The wind was howling across the landscape of the ruined Church. Rias Gremory, with the unbridled Demonic Energy that was her Power of Destruction, pushed Ramiel to the absolute limits of his abilities and beyond. Though as powerful as she had become, the son of Kokabiel was still no pushover by any stretch of the imagination. His ability to summon a seemingly infinite number of Swords of Light and then control them purely with his magic made for a deadly combination with near limitless potential. Yet this was only one of the tricks he possessed in his arsenal. He could teleport around the battlefield seemingly at will almost instantaneously, phase through barriers, and summon massive cannons of focused light energy to his side.
Their battle raged into the skies above the spectators below. Ramiel used his Swords of Light in combination with clever use of his portal magic to attack Rias from multiple angles simultaneously. Yet this alone was not enough to pin her down, as she destroyed each sabre with red lightning that seemed to flicker off her body free of her own will. When that wasn't enough, he tried his cannons again. Summoning the massive light blasters from multiple different directions and firing concentrated beams of light at her. He used this in combination with his portal magic to try and hit her from behind yet she avoided even those.
Finally he managed to pin her down, summoning a massive volley of cannons that all blasted her simultaneously. Just when it seemed like the fight was over, a massive blast of Demonic Energy pushed the beams back and vaporized every single cannon in his arsenal. Rias slowly ascended up towards him, her eyes glowing like two blazing red stars and her hair floating on an invisible breeze. Even after everything he had thrown at her, it still wasn't enough.
"What's the matter, Ramiel?" Rias taunted wickedly. "Running out of ammo?"
"Alright, I know this is gonna sound rich coming from me…" Ramiel huffed in frustration. "...but...your powers are BULLSHIT!"
Her lip curved into a small smile. "Not...UNtrue."
Ten red energy balls appeared above his head. Ten massive blasts sent Ramiel careening into the ground below. Rias slowly descended back down with the others as her opponent lurched back up out of the crater he had just made in the ground.
"Now then, are you going to be a good little lad and return those swords from whatever Pocket Dimension you sent them to? Or am I going to have to start taking this seriously?"
Ramiel huffed in exhaustion, each breath more labored than the last. As he regained his wits, he began to chuckle painfully, wiping away the small trickle of blood on his forehead.
"That arrogance...what I wouldn't give to just shut that mouth of yours for good. Once and for all. You fight for a false God. A PRETENDER. You Dragon is nothing compared to the absolute power of Chaos. You can't possibly begin to understand why I fight. Why I kill. Not for myself. Not for my Sister. But for-"
"Oh I know EXACTLY why you're doing this." Rias quickly cut him off. "It's the same reason EVERYONE attacks us. It's because you're jealous of Jon."
His eyes went wide and his whole body seized as a white hot fury boiled behind his pupils.
She shrugged. "You can scowl at me like that all you want, it's the truth. You think we don't know why your father chose this city as the staging point of his hopeless little war? Behind all that bravado and hollow malice you call a philosophy is a sad little boy who laments the fact that he wasn't born more special." Rias flipped her hair and cocked her hip to the side as she continued to dig into him. "For all your talk of being above what we stand for, the truth of the matter is you and your pathetic excuse of a Father are no different than any of the other trash we're used to sweeping up around here. So long as there have been Dragons collecting Treasure there have been the jealous fools who come with swords and shields to try and take it away from them. Only to end up as so many stains on our walls."
His ears were ringing and he saw only red.
"The fact is, you gnash your teeth at us and bark in impotent rage because you cannot stand what Jon represents. An impossible ideal made flesh. A being with unlimited power and the capacity to have whatever his heart desires, and no force in this universe that can tell him otherwise." She took a step towards him and honed her eyes to a razor's edge, peering straight through to his very core. "THAT is what you truly despise about him. Not that he is what he is. But that it couldn't have been YOU in his place."
"Of course…" He growled malevolently. "...it always has to be about you doesn't it? Your constant need for validation...for attention."
She quirked a brow at him.
"Salazar told us quite a bit about the infamous Rias Gremory." Ramiel slowly walked towards her, still wounded, yet no less determined. "And I must say, you truly do live up to every hideous thing he said about you. A screaming child who destroys anything and everyone that tries to tell her NO." He snarled hatefully, his anger finally boiling over. "To think that someone so JUVENILE could be this powerful, it sickens me to my very core!"
Rias rolled her eyes at him derisively. "Your third rate psychology routine was amusing for awhile, but now I'm just bored. Are you going to bring the swords back or not?"
His eyes went wide in disbelief. "Is...is that truly how little you fear me?"
The disinterested look in her eyes said it all. She wasn't even trying.
At last...he had finally snapped.
"THAT'S WHAT PISSES ME OFF ABOUT YOU THE MOST!" He railed against her. "You and your Dragon! You think you're so superior to me! You look down on me! You look down on all of us from your fucking mountain pass!"
Power erupted from his being and he took off to the sky once more.
"I'll teach you what it is to despair! To tremble! To be afraid! You will feel the legacy of my family's pain as I swallow you whole!"
Rias sighed and shook her head wearily before turning back to her Bishop. "Asia, Darling, please take everyone downstairs, will you? I get the distinct feeling Ramiel is going to try something foolish."
"O...okay." Asia nodded in understanding. "Just be careful, Rias."
She assisted Kiba down the stairs while the others followed behind her. Once Rias was sure they were safe, she took to the sky again.
"You think they're safe from me behind a couple yards of dirt and stone?!" Ramiel laughed psychotically before raising both hands into the air. "I am a Master of Spacial Magic! All the dirt and stone in the UNIVERSE could not save them from me!"
Above them, a singularity began to form. This ripple in space time slowly morphed into a small black orb that grew in size the more power he placed into his spell. It didn't take long for Rias to figure out what he was doing.
Ramiel was creating a black hole.
One by one, the remaining Fallen Angels who had accompanied Valper were sucked into the great black void in the sky, along with the trees, dirt, and stone around them. Valper and Freed huddled together and managed to form a dome of energy around them that kept them rooted to the spot, though in their weakened states, they were certain the barrier would not hold for long.
"That Dumbass!" Freed winced as he struggled to keep the barrier intact. "What does he think he's doing?! Doesn't he know a black hole of that size will swallow him too?!"
"He knows that!" Valper shouted back angrily. "Ramiel has lost it! Save your energy for the spell!"
"Say goodbye to all you hold dear, Gremory Scum!" Ramiel cackled maniacally. "My spell shall consume this entire city!"
Rias glared at him like a disappointed mother glaring at her son. "And you call ME childish. The nerve."
