This is it... the end of the V5 adaption! The battle against Midgardsormr and our many heroes has officially begun, along with the clash between Rizevia and Sophia, which will both be intense fights due to their respective natures. Especially with how Rizevia and Sophia are fighting as a result of what both their children are fighting for, and as last chapter implied... because we'll learn why Sophia left Heaven.

Now, as I just said the V5 adaption is over, you might be thinking: "But what about the Rating Game between Rias and Sona!?" right now. So, my answer to that? It will still be happening. I've simply decided to show it in the V6 adaption, as the attack with Midgardsormr will end up delaying it. I can't say how far away the game will be, other than it will be before Ishie and Asia have their official first encounter with Diodora.

A lot is going to be happening in this chapter. While I can't say what most of it is, the few things I can say is that Eyleah and Lunurai will be making their battle debuts here, and you'll see what path Kuroka is going to take after what happened before Midgardsormr slithered into the Underworld, especially in regards to where she and Koneko now stand.

One thing I'd like to bring up, which I forgot to mention in last chapter's end notes, is why did I have Kuroka's canon appearance be a mere transformation in this story? Because in this story, her and Koneko's canon appearances are used as a sort of representation for how they see themselves. Koneko's unable to see herself beyond the scared little girl who needs her sister, while Kuroka can't see herself beyond a villain.

I mainly went with this because when I was creating Ishie's backstory, I eventually realized how the connection between her and the ORC wasn't just being a sad back story, and that I had unknowingly actually created a theme about not being chained by the past. Once I saw that, the idea stuck with me, leading the story to become what it is now. As such, I decided to make Kuroka's canon appearance a disguise.

So, without further ado? Let the chapter begin!


[Chapter 18 - Miracle of White]

Sophia and Rizevia stared at one another, the intensity being enough to cause the mass genocide of a small country if looks could kill, especially on Sophia's side.

"I remember hearing the news during the Great War... how the moment the fighting began, you left without any warning. It was a horrible shock to all of the Angels when you did this." Rizevia stated, closing her eyes.

"And why would you care about that? After all, my influence could have brought the Angels a victory, and both the Fallen Angels and Devils to extinction. If anything, the fact I left saved the Devils." Sophia inquired.

Rizevia tightened her hand, glaring at her with anger as her aura flared out.

"Because based on what my mom told me... when she warned your father about what the Devils were doing, he was confident that using your knowledge could have brought the war to an end only a year after it started, and prevent our sides from causing the massive death and destruction we did! Did you not even consider that?" She responded.

Sophia closed her eyes, scowling slightly.

"Is that you speaking, or your deceptive nature as a Devil just trying to guilt trip me into believing a lie so I'll regret my choices?" Sophia replied, clearly refusing to believe her words.

"I should have known you'd say that. You always think you know everything, just because of the gift you were born with... Sophia of Wisdom." Rizevia stated, intensifying her glare as she tightened her left hand into a shaking fist.

Sophia's eyes opened at that name, briefly lacking their light from pure rage.

"Don't you dare call me by that name!" She screamed, holding her hand out.

In her hands, a Holy Sword resembling a rapier appeared, which Rizevia quickly identified as the Holy Sword known as Hauteclere. Realizing where things were going, she let her full aura flare out as a warning sign that she would soon unleash her full power.

"You're right, because you aren't wise anymore! Not after you and your son willingly joined with terrorists!" Rizevia agreed.

"Terrorists are decided by opinion, not actions! Especially since it means no one will do to my son what my father and the Angels did to me!" Sophia retorted.

She soon focused her power through Hauteclere, allowing her to draw in the small traces of holy power that hid within her DNA.

"Enough talk! Our children are already destined to fight each other, so I guess it's only right we finish the battle we never started ourselves!" She continued, taking a sword stance as she readied herself for a fight.

"Looks like we can agree on that, so prepare to lose and finally face reality!" Rizevia declared.

Sophia rushed ahead first, and swung at Rizevia, who quickly moved away from her position and held out her hand, generating her father's signature power.

"Disaster Strike!"

"Trying to beat me with the power my father's greatest error gave birth to? How naive." Sophia remarked, watching it approach.

She shifted her stance and turned around, firing a blast of holy light at the attack.

"Don't think I'm unaware of how to fight against that corrupted light of yours. Regardless of my path, I know how your father was born, and that power's origin." She stated.

Rizevia glared at her.

"Light of Ruin, the power born from the failed creation of the Morning Star, a level of Holy Light that would have changed the world for the better... had its creation not been so flawed that it became a danger. One that was proven when your father was born, and he used it to erase countless Human souls that can never reincarnate." She scowled.

"No need to give me a history lesson, I'm aware of what this power is... and I saw firsthand the kind of damage it can bring!" Rizevia shouted.

Rizevia threw her hands up before swinging them down, using her Light of Ruin to create a horizontal tornado, surprising Sophia as she was caught inside of it. This left her open, and let Rizevia unleash some kind of attack that resembled a Mutated Dragon against her.

She was barely able to hold up Hauteclere to parry the blow, and all the non-recoil damage from her attack, as she slid out of the tornado. Her eyes widened as Rizevia dove at her, unleashing it as what looked like a lightning bolt.

"Damn it... the Power of Destruction truly is a diluted form of this power, even when enhanced." Sophia realized.

The signature ability of the Bael Clan was created by Lucifer to show their rank as the highest of the 72 Pillars, which is why they had the name of Great King, by diluting the light from it until it was nothing but raw demonic power. Some even claimed it was Satan's original ability when he was created, further emphasizing their high social ranking.

However, its power still paled in comparison to its original.

Even though the Power of Destruction could vaporize a target? Without an outside power source, such as a Dragon's aura, it was only able to destroy their physical form and leave behind a soul. The Light of Ruin, which was twice as strong, however, attacked at a metaphysical level.

This let it destroy souls, and even more? It could do so by choice, allowing Lucifer to truly show his cruelty when destroying a soul was not the worst he could do to someone, leading to the horrible acts that gave Devils the reputation they had in the pre-Modern Day world.

"Uh... Sophia? You do realize you're thinking out loud, right?" Rizevia mentioned, staring at her with a sweat drop on her face.

"Eh!?" Sophia exclaimed.

The Daughter of God blushed at that, feeling sweat go down her cheeks.

"H-How much of that did you hear?" Sophia asked as her face went pale.

