites.

She had managed to remove that smile from him. Whether this was good or bad… she didn't know.

Before he could recover, Virtue was already at his side. His seven Miracles and his reinforced fists were lashed around like a hurricane of divine force. The Vampire was pummeled and slashed, but he did not fall down. However, he was noticeably slower. The black ooze of Rias' destruction spell continued to latch on and counter against his regeneration. No, it was overwhelming it and slowly spreading across his body!

She didn't have time to worry about that. Akeno was already by Yuuto and trying to patch up the wound with her healing magic. It was stopping the bleeding but the curse of the Vampire's blade was keeping it from closing.

"Koneko! Get Asia! Now!" Rias ordered. Her own bleeding wouldn't stop but she could ignore it. She needed to. She had to protect her peerage at all costs. With one hand channeling her destruction and another working the weaves of a transportation spell she kept an eye on the battle between the two beings beyond her.

It had appeared Virtue to be winning. But that wasn't the case. His opponent was an immortal being who did not seem to be bound to the limitations humans must succumb to. Even the humans who had reinforced their abilities through supernatural means still had limits. A certain level of strength, speed, and stamina could be obtained. Even by channeling the might of Heaven, Virtue was not susceptible to this law.

He was tiring. His soul was willing as he always struck with as much force as the previous. But his body was weakening as he knew eventually something within him would break.

His opponent had no such limitations. No matter how much blood was spilt, no matter how many bones were crushed, no matter how many limbs were hacked off, the bane of Heaven was always at the peak of his power. It felt as though Virtue was fighting nothing but a shadow.

For no matter how bright of a light, the darkness was always just as fierce.

His eyes widened in dread when Xenovia leapt into the battle. The Vampire had exposed his back to the girl who had been waiting the entire time for the perfect strike. She had seen it. She was going for it with her Excalibur Destruction. But she was ignorant. She knew not the monster they were facing.

She didn't know the Vampire had always known of her intention and lured her into a trap.

With the next clash of blades, the Vampire brought his face close to Virtue's and smiled.

Xenovia brought her blade around to cleave their enemy in two right above the hip. Her holy sword would have shattered him the second its edge touched his side.

His ribs burst out of his side and clamped down at the flat of the blade to negate its explosive properties. His head twisted completely around to glare down at the Exorcist through another maddening gaze that rattled her soul and mind. She couldn't move as his natural aura was invading her mind once more and breaking down the defenses of her faith.

"Boo!" he whispered in a playful tone as one would towards a small babe.

Excalibur Destruction dropped from her grip as her hands shot towards her head. Something was clawing from within her skull. Dark and perverse thoughts that were not her own consumed her. She was seeing images that were not of reality; things that could not, should not, and will not exist and yet she was seeing them. She was screaming. She was pulling at her hair and digging her nails into her skull to rip out the metaphorical lurker he implanted her with.

She was seeing truth. Truth that went against her faith. She was seeing the memories of the Earth Mother and the Heavenly Father, of their endless battles, of the origins of humanity, of the Fallen, of the Devils, and of…

Evensong. The Evening Prayer…

…the fall of the Heavenly Father.

Her mind could not cope with the strain. Her soul could not stay strong. Her body continued to move, continued to scream and to claw at her flesh in the madness, but she was no longer among the physical world. Her psyche was lost in the memories that were not hers, unable to escape them no matter how hard she tried to block them out.

Eventually her body gave out and collapsed. Her fingers and face constantly twitched with her legs having a spasm every few seconds. Her eyes stared into open space as her lips muttered incoherent ramblings and apologies to a nothing she had wronged.

Virtue roared out in a righteous fury; the light of his blades grew from faint starlight to blinding sunrays. All seven swung down and split the Vampire in seven different ways with his flesh searing from white flames. However, the burst of significant power broke the Miracle's foundations; the blades of light dissolved into dust before fading away from existence.

A hand of pure blood latched onto his throat, flung him around like a rag, and tossed his body towards the edge of the clearing. The Vampire was far from done as his regeneration mended his body at its unreal speed. The light of the Miracle blades had severed the chaos of Rias' destruction spell, permitting the Vampire to heal at his normal speed without any further resilience.

"Whoever sheds human blood," sang the Vampire once more as his eyes turned towards the Gremory peerage. A dark pagan divinity poisoned the air. "By humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind!"

Yuuto made a gargling noise as his body jerked. His bleeding had stopped— the blood flowing down his neck ran back up and crawled back into his wound. Black veins pulsed at his neck and spread up towards his head and ran down his torso.

"R-Run! I… c-can't… he's trying to…" he tried to resist the blaspheme Miracle taking control over his body. He tried to defy it but there was nothing he could do. His hand went for the straight sword; he tried to activate his Sacred Gear to dispel the sword but everything about him was working against his will.

Akeno moved away as he stood and slashed at her. He clipped her. His Devilry sharpened his presence, warping the shadows around him and compressing his energy to make himself a blade. His consciousness was still his own but his body moved against his will. Every move he made was to kill at his best effort.

Koneko slammed into his side and wrapped her arms around his. His body jerked with bursts of demonic energy exploding out of his joints to throw her off. She struggled to stay on and hold him still and was close to falling off, but she refused to let go. His bones were cracking by his resistance and her strength.

"K-Koneko-chan hold him still!" Asia called out as she kept her distance from the rampaging Knight until he was bound. Her Twilight Healing lit up in her hands as she prepared to heal his wounds; perhaps it could reverse the curse the Vampire had placed on him.

Virtue was back in the game. He came charging at the Vampire at his flank. An influx of angelic runes lit up the sleeve of his arms as he spoke in a language their Devil's tongue could translate.

With Koneko holding Yuuto and Akeno conjuring chains of demonic energy to tie him to the ground, Rias unleashed another barrage of destruction when the Vampire's attention was still upon her. Her orbs scattered in every direction as a means to keep him at bay rather than to do harm this time. He twisted and dodged her attacks until Virtue was close enough to land a haymaker across his jaw. A shockwave of light erupted upon contact and washed over her, enough to burn the surface of her skin. She tolerated it as it got the Vampire distracted for the moment.

…Until he picked up Excalibur Destruction and purposely slid his hand across its edge. His blood ran down its side.

He swung the blade. His smile grew to the point it consumed his entire face.

Space shattered like glassas Excalibur Destruction activated and slammed into the surface of air. Virtue's face contorted into absolute pain and shock even if the blade never hit him.

Then, there was an explosion that swept them all off their feet.

Rias didn't know where she was when she came to. The world was still spinning when she tried to stand back up. She fumbled and clawed at a fallen tree trunk for support. Nausea swept her but the fear and worry over her peerage pushed her forward. There was a dull pain across her… everything. Nothing seemed to be broken.

Pushing herself to her knees, she examined her surroundings. The area was cleared into a flat surface. Trees were knocked down. The only thing remained was the Vampire… who was looking directly at her with his maddening smile.

At this point, there would be nothing to defend her. She was at his mercy. With two Excaliburs in his hands, that cursed blade slid into his belt, and the prowess that made him a Predator, there was nothing she could do to stop him should he move to strike her down.

She hated it. But she accepted it. His smile grew as he read the expression on her face. Yet, he did not move as his attention slithered over towards her far right.

She extended her senses towards her Pieces. She could feel them pulse as her King's Piece was still connected to them. They had been scattered by the blast, but they were alive. They were hurt but none of them had been struck by a critical blow. Slowly, as though sensing the call of their master, they began to rise up.