She calmly raised her hand into the air with her palm flat and facing towards the black hole in the sky. The President then summoned five red orbs that each grew to roughly the size of a small car before shrinking down to the size of a golf ball. They spun in the air a few times before merging into one black ball in her palm that sparked with disgustingly powerful magic.
The orb of power launched from her palm like a mortar round from its shell. It whizzed past Ramiel before entering the black hole. After a moment of seemingly nothing happening, the black hole began to collapse in on itself before imploding into a singularity again and exploding with enough force to disperse the clouds in the sky.
It was gone.
"B...but…" Ramiel was petrified. "...you can't-"
"Oh believe me, I can."
She appeared in front of him faster than he could register. Rias blasted him with magic, sending the Hybrid careening back down to Earth before landing in the exact same crater he had made last time. The President then slowly descended again, same as before, seemingly no worse for ware than if he had just tried to kill her with a stiff breeze.
"Now assuming you're quite done throwing tantrums, I suggest you cough up those swords before I REALLY start to lose my patience."
Ramiel slowly raised himself out of the dirt once more, the fury in his eyes replaced now with quiet bitterness.
"You really believe that wanton destruction will solve all your problems?" She lectured sternly. Everything you've destroyed here can be rebuilt, easily."
"And then time will destroy it all again."
She remained silent. Around them, the chaos of the battlefield they fought upon was reduced to humble rustling of the leaves.
Ramiel took his vape from his pocket and drew from it, blowing a smoke ring into the air his rage having seemingly turned into apathy. "Why do people insist on creating things that will inevitably be destroyed?" He asked as if genuinely asking her, not in a derogatory way. "Why do people cling to life, knowing they must someday die? Knowing that none of it will have meant anything once they do? My Sister and I have seen countless deaths in countless futures and NEVER is there a glimmer of hope in any of it. In every vision we receive, it is always the same thing."
He gently knelt down and scooped up a handful of ash and debris before letting it fall through his fingers.
"From dust we came, unto dust we return. But dust is all we'll ever be forevermore. The problem is not that we must suffer, it's the inherent meaninglessness behind that suffering."
Ramiel clenched his fist until it bled.
"I hate Devils...I hate them for what they did to my Mother. For what they put my family through. They took away any meaning my Mother's visions had by ignoring the wisdom they held. They gave her sister EVERYTHING, because she told them what they wanted to hear. Not what they NEEDED to hear. Her suffering was made inconsequential by their contempt for her truths."
Rias's gaze softened, if only a little.
"You said I was jealous of your Dragon." Ramiel continued, his voice hollow. "And maybe I am. But only to the extent a man who was born without legs can be jealous of an Olympic sprinter. I have nothing to compare myself to him. Your Dragon was born with Dreams. Whereas I can only ever produce nightmares."
"Am I supposed to feel pity?"
"You were supposed to die." He spoke frankly.
"Nice work with that, by the way. Job well done there."
Ramiel laughed humorlessly. "You'll still die. You ALL will. If not by my hand, then by my Father's. If not by his, then by someone else's. Your way of life all but guarantees a violent and bloody end for you and your kin."
"Perhaps, but I would rather die having glimpsed eternity than to never stir from the cold furrow of mortal life."
Power erupted from her being.
"I embrace death without regret, as I have embraced life without fear. Now for the last time, hand over those swords!"
Ramiel sighed and shook his head. After a moment of silence he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A portal opened a few feet above him from which a screaming Tamiel fell through before landing hard on the ground.
She raised her face up out of the dirt and blew her hair out of her face before slowly turning towards her brother and scowling angrily. "I have been falling...for THIRTY MINUTES!"
"You could always use your wings." Ramiel insisted before pointing to his own.
"You know I don't like showing them in public!" She whined.
He rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever. Give the bitchy girl the briefcase so we can go home, please."
"Don't tell me she actually beat you." Tamiel narrowed her eyes at Rias.
"Look, will you just give her the damn case already?" Ramiel insisted more impatiently this time.
After scowling at Rias for a moment longer she finally stood up and waved the case over to her with magic. Rias picked it up and inspected it carefully before proceeding to open it.
"And to think you almost-"
A flash of light blinded her and Rias dropped the case, clutching at her wounded eyes as all sound and sight was replaced with white and a sharp ringing in her ears.
"Now THAT is a bait and switch!" Ramiel laughed victoriously before using his portal magic to warp him, his sister, Valper, and Freed away.
"Bya Slut!" Tamiel taunted before vanishing behind her Brother's portal.
Her vision slowly returned as did her hearing. When Rias finally realized what was going on and that the case was empty, she became furious. Her power erupted again and she shouted in rage, blasting everything in a half mile radius into dust.
The Watchers proved to be every bit as strong as their legend made them out to be. A battle against three Eight Winged Angels was almost more than Jon could take. Fortunately he had Akeno at his back, as well as Riser offering his substantial power. While the Phenex King kept one of them at bay, the two of them worked on subduing the others.
Jon was in his full boosted gear, soaking up the brunt of the damage while Akeno took shots at both of them with her lightning. Despite everything the group threw at them, however, the Angels just wouldn't let up. Before long, it became clear they were being pushed back.
"I must say, you're by far stronger than we initially gave you credit for." Batraal commented after coming at Jon with his lance. "To think you can take on two of us at once and last this long."
"Even if you do have a bit of help from the Half Breed." Danel added after blocking another bolt of lightning with her shield.
"What did you just call me?!" Akeno went wide eyed with terror and froze in place.
Sensing an opening, Danel chucked her shield like a buzzsaw.
"Akeno!" Jon quickly ignited the rockets on his boots and managed to get in front of her, forming an X with his gauntlets and erecting a barrier. The shield began to tear through the neon green energy until he successfully managed to blast it away.
"Tsk, so close." She cursed quietly as her shield reformed on her arm. "Oh well, at least I hit a nerve that time."
Batraal laughed with cruel delight. "I'd say you did, Danel. Well done."
"What are they talking about?" Jon asked, his gauntlets at the ready for another attack. "Ju'Kara, what did she mean by that?"
Akeno was a million miles away. The sunken, withdrawn look in her eyes belied a woman who had just had her deepest darkest secret blasted with a spotlight for all the world to see.
"Ju'Kara?" He asked again, slightly worried now. "What's wrong?"
Danel laughed hysterically. "Wait, you mean she didn't tell you? Oh this is perfect!"
"We know exactly who you are, Queen of Gremory." Batraal spoke up with amused vigor. "You're Akeno Himejima, we were once well acquainted with your father!"
"Be silent!" Akeno's horror stricken face turned into rage as she ascended above Jon and cast a stream of lightning from her finger at Batraal. He responded by wrapping his wings around himself and using them as a shield from the magical attack.