"Let's see, I believe it was... The signature ability of the Bael Clan was created by Lucifer, if I remember right?" Rizevia recalled.

Sophia turned white, and then turned red in anger.

"You made me do that on purpose, didn't you!?" Sophia screamed, now feeling outright furious.

"OK, now you're just making excuses..." Rizevia remarked, face palming herself in response.

"That's what they all said!" Sophia roared.

Rizevia raise an eye at that, feeling something about those words wasn't random.


Meanwhile, back at the battlefield, the group of Rias, Koneko, and Kuroka were all gathered as they tried to find something Kuroka and/or Koneko could use as the object they'd be sealing Midgardsormr's soul into.

"I probably should have asked this earlier, but is there anything in particular that we'd need?" Rias inquired.

"The kind of objects that would be best will take us too long to get, and require us to leave the Underworld to get them, which we probably can't do with an earthquake having likely shut down the trains as a safety precaution." Kuroka replied.

Rias felt a bead of sweat drop down her face upon hearing that, but managed to keep her calm and just lightly make a sound in response.

"OK... then what works among what we can find?" She continued, barely keeping her composure.

Kuroka thought for a moment.

"Preferably something with a lot of magical power, yet with as spherical of a shape as possible, not unlike the tops on Pawn Pieces in Chess." She answered.

Hearing that, Rias held up a spherical rock.

"Sorry, but a rock from the Underworld doesn't exactly fit the conditions we need." Kuroka replied.

"Of course it doesn't..." Rias said before face palming.

Around this time, Akeno ran into the area alongside the rest of the Occult Research Club, which allowed her to spot Rias and Koneko.

"I found them!" She shouted.

Rias and Koneko turned to see their friends run towards them, making the former sigh in relief.

"Thank goodness, you found us." Rias smiled.

"Yeah, we didn't know what happened at first, and then we saw that giant snake appear from a distance. What is that thing?" Irina replied, looking at it and how Ishie was flying towards it.

Rias went quiet at that, losing her voice for a moment.

"That's one of the children of Loki, an Evil Dragon from Norse Mythology, and one of the Five Dragon Kings as well... Midgardsormr." Kuroka answered for her.

Hearing that caused everyone to gasp, except for Millarca, who turned her head as she noticed Kuroka.

"Who's this chick?" She asked.

"My sister." Koneko revealed.

Hearing that made everyone gasp, with Kiba preparing to draw Arondight, only to feel Koneko grab his hand.

"Huh?" He blinked.

She shook her head, further confusing him.

"Who I am isn't important right now. Midgardsormr's mere presence is pushing the world closer to the nightmare known as Ragnarok, and if we can't stop him in the next... well, its somewhere between 15 minutes at best and 30 minutes at worst, then the Underworld will be turned into a frozen graveyard." Kuroka warned.

The mention of Ragnarok caused everyone to push away the fact of Kuroka's presence.

"Ragnarok... the Norse end of the world? This thing is what causes it? How!?" Yumi asked.

"Allow me to explain that." Rossweisse offered.

This voice caused everyone to turn as a magic circle showing the Sitri Team, Lint, Rossweisse, Ingvild, Eyleah, and Lunurai to appear from a magic circle that formed near the Gremory Team.

In the case of Lunurai, her casual attire that she had just swapped into was a sleeveless black shirt with intentional stylish tears over a sleeved blue vest with a zipper, a yellow ribbon that held her ponytail, gray jean shorts with a red belt, and blue sneakers. For Rossweisse, she had just switched her business suit with her Valkyrie armor.

"Proper introductions will need to be done later, but I am the Valkyrie Rossweisse, bodyguard of Lord Odin." She greeted.

"Meaning you know a lot about that giant Snake... Dragon... thing, right?" Millarca asked, pointing at him with her thumb.

"Yes, and the threat of a time limit is great." Rossweisse confirmed.

At that moment, the sound of Midgardsormr's roars reached everyone, with Ishie pausing her fighting with the beast as it suddenly grew a noticeable amount in size, sending a few chunks of its leather skin flying as it shed from its increase in size.

"Eww!" Irina and Asia shouted.

"It's not just disgusting, that's what makes him such a threat. He can grow indefinitely until he's big enough to wrap around the world in the same manner as the symbol of Ouroboros... which is how he causes Ragnarok." Rossweisse revealed.

"How so?" Yumi asked.

"Because he's like a Snake, cold-blooded in the biological sense, though he takes it to a further level. His entire body's so cold, if he grew to the size of the Earth... it would completely alter the world's entire climate and initiate the prolonged Winter that acts as the initial stages of Ragnarok." She answered.

"Basically... this thing will get so big, it will freeze the world into a second, but much worse Ice Age?" Xenovia realized.

"I'm afraid so, and even while forced asleep, he can still grow at the rate the continents move. Now that he's awake, it will only take him an hour before he grows that big. Worse, for the Underworld, that amount of time is exactly between what your one friend guessed it was." Rossweisse confirmed.

That made most of the group flinch.

"Adding onto that, Midgardsormr is one of the Five Dragon Kings, so we won't be able to defeat him by conventional means. Worse, Lord Odin's attempts to get aid may not make it in time to save the Underworld from ruin." She continued.

"Luckily, we have a different way to stop him that will work." Kuroka said, smiling at the group.

Everyone looked at her.

"She speaks the truth. According to Lord Ajuka, we can still stop Midgardsormr in time if we fight not to kill him, but to seal his soul in a prison like that of most beings inside the Sacred Gears, where his cold body can't affect the world." Rossweisse confirmed.

"Only problem is we don't have the right object to seal him in, and we need to weaken him enough to be sealed, especially since Ishie seems to be struggling to fight back." Koneko revealed.

"Which explains why Ajuka asked me to do this." Eyleah realized.

He used his hands to release a loud whistling sound, causing a swarm of demonic bugs to fly into the area. Yumi's face went a little blue, having a strong fear of bugs that she was sure would have made her faint if Midgardsormr's threat wasn't grabbing her attention.

"What is this?" Xenovia asked.

"The power of the Beelzebub Clan, better known as King of Flies, which lets me command any kind of insect at the smallest and much more at the largest. If you need to find something to seal this guy into? My friends here can search around alongside Ajuka, leaving all of us free to fight this serpent." Eyleah answered, holding up a flyer as he did.