Yuuto was the first to break through the wreckage. But he did not go towards her. His body limped as blood trickled down his brow, left arm, and right leg. He was gritting his teeth as his legs carried him forward… straight towards the Vampire.

The black veins still pulsed from Yuuto's neck. The cursed Miracle was still in effect.

"Good, good!" the Vampire cackled. "Now go and pick that up."

He pointed towards over his shoulder with a finger directed at Xenovia's unconscious body.

Virtue stumbled out of the wreckage next. His clothes were in tatters, drenched in his blood, and still glowed in a faint light of Latin verses and angelic runes. But he was in no condition to fight, let alone walk. He took two steps before he collapsed to his knees.

"What… What are you doing with Kiba?" Rias demanded. She was panting. Her voice was soft no matter how hard she tried to shout. The aftermath of the holy force of Excalibur Destruction weakened her considerably. The Vampire might not have been able to hear her.

Perhaps he did. Perhaps he was ignoring her. He didn't answer as he was too interested in the jagged crack running up the spine of Destruction. He clicked his tongue but did not drop his smile. It was as though the damage upon the blade mattered little to him.

"Usurper of the Earth Mother," Virtue snarled, his voice still carrying authority and power despite his condition. "You are the bane of Heaven, the enemy of the Heavenly Father! His works and His words are the bane of your existence! By what satanic law are you able to twist His Miracles for your use? His system still runs! YOU CANNOT USE HIS WORDS SO HOW?!"

More began to trickle out of the wreckage. Koneko was first, followed by Akeno supporting Asia, and then Irina from across the way.

Yuuto returned to the Vampire's side with Xenovia over his shoulder.

The Vampire craned his head around, making sure to stare into the eyes of everyone within the vicinity. He wanted to make sure all were listening.

"Oh. Gather around children. And let me tell you the story of the Evensong."

Virtue's eyes widened in horror. "SILENCE! DON'T YOU SPEAK OF THAT SACRILEGE!"

The Vampire did not care. He spoke not in words of pagan divinity. He spoke by the authority placed upon him by the World. By the authority as a defender of the planet. As a Predator.

None could turn their ears away from him.

"He learned prayer from us. He prayed to a Nothingness he knew would never answer. He prayed we will not find him. And Nothing answered him.

"I found him. He cried out in hopelessness, in petty desperation— a last resort and weep for an age of old. He cried, 'But, I am GOD!'

"We looked at him in pity. In sadness. For he was our teacher, our father, our protector. But it passed.

"AND BEFORE I SMOTE HIM WHERE HE KNELT I SO DECLARED, 'YES! BUT I AM MAN!'"

Rias gasped. Virtue roared out in fury as tears of betrayal and rage flowed down. Irina simply stood there. The words, the truth had settled in her mind but they could not register within her soul. She was in a battle with her core— a battle she would lose no matter what.

It was Asia who screamed. A blood curdling scream of anguish, of denial, of heartbreak. She shook her head vigorously as though the truth itself would fall out of her mind. Akeno embraced her. Asia continued to cry, to mutter words of denial, until she gave in to the stress of it all and collapsed in the Queen's arms.

Nobody moved. Nobody could. Even as Devils, those aligned to the Underworld and furthest from Heaven, they were affected by the knowledge of a truth they could not believe.

God was dead.

Rias' eyes sharpened when the shadows around the Vampire began to rise. She tried to move to stop him. But she couldn't. She was wounded, weakened, and her fortitude was at its lowest from the words of the Evensong.

The shadows rose and enveloped the three. Before she could call out to her Knight, they were all gone.

Her heart skipped a beat. She could no longer sense Yuuto's presence. Not even the link she shared through the Evil Pieces would work.

"Buchou…" Akeno snapped her out of her anger. The Queen had approached her with Asia still in her arms. Koneko soon limped her way over. She fell onto her bottom but gave a reassured look to say she was fine… as best of a look as she could give anyways.

"We…" Rias had difficulty thinking. "We need to get Issei. How… How long… will a magic circle take?"

Though a King could always tell the conditions of their Pieces the same trait did not work the other way around. A King was to take responsibility for all of their Pieces and support them. Yes, their Pieces would always support their King as it was their master. But that was assuming the Pieces would always remain at their side. The only way Issei could know of her condition was if he was using his Predator perks.

Given he was in a meeting with Rolan over Sona, he couldn't afford to distract himself to keep constant vigilance over them. Plus, he believed nothing would happen to them anyways.

"Buchou, you're bleeding," Akeno said in a heavy voice. As the Queen she needed to be the pillar that supported the King. She wanted to run and tell Issei and rescue Yuuto, but their health was a priority. "You're going to be in danger if we don't treat your wounds. First we take care of ourselves and then we go from there."

Rias nodded; she already knew this was the logical approach but couldn't find the charisma within her to say it.

She had foolishly believed she could defend her Peerage from the Vampire. She knew she couldn't challenge him directly. But she had believed since they had all gotten stronger since his last appearance they could make a difference. Other than a few 'surprise' attacks, they could still do nothing against him.

It pained her enormously. She had failed to protect her family from the same monster. She had failed at being a King.

"Saint… Virtue…" across the clearing, Irina moved slowly. Her arms wrapped tightly around her waist as her legs carried her one wobbly step at a time. Heavy tears fell down her eyes. Though they were locked on Virtue's position, they could not focus on him. "God… must still be there… He has to be… T-There's no way He—"

His wounds did not slow him down. He rose to his feet, closed the distance in a single bound, and brought the back of his hand across her face. Irina squealed in pain and shock as she was brought down to the floor. The strike had been great enough to tear her skin.

"You are USELESS!" The air shook as his divine might was released. Slowly, almost like a crawl, his wounds were being healed by holy light. He stood tall and towered over the weeping girl. "The enemy of Heaven was upon us and you did nothing! Were you a true soldier of God you would have given your life even if it meant merely slowing him down. The sacrifices Saint Serene and Xenovia made will be remembered. But you? No. You've disappointed me, your sisters, and the Heavenly Father in your idleness."

Irina looked up at him with wide, horror-struck eyes.

His eyes narrowed as he made his final decision. He spoke once more through the Voice of God, "Now Salvation, and Strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come…"

Irina screamed. "Saint Virtue! No! Please! I'm sorry! I'll pay for my transgressions! PLEASE! DON'T EXCOMMUNICATE ME PLEASE!"

"For the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down."

Irina screamed once more. She crawled in haste to Saint Virtue's feet and groveled before him. She begged for him to revoke his words and to forgive her. He did not listen. He turned and moved away from her. Her screams of anguish would not reach his ears.

His eyes looked once at the Gremory peerage. He sneered, but turned his head away from them. He muttered something under his breath, fixed what remained of his suit over his shoulders, and marched out of the ruined area.

Irina remained sobbing on the ground. She prayed for Saint Virtue to come back and forgive her. He would not come. She prayed to the God she believed still remained for mercy.

The answer she received was pain. A sharp pain struck her head as her prayers were rejected. The act sent her spiraling further into despair and so she asked her God for forgiveness again. More pain was her response. She went on and on, praying for forgiveness and receiving rejection in its stead.

She wasn't just excommunicated from the Church. She was removed from the Heavenly Father's blessing entirely.