"We were quite surprised to hear that the infamous Queen of Salazar Phenex was taken down so easily!" He continued to taunt her as she cast her magic. "Then again, if one of the Devil's responsible for her death possessed the power of BARAQIEL on her side then it all makes sense! I bet she never saw it coming!"
A couple yards away, Koneko finished snapping the neck of another Fallen Angel before turning two worried eyes back at their Queen. "Akeno…"
"Do not speak his name!" Akeno shouted angrily as the power of her attack intensified. "I am nothing like THAT CREATURE!"
"Baraqiel?" Jon was trying to process all the information that was being thrown at him. He'd heard that name before, in one of Father Kyle's many lessons. But damned if he could remember it exactly.
Akeno's power began to wane and her spell dissipated. Her chest heaved as she panted in exhaustion, clearly drained from the exertion of holding the spell for so long.
Batraal roared in obtuse laughter once again as he unfurled his wings. "When I first heard it from the Angel of Stars I could scarcely believe it. To think you've fallen so far as to turn yourself into a Devil. Was your human blood not ENOUGH of an insult on our race?"
"STOP IT!" She screamed at him, partly in rage, partly in desperation.
The gravity of what he just said didn't hit Jon until a moment later, at which point his blood ran cold. "Wait...what does he mean OUR race?"
She gasped and cast two horror stricken eyes back at her Master. This was clearly not something he was supposed to be hearing, at least not like this.
That's when it hit him. He knew where that name came from. It was one of the lessons Father Kyle taught to him from the Book of Enoch. The one known as the Lightning of God.
But...that name was connected to the Fallen Angels.
"What an amusing house Lucifer's Little Sister has acquired." Danel commented just as cruelly as Batraal did. "The Red Dragon Emperor, a broken Holy Sword Project, a smattering of lost and forgotten pieces…" She narrowed her eyes and her sadistic grin widened.
"...and last but not least, BARAQIEL'S DAUGHTER!"
Jon felt the weight of a ton of bricks hit him squarely on the head with this revelation. Akeno...his Ju'Kara...was the daughter of a Fallen Angel. After taking a moment to let the gravity of what that meant sink in, his gaze silently turned towards the Gremory Queen.
Akeno, at that moment, looked completely numb to everything around her.
"How terribly amusing." Batraal continued. "I suppose Rias must have a propensity for gathering up old, broken, and useless things."
"Like Father like Daughter." Danel commented with twisted glee. "He betrayed us by siding with Azazel, while his spawn went on to become one of our mortal enemies. Both equally useless in the grand scheme of things."
"What else can you expect from a half breed?" Batraal spat out in disgust. "Honestly, what was our Lord thinking making his two mutant kids his Chief Lieutenants?"
"At least they come from a Pureblood Devil Family." She offered. "Unlike this rat, whose mother was a HUMAN."
"Akeno?" Jon asked quietly, a forlorn look in his eyes. "Is all of this true?"
"It was so nice…" Her voice came out as a pitiful horse version of her normally stoic pride. She slowly turned around to reveal a sad smile and tear stained eyes. "...it was so nice while it lasted. Having the man I love believe...even for just a little while, that I wasn't a freak."
A few yards away, Koneko's heart broke for the Vice President. Were it not for the urgency of the battle in front of her, she would have immediately flown over to hug Akeno.
Hearing Akeno call herself that...triggered something in Jon. His Dragon eyes focused on the two obstacles in front of him with renewed vigor and smoke flared from his nostrils.
"Awww, I think we hurt its feelings, Danel." Batraal taunted cruelly before raising his lance to strike again. "Perhaps I should just put you out of your misery now!"
He threw the lance as if it were a javelin. Akeno didn't even try to dodge, or even seem to really notice as the lance came towards her.
A red blur jumped in front the projectile and swatted it out of the way before it detonated in a massive blast. Akeno opened her painfully shut eyes and peered curiously at the one who had darted in front of her.
"Don't you ever…" Jon growled angrily. "Don't you ever call yourself that again."
"J...Jon?" She stared at him in confusion. "Why are you-"
"Do you understand me?!" His gaze turned sharply around to hone on her with fiery intensity. "I don't ever want to hear those words come out of your mouth again!"
"But…" She was taken aback, a look of pure shock on her face. "...M...Master?"
He slowly craned his head back down at the ones who he was truly angry with. "And YOU!" His eyes were like fire as he spoke, his massive fangs protruding through the hideous angry scowl he bore on his face.
"Oooo, I think we made him upset." Danel laughed derisively.
"Good." Batraal resummoned his lance. "Maybe now he'll actually start trying."
A massive, sardonic grin spread of Jon's features. He took a breath and began speaking in Draconian.
"Your body will not burn in my fire." He declared in the ancient tongue. "I will not grant you that honor."
All the fighting stopped. All of it. The Fallen, the Phenex Peerage, Ravel, Riser, Koneko...every single one of them stopped what they were doing and turned towards the Dragon speaking in the sky. All with the same looks of stunned shock on their faces.
Akeno raised her head and her eyes bulged in surprise. She didn't speak Draconian and yet...somehow she understood what he was saying. Or rather...it was as if his words pierced her spirit, allowing her to understand the intent behind them.
Batraal's cocky attitude faded, for a second he looked genuinely rattled.
"Batraal?" Danel asked in nervous confusion. "What is he saying?"
Jon charged. The Watcher raised his shield and readied his lance only for his opponent to knock it harmlessly out of the way with one hand before bringing his other fist into his shield, sending the Eight Winged Angel flying backwards.
"The insects will feed on your eyes!" He continued to speak in Draconian as he wailed on his opponent, hitting him with fierce, swift strikes as his boosted gear enhanced his power even faster than before. "The worms will crawl through your lungs!"
Danel dove in to assist, at which point Jon somersaulted completely over her and ignited the thrusters in his boots, scorching her back and propelling her forward.
Sending her lance into the chest of the completely shaken Batraal.
Her eyes widened in horror as it dawned on her what she just did. At which point Jon's fist connected with the side of her face, sending the hapless Angel flying several yards away into Turel, who had been fighting Riser up until this point. With her out of the way, Jon turned back towards Bataal and gripped the Lance of Light still buried in his chest.
"The rain will fall on your rotting skin…" With a swift tug he pulled the lance from his chest, causing his opponent to wretch up blood. "...until nothing is left of you but BONES!"
Jon sent the wounded Angel flying high into the air with a flaming uppercut, then back down again with a two fisted slam after flashing from one point to the next. As Batraal fell to Earth, his back shattered against Jon's waiting knee.
With his gauntlet, Jon proceeded to plunge his fingers into Batraal's throat and dig into his larynx, who gurgled and wretched up blood as his body failed to respond to his own commands to move. Finally, Jon ripped his hand out of his throat, extracting the Fallen Angel's tongue in the process.