Ishie screamed, getting everyone's attention as she was knocked to the ground, holding a lethal wound that forced her to use the Phoenix Tears she got from Ravel.

"I am so glad I gave her that." Ravel paled.

"That's our cue to start helping out, before she gets a second strike and is removed from the game of life!" Lunurai stated, tightening her fist.

Eyleah nodded, and looked at his insect friends.

"You have less than 15 minutes... do not fail, or we'll all become living ice sculptures, permanently." He warmed.

The insects all spread out to begin their search, with everyone flying towards Ishie to give her a hand.


Ishie stood before Midgardsormr catching the attention of the Evil Dragon that quickly moved its gaze onto the young Devil, focusing its eyes into a weak glare.

"So, a mere child dares to challenge me?" He questioned.

"Yeah! Unfortunately for you, this mere child is not as easy of an opponent as you think!" Ishie answered.

She spread her Longinus' wings out, right as Midgardsormr lunged his head forward, still seeing her as no threat.

("HALF DIMENSION!)

Out of nowhere, Midgardsormr felt his power halved, making him shake for a moment.

("DIVIDE!")

He grunted as he lost even more power from her actions.

"Now, let's see how you handle this attack!" Ishie continued.

("RELEASE!")

Generating a Light of Ruin sphere into her hand, the stored power she released made it swell up in size before she threw her hand forward.

Her attack manifested as the same Mutated Dragon her mother had just unleashed in her battle with Sophia, slamming Midgardsormr head on.

"Is... that... all!?" He questioned.

Midgardsormr shook off the attack, making Ishie gasp as not only did he barely take any damage, but his body briefly shook...

*"RIP!"*

*"TEAR!"*

And then suddenly grew larger, making giant flakes of his leathery skin to rain down across the area. Ishie couldn't tell how much larger he got, but the pieces of his shed skin were large enough to succeed in terrifying her.

"Albion, is... is this why Midgardsormr has the power to bring Ragnarok?" She questioned.

("It is. Unfortunately, I'll have to tell you the full details behind why this is case after we survive this, because here he comes again!") He confirmed, warning Ishie as he felt the Evil Dragon's power getting closer.

Ishie quickly saw Midgardsormr lunge at her, and she tried to move away, only to scream as he slashed through her torso's left side and the left wing of Divine Dividing, which broke it as she landed towards the ground.

Once she crashed into it, she was forced to take the Phoenix Tear she got from Ravel, pouring it over lethal wound she just received.

"Did he get faster when he grew larger!?" Ishie questioned, trying to repair the damaged wing.

("I'm going to assume he did, since I'm quite certain you should have been able to dodge that.") Albion agreed, glaring at the Evil Dragon.

Midgardsormr opened his mouth as he dived at Ishie.

"Prepare to die!" He roared, ready to devour her whole.

"Crush!"

Intense gravity suddenly slammed his head, making Midgardsormr miss Ishie, but just barely. He tried to lift his head, only succeeding at a slow rate with his current size.

"Wait, that's-" Ishie realized.

"Quick, move out of the way!" Lunurai warned, running towards her with her left hand held out.

Ishie quickly listened, and did so just in time, as Midgardsormr grew once again.

This new size let him break free of Lunurai's gravity hold, knocking her backwards as the recoil of him escaping struck her.

"Are you alright!?" Ishie asked.

"Yeah, don't worry. Those with Satan blood are made of some pretty tough stuff." Lunurai replied, getting up with little issue.

Ishie soon saw the others gather around them.

"You're all here? But what about searching for-" Ishie asked, surprised to see everyone present.

"No need to worry. I called in some friends to search for us, so we're safe in that area." Eyleah reassured her.

"And by friends, he means bugs he can talk to..." Yumi replied, shivering as she said it.

Rias soon took the lead.

"Alright everyone, we have only 10 minutes to deal as much damage as we possibly can to this monster, and hope it will be enough to seal it away. Don't hold anything back, because we have everything to lose if we fail!" She announced.

"Right!" Everyone replied.

Sona saw Saji and Ruruko look at her.

"Hey Sona?" Saji asked.

"Right, go ahead." She permitted.

They both nodded as they used their Promotion ability to become Queens.

"Alright Knights, let's take the lead!" Kiba shouted.

He was joined by Tomoe, Irina, and Xenovia for the first wave of attacks. Irina and Xenovia took the lead, putting their blades together in an X-shape.

"Cross Crisis!"

A cross of holy energy spun from their swords and slammed Midgardsormr in the face.

"Gah!" He roared.

"Taste this!" Kiba shouted.

He channeled the twin energies of Arondight through its tip, while Tomoe spun around and slashed her Sacred Gear against his face.

Unsurprisingly? Both waves of attacks did little damage, and ended up shortly preceding Midgardsormr's next increase in size.

"Be careful, he's pretty resilient." Ishie warned.

As the four swordsmen readied to attack again, Lint let out a giggle as she landed in front of them.

"Hope you don't mind, but I'd like to try something first." She requested.

"OK, but... even with a Longinus, you might be outclassed." Tomoe warned.

Lint giggled at that.

"I think you're mistaken. That is, if you're judging me by the standards of a Human with a Longinus." She answered.

"Wait, what!?" Xenovia and Irina said in surprise.

Lint held up her hand, revealing a glowing red A-symbol with a poker Diamond in the center.

"Time to show you all... the new me!" She announced.

She jumped into the air, surprising everyone as she sprouted two wings like a Doves and a glowing halo, surprising everyone.

"You... you've become an Angel!" Asia realized.

"How? And when did this happen!?" Yumi questioned.

"It's a long story, so to give you a short summary until we're finished here?" Lint replied, holding her hand up.

A ring of light formed before it began to multiple and blaze with the fires of the Incinerate Anthem.

"By the blessing of Lord Uriel, I've been reincarnated as an Angel to provide divine retribution and holy wrath, so prepare to feel the mighty purple flames of repentance!" She announced.

Tossing the rings forward, they hit Midgardsormr... and he screamed as his body was suddenly set on fire.

"Reincarnated? Then... does that mean-" Xenovia gasped.

"Probably, but let's focus on that after this fight." Ravel advised.

She held out her hands, adding to Lint's fire with her own, causing a spiral of purple and normal flames to spiral and strike Midgardsormr.