Rias… felt conflicted. She wanted to go over and offer her comforts for the girl. As a person she wanted to do this. But as a Devil she might as well be stepping on Irina's wounds. The girl still firmly believed in her God despite being exposed to truth. The teachings of the gospel were still etched into every fiber of her being. A Devil offering compassion towards an Exorcist would be seen as temptation.

As it turned out, she didn't need to make the decision on her own. A gentle hand came down and stroked Irina's hair. The chestnut haired girl shot up in alarm at the touch, looked at the person in doubt, but then chose to sob in her embrace.

Saint Serene of Finland continued to stroke her hair.

*Scene*

"The terms of victory are determined by the following…" Sixth Predator Chase Lance Rolan read through the final draft after an hour of debate from all parties. "If enough penalties marked on the King reduces the time limit per move to zero seconds, if all Pieces aside from the King are removed from the board, if the King is submitted into a checkmate, or if the King falls in battle against the defending Piece he is sieging or the opposing King."

He placed the document down and looked around the room from his seat. "Serafall Leviathan, do you agree to these terms drafted?"

The rules were not how she would have preferred to have been, but she could not argue that they were… fair. "Yes, I agree."

"Issei Hyoudou, do you agree?"

The Eighth Predator continued to click his heel against the floor from where he sat. His arms were crossed as he was greatly displeased with the end results. But, at the same time, Rolan had been equally as annoyed by them. The rules were set so neither of them would have an advantage over the other while at the same time restrict the match so neither of the two could meet unless a set of conditions could be met. If they could then it would just be a brawl between two Predators. This was supposed to be a game to determine who the better individual overall was.

"Yeah… I agree to them," he said with reluctance. But this was going to be the best chance he was going to get at the Sixth Predator.

Rolan looked around the room once more and eyed each and every Piece who had sat at their appointed desks. Layers and layers of notes of the conversations had been recorded by them. They had tried their best to give every opportunity in Issei's favor, but in the end their attempts had only given Rolan ideas for this new constructive game.

"Members of the Sitri Peerage, do any of you have any reasonable claim against these terms?"

His eyes landed on Saji at this question. The Pawn had the loudest voice during the exchanged but never had a valid point to make. Rolan, at first, had been patient with him and countered his questions with logic. But despite how many warnings both Sona and Tsubaki had given him, and no matter how many punishments they promised him, Saji continued to speak out of turn against Rolan.

Eventually, the Sixth Predator had lost his patience. He would have killed Saji hadn't Serafall spoken up.

"Realize if you follow through then we will take it as a declaration of war," she had said at the time. "The treaty between the Devils and the Fae will be terminated as will your claim to Sona."

Tsubaki looked once at her King before standing and speaking for the entire peerage. "We have no… valid arguments to make against the rules."

Last, Rolan looked over towards Sona. "Madam Sitri, do you anything further to say before we finalize this?"

"…That depends," Sona continued to glare at the Sixth, no longer caring for decorum or social etiquette. "Will my opinion matter in the situation?"

"Your opinion will be noted but it will not change the outcome we have come to," Rolan replied in his dry tone.

"…Then why say anything?" she chose carefully to say. There were far too many terrible things she wanted to say and an endless amount to choose from. But it wouldn't change anything. It would be nothing more than a final testament to her outrage.

"Fair enough," Rolan turned back around and pulled a pen from within his coat pocket. At the bottom, within the aisle of blank lines of to-be registered participants, he signed his name beside the King slot. He handed the pen over to Issei.

"Wait," Sona called out. "I would like a private conversation with Hyoudou before he signs."

Hyoudou. Not Issei. The Eighth knew this tactic. She was pissed at him to the point where she couldn't even say his name anymore. His eyes moved over towards Serafall, who had flickered an expression of sympathy before hardening it back into her Satan persona. She understood what he was about to do and tried to reassure him to follow the plan else everything would fall apart.

Rolan gave a shrug and gestured towards the door. He was giving them permission to leave to talk outside.

Issei wouldn't take it. He flipped the pen in his hand and went to sign the document.

"Do it and we're through, Hyoudou!" Sona rose to her feet.

Issei stopped and stared at her.

Slowly, Sona sat back down. Her brows scrunched together as her eyes were closed in thought. She suppressed her emotions back down so her face would appear calm and collective. Eventually she appeared so, but behind her desk her hands were clenched into shaking fists.

"Sign… and I will hate you forever," she said through a stern voice. "I have agreed to marry… Chase and you've disrespected me by ignoring my wishes. I am not some trophy for you to fight over. I am a person and I have made my choice. But if you wish to carry this out… know that I will never be there for you at your time of need. My door will no longer be welcomed to you and I will not go out of my way to help you for any reason."

It was a last chance. The fool must have known what she was trying to do. She had taught him well; he should be more than able to piece things together and see she was trying to protect him. By marrying Rolan he had promised to never do anything onto Issei and all those affiliated with him. But instead Issei was challenging Rolan and throwing away her protections.

She had taught him how to strategize, and perhaps that's how he had been able to get this far into playing word games against Rolan in this meeting, but there was one thing she never taught him. She had never taught him how to mask his emotions. There was never a need as Issei was constantly thrown into battle where such tact was pointless. She had taught him how to channel his emotions and to use them as weapons but never to hide them from his enemies.

So to say, her mask nearly fell apart when his face twisted into pain by her words. His lips quivered and his eyes drew away in looks of doubt and regret. She knew she was the one to take the knife and stab him with her words, she had accepted it, but it hurt watching the damage being done. She so desperately wanted to take them back. Instead, she hardened her heart and steeled her gaze. She needed to make a point. She needed him to see the mistake he was about to make.

The grip on the pen loosened. His shoulders sunk as he gave a heavy sigh and shook his head.

He looked at her and smiled. "I'll accept that, Sona."

And then signed his name.

Sona lost her strength. She fell back on her chair with a hand cupping over her brow. No matter how hard she tried to swallow it, no matter how hard she tried to keep her emotions down, a single tear escaped. She had to bite her lips and draw blood to keep herself from breaking apart.

Issei put the pen down and sat back against his seat. He chose to stare directly in front of him and focus all his attention to himself. He couldn't afford to break down from seeing Sona so… defeated. She was the woman who was probably his first crush, the one who took care of him since attending Kuoh, and the closest friend he had in a long time. He knew what she was trying to do.

He could give up his own happiness if it meant she could, one day, find her own.

Serafall was the one to pick up the pen next. She eyed Rolan in the case he was to argue with her. He didn't, but she elaborated anyways, "The rules indicate both Kings are free to choose their champions to participate since neither possess a peerage. And all champions needn't be affiliated with their respective factions. So I hope you don't mind if I bend the rules a little and volunteer myself."

"I always knew you were going to when you proposed that rule," Rolan returned. "Normally, the Satans are forbidden from Rating Games. However… I suppose that would apply to the Devils' system, wouldn't it?"

"Please pardon my selfishness, Hyoudou-chan," Serafall said halfheartedly as she signed her name in Issei's Knight slot. She believed it to be an adequate position for someone of her caliber while not treading over his own wishes… entirely. She would never be so inconsiderate as to place herself as his Queen for this game.

"Wait," Saji stood from his seat and moved towards the small table the three had gathered around. More protests and pleas were being made by a few Sitri members but he paid them no mind. "Anyone can join?"

"Saji…" Sona lifted her head but didn't have the strength to give him another stern look. "Don't do this."