Akeno immediately understood what he was doing and cupped her hands over her gaping mouth. Her Dragon had just ripped out the man's tongue for her.
He finished him off with a swift snap of the neck before allowing his body to plummet to the ground below. The remaining two members of the Watchers, and indeed every Fallen Angel witnessing this reeled back in abject horror at the display. One of the Watchers, one of Kokabiel's 200 Elite, had just been slain right before their very eyes.
Jon turned his attention next to the two women still paralyzed with fear, his sadistic smile only growing wider.
"I had hoped to save my power in case your Master was watching." He explained in english. "Didn't want him figuring out all my new tricks. But…well...if he IS watching..."
Energy erupted from his body as he tapped into the rest of his latent ability. His power skyrocketed beyond anything the two remaining Watchers could even come close to matching as the full gravity of the situation they were in truly began to sink in.
"...I HOPE HE ENJOYS THE SHOW!"
The rockets on his boots ignited and he made a B Line straight for the next target. Danel blasted him with a focused beam of light energy from her lance only for Jon to flash two feet to the left, well out of harm's way. She then chucked her shield at him like a buzzsaw, intent on cleaving him in half.
He caught the shield in his teeth and crunched, shattering it to pieces, before sending his fist straight through her body, impaling her on his arm. The stunned and horrified Watcher wretched up blood as he then pulled his arm out of the gaping hole in her abdomen before reaching into it with both hands. Jon proceeded to raise her over his head and tear her body completely in half from the wound in her stomach, coating his body with her blood as both halves fell harmlessly to Earth.
Finally, his eyes locked onto Turel. Who backed away slowly with her lance arm trembly pointed out towards him.
"We...were never meant to win…" She quivered at the creature coated in her allies blood. "...to think that you would use us as bait too...the half breed was right. Kokabiel, you damn madman!"
The Dragon roared with beastial vigor before blasting her with a focused Dragon's Shot that went straight through her chest. Turel didn't react, or try to defend herself in any way as the small focused beam vaporized her heart, killing her instantly. Not content, Jon caught her by the neck as she fell, crushing her neck in his grip before pulling her head clean off her shoulders. The decapitated body of Turel fell to Earth along with the rest of her dismembered peers as Jon then hurled her head up into the air and summoned Devil's Colt. He used his boost ability before firing a single round at the dismembered head, blasting it into small bits of blood, bone, and brain matter.
All was silent as the grave around him. Koneko was in shock, as was Akeno. Riser was in a complete state of denial and Ravel looked genuinely terrified at what she had just witnessed. The rest of Riser's Peerage shared similar reactions of disbelief and terror, while the remaining forces of the Fallen Angels were rooted to the spot out of pure fear of the Dragon's Wrath.
With all three Watchers fallen, Jon took a deep breath and exhaled through his mouth, his core temperature falling back to a normal level along with his power. He cast his gaze to Koneko and spoke.
"Ya'll okay?"
Upon realizing she was being talked to, Koneko finally managed to mutter out a bewildered "uh huh" before watching as he casually floated over to Akeno.
"Wh...what the hell was that?" One of Riser's Pieces asked quietly.
"Such power…" Yubelluna commented, completely dumbstruck by what she just witnessed.
Riser went from in denial to absolutely livid. There was NO WAY that Ddraig had managed to reach that level of power in so short a span of time. He refused to accept it. Not after all the work he had put in to surpass him.
Ravel's terror filled eyes seemed to relax upon seeing Jon behave normally again. Though the look of unbridled rage and wild savagery he bore as he proceeded to literally tear each of his opponents apart would be burned into the back of her brain for the rest of time.
While the group collectively pulled themselves together, Jon floated over to a completely shellshocked Akeno. He placed two armored fingers beneath her chin and gently tilted her gaze up towards his eyes.
"Master?" Her voice came out as a horse whisper.
"We will talk about it back at the Headquarters." He calmly replied, his tone gentle and understanding. "For now…" Jon waved with his hand towards the remaining Fallen Forces. "Take it out on them."
She gave him a confused look.
"Everything you're feeling right now, I want you to take it out on them." He ordered. "This isn't you, Ju'Kara. This...pitiful, delicate thing isn't what you really are."
Her eyes widened in surprise as her mouth fell open yet again.
"Where is the sadistic She-Devil I've grown to love?" He asked, a loving grin plastered on his face. "These creatures need to pay for comparing you to them. Show them what it means to pick a fight with Kuoh's number one sadist."
She looked at the Fallen Angels, then back at her Master, then back at the Fallen Angels again.
That sadistic smile he knew and love formed on her lips as her face heated up.
"Oh goody…" Akeno moaned while licking her lips. "...new toys to play with."
"Atta girl." Jon wrapped his arm around her and cupped her breast in his gauntlet. Akeno moaned in heat at the feeling of his metal hand gripping her flesh. "Now take my power and go have fun."
The gem on his gauntlet ignited.
"Transfer!"
Power rushed from his hand into Akeno's body. The wave of energy was startling enough to make her voice quiver in delight and her skin dance with electric power.
"Oh Master...you spoil me." Akeno giggled in her sadistically playful tone. "With this much of you inside of me...I don't think I can hold back!"
Akeno vanished from his grip in a bolt of lightning before rematerializing in the midst of the Fallen Angels. With a single flick of her wrist, five bolts of lightning rained from the sky and zapped five Angels, reducing them to charred skeletons and feathers. A group of more Angels readied their spears and attacked.
"My, such bravery even in the midst of your impending doom." She placed a hand up to her flushed cheek, her breaths hot and heady with arousal. Purple electricity sparked from her fingertips which she licked with her tongue. "Let's try this one out."
She shot her fingers towards one of the approaching Fallen and zapped them with the purple lightning. The electric attack chained to the next Fallen and the one after that, the one after that as well. Until all the attackers were paralyzed by the electrical discharge. They proceeded to wail in agony as sheer unbridled pain coursed through their bodies. The Angel's bodies twisted and contorted into horrifying shapes, bones snapping, eyeballs popping out of skulls, until at last she mercifully released the spell and allowed their mangled bodies to fall.
Upon seeing this, the other Fallen turned tail and ran. Intent on getting as far away from the She-Devil as possible. She vanished and then reappeared in front of them, forming a hand sign before raising both arms into the air. Traps appeared all around the remaining Fallen Angels, barring them from escape.
"Leaving so soon?" She asked with twisted coyness as more of the same purple lightning danced off her fingertips. "Why the rush? All this blood and screaming is getting me so HOT!"
Akeno unleashed the full brunt of her sadistic wrath upon her enemies. As terrifying as Jon's display might have been, it was NOTHING compared to this.