Sophia and Rizevia's battle continued, with neither side having spoken since Sophia let her rage and anger take over, leaving that area of the battlefield a smoking mess from the holy energies she used without restraint or strategy.

Eventually, it was getting to the point that Rizevia was getting understandably annoyed for non-battle reasons.

"Alright, spill it! Why are you suddenly so ticked off!" Rizevia demanded.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about! You-" Sophia shouted.

"I don't know a damn thing, just like you're not omniscient, moron!" Rizevia countered, her eyes shrinking as she yelled.

Sophia froze at that.

"How exactly would I know what's going on? The Angels have no idea, or maybe the last 700 years have left those who remember to either forget or possibly be dead due to a variety of reasons within those seven centuries since the war came to an end! Not to mention, I couldn't get near Heaven back then, even if I wanted to!" Rizevia continued.

Sophia gritted her teeth, and lowered Hauteclere for a moment.

"Just because I was born with the power of great knowledge... just because I can know things most normally wouldn't know... doesn't make me some kind of living fortune cookie for people to freely use at their leisure!" She screamed.

"Wait, are you saying your choice to join the Khaos Brigade is because-" Rizevia realized.

"I never knew freedom, and now I do! I even made sure my son grew up in Asgard so, in the presence of the Gods who believe in fate, my words of defying it would truly ring through his ears! With the aid of Great Red... we will have true freedom given to the world! To do that, we must give him the strength to rewrite all of reality!" She screamed.

Hearing that, Rizevia gave a toothy frown, realizing what she was talking about.

"That's what this is all about? If that's really why you're doing what you are, then there's only one thing I can do..." Rizevia realized.

"And what would that be?" Sophia asked.

Rizevia said nothing to her, leaving Sophia to look at her with confusion, until...

*"BOOM!"*

Sophia gasped as Rizevia's aura flowed out like a wildfire, showing her anger was now influencing how strong it was.

'This pressure is-!' She thought, feeling Rizevia's aura push her away.

[Testament of New Sister Devil: Kareinaru Taiketsu]

"Stop showing you any kind of mercy, because at this point, I doubt anything Michael or the others said to you would make you leave this path!" Rizevia shouted, making her declaration.

She pushed her hands forward and unleashed a wave of her Light of Ruin, ripping the ground like magma.

Sophia rose Hauteclere into the air, unleashing beams of light that shot against the attack and held it back.

"This is your answer? Of course it is." Sophia sighed.

Throwing her Holy Sword's blade forward, it unleashed a powerful flash, blinding Rizevia and burning into her skin.

"After all, why else would you use your daughter!?" Sophia screamed.

"Looks like you don't know your own son, because I'm not using Ishie!" Rizevia announced.

Sophia gasped as Rizevia rushed out of her attack.

"Unlike you, I'm not running away! I've made mistakes, and the sins of my past will never fade away, but I will not ignore them either! That's why I'll be facing them, just like my daughter is facing the scars of her past with all her strength!" She continued.

She clapped her hands together, causing an explosion of demonic power to flood the area Sophia was standing at, who jumped overhead to avoid the attack.

"Face your mistakes? Me and Vali have made no mistakes, so don't you dare say-" Sophia shouted.

"Your father made mistakes, so what makes you so perfect to avoid making any!?" Rizevia retorted.

Hearing those words shut Sophia up, letting the demonic power rise upwards as Rizevia raised her hand, and strike her dead on. As she fell to the ground, she began to pant as she felt her power start draining. Her only solace was that Rizevia was in the same position, still being out of shape from fighting little to no battles over the last 500 years.

"My daughter is the proof that I found a better way than following my father! Your actions threaten her life, and all the dreams she's now fighting for! Your son's path was set because of what you told and influenced him with, but I let my daughter choose everything she did! Even now as a Devil, I will trust the choices she makes!" She continued.

"And how do you know they'll be the right choices!?" Sophia retorted.

"I don't, but I'm not going to let fear hold me back! I will face the future head on and never look back! If you're not free, it's because you can't do that!" Rizevia countered.

"You're wrong! Don't you dare say I'm scared!" Sophia screamed, channeling holy power through her sword.

Both mothers prepared to attack each other once again, only for a heavy sound to catch their attention.

[Insert Song End]

Rizevia and Sophia turned as they saw the now gigantic Midgardsormr... which is when Sophia finally remembered what she was supposed to have been doing, and let out a gasp of horror.

"How could I let this happen? Now that he's grown this big, it's too late for me to prevent Ragnarok." Sophia questioned, angry that she let this happen.

She formed a magic circle and disappeared, getting Rizevia's attention.

"Wait, come back here! What are you talking about!?" She demanded.

It took a few seconds before she let out an angry growl, looking at the Evil Dragon who could destroy the world if he wasn't stopped.


Everyone was dodging and attacking Midgardsormr in a game of hit and run, with their time limit having since reached 7 minutes before the earliest where Midgardsormr's presence could destroy the Underworld.

He opened his mouth, readying a powerful fire blast.

"Tsubaki!" Sona ordered.

"I'm on it!" She replied.

She flew into the air, and moved her arms in a square shape.

"Mirror Alice!"

A magical mirror formed and hit the flames, making it shatter and bounce back at Midgardsormr with twice the power. This surprised Rias and her peerage.

"A counter-type Sacred Gear, that would have been trouble for my side if we didn't know about it during our Rating Game." Rias remarked.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. When the Mirror Alice shatters, it reflects double the power, which might be the kind of strength we need to stop Midgardsormr at our pay grade." Sona replied.

Midgardsormr roared as he broke out of his flames, hissing before lunging towards Tsubaki.

"Look out!" Ruruko shouted.

She sped towards Tsubaki and saved her, just as Midgardsormr grew again, but this time? His growth was much greater than the previous.

"His growth is accelerating! We're running out of time!" Rossweisse warned.

"Here, I'll give us an opening!" Saji replied.

He formed his Absorption Line, or at least that's what Ishie expected, as her eyes widened when he instead summoned four copies of it. Together, they merged to create a bunch of snakes wrapped around his body.

A storm of Absorption Line tongues latched to Midgardsormr, which caught his attention.

"Vritra, you're here!?" He realized.

Behind Saji, a black Eastern Dragon formed from the mass of snakes.

("So, my first opponent is my fellow Evil Dragon among the Dragon Kings? It seems it was worth it to partner with you.") Vritra stated.

"Glad to hear it!" Saji replied.