The look of his mighty, unbending King being so… weak sickened Saji to no end. Her plea only reinforced his determination. "Look, Hyoudou, let's get one thing straight. I don't like you. I never will. But… Kaichou… does. And it's clear as day she doesn't like this guy. So I'll be fighting for Kaichou."

Issei looked up at Pawn and indeed saw fire brimming within his eyes. However… "Saji, this isn't a game you can partake in."

"How about this?" Rolan announced a proposal as he stood up.

Issei and Serafall quickly stood and moved directly in front of Saji. Seeing them in alarm, other members of the student council got up. Ruruko and Momo both threw themselves in front of Saji and pushed him back into the group. He had no clue as to why they were acting this way.

"…I'll not do anything to him," Rolan explained as he cupped his hands behind his back. "And I'll even stand right here. But I would like to look at him. Tell you what; if he can remain standing for ten— no, five— no, three seconds, I think you, Saji Genshirou, should sign. If not, then you must admit that you are incapable of protecting your King. How does that sound?"

"Chase," Serafall hissed. "That's enough. Don't make this any worse than—"

"I'll do it," Saji broke free from the crowd and stepped forward. "I'll make you eat shit with your words, shrimp."

Rolan did not look amused by the comment. "Just stand there and look pretty for as long as possible. You know what, if you can stand for three seconds I'll call the whole thing off, rip up that declaration, and Madam Sitri will be free to marry whomever she wants. How does that sound?"

Now, Saji was more than determined than ever.

Issei asked instead, "What are you going to do to him?"

Rolan shrugged, "Say a few words. No powers, no magic, no illusions, no psychic invasions; I'll be doing something even you can do. Understand I won't be holding back in the Rating Game and I will be bringing friends who can keep up with us. If this boy can last three seconds then there's a chance he could… survive the game. It's his own choice if he wants to fuck himself over."

Done, Rolan turned back to Saji. He eyed the young man up and down, evaluating his physique as well as the look in his eyes. Satisfied with what he was looking for, he began to talk. "Before we begin, let me tell you something. A bit of nostalgia on my part. About… six years ago there was a large group of Travelers called Djinn who came here looking for their king. They really fucked things up in the mundane society and my responsibilities called me to kill them and those who were associated with them.

"You remind me of the one man who could fight back. Just like you, he was a normal high school student with nothing special about him until this whole supernatural world was introduced into his life. He loved the group of Djinn who had gotten close to him in such a short amount of time. He fought tooth and nail against me to protect them. He knew what I was; he didn't listen and gave it his all knowing I could kill him at any moment. That man earned my respect because he chose to defy the natural order all in the name of love. You're not too far off from him and, dare I say, you've earned a fair amount of respect from me because of your love for your… kaichou.

"But your idiocy separates you from him. The words I am about to say… he could fight me with his full might even after hearing those words. But you? I doubt you'll stand a single second. Do you want to know why? Because you lack his ambition, his sense of honor, and your love for this girl is shallow. You might say you'll be willing to give your life for her, but can you? Are you ready, Genshirou?

"Do you know who I am?"

Issei's eyes widened. He knew what Rolan was about to do.

Saji glared defiantly at Rolan. He was going to make him eat shit. "I'm ready."

Rolan nodded and brought his arm around to look at the watch strapped to his wrist. He waited patiently until the clock was near the 12 mark. With seconds to spare, he timed his words precisely so by the time the sentence was complete the hand would pass into a new minute.

"I am Sixth Predator."

The transition was instantaneous. The entire time Rolan had always been some short prick who had come out of nowhere to steal his King away. He wasn't impressive, he constantly swore, he constantly looked at everyone as if they were disgusting creatures, and it looked like he didn't want to marry Sona but was doing so simply because he could. This was a guy Saji would have loved to drag out of the room and beat the living shit out of him. But everyone had stopped him from doing so. Hell, he had several punishments to go through as he didn't listen to them and continued to bark at this Rolan character.

Now he understood why they were afraid of him.

Rolan wasn't a person. Rolan wasn't a simple monster. Rolan wasn't even a villain Saji could stand up against. He wasn't anything Saji could stand against. Forces of nature such as storms, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions were things he had a chance of overcoming compared to him. But Rolan? There was no chance. His odds of living were absolute zero.

Because Rolan was Death. Nothing, no matter how powerful, how resistant, how immortal or everlasting in existence, could ever escape Death.

Saji's mind, body, and soul united understood this. There was no survival mechanism he could do to have him walk away. This was it. This was the end. All he could do was accept it.

His body collapsed to the ground.

Tick.

Rolan looked up from his watch. "Instant. Not a single second passed."

There were only a few who could move. Ruruko and Momo were the first. They knelt down and tended to the one they adored but never adverted their gaze away from Rolan. Tsubaki was the other member of the peerage who could maintain her sanity as she had been once exposed to his identity before and the killing intent of two Predators in the same room. But having being reminded of his unworldly existence shook her still. She had come to terms this man could kill her without hesitation and resistance.

Everyone else, however, were petrified with fear.

"A-Another one?!"

"This whole time he's…"

"K-Kaichou's f-f-f-fiancé is…"

"I… I can't breathe…"

Like dominoes they began to fall. Some blanked out, others simply lost their strength and sank to their knees. They huddled together, trembling at the knowledge the man they had secretly whispered insults and gave daggered glares was one of the eight Ultimate Killers.

Among the peerage, only two remained standing. Tsubaki, who had been exposed to this knowledge beforehand, and…

The Knight, Yura Tsubasa.

"They lasted three, four… even five seconds. Impressive," Rolan kept count in his head as he watched each girl fall. His brows rose at the time it took for them to lose their grit. He paid Tsubaki no mind, but his eyes shone with his scowl completely disappearing at the sight of a still-standing Tsubasa.

"Impressive," he said again, this time full of sincere respect. "And why aren't you afraid?"

The blue-haired Knight was scared. Terrified. Her legs were wobbling, her entire body was shaking, and her mind was screaming at her to run away as fast as possible. Her being was telling her this man could kill her but her body drove her to survive as long as possible, to draw out the inevitable even if it would be pointless. But those were not the reasons why she kept standing.

Her eyes flickered towards Issei's, who was returning her look with nothing but concern and reassurance. His eyes were soft yet firm, a telltale he would protect her as well as everyone else inside the room even at the expense of his own life. It was for the same reasons why he was throwing himself into the fire to save Sona.

Because he was her hero.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Rolan said with something akin to amusement, if a gruff could be considered a chuckle. He turned away from the group and picked up the document. "Given your new set of wings, Hyoudou, it shouldn't be too hard to rally the women to your side. I recommend learning to use them as soon as possible. You can begin with the Kyuubi in Kyoto or some of those vampires of the Carmilla faction. Otherwise the girls in your little club won't survive the game, no matter how much they throw away because they think they love you."

"…What's that supposed to mean?" Issei's anger spiked.

Rolan stared at him for a moment, curiously. There was something inside Issei's choice of words and tone that told a completely different story. "Do me a favor. The small of your back, right above the tailbone, can you feel them? They don't feel very old. I would say… at some point during the Rating Game against that Phenex person. Congratulations on bagging a Primordial, by the way. Maybe you'll build the harem you've always wanted with that Gift."

Issei's eyes narrowed in confusion. He had no reason to believe anything Rolan had said but… a part of him knew they weren't lies. At the mention of wings at the specific part of his back, something fluttered in that area as if calling out to him. And they weren't his Gift of Flight.