When the last of the Fallen Angel's had been slain, and the lust for pain ebbed from Akeno's mind, she at last returned to her Master and they exchanged a few words with one another. She then silently made her way back to the ORC Headquarters while Jon floated over to Koneko and Riser's group to speak with them.
"If it's all the same to you, Blue Blood, I'm going to take my Peerage and head home." After popping his back and cracking his neck he then added. "I suggest you do the same. Today was a well fought victory, but we will all need our rest for the final push."
Riser peered back at Jon as if trying to see through him. The monumental gap in power between them was something he was still trying to come to grips with, and seeing him now coated in the blood of three Eight Winged Angels after he failed to even take down one, was easily the most frustrating sight he'd ever had to behold since his brother was still alive.
Jon then approached Koneko who peered up at him with curious catlike eyes.
"I hope I didn't scare ya back there." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "When those jackasses opened their fat mouths on Akeno like that I just...sort of lost it."
After a moment, Koneko smiled and began quietly chuckling to herself. "God, you're such a worrywort. What makes you think something like that will scare me off?"
She then pressed herself against his bloody body and squeezed him tight.
"Thank you…" Koneko whispered lovingly to him. "...thank you for accepting her for who she is."
He held her tightly to him. "Not just her...you too."
She shut her eyes tight and held back the tears that threatened to well up to the surface. Ravel saw this, placed a hand against her thudding chest, and proceeded to tear up in Koneko's place.
"Oh Johnny…" She sniffled before charging into him and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, squeezing him in a giant hug. "You're so noble!"
Riser watched as his little sister hugged Jon tightly to her. The Ravel HE knew would have never considered throwing herself upon a man sticky with blood. Seeing her like this...it tore at him in ways he'd never felt before.
"It's not going to change, you know."
He turned to see his Queen Yubelluna floating next to him, her gaze also intently on young Lady Phenex.
"What do you mean?"
She shook her head. "Once a girl's heart is set on a man, it doesn't bend. Not for anything. Lady Ravel is lost to him, my Lord. The sooner you come to accept that, the sooner you two can start getting along again."
"But...he's a Dragon." He insisted, pain in his voice. "It's simply not acceptable for a lady of her status to be...to be…"
She smiled at him. "Could it be, perhaps, that your disapproval of their budding love comes from a place of jealousy, not hatred?"
He remained silent, essentially answering her question.
"Ravel has another man in her life who can protect her." His Queen continued. "It's painful to let go, I understand that. But just because her heart now belongs to another, that doesn't mean there won't still be a place for you in there as well."
At last he smiled. It was a sad, forlorn, smile, but a smile nonetheless. "You know me too well it seems."
She chuckled playfully at his words. "Well...I am your Queen after all." A loving look shown in her eyes as her face suddenly heated up. "And besides...I know all too well how hard a woman can fall for a man she loves."
Riser turned and took his Queen in his arms, pressing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss as she moaned against him. The rest of his Peerage quietly floated down, each of them offering their support alongside her.
He would be alright. When Ravel finally decided to leave his Peerage for good he would miss her terribly, but he would be okay. So long as he had his girls close to his side, the head of the Phenex Clan could weather any storm.
Akeno awaited her Master in Rias's room back at the ORC Headquarters, as was instructed of her after the battle. Jon had excused himself to shower and clean the carnage of battle off his body while she waited patiently on her knees. Having gone the extra mile, she went ahead and stripped away all her clothing as well.
Jon returned from his shower dressed in nothing but track shorts. The moment he entered the room, Akeno's back immediately stiffened. She felt his eyes upon her as he slowly made his way to the bed before meeting his gaze.
"Okay." Jon sat at the foot of the bed and rested his elbows on his knees. "Now...you know why I asked you here, I assume."
She nodded. "I do, Master. You wish to know about what I've been hiding from you."
He nodded.
After a deep breath, Akeno shut her eyes and lowered her head. "It's true what they said...about me being of mixed blood. Though...the term they used was different."
"Half Breed." He remembered angrily. "Yeah, I heard them."
"The correct term is Hybrid." She explained meekly. "Half Breed, as I'm sure you can guess, is a slur."
"So you were born from parents of two different species." He surmised.
"Yes. My mother was human…" A tear rolled down her cheek. "...and my father is the Fallen Angel Baraqiel."
Jon took a deep breath to keep his breathing even and stop himself from yelling. "Can I assume I'm the only person in the Peerage who doesn't know this about you?"
"Asia doesn't know either." Akeno explained. "And I wasn't planning on telling her if I could help it."
"But I'm the one you really wanted to hide this from, aren't I?"
She remained silent.
"Mmkay." He nodded irritably before rubbing his forehead. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and you just tell me if anything I say is wrong. I'm willing to bet just about every dollar I've got that the reason you didn't tell me is because of Raynare, right?"
"What was I supposed to say to you, Master?" Her voice quivered slightly. "I've hated the genes I was cursed with since I was a small child. The Fallen Angels are power hungry monsters and the fact that I am related to one-"
"Okay, let me just stop you right there. You don't even get why I'm mad, do you?"
Akeno opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again.
"You think this whole thing is about me not liking Fallen Angels, don't you?"
She shut her eyes again, saying nothing.
He sighed in frustration, turning his gaze away for a moment before addressing her again. "It's got nothing to do with what you are. Hell, I don't even care that you lied to me. It's why you felt the need to lie that's got me so upset."
Akeno quirked her head at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"You called yourself a freak." He conveyed the pain he felt in his words as he spoke. "You've been hiding this from me this whole time because...as confident as you like to pretend to be, deep down, you hate a part of who you are."
Again she was silent. "That's why you're mad at me?" There was a hint of betrayal in her voice. "Honestly, I think I liked it better thinking you just hated what I was too."
He sighed. "Honestly...I'm more mad at myself." Jon stood up and paced a bit as he thought about what to say to her. "All the horrible things I've said about Raynare, about the Fallen Angels, I said them right in front of you." He laughed humorlessly. "For hell's sake, how many conversations have I had with YOU where all I did was talk about how much I hate Fallen Angels." His heart broke. "I...must have been hurting you so terribly and I had no idea."
"You weren't." She insisted, light returning to her eyes again. "Because I completely agree with you. I hate the Fallen Angels too. I hate everything about them. That's why I hate-"
"Well now I have a reason not too anymore. You."
Her words stopped in her throat as visible shock came over her face.
Jon approached her and knelt down on one knee to her level. "Akeno, I could never hate anything about you. Not one single thing."
The words wouldn't come out of her mouth, as much as she tried to make them.
"And if you being half Fallen Angel means I have to stop hating them too then so be it." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and placed his hand against her cheek. "As far as I'm concerned, you're living proof that not everything about the Fallen is bad."