Ishie rubbed her eyes, right as Yumi readied a pair of arrows in her Sacred Gear.

"Artemis Strike!"

She unleashed her arrows, managing to shoot both of Midgardsormr's eyes, and send some blood leaking out as they stayed in place. With just one move, she was able to at least temporarily blind the Evil Dragon.

"Got him!" Yumi cheered, pumping her fist in victory.

"No, you haven't!" Midgardsormr hissed, moving towards her.

She paled at that, seeing him sniffing his nose, and realizing he could still use his nose to locate everyone's positions... and he was now focused on her.

"Uh oh..." She whispered to herself.

Midgardsormr lunged at her, and just as she thought she was Dragon chow?

"King of Flies!"

Suddenly, the ground underneath her collapsed, and Midgardsormr's face crashed into the ground. A few seconds later, she reappeared above ground, only on the back of a giant Demonic Beetle.

She screamed as she jumped off, watching the giant beetle split into many smaller beetles.

"What the literal hell!?" Yumi screamed.

"Sorry, that was me." Eyleah apologized.

Yumi looked at him in confusion, her eyes still twitching from the experience.

"King of Flies doesn't just let me call on the aid of bugs, but merge those very bugs into larger ones. I called some beetles to dig you out of harm's way before you got eaten." Eyleah explained.

"Good to know... as in I wish that you never told me!" She replied, wishing the situation hadn't kept her from fainting.

Midgardsormr prepared to lunge at them again, only for Rossweisse to hold out her spear and hold the snake in place.

"Holy crap, you're strong!" Lunurai praised.

"Thanks, but this isn't where my skills really excel." Rossweisse smiled.

She pushed Midgardsormr away, then crossed her arms to form a dozen magic circles, unleashing a storm of Norse magic through beams that slammed hard into the mighty Dragon's form.

He crashed onto his back, but this only stunned him momentarily.

"Hopefully we've done enough to seal him away. Do you know if we've found anything to seal him in yet?" Rossweisse asked.

"Not yet, since my flying insects haven't-" Eyleah replied.

He heard buzzing and turned around, showing one demonic bug that was also his familiar fly, into view. It held a spherical crystal that looked to be made from the same material as Evil Pieces.

"What's this?" He asked.

His familiar buzzed in reply.

"Ah, of course! We didn't have a use for those Evil Pieces after they lost their hosts. Recycling, you are truly a wonder." Eyleah smiled.

Eyleah rushed over to Kuroka and Koneko, who had their Nekomata traits out.

"Koneko! Kuroka! Catch!" He shouted.

He threw it to them, causing the latter to catch it.

"Ajuka melted down some old Evil Pieces that lost their power to make that! It should be able to seal Midgardsormr inside of it!" Eyleah explained.

Kuroka sensed its energies and then smiled.

"This will work! Just try to hold Midgardsormr back for a moment, and then we'll take care of the rest!" Kuroka smiled.

"Got it!" He replied, flashing a thumb's up.

He turned to Ingvild.

"Ingvild, this is your moment!" He shouted.

"I'm on it!" She replied.

She looked at Sona, who nodded her head, and the two began manipulating water together.

As Midgardsormr got back up, he saw ten large water Dragons slither around him, biting down on his skin as they held him in place.

"Can't... hold him... for long!" Ingvild grunted.

Kuroka breathed as she held out the Evil Piece sphere, then channeled her Youjutsu as her eyes flashed.

"Time for you to say goodbye, Midgardsormr!" She shouted.

The Evil Dragon suddenly roared as space began to warp around him, followed by a strong tug pulling him towards the Evil Piece sphere. Everyone looked as it seemed like it would work...

*"ROAR!"*

*"TEAR!"*

*"SHATTER!"*

Everyone gasped as Midgardsormr grew again, and the Evil Piece sphere shattered in Kuroka's hands.

"No..." She breathed.

"It broke!" Akeno gasped.

Midgardsormr grew again, and this time? A powerful breeze began to blow, showing his size was reaching the point where his cold body temperature was affecting the Underworld's landscape.

"And worse, we don't have any time to get a replacement object! That means... we can't stop Ragnarok from destroying our home!" Eyleah realized.

Hearing that detail from Eyleah? A sense of despair overcame everyone, knowing that they had nothing left, but when that detail reached Ishie's ears?

"Goodbye Ishie... I'll miss you..." Yuuki's voice echoed.

It wasn't despair that reached her heart.

No, the reminder of the last time she was helpless had caused her to scream before she flew towards the Evil Dragon, surprising everyone as they saw her fly towards the apparently unbeatable enemy before them.

"Ishie, w-what? What are you-" Lunurai questioned, thinking she was being suicidal.

"Never again. What I had to experience once before as a child... no matter what, I will never witness that again!" Ishie screamed, her eyes glowing.

A powerful blue glow began to surge out of her body.

"Wait, that light... could it be?" Rias gasped, staring at it.

The aura grew in power, and suddenly, the winter cold began to weaken. The sight was enough to surprise even Midgardsormr.

"My winds are... fading!?" He questioned.

"I was made the Hero of the Underworld, long before I knew what my heritage was, and now... it's time that I actually prove to everyone that I can protect them! No matter what my path is, and what my answer is? I will not give up this fight!" She screamed.

The glow exploded out, causing Albion to let out a gasp as he realized what was happening, only to smirk as it became clear why it was happening now.

("Ishie, the time has come! Use it!") Albion shouted.

Ishie's eyes widened, and then she nodded.

"VANISHING DRAGON: BALANCE BREAKER!"

Those four words made everyone's eyes widen as she unleashed a pillar of white light, one that her mother and all of the Underworld managed to see.

One it faded, she was now wearing a scale mail armor like Vali, only with a different shape that fit Albion's appearance and wing-shaped Longinus.

"She did it!" Asia cheered.

From a distance, Tiamat smiled at the sight.

"So, that was the catalyst you needed to achieve. A desire to avert a repeat of your life's greatest tragedy. With a catalyst like that, there's no doubt you're the one the Devils need for their future." She praised.

As the transformation ended, Ishie let out a few deep breaths, letting the feeling of the transformation sink in.

"I did it... I finally did it! And at the perfect time to kick this bastard's tail!" Ishie shouted, looking at her hands.

("Just be careful to not get hit. This is our first time transforming, so it's going to be unstable until your body can fully adapt to the release on my powers.") Albion warned.