Keeping his eyes locked on Rolan, Issei reached his senses towards his Gift of Flight. They answered his call but didn't activate. They were merely telling him they were there. His mind traveled down his spine until he had reached the small of his back.

A second pair answered his call. A new Gift of wings were there. He could feel them now that he knew they were there. They had been hidden from his vision and he never had the chance to see that area. He called out to them, questioning what they were and what their purpose was.

The answer he received made him pale. The Gift, its passive ability, and its active ability… and then there was the knowledge it had been branded onto him since the Rating Game. That meant… with the events of Rias… and Asia…

"You know what…" he shook his head. He didn't need these thoughts. He couldn't afford to spiral into any more depression. "Considering everything I've been through, I'll take them. Even if it's all a lie. I'm very happy with the way things are right now in my life. I haven't been happy since you fuckers killed my parents. I'm not going to let this bother me one bit."

"Good for you," Rolan said passively, almost dismissively and without care, as his attention was fixed on the document they had just signed. He pulled on the paper, appearing to have split it in half at first until they got a second look at his actions. The space manipulation technique, more than likely belonging to his familiar, had pulled a second copy of the document from the original.

"Nevertheless," Rolan said more so to himself as he handed the copy over to Issei, "Sera herself is getting deeply involved with you over this. I understand this is for her sister, but I wouldn't doubt before the actual game she ends up sleeping with you—"

Smack!

Serafall brought her hand around and struck Rolan as hard as she could across his cheek. As a Predator, he should have been prepared. He should have put up protections or produced the same layer of ice he had when Issei struck him. But he did none of those things. He took the full hit, bringing his face around and making him take a step back else lose his balance.

The Leviathan's ire pierced him with her glower. Words needn't to be said.

Rolan looked down at her once with his usual dry look before returning to Issei. He pretended as though nothing had happened. "If that is all, then I will be seeing you—"

Towards the edge of the room, a magic circle was lighting up the area in red. The Gremory sigil appeared with the circle being large enough to carry the entirety of the Occult Research Club. Seconds after its activation, the group surfaced.

"What happened?!" Issei moved towards them as his eyes picked up traces of blood and the conditions of their clothing. He stopped himself, blinked, and stared at the two others who had appeared within the circle.

"…You," Serene's tranquil expression melted away into one of wrath at the sight of Rolan.

"W-Wha…?" Issei didn't understand. Serene and the Exorcist Irina had been brought within the room via demonic summoning. "B-Buchou… how…?"

"Well, if it isn't the Whore of Babylon," retorted Rolan as he treaded across the room to face Serene. "Hyoudou, allow me to introduce to you the world's filthiest liar. Saint Mother Fucking Serene is the Church's holiest of Living Saints, capable of granting Miracles parallel to the greatness of the Savior. Some say she might be the Second Coming. She's beautiful, kind, compassionate, benevolent, and patient. The ideal nun, wouldn't you say?

"It's all one big lie. How can she use a Devil's summoning circle when she is a holy maiden, let alone able to use it even if she is not branded with the Gremory family crest? Simple. Though they are still classified as Miracles, they are anything but nice. Serene here was born with the Miracle called Transfer of Sin. She extracts the concept of sin from any target of her choosing, absorbs it, and can even redirect it onto a new target.

"And what is a Devil's power? Sin. The greed, lust, pride, and all that shit extracted from humanity itself. She is a walking zest pool of sin. All the evils of the world reside within her. She is the most unholy person on the planet.

"Am I forgetting anything, Serene?"

"…Creyroux," she answered with bitterness. Issei was starting to get scared as to why the most peaceful individual on the planet was getting so visibly upset. Then again, it was Rolan who was antagonizing her. "Never you mind about that. We have a situation… one that as you written all over it."

"…Fortunately our business is concluded," Rolan almost growled. "Come with me then. We can talk in private—"

"If you don't mind," Rias spoke up, "this concerns us as well. Your lackey took my precious Knight."

His brows scrunched up in confusion and irritation. His eyes glowed for a second before he took a deep breath; his power dwindled back down. "I've nothing to do with your Knight, but whatever. I'll listen to your story so long as you don't waste my time."

"Rias, what happened?" Issei tried again.

Asia moved away from the group and immediately went for Issei. She threw her arms around his waist and dug her face into his chest. Not a word was said from the blonde nun.

Rias looked at her with a heavy heart before looking over towards Sona. "Sona, do you mind if we use your—"

"Get out," was her cold reply. "I've washed my hands of this. As I said before you arrived, Hyoudou is no longer welcomed here and I will partake no longer in his affairs. Tsubaki, please give this to Hyoudou and escort them out."

She pulled something out of her desk drawer and handed it over to her Queen. Tsubaki looked at it once and gave her King a questioning look as well as one to make her reconsider. Sona returned with an imperious glare. Tsubaki frowned in disappointment towards her King but complied in the end. She crossed through the room slowly with everyone's attention gathered.

She took Issei's hand and slid it into his palm. She closed his hand but kept hers clasping his tight for a moment. A look of sympathy, sorrow, and apologies was given before she gave his hand one last squeeze and moved away.

He squeezed his own hand, letting his palm cut into the jagged teeth of the object to draw blood. The pain distracted him from breaking down right then and there. The night wasn't over and he couldn't give in to his emotions. At least not yet.

He tucked the silver key to his house into his pocket and left the student council office.

*Scene*

"The inscription is wrong," Rolan commented as everyone gathered in their respective seats. He had refused the tea Akeno offered as he examined the various sigils placed around the clubroom.

"It's all for decoration," Akeno lashed out with a sharp tongue. She didn't have her normal smile. "We are the Occult Research Club. We can't have any real magic on display now, can we?"

He turned over his shoulder to give her a dry look, one that transcended the condescending look she had given him. "I was referring to the barrier hidden under this… decoration. The one written in invisible ink."

Akeno's superior look dropped like a rock. Her eyes narrowed as she clicked her teeth in disdain. She was the most magically gifted of the group and took pride in her magic craft. To have it spotted so easily, let alone criticized, irked her.

Rolan moved away and returned towards the center of the room. "You worked too hard in hiding it from the mundane and neglected to first test its efficiency. Second, your Trojan Horse tactic is too obvious. You should have one sigil horrendously obvious, a second decently hidden but visible to those who are capable of searching, and a third hidden in plain sight. Everyone tends to look what is hidden but never what is before their very eyes."

Akeno was tapping her finger against her tray in irritation. "…And what makes you think I haven't considered that already?"

"The fact that you're asking that, for starters. Second," Rolan made his eyes glow bright enough to shine light within the room. Every magical instrument, sigil invisible within the walls, and all the magical traps layered within the room including placed upon the Devils and Church dwellers emitted a faint light. "My eyes can see everything. Third—"

"Chase," Serafall interrupted. Her eyes were glowing as the temperature in the room dropped significantly. "The pathetic size of your dickis not the reason why we are here."

"No, of course not," Rolan continued in strive with his sarcastic tone. "We're here to accuse me of something I've no part in, aren't we? Please be specific. I am currently working on several projects so there might be a chance I've had something to do with whatever it is that happened."

"Must you make an enemy of everyone?" Serene asked in a chair aside of Irina.

"Must you be a disgusting, filthy, lying, cheating—"

"Chase!" barked Serafall. Her tea had frozen solid as well as those around her as her power spiked.