Her bottom lip began to quiver.
"I love you, Akeno. Every part of you. Which means I love someone who is half Fallen Angel. I'll die never having regretted that."
"How?" She shook her head in denial as her eyes began to glass over. "How can you love me so unconditionally when I don't even love myself that way?"
He lowered his head and smiled, knowing what he had to do. "Come over here, I wanna show you something."
Confused, but no less compliant, Akeno gracefully stood up as Jon took her by the hand and led her to the mirror. She patiently kept her hands folded in her lap as she stood in front of the full body mirror while he brushed her hair behind her shoulders to reveal her neckline.
"Focus on the mirror, focus on yourself. Don't worry about what I'm doing."
Akeno nodded in understanding, though she still wasn't sure what it was she was supposed to be seeing.
"I was going to save this for when things were a little less turbulent. But given what just happened, I think now is actually the perfect time." He went over to his drawer and pulled out his old revolver case before digging around in it. Jon then walked back over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and pressing her back against him. "Now tell me...what do you see?"
"I see…" Akeno sighed and turned her head away dejectedly. "...Jon, I can't do this."
"Don't turn away." He insisted gently before guiding her eyes back to the mirror. "Just say it."
"I don't know what I see." She spoke honestly, a distant, forlorn expression on her face as she stared at the thing in the mirror. "I've looked in the mirror so many times trying to figure out what I am...and I never have an answer." Akeno bit her lip to keep herself from getting worked up. "Every time I look in a mirror, I feel torn."
"Then maybe this will help."
He placed the jade figurine he'd been saving onto her collar. Akeno gazed at it in wonder, bringing a finger up to delicately touch it as it now dangled from her neck.
"It's beautiful. But where did you get it?"
"It belonged to my Mother." He explained. "It's actually the last thing I have to remember her by."
She cupped her hands over her gaping mouth and shook her head profusely. "You can't...Jon you can't give me this."
He shrugged at her, a slick grin on his face. "Why not? You said you wanted a piece of me, this is it."
"But…" She shook her head even more, at a complete loss for words. "...but this is too much! You can't give me something this precious!"
"I just did." He insisted before taking Rias's enchantment pen in his hand. "Now I just have to add the words."
She watched in bewilderment as he stenciled words onto the metal plate of her collar. Once he was done he set the pend down and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"What do you think?"
Akeno peered closely at her reflection in the mirror. "It's...Draconian."
He nodded. "It is. I know you were hoping for something you could read yourself, but this is actually a message for me."
She looked up at him. "For you?"
"It's a reminder." He explained. "A few simple words only I can read. Something I'll see every day to remind me of my promise to you."
She clutched her hands up to her chest, her heart beating madly. "Wh...what does it say."
Jon smiled lovingly while peering deep into her eyes. He took both her hands in his and spoke.
"Love her harder than her insecurities. Love her deeper than her deepest fears. Remind her every day, that you love all that she is, and all that she ever will be."
She couldn't hold it in anymore. Jon had never seen Akeno cry before. At least not like this. She'd gotten emotional more than once, but she never just...wept. Seeing her break down like this, starting with the little hitching of her voice and the first few tears rolling down her cheeks, followed by her face contorting into an almost smile as her body began to quiver, it was beautiful.
Not because she was crying. But because of what her tears represented. The unshakable Queen of the ORC was finally being completely vulnerable with him.
"MASTER!"
She leapt into his arms causing Jon to fall backwards onto the bed.
"Woah!" He laughed as he was unceremoniously knocked onto the comforter. "Careful Ju'Kara, that's-"
His words were cut off by her passionate lips. Akeno's naked body straddle him as she feverishly kissed her Master, tears still streaming down her face. He finally managed to pull away from her only for her to begin kissing down his neck.
"Easy girl." Jon chuckled at her in amusement. "I mean I'm glad you're happy but you're gonna have to breathe at some point."
"Master…" She finally stopped long enough to speak to him, her cheeks raw from crying, and her lips still quivering despite the smile on her face and her choked up laughing. "...God...you're too much, you silly Man. Look what a mess you've made me."
"There's that million dollar smile I love so much." He spoke to her lovingly before wiping her face with the back of his hand. "I know it'll take time for you to fully embrace something you've hated for so long…"
"But we will do it together." She confirmed. "You've just proven to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can overcome this. With you here to help guide me...my Master."
He nodded. "Glad we're clear on that."
A deep blush crept over her face. "Master...may I make a selfish request?"
He nodded. "Of course."
"Will you make love to me?"
Jon chuckled at her. "I fail to see how that's a selfish request, Ju'Kara."
She giggled. "No, I mean...not like how we usually do it. No toys or chains or anything like that." Akeno rested her forehead against his and ran her hand along his bearded cheek. "Just the two of us in this moment. A Dragon and his Treasure."
That made him pause. "You're talking as if we've never done this before."
"It's different, trust me." Akeno insisted. "It's been a long time since I've felt free enough to want something like this. Since I've felt my own desires enough to want something beyond just the service." She nibbled at his bottom lip and he could feel her wetness soaking through his track shorts. "You've helped me come out of the shell I've been keeping around myself. So please Master...please take care of me."
His expression suddenly turned serious as he flipped her over on her back. Akeno gasped at the sudden movement.
"Now and always." He swore. "Though you may wear my collar, don't ever be afraid to ask me for something like this."
She bit her finger in arousal and nodded, splaying herself out on the bed for him. They kissed passionately, their tongues dancing with each other as she coated the inside of his mouth with her saliva. When they pulled away she placed the middle and ring finger of his left hand in her mouth and sucked on them greedily. Indicating what it was she desired.
Jon brought his hand down to her heat as she parted her thighs open for him. Her juices were already dripping as he plunged his fingers into her depths while running his tongue along her right breast. He then swirled his tongue along each bountiful globe before trailing it down her belly to circle her navel, prolonging the buildup before his thumb finally touched her clit. Causing her erotic mewls of pleasure to reverberate even louder in the room.
His tongue trailed back up her heated abdomen to bite her pierced nipple before playing with it gently. She was like puddy in his hands as he worked on her, melting completely to every touch, her eyes shut and her moaning loud and honest with its intended meaning. Jon pressed harder into her jeweled clit, circling the pad of his thumb clockwise.
"Jon not yet…" She quickly placed a hand on his peck as the sensation in her heated pussy almost became too much to bare. "...let me savor it just a bit longer."
He nodded in understanding before easing off her clit and lowering his head down to lap at the quivering wet lips of her flower next. Her Dragon's scent wafted into Akeno's nostrils causing her head to spin at its intoxicating aroma. After swirling his tongue around her folds for a few moments he raised himself back up to her face and kissed her sweetly.