"No worries, all I need is one attack to end this." Ishie replied.

("That's probably all we'll get, so make it count. However, before you do that... hey, Kuroka!") He shouted.

Kuroka looked at him, right as Ishie ripped a gem off her scale mail and tossed it towards her.

"Huh?" She blinked,

("This gem comes from my Balance Breaker, so the fact I'm trapped in a Sacred Gear should mean that unlike that Evil Piece sphere, it should succeed in trapping Midgardsormr's soul!") Albion explained.

Her eyes widened as she heard this, realizing she had been given a second chance to save everyone before it was too late.

[Monster Hunter Stories, Ride On: Unreleased Kinship Track]

At the same time, Ishie flew towards Midgardsormr, dashing around at speeds he couldn't react to, before flying high above the sky and holding her hand out.

("DIVIDE!")

"Gah!" He roared.

Midgardsormr felt his strength sapped away, but this time, Ishie continued to do it without any 10 second gap or her prior limitation, if she even had a limitation now.

"My grandfather, my grandmother, my uncle, and my mom... all of them have bad histories under our name. However, as of now... I will give the name of Lucifer something to be proud of! I will protect the Devil race with my full strength!" Ishie announced.

("Now, Ishie!") Albion shouted.

She roared as her power flared out.

("RELEASE!")

Then it exploded as all her stored power was used to amplify it, letting her condense her Light of Ruin into a powerful, yet condensed sphere that took the shape of a star.

"Morning Star!"

She fired it out, causing it to explode into a giant light blue star releasing black and white energy off of it, almost making it resemble a large comet. Midgardsormr roared and released all the power he could force into his fiery breath... only for it to shatter as the attack struck him.

"Kuroka! Do it now!" Ishie shouted.

Kuroka nodded and began to warp space around him again, with Albion's gem being sturdy enough to handle the strain, even as Midgardsormr grew once more. However, a new problem came as Kuroka collapsed to her knees.

She managed to avoid losing the link, but she wasn't able to increase her pull on his soul.

"I... can't do it! I'm not... strong enough!" She shouted, grunting as she did.

At that moment, Koneko put her hand on Kuroka's, channeling her power through it as well.

"Shirone?" Kuroka said in surprise.

"But we are, together!" Koneko shouted, fighting past the strain.

She turned her head to smile at her sister, making Kuroka slightly tear up before she smiled, leading the two to nod at one another.

They both shouted as a serious expression formed on their face, and their combined powers began to successfully pull Midgardsormr closer.

"W-What!? No, this can't be!" He roared.

Ishie screamed alongside Kuroka and Koneko as they continued, with everyone watching at the tug of war that would decide the fate of the Underworld, and everyone who was currently in it.

"Wait, why are we just watching this! Let's make the vital difference!" Irina shouted.

That made everyone's eyes widen.

"Right, one last attack from all of us!" Rias shouted.

Gathering all of their remaining power, they fired it at Midgardsormr, hitting him from the side as he let out a pained roar.

"We've... got him!" Kuroka shouted.

"This fight... is over!" Koneko shouted.

At that moment, Midgardsormr's body was absorbed into his soul, which was sucked into the gem like he got trapped in a whirlpool.

"No!" Midgardsormr screamed.

That was the last thing the Evil Dragon said before he was fully trapped inside the gem.

[Insert Song End]

Once he was, Kuroka and Koneko dropped to their knees, having used all their strength to seal him. The remnants of his icy winds soon faded, which proved without a doubt... that he had finally been defeated.

"We... we actually did it. We... actually managed to seal Midgardsormr..." Rossweisse realized.

With those words, Irina jumped into the air and cheered.

That one action caused everyone to do the same, with Ishie soon landed on the ground, collapsing on a knee as the fatigue finally kicked in.

"Albion, tell me something..." Ishie requested.

("What is it?") Albion inquired.

"Do you think I... made them proud?" She asked, shedding a tear.

The White Dragon easily knew who he was talking about, and nodded.

("You always have, I'm sure of it.") He answered.

Rizevia watched from somewhere none of them could notice her, deciding she had no right to interfere with this moment.

Today? Victory had been won by her daughter and her friends.


Great Red sat in his room inside the Khaos Brigade's hidden base, with his eyes suddenly flashing open as he felt Midgardsormr's energies become like those of Ddraig and Albion's, causing him to gasp.

"How can this be? Those Devils actually managed to defeat Midgardsormr!?" He shouted.

"They did what!?" Someone shouted.

Turning to the side, he saw the form of a familiar man walk into the room, showing anger at those words.

"A bunch of weak Devils actually managed to win against my son!?" He questioned.

Great Red sighed, already annoyed with this man.

"I'm afraid so Loki, and he is now trapped like Ddraig and Albion, possibly forever since I'm certain the Devils will leave him somewhere he can't reach. After all, they do have access to Hades' realm. It would be easy to stuff his gem into the depths of Samael's stomach or Tartarus' body, where we'll never be able to recover it." Great Red answered.

"How dare they!" Loki roared.

He blasted an energy burst towards Great Red's direction, who didn't even bother moving since a misfire that accidentally struck him would do nothing against him.

"They will pay for this... I promise you that." He declared.

Great Red yawned and ignored him as he walked away, letting him do whatever he'd like against them.

He soon brought up a magic circle, sensing all the energies present before seeing Ishie's Balance Breaker.

"Hmm... looks like I need to let Vali know about this." Great Red realized.

Great Red smirked in response, excited to see the final battle between Ddraig and Albion approaching.


With the battle now over, everyone took a moment to rest as Sirzechs and Grayfia made their arrival, joined by multiple Devil soldiers they brought to survey the damages of the battle and verify no further threats remained.

"Hey Rias, looks like your brother is on his way..." Ishie remarked, still very fatigued.

"Uh... Ishie?" Rias replied, pointing at Kuroka.

She blinked a few times before her eyes finally widened, remembering that only they knew the actual story behind why Kuroka murdered her master. The fear on the Black Nekoshou's face made it worse, since she was too tired to do anything but stare.

However, that was when Ishie made a determined face, knowing exactly what she needed to do, right as the Soldiers noticed her.

"Stray Devil Kuroka has been sighted, prepare to-" The head soldier shouted.