Rolan waved his hands in submission before taking his own seat on the couch beside Serafall. Though there was a considerable amount of space between them. She blew out some steam and went to take a drink of her tea but found it to be frozen solid. She waved the cup in his direction and glared at him with eyes of expectation, almost demanding. His scowl deepened when he eyed the cup, then her, then the cup once more, and then finally back at her. She waved it another time. He sighed, waved a few fingers while keeping his arms crossed, and the liquid melted into a steaming brew.

She didn't thank him but there was something in her eyes at the act. No matter how much she hated him for what he had done, there was still a small flame lingering from their past friendship. Perhaps it had been true, perhaps it was all a lie, but the time meant something to her and no matter the circumstances it refused to burn out. Likewise, Rolan could not refuse her in these small moments as though they were habitual.

"Miss Gremory," Serene spoke up towards the King, "before we begin perhaps it would be in everyone's best interest to… control your servant."

Rias, who sat at Issei's right instead of at her desk, gave the Living Saint a demanding look. But when Serene's gaze was locked on Issei, Rias understood what she was referring to. "…I see. For future record, please do not take that tone when talking in regards to a member of my family."

Serene only nodded.

"Issei, I am giving you an order," Rias began as she crossed both her arms and legs. "As your King, as your master, and as Rias Gremory. No matter what you hear, you are to remain sitting there. Feel free to ask as many questions as you want, I won't restrict you on that. But you must control your anger. Do you understand?"

Far too many alarms went off in his head. Worse when Asia's arms tightened around his left and Koneko sunk deeper into his lap. "Buchou, what—"

"Do you understand?" she repeated with the undeniable authority that was a King.

"…Yes, Rias," Issei submitted to her will.

Immediately after, Rias reached for his hand and held it tight. She gestured for Serene to begin.

The Divine Beast nodded and drank some tea to clear her throat. "The mission the Gathering of Heaven had ordered of Xenovia and Irina was to retrieve or destroy the holy artifacts of the Excaliburs that had been stolen recently from several strongholds. Excalibur wielders were killed during missions and so all Exorcists and Paladins possessing the fragments were ordered back to their respective bases. The culprit did not slow in his actions and continued to steal the artifacts. The most recent theft resulted in the death of thirty-two Exorcist, twenty Paladins, two Paladin Lords, and Saint Love. But at the same time, this last attempt made the culprit slip up and we were able to trace his movements back to this land.

"Saint Virtue volunteered himself as the leading investigator while I was ordered to protect them on the chance the recently revealed Dragoon Predator was to interfere. I will not deny having someone of my caliber amongst their ranks would have been the best protection since this culprit was capable of wiping out a small army of the Church's finest. I was willing to cooperate with the operation to the best of my abilities.

"Less than an hour ago, the Knight of Gremory, a Yuuto Kiba if I recall his name correctly, had been following us and so I sought to see his intentions. With his… presence concealment Devilry down, the Gremory group appeared. I trust he was acting on his own actions and Miss Gremory had been seeking him for some time. Nevertheless, we were ambushed. The Excaliburs in our possession were stolen with Xenovia and Yuuto taken hostage by the enemy."

Everyone's grip upon him tightened. Koneko looked up at him with pleading eyes. Even Akeno came around to place her hands down on his shoulders. Her fingers knitted them with tender feelings of concern. They were all trying to hold him down.

"…Who was it?" Issei asked.

Serene looked at him with her tranquil visage. Her emerald eyes bore into his with an aura of peace. He could feel her… extracting the sin of wrath within him to further keep him calm.

"Fourth Predator, the Vampire."

He almost threw everyone off him. Various objects in the room shattered as his draconian aura exploded out of his body. His eyes glowed green, his skin warped into scales, his fanged teeth sneered as a feral growl escaped from within the back of his throat. It was all the preparations they made beforehand that kept him from bursting out of the room.

He had to take several deep breaths. He had to focus. How had he missed the presence of the Fourth so easily? He had used his Predator perk to keep track of his movements. Even right now, as he instinctively honed in on the Fourth's location, he found the fat fuck sitting in his apartment in America.

"You're probably wondering how you missed him?" questioned Rolan. "Yeah, we all have the same problem with him. Where do you think he is right now? America? Brazil? Peru? Russia? China? Britain? The World acknowledges he is in all of these places because he cut off his face and sewed them onto his ghouls. And whoever's face he wears is registered by the World as that individual. You won't be able to find him using the Predator's location sequence."

…There was truth to Rolan's words. When Issei tried to locate the Fourth's location on each of the countries listed… he always found him. There were multiple Fourth Predators all over the planet. Which meant he hadn't been keeping track of the real one the entire time.

And when he tried to find the Fourth located in Japan, his Predator perk could not find him. The World did not register him located in Japan and rerouted his search to the nearest one; the one located in America.

"You mean Third Predator, right?" Rias asked when Issei remained still.

Serene tilted her head slightly before answering. "Ah, that. No, he is once again the Fourth and I am once again the Third. I had to use Creyroux to kill my vessel. My soul was devoured by the blade and the World registered me dead. I could not afford for him to use me against his enemies. So I remained dead until he departed. With my soul extracted and a new vessel created, the World had to correct its assumed mistake and correct the system. Things have returned to what they once were."

"Speaking of which…" Rolan turned towards Serene this time. "Aren't you supposed to be in the Middle East?"

She gave him a blunt look before answering calmly, "The Candidate in Israel is dead. His own hubris was his downfall."

"And you couldn't revive him because…?"

"It wouldn't have changed his arrogance in the slightest," Serene countered. "We can discuss that later. For now, Chase, what is your part in all of this? As Saint Virtue, and therefore the Church, believe I am dead, my affiliation to them has been terminated. I am asking you as… myself."

"Nothing," he answered in an irritated tone. "While I am trying to run a Holy Sword project nothing is being produced as it's still in the proposal phase. Second, the choice in candidacy has to be reevaluated since a certain someone won't let me touch Yuuto Kiba. Third, fuck your fragments. They are nearly a thousand years old forged from outdated technology. The Predators back then were pushovers compared to us and the Excalibur back then couldn't make Arthur into one. The Excalibur I planned on forging through my own personal research is going to make whoever I choose into a Predator.

"The way I see it, the Fourth is doing whatever he wants. Why? Fuck if I know. I may work with the guy on occasion and I might share a few drinks every now and then with him, but that doesn't mean I understand a single thought that goes through his head. I only know he doesn't work with the enemy and that he'll be there during the Evensong—"

"Wait," Irina lifted her head. She had done nothing but stared into her now lukewarm tea until his words caught her attention. "What do you mean during the—"

"For fuck's sake!" Rolan roared with his eyes glowing. "If any of you so much as think of saying the word 'wait' again, I don't care what happens, I am going to blow your brains out! I've heard that shit five times this night! Learn something called individuality!

"Fucking biblical factions…" he cursed before leaning back in his seat. "The Evensong. The Evening Prayer, the Last Word, whatever you want to call it, was supposed to be the final clash between the Earth Mother and the Heavenly Father. Respectively, the incarnation of the planet and the incarnation of the heavens. It was prophesized in the Book of Revelations as the time of Rapture. But… thanks to a megalomaniac prick, shit hit the fan way too soon."

"Chase," Serafall warned again.

"It's quite alright, Lady Leviathan," Serene intervened. "The Fourth had recited a passage of the… current Evensong."