"Are you ready?"
She nodded.
Jon slid his erect cock between her legs. It curved perfectly against her pussy, teasing her as he got himself slick with her wetness. She arched back as he slowly entered her.
"Oh God…" Akeno gripped the comforter in both hands as he slowly inched his way inside her, his hands firmly on her hips as she savored the feeling. "I can never get over how thick you are. The length is one thing, but the girth..."
"Hush." He whispered gently into her ear while easing forward until his massive thing was stuffing her insides completely. "This is about you right now, Love. Lay back and let me take care of everything."
He moved with slow, powerful strokes. Every time he pulled back she gasped in need. Every time he hilted inside her she moaned, eyes shut tight, neck pulled backwards. As he moved Akeno squeezed down around him, desperate for every delicious inch of her Dragon's cock.
"Jon, I…" Her belly suddenly tensed. "...I don't think I can-hah!"
"Go ahead." He whispered lovingly into her ear once more. "Sing for me like a little songbird."
She could barely breathe as he thrust deeper into her, filling her over and over again. Akeno squeaked as she felt something foreign rise to the surface of her being. As Jon thrust into her again, a wave of shuddering pleasure shot up her spine and into her skull. Akeno keened, feeling something truly unfamiliar swell inside of her. This wasn't like any orgasm she'd experienced before while servicing him. This was something huge, bright, hot.
"Jon...Jon! Jon I'm...Jon this is...JOOOOON!"
Akeno sprayed him. "Squirt" being too tame a word for what had occured. His Treasure sprayed her Master with the force of her orgasm. A sensation she had never felt before ever. One that she felt from the crown of her head down to the very curl of her toes.
Yet he never broke rhythm. Jon fucked Akeno relentlessly, driving himself down into her, barely giving her a chance to breathe. She gasped for air as she slammed his hips into her ass. She was ragged. All his love could do was grunt and mewl in her clouded state.
And just like that her orgasm was building again, and she thought she might scream at any moment by how infuriatingly hot she felt. Jon leaned over until his warm breath tickled her neck.
"Again already? What a demanding lady my Ju'Kara can be." He teased her sweetly. "Do what you must my little songbird."
It was as if he'd heard her thoughts. Jon rubbed her clit with two fingers as he thrust back into her, driving her down into the sheets. Her orgasm rose up sharply and bloomed all throughout her body again just as it did before, bright and almost unbearably hot. Her whole body shook. Her toes curled.
And again she sang. Though it sounded far more like an incoherent scream. Yet still, he did not slow down, even as she came around his length. He continued to take her with powerful controlled strokes, pushing deeper into the mattress, pounding her until her whole world was his cock, until it was all she could feel, all she could imagine. Jon was relentless, his heated shaft throbbing inside of her, his cock somehow seeming to grow thicker with every thrust.
Then, finally, she heard the subtle grunt that always let her know her man was about to climax. With his fingers tangled in her messy hair and his lips feverishly pressed to hers, her Dragon jerked and twitched inside her, his shaft swelling against every inch of her pussy. Then came the rush of heat, the stickiness inside her. The feel of his seed spilling from her lips as he withdrew, dripping from between her legs and on to the mattress. He'd emptied himself in her. She was all but certain of it. Her Dragon had completely drained his balls in her belly for how full she felt. When did he learn to do that? When could she feel it again?
"Well?" Jon grinned at her. Obviously the expression on her face amused him, though at that moment she had no clue what face she was making. "How does it feel being the one who's serviced for a change?"
She wanted to wipe the sweat off her brow but her hands were leaden. Akeno's feet twitched as she ran one finger up between her pussy lips. The sensation made her tremble all over again.
It was too much. The stimulation, the euphoria, her head swimming. Her heart began to race as the rush of endorphins demanded her to act. The need to be taken care of was gone, replaced by subspace she could not ignore.
"Master…" She wanted to voice her needs but her throat felt as dry as the Sahara Desert. Rather than use her words, she instead elected to use her lips and tongue.
Akeno needed to taste her Dragon, badly. After being so deep inside of her, and making his length so sticky with cum, there was no way she could refuse what her submissive brain was demanding. Her Master's cock needed to be cleaned by her tongue. Now.
With his seed still dripping from between her legs, she sat up as quickly as her numb legs would allow her. Akeno found the strength to kneel on all fours before him and take her Dragon into her mouth. That familiar taste of salt and something else that was wholly unique to Jon hit her tongue. He murmured appreciatively as she lapped at his shaft, licking around the head of his cock, taking him to the base, suckling until every dribble of seed was gone.
Finally she withdrew, licking her lips, cleaning the last speck of his juices from her cheeks.
"Now what else can I do for my darling Ju'Kara tonight?" He asked her while brushing the back of his fingers against her cheek.
For some reason, those words were more powerful than her orgasm. The blood rushed to her face and her fingers trembled as she reached out to touch him, to hold him, to serve him forever and never let go. Why couldn't she speak? Why couldn't Akeno convey how badly she needed to serve him?
"Master...I…"
He stopped her, taking his exhausted Treasure into his arms and carrying her out of the room to the showers. "Let's get you bathed. You can find the words you're looking for afterwards."
Jon bathed her in the showers thoroughly. Scrubbing her raw skin gently as she laid in his arms, too tired to move yet so desperate to at least touch him. He was being so gentle with her, so kind, so loving and it was driving her insane. At last, as they lay in the shower together, the warm water rinsing them both completely clean, she managed to find the words.
"I'm lost to you."
He peered down at her as she spoke. "Hmm?"
"I'm completely lost to you, Master." Tears leaked down her face as she clutched at the small jade pendant around her neck. "Through my eyes, there are no other men in this world besides you." Her whole body trembled as she spoke. "They way you hold me, the way you whisper to me, the way you fuck me is all I ever desire to know from the opposite sex ever again. I want to only know the shape of your cock, to only know your words, I will honor and cherish my Peerage always and my status as a Queen. But with you…"
Akeno looked up into his eyes, the emotions she felt welling up in her features.
"I never want to be the leader with you. I refuse to be the leader with you. I want to live darkly and richly in my willful slavery to you. I want you lying over me, always over me. Your will, your pleasure, your desire, your life, your sexuality the touchstone, the command, my pivot. I don't mind my position, holding my ground intellectually. I'll keep my head raised high, proudly as a Devil of the Gremory Peerage. But as a woman, oh God, as a woman I want to be dominated by you. I don't mind being told to stand on my own feet by the life we lead, be all that I am capable of being outside these walls. But with you I wish only to be used, fucked, possessed by the will of my Dragon, at his time, at his bidding."
She placed her hands against his face and spoke with absolute finality.