Ishie blasted some magic at his weapon and knocked it away, silencing him as he and the other soldiers stared at her in shock, while Sirzechs raised an eye at her action.

"Ishie, you do know that such an act is-" Sirzechs warned.

"Kuroka is innocent of all the crimes you've labeled her for!" Ishie interrupted, refusing to stand down.

Sirzechs showed some surprise, as did Grayfia, while Kuroka stared at her in shock.

Realizing what Ishie was doing, Koneko let out a silent gasp, holding her hands together.

"That is a rather bold declaration you've just made, and one that you can't make without strong evidence to back it up. Do you have any?" Grayfia inquired.

"I do. According to Kuroka herself, her master... experimented on his peerage, and she was qualified as a member of it, but that's not why she killed him. Kuroka was willing to bear with it, but then he said something that she couldn't forgive. He claimed that Koneko, who wasn't part of his peerage, would also be experimented on." Ishie revealed.

Sirzechs and Grayfia gasped at that, with the rest of the ORC and Sona's peerage showing horror at the revelation.

"Just like I thought." Rizevia stated.

Everyone saw Ishie's mother walk into view, with a clear scowl on her face. How much was from what she just heard, and what remained from her battle with Sophia (if there was any), was unknown.

"Koneko flinched when Sylvie mentioned the Naberius Clan a while back, who are infamous for their experiments. A trait they inherited from the Nebiros Clan, which if I recall correctly... is the only former House of Lucifer to not be with the current government in any form." Rizevia remarked, emphasizing the last part.

"What are you saying?" Grayfia asked worriedly.

Rizevia closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"I think you need to have the entire Clan searched, because it seems fairly likely that Kuroka's old master was one of possibly many moles for the Khaos Brigade, ones that Great Red planted years in advance to gather information and sabotage us from within." She answered.

Hearing that, Sirzechs aura flared out like his sister's would, causing those used to Rias' to shiver from the stronger intensity his refined powers emitted.

"It seems that the Khaos Brigade takes us for fools. Unfortunately, I won't stand for that." He said coldly.

He looked at Grayfia.

"Grayfia, have a full squad of soldiers search the Naberius Clan's territory. I want anything that could link to spies found and brought to me at once." He ordered.

"As you wish." She replied, closing her eyes and bowing slightly.

She vanished in a magic circle. Once she was gone, Sirzechs looked at Kuroka, who stiffened a little.

"We'd need to have an official trial before we could fully give you a proper pardon on what may have likely been a horrible error on our part, one that we can't fully forgive for letting happen. However, you still killed many Devils, even if it was just in self-defense." He stated.

Kuroka lowered her head, sweating at what he might say next.

"As such, I'm afraid that I have to-" He prepared to announce.

"No!" Koneko shouted.

Everyone was surprised as they saw Koneko stand in front of her sister with her arms out, showing a strong look on her face despite her tears.

"I already lost my sister once before! Finally, I have her back, and... I refuse to let her take her away from me! Even if that means I have to become a criminal with her!" She shouted, unafraid of the consequences her words would bring.

Sirzechs said nothing for a moment, and when he tried again.

"Yes, I agree. I may not understand enough about the government Devils run as of yet, but if there is one thing I do understand, it's that tearing apart family is unforgivable. Besides... doesn't Kuroka count as family since Koneko is part of Rias'?" Ishie added.

"I'll also speak for Kuroka as well. All this time, I thought I understood Koneko, but today showed me... I didn't. That's why I will now, because she needs her sister." Rias agreed.

Sirzechs was left speechless by how even his own sister stood up for Kuroka, with the Black Nekoshou herself starting to tear up.

"But... you don't even know me. Why would you two defend me?" She questioned.

"You remember what I said to you, didn't I? Koneko still has you." Ishie reminded her.

It took her a moment, but Kuroka let out a silent gasp, understanding what Ishie was telling her once she connected what she and Rias had just said.

Rizevia smiled before playfully punching Sirzechs' shoulder.

"Looks like the current Devil King's still got some growing to do if he lets all his decisions be made just by what should be." She said.

"Huh?" Sirzechs blinked.

"You and your friends fought me and my friends because you believed the Devils needed to change. If you're willing to give me a second chance, regardless if it's just for the sake of my daughter, then I think you have the right to pardon her just because they believe she's innocent." Rizevia replied.

With those words, Sirzechs let out an embarrassed laugh.

He had nearly forgotten what he and his friends had fought for 500 years ago while trying to lead the Underworld, but like they had long ago, these kids were carrying that same will to better the Underworld.

"Looks like I can't win this battle." He admitted, rubbing his neck.

Koneko sounded hopeful by those words.

"Are you saying that-" She asked.

"I will pardon Kuroka of her crimes... on one condition." Sirzechs replied.

Kuroka stood up.

"Y-Yes?" She asked.

"Kuroka, I hereby declare that, for the rest of your life... you will serve my sister as your sister does. This is how you will atone." He declared.

Her eyes widened at that, with most of the Gremory Team showing surprise.

"I..." She said in shock.

She then bowed to him.

"I accept your conditions. Thank you for your mercy, Lord Lucifer." Kuroka replied, tearing up slightly.

Ishie smiled as her eyes became misty.

"Wait, but how can Kuroka join Rias? She took two Bishops, and Rias already used both of hers, so-" Gasper asked.

"You're forgetting that Ajuka invented the Evil Pieces, so he can easily find a way around it." Eyleah reminded him.

Gasper let out an embarrassed laugh in response.

"Alright everyone, let's get home, shall we?" Rizevia suggested, indirectly giggling at how tired everyone was.

"Mom!" Ishie shouted, blushing a little.

Sirzechs soon turned his head as he too let out a slight giggle at those words.


The following day, all of the Satans were gathered alongside Michael, Baraqiel, and Odin in a meeting room. Lint and Rossweisse joined them, once again being Michael and Odin's entourage and bodyguard respectively.

This finally gave a good look at Ajuka and Falbium, who were shown to be a young man (the youngest among the current Satans even) in his 20's with slicked back green hair and light blue eyes for the former, and a bald man with a black goatee for the latter.

"With how easily Vali got his hands on Midgardsormr, I'm afraid we can only assume someone in the ranks of the Norse Pantheon besides Vali and his mother has allied themselves with the Khaos Brigade." Ajuka stated.