Issei felt his heart drop to his stomach. He had heard the entirety of the Evensong from Ludwig. There were things in the passage he wished to have never learned but knew he had to as the defender of the planet. The truth continued to drive him mad with fear at the upcoming apocalypse he knew they couldn't face. But to learn those he kept the secret from had learned of it…

"…What part did he say?" it was Rolan who said through a tense voice.

"…God is dead," Serene answered, receiving whimpers from both Asia and Irina.

Rolan leaned his head back on the couch and gave an enormous sigh of relief. "Oh thank God… Ugh. That pun wasn't intended."

Issei felt two things. The first was a wave of relief came and washed through his system. Yes, he had known Second Predator the Heavenly Father, had died when confronted by his archenemy, First Predator the Earth Mother, after being weakened by the abomination he sealed away. The second feeling washing through him had been guilt. Not guilt for keeping such a secret away from his fellow Pieces, Asia especially, but guilt because he felt relieved that was the only piece of information the Vampire had shared.

"…There's more to it, isn't there?" Rias asked, almost demanded.

"That's for Hyoudou to decide to share," Rolan decided to throw Issei under the bus. "Now, to get back to the point, I've nothing to do with this little incident of yours."

"Do you have a means of locating the hostages or the Vampire?" Serene asked.

"…Don't ask questions you already know the answer to," he replied vaguely. "Let's say I did. I've no reason to be a part of this. The Fourth isn't my responsibility nor are the Excalibur fragments which belong to the Church. If I had claimed them as King Oberon that would have been a different story."

"…How much?" Serafall spoke up. "How much is it going to cost for you to get involved? You are still a mercenary, aren't you?"

"No," Issei objected. "He's done enough. We don't need his help."

"Have you a means of locating those in question, Issei?" Serene questioned. "I understand your discontentment towards Chase, but I plan on getting him involved by any means. Your friend was not the only one taken by the Vampire. My charge was also taken."

Issei growled but couldn't argue. He tried to use his perks to locate Yuuto and Xenovia, but they too were drawing up blank.

"It doesn't matter," Rolan argued. "I can't get involved. Until the results of our little Rating Game are settled, I will be making do with my promise. For any reason I am to not interfere in the lives of Issei Hyoudou and all those in close affiliation with him. Say whatever you want. I refuse to be a filthy liar like you, Serene. Even if it gets me killed."

"But that does not involve the Exorcist Xenovia," Serafall countered. "I am asking how much it would cost for you to perform a rescue operation for her."

It didn't take much for the rest to catch what she was implying. It was a major loophole. He would be strictly tracking the location of the Fourth and extracting Xenovia from the premises. In doing so they would find Yuuto at the same location and could follow Rolan at their own accord.

"Cute," Rolan clicked his tongue. "Let me rephrase it for you to understand then. I don't want to help them. I've no reason to get involved with the Church's problems nor to indirectly save Yuuto. If I can't have him wielding Excalibur then he's of no use to me. I've also evaluated every Exorcist archived on active duty. None of them seem to fit the role as the next Arthur, including Xenovia."

"Are you not King Oberon?" Rias argued. "Don't you have a responsibility to keep the Excalibur fragments away from the wrong hands?"

He gave her a dry look. "Define wrong. The Fourth? The Church? It was in just as terrible hands with Serene's people as it is now. If I didn't retrieve them then why would I do it now?"

"I don't see why you keep trying," Issei spoke up. "He's not going to help us. He's set on it. Just let him go."

"I can't do that," Serafall objected. "The only one capable of locating one Acolyte would be another one."

Issei… had no idea what that meant.

"You could try the Fifth," Rolan shrugged. "He's an Anti-Acolyte specialist; the fucker's augmented to fight us and he was one of the best back then. But, knowing him, he'd sooner betray all of you for simply being Devils. He has a strict no meta-human policy."

Serafall slammed her tea down onto the small table. Pure irritation crossed her face as she glared at the Sixth. "Chase Lance Rolan, the Devils do hereby acknowledge your resources, knowledge of our society, and your power. As such, we do hereby grant you the title of Demon Lord within the territory of America along with full privileges. That includes… what you've wanted from us the most. Your own set of Evil Pieces."

Rolan's face did not change in the slightest by her words. He adjusted the knot of his crossed arms but did nothing further. He continued to stare at Serafall for some time.

"I would have to charge you a rush fee, for starters," Rolan sneered as he opened his arms and counted with his fingers. "I have several contracts active and pending, so I'm going to be placing yours above them all. We're also dealing with an S-class opposition, so there's that fee. The price for extracting the target to safety. And the fee for having the job within the archipelago of Japan. You're looking at three hundred and seventy-five million in American dollar currency."

Issei's brow couldn't help but twitch at the absurdly large price. Rolan had given him a few hundred thousand to a few million depending on the job. But a few hundred million? That was just ridiculous.

"Does that include the discount for being a Sister Stealer?" Serafall asked with dry humor as she took a final sip of her tea.

"…Two hundred and seventy-five million," Rolan humored her still.

"…How kind of you," but Serafall wasn't amused. "And if I pay you in rare metals and jewels?"

Rolan's brows scrunched. "…Two hundred, even."

Serafall put her tea down and fully turned around to face the Sixth Predator. She extended her hand towards him. He hesitated for a moment before clasping his grip within hers. They shook once, never looking away from another as they sealed their deal.

"I will be coming to Japan as soon as my business in Egypt is complete. Then, feel free to accompany me at your own discretion. Just know if you interfere I will take it as an obstruction of my job and respond accordingly to make it so you don't do it again. I am also not responsible for anything that may happen during my job."

"Wai—"

Rias coughed into her hand when the Sixth Predator's eyes glowed neon. She pretended to have cleared her throat instead of finishing the one word he had warned them against. Not that she believed he would be able to kill her; she didn't want to make this any harder on Issei if he had to protect her.

"Why can't you just go right now?"

"Because he's not here," Serene answered. "His body is elsewhere while his familiar has been transferring his psyche and image through her body. The coward would never truly set foot in Japan unless absolutely necessary."

Rias sighed in irritation. "…Fine. How long will it take for you to get here?"

"As soon as my business in Egypt is complete," he repeated with an edge in his tone. "Hours? Days? No more than three."

"Three days?!" Rias jumped out of her seat.

"If you can't wait, I suggest you going out there and looking for him yourself," he snarled. "He is your Knight after all. Do expect others to bend backwards for you when you are relying entirely on them. Hadn't I already agreed to take the job, I would have dropped the proposal and left you to solve the problem on your own. Learn some humility, Gremory girl."

It was Rias' turn to glare absolute hatred onto the Sixth Predator. However, no matter how much it hurt her pride, she swallowed her feelings and said nothing further.

"…Mister Chase."

Eyes turned towards Asia, who had spoken in such a soft voice. She was looking at Rolan in hope-filled eyes. "Please? Kiba-kun is my friend. I know you're not a bad person. I… I'm sad because of the things you've done to Issei. But I don't believe you did those things because you're a bad person. You always brought the children and I gifts whenever you visited Sister Serene. I remember when you read us a story…"

Rolan stared at the blonde girl for some time. His expression never changed as his scowl of annoyance remained permanently etched onto his face. However… something glistened in his eyes. They had no idea what it meant.

"…When my business is complete," he repeated one final time.

Any further words could not be shared. His body disappeared in the next instant.

Issei leaned forward and pressed his chin against the top of Koneko's head. He released a heavy breath of pent-up aggression that had built up during his exchange with the Sixth. He closed his eyes and breathed in Koneko's strawberry-scented hair. She fidgeted in his lap, lifted her hand, and patted the top of his head. Just her being there did wonders on his stress level.