"I am your slave, Master. A willing, joyful, slave to your pleasure, to your desires. All that I am, all that I will ever be, from this moment until the day I die, will belong only to you. My Master. My Love. My Dragon."
Her words struck him to the very core of his being. Jon's place had been cemented permanently in his Ju'Kara's heart. Of that he was certain. This is what she was now. For better or for worse. He'd accept her willful bonding to him, covet it, hold on tight and never let go.
"What comes next?" He asked, his voice almost as desperate as hers. "What must I do to cement this for all time? Tell me, Ju'Kara, how I show you I accept you fully and totally?"
She bit her lower lip thoughtfully as if having already considered this, finally, Akeno met his gaze again.
"There is one final step. Now that you've given me a piece of your heart to hold onto for all time, there is one last gift I can give you to cement my place as your willing slave." Her heart quivered nervously as she considered the gravity of what she was about to say. "I didn't think I'd reach this far with you yet. Not this soon. Not the way we have. But I can't help myself. My slave belly burns with a fire I've never known before."
Akeno slid off his lap and lowered herself completely to his feet.
"This collar isn't permanent enough. I beg of you Master. Brand me. Brand me so that all who see your mark will know my being belongs to you until the day I am dust."
Jon and Akeno made their way from the showers to the Play Dungeon. A wild quiver of joy and excitement coursed through Akeno's being upon entering the Dungeon. She quickly moved to the center harness before kneeling before Jon quietly, her eyes lowered and shy, her thighs parted widely, her hands clasped tightly behind her back, her head held high and proud. Her sweet sex glistened slightly and her heart rate betrayed her exctiement.
Akeno shuddered gently as he reached down to caress her hair, curling his hand to a fist and pulling her close to his legs. She swallows a soft gasp when Jon tugs her close. Akeno then nestles against his legs, purring softly with joy.
"Are you certain you wish to do this?" He asked again vehemently.
"I've never been more certain of anything in my life, Master. You've proven beyond measure to be the one to whom my entire being eternally belongs."
Jon smiled lovingly at her and kissed her lips softly. "Then tell me how it's done."
Akeno went to the dresser and pulled the instruments they would need out before presenting each one at his feet. She then began to explain to him how to forge the brand of his choice and how to mark his slave properly. Jon listened as she fully explained the procedure. As Akeno explained it, Magical brands were different from normal ones in that they did not require a heat source to work, only magic. However, the particular brand she desired would use his Dragon's Fire as the magic source, ensuring its permanency. He had some reservations about using his fire magic to burn his Treasure but she trusted him implicitly. If anything, the wild beating of her heart only betrayed the fact that Akeno did not fear the pain, she welcomed it.
Finally, after Akeno was done, he addressed her. "All right, Ju'Kara. It's time. Stand for me."
Obediently, she raised, her legs trembling gently, her belly tight with anxious excitement. Her Master stood before her, his naked skin almost glowing in the dim candlelight of the Dungeon. Her heart quivered as she lost herself in him, their lips met in a passionate kiss as she slowly began working her into the harness.
Akeno obeyed every silent command he gave as he shackled her wrists tightly above her head. His hand caressed her inner thigh and warm, damp sex leisurely as he then binded her legs with chains connected by a spread bar. Finally, he sinched her waist tightly in place with rope to keep her from moving as he applied the brand. When all was said and done, Akeno was bound tightly to the harness, unable to move. Jon caressed her cheek gently and she could detect his natural musk mingling with the heady scent of the leather. Sending delightful shivers down her spine.
Akeno's gaze was locked with his as he spoke to her.
"What are you to me, Ju'Kara?"
She whispered softly. "I am your slave, Master. Now and forever."
"And why are you my slave, Ju'Kara?"
Quivering, she answered him, her voice wrought with emotion. "Because you own my mind, body, heart and soul, Master. You own all I am and all I will be."
His smile washed over her in a gentle, warm wave. "You understand what I'm about to do to you right? I need that final release of control, Ju'Kara. I need you to tell me EXACTLY what you want me to do."
Tears filled her eyes, blinding her momentarily. Akeno blinked quickly, a soft tear coursing down her cheek. "I'm not telling you, Master. I am begging you. Mark me. Mark me with that hot iron and brand me as your slave for eternity." She gazed up into his eyes, her own glistening and soft, flooded with emotion. "Please, Master, please make me your branded slave."
He simply nodded gently before bending to kiss her lips softly. Jon looked down, his eyes following his hand as it glided down her trembling body, stopping at her inner right thigh, where it lingered. Backing away from her, Jon looked again into her eyes before reaching down and taking the first iron in his hand, channeling his magic through it.
There were seven in total, and this was only the first. For the specific mark that they had envisioned Jon would need to use each one consecutively. The place they had decided upon was her inner thigh. So that it could be seen whenever she spread her legs before him.
"Do you need something to bite down on?" Jon asked as he considered what it was he was about to do to her.
She shook her head quickly, her small fingers curling around her bonds tightly, her breasts heaving deeply as she breathes in excitement He smiled at her before whispering of the love he held for Akeno before lowering again to one knee and poising the brand close to her tender thigh.
With one last gaze up at her, Jon pressed the red hot iron into her flesh.
A flash of smoke and the acrid scent of burned flesh rose to his nostrils. Akeno cried out, a soft plaintive sound. The pain was intense at first but eventually dulled to a heavy throb. Jon disenchanted the first iron before picking up the second in the series. Intent, careful, He pressed the second iron to her flesh, holding it there gently as it burned the next mark into her tender skin. Akeno cried out again, this time with a bit more force, the cry ended in a heavy panting. Her mind was racing and chaotic, trying to reconcile the pain with the event. She found herself dully surprised that there was no further agony as she had anticipated, just the exquisite stab of pain followed by the dull throb. She continued to pant deeply, tears coursing down her cheeks as he applied brand after brand, carefully forming the symbol of the Welsh Dragon on her thigh. Her Master persevered, not stopping until he had applied each gracefully formed iron to her delicate flesh, seemingly paying little heed to her cries of pain and ecstasy.
When it was finally done, Jon applied a soothing balm to the new brand before covering it with a gauze pad. His loving touch was infinitely gentle. Afterwards, he finally loosened her bonds, kissing the flesh all around the mark as he unshackled her leg, nuzzling and kissing her belly as he unbuckled the leather belt binding her slender waist. Jon then lifted her carefully with his strong arms, speaking softly to her of her bravery and of his pride and love. She whispered back of love requited as he carried her back to the bedroom and laid her next to him. Akeno nuzzled her face in his chest and sighed in contentment.
"Master?"
"Hmm?"
"Promise me you'll make the other girls as happy as you've just made me." She asked, a bright loving smile on her face. "They