"Yes, and more than likely, it's Loki who has betrayed us. He's never been one to follow the rules or care about the consequences he can bring. It would be quite expected of the God of Mischief in my fold, seeing as he's also Midgardsormr's father." Odin confirmed.

Rossweisse shivered at that. How Loki birthed monsters like him and Fenrir were things she didn't, and never wanted to understand.

"Speaking of which, we took the gem containing Midgardsormr to Lord Hades, who has since trapped it in the depths of Tartarus' body. I believe you are alright with this outcome?" Sirzechs revealed.

Odin nodded his head before standing up.

"As leader of the Norse Pantheon, I take full responsibility for the actions that occurred today. Know that we shall aid the Alliance in their efforts fighting the Khaos Brigade from here on out as our way of apologizing." He replied.

"Losing Midgardsormr isn't going to leave you with any problems, will it?" Serafall inquired.

He shook his head.

"The times change, and we must change them. We often get so caught up in our factions' own lives, we forget that unlike the legends of Humans, we all co-exist. I believe the fact everyone defied a force that could end the world and succeeded is proof of mother nature's will to live." Odin replied.

At that moment, Rizevia walked into the room.

"And yet people like the Khaos Brigade refuse to see that fact, including Great Red, who wishes to outright defy that fact." She stated.

"Rizevia, you do know you aren't technically allowed in these meetings, right?" Sirzechs reminded.

"I do, but during the whole chaos, I found and fought against Sophia... who said something that I feel may have explained what Great Red's true plans are. If I'm right, then we truly have reason to fear what he'll be doing next. That... and Grayfia asked me to tell you she confirmed Kuroka's innocence and the potential moles in the Naberius Clan during her search." Rizevia replied.

Hearing both things was bad enough, but everyone looked at her when she mentioned having possibly realized Great Red's end goal.

"What kind of goal do you think he has?" Ajuka inquired.

She took a deep breath.

"Sophia mentioned him gaining the power to alter reality, likely promising the Khaos Brigade to give them all worlds that have what they want if they can achieve it as their reasons for fighting on the same side. There's only one way I can see him achieving that with his power..." Rizevia answered, closing her eyes.

Everyone watched as she waited another minute before opening them.

"He wants to make his power over dreams eternal... by devouring Ophis."


As the meeting between the leaders was happening, Ishie was shown to be carrying flowers in her hand as she walked alongside Akeno and Rias to visit a certain duo at the Serafall Memorial Hospital.

"You seem to feel a little different today." Rias remarked, looking at Ishie.

"Because I am. Seeing how things went for Kuroka and Koneko... sorry, Shirone, has caused me to realize what kind of path I need to take. A path not just for the Devils, but one that is something I can truly achieve." She answered.

That caught Rias and Akeno's attention, prompting the latter to walk a little closer and show some curiosity.

"And what kind of path is that?" She asked.

Ishie smiled and turning her head to look at Akeno.

"I'm the Hero of the Underworld, so I won't let my voice be what inspires and influences others. When I get passionate, I can't hold back what I say, but that doesn't manifest in real life like it does in stories. That's why I need to let what I do act as my voice, because what I do will carry the weight I need. Just like my name does." Ishie revealed.

"Now that I think about it... I don't know what Ishie stands for." Rias realized.

Ishie giggled at that.

"My mom says it comes from three kanji. Those three mean ancient Japan, aspire, and branch. While the name Lucifer means Morning Star, which in turn means hope due to how Jesus was meant to be this for all of Humanity when he died for their sins." She explained.

She then closed her eyes, smiling to herself.

"As such, my full name means the aspiring branch of the Morning Star, because the power my grandfather got his name from? It has now branched to me, becoming the hope he and my mother failed to bring to the Devils." Ishie revealed.

Hearing that surprised Rias and Akeno, though the former soon smiled at what she said.

"Ishie's really grown up since we first met her. Hasn't she?" She realized, almost sadly.

"It won't be long before she overcomes her past. With that in mind, I think it's time that I come to terms with my own." Akeno agreed, closing her eyes.

Rias showed surprise and looked at her.

"Wait, does that mean you-" She asked.

"At the rate things are going? Life might make it happen, regardless if when I'm ready for it, and then make me ready." Akeno replied, smiling at her.

Rias smiled back, realizing that was likely true.

They soon followed Ishie into the room where Kuroka was. Since she had been on her own for a while, Rizevia insisted she get a checkup to be safe. Her sister had been with her ever since, now once again using her original name and form as a sign she had escaped her past.

"Hey guys." Kuroka greeted, waving a hand at them.

"Hey Kuroka, Shirone. I thought I'd bring you a good luck gift." Ishie greeted back, handing her the flowers.

Rias smiled at Ishie, who soon looked back at her, showing a smile as bright as her last name's meaning.


And that's it for the battle with Midgardsormr, and the adaption of V5, so I hope you all enjoyed it! Considering what V5 was adapting, I'm pretty sure that Ishie unlocking her Balance Breaker wasn't a surprise, and I had to surprise you in another way by revealing Kuroka as the next member of Rias' peerage! That being said, she won't officially join until after her match with Rias, since I feel Kuroka would leave it too much in Rias' favor.

On the plus side? Besides unlocking her Balance Breaker, the battle has helped Ishie realize her first step in knowing what kind of leader she wants to be for the Underworld, and has decided her way of leading won't work in the area of politics. She's the Hero of the Underworld, so she's going to use her status as it to inspire making changes for the better, because she believes that's her strength.

I think some people may not get that whole moment with Sophia thinking out-loud, especially if you're a newer reader, so to explain that? It's a bit of a joke to part of my writing style's earliest days. There were times I'd explain something without a proper scene build up, and since Sophia's nickname relates to her being smart... it seemed funny to make her reference that by having a tendency to accidentally think out loud.

My apologies if I either didn't show anyone (except Gasper, as Tannin implies that Midgardsormr is too strong for him to freeze in time) or barely had them fighting, as there was a lot of characters to keep track of. I'd have had less, but considering they were fighting a Dragon King, having only a few fighters in the mix would have made everyone in the ORC too OP in my view.

Before we officially end the chapter? I should let all of you know that it will be a while before the next one comes out, and not for the same reasons as Ch 17, which was because I took a while to get the scene with Ishie and Kuroka's talk right. It's simply a break while I focus on some of my other stories, and because I've got a bit of a surprise for what comes next, and I'm pretty sure all of you will enjoy it.

Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^