"If it is not too much trouble, I have further business with you, Issei," Serene spoke up.

He sighed and opened his eyes to look at her. He did not, however, lift his head off of Koneko.

"The Church will believe I am dead. I wish to keep it this way and so I am no longer affiliated with them. Irina here has been excommunicated by the authority of Saint Virtue. We are no longer welcomed in any House of the Lord. We have nowhere else to go."

Rias was the one to speak up, "…I can set up a place of residency for you. But that's all the sympathy I can offer."

"Your charity is much appreciated, but that is not what I am asking for," Serene replied in her soothing voice. "Be that as it may, I cannot speak for Irina. She may choose to accept your charity. For my part, I am afraid the Fourth knows my name. I trust you know what this means."

Koneko, of all people, was the one to hiss, "You won't help us."

Serene shook her head. "That is correct. I am unable to. However… if I were to… remove that which makes me a Living Saint…"

Rias eyes shot wide. "You… want to become… a Devil?!"

"S-Saint Serene, why?!" Irina spun around to face the Living Saint. "You… You would throw away the teachings willingly?! You would become an enemy of the Church!"

"The Savior descended into Hell after His death," Serene paraphrased. Had she recited the actual text the room full of Devils would have flinched. "I should live through his example. I am betraying nothing."

"If you do become a Devil…" Serafall spoke up. "That would make you the most powerful Devil, even greater than the Maous and Dragoon-chan combined. Your Transfer of Sin would make you a Devil with infinite amount of power. I am afraid I cannot allow that."

"I already have an… 'infinite amount of power'," Serene countered. "I possess all the sins of the world, all its evils and all its wickedness. And sin lives through me. Becoming a Devil will change nothing about it. However, I won't be able to call upon Miracles as a Living Saint. But my name will never be used against me again. It is a price I am willing to pay. What say you, Demon Lord Hyoudou Issei? Will you permit me to become the first member of your peerage?"

*Scene*

Xenovia's head was ringing when she started to drift back into consciousness. The room was dark. Her neck and back were aching. She tried to move but found her limbs bound against the wall she was hanging from.

She tried to look around. The room she was in was dark. Dank. Dreary. It was a dungeon of sorts as she could make out tables lain out in aisles with cabinets of instruments lined against the walls. She was shackled to the opposite wall. She felt her face heavy and stiff; her captor did not wipe off the blood off her face and just left her as she was. At the least they didn't do anything demoralizing to her. Yet.

There was movement at the other end of the dungeon. She did her best to remain idle, to appear to still remain unconscious while she tilted her head ever so slightly to see through her bangs. There were a set of people gathered around a table…

…With the blonde Devil strapped in.

"Now try to hold still," said the plump old man at the table's end, the one directing the others in what sick operation they were performing. "If you move around too much something important might get cut off."

He laughed, a loud roar echoing throughout the cold chamber in his perverse hilarity. Yuuto did not move because he was afraid of getting hurt. He couldn't move because the curse of the Fourth Predator was still present. Nothing he had done so far was by his own will. He could not even so much as sneer at the old man.

An old man he was more than familiar with. This was the man who lead the previous Holy Sword project, the secret human experimentation in which resulted in the death of all his friends and inevitably his own as a human being before turned into a Devil. This was the man he had gave his life in serving Rias for. So for one day to be struck down by Yuuto himself and avenge all those who were robbed of their lives. He was within his reach, but the curse of the Fourth was keeping him from creating a blade to finish the job.

"Why must you always play with your food, Valper?" a new figure strolled down the steps to the far end of the room with another individual following in his shadow.

"Ah, Kokabiel, old friend, when did you arrive?" the elderly man turned around and twirled the scalpel between his fingers.

Kokabiel. A former Angel of the Lord and one mentioned in the Book of Enoch.

"Just now," the black-haired Fallen waved a hand in dismissal as he approached the table. The one accompanied him moved to the far back and leaned against the wall, a look of disinterest across his face. "I've seen your hired help has retrieved the Excalibur fragments. You were right in recommending to get involved in this. Where is he? I would like to thank him."

"Oh… I am afraid that young man has run off for a night of sinful debauchery," the old man gave a sigh of woe. "His performances are at the utmost efficiency, but he is furthest from a true follower. I suppose it doesn't matter in the end if our goal is met, doesn't it?"

The supporting surgeons moved away from the table as Kokabiel grew closer. The Fallen peered down and examined the Devil laying across. "And who might this be? A Devil?"

Valper began to give a dark chuckle. "This one! Ah, this one. He is the survivor of the Holy Sword Project before my imprisonment. He's unlocked a most interesting Sacred Gear from the experimentation. The Sword Birth. I wouldn't have had any interest in the crafting of demonic weapons had not my research progressed so well through your support. I have need of him for what we have planned."

"Oh?" Curiosity got the better of the Fallen. "And what could such a Sacred Gear have to offer? I believe I only asked you to put the fragments back together, did I not?"

"That you did, that you did," Valper returned to Yuuto. "But I'm afraid even with all seven fragments gathered there is a certain… something missing to keep them together. Without it, then the sword itself would destabilize and more than likely wipe out this region of the island.

"I am going to shave off a few pieces of his Sacred Gear and place it inside the new Excalibur core. I am going to turn Excalibur into a Sacred Gear. Of course, this will take trial and error. So only a few shavings will be taken at a time. We'll need to keep him alive for as long as possible."

"…With Sword Birth?" questioned Kokabiel.

They both began to laugh at the thought. Sword Birth was a Sacred Gear in which could create demonic blades limited to the user's imagination and mystic energy to supply the materials. But with the ingenuity of the Fallens' knowledge on Sacred Gears plus Valper's expertise on all things related to Holy Swords, tweaking Sword Birth to be compatible with a holy blade was a childish problem.

If successful, they could create a brand new Sacred Gear. One in which could create as many Excaliburs as desired.

"And she?" Kokabiel turned and gazed at Xenovia.

The room was dark. She could barely make details of the figures meters away from her. But the gaze of the red-eyed Fallen told her he knew she was awake, observing them even. He also didn't bother to care. She was insignificant to him and only warranted his attention in the name of curiosity.

"Ah, her," there was something akin to childish enthusiasm in Valper's tone. "That young man said she was a natural Holy Sword wielder. After close examination we've found that to be true. We are not sure which sword she is linked with… but we have another team going over how to incorporate whatever weapon it may be into the new Excalibur."

Xenovia's chains rattled. They knew she was the possessor of another Holy Sword other than Excalibur Destruction. But… they also didn't know which blade she kept hidden.

"Yes, well," Valper cleared his throat as he turned Yuuto's head left and right, judging where to begin cutting. "Apparently this one belongs to that Gremory group, the one who houses the Dragoon Predator. That boy did well bringing him to me, but we've not much time on our hands. Sooner or later he will be coming to retrieve his friend."

Kokabiel laughed once more. "Him? I've no need to fear him. After all, that is why I've recruited the Grigori's own Dragoon."

The Fallen Angel waved his hand towards the figure leaning against the wall. He was tall with lean and useful muscle. He dressed in a dark jacket, had wild silver hair, and icy blue eyes.

Vali Lucifer, the White Dragon Emperor, returned with a daring smile. One that welcomed a worthy challenge he had been waiting three years to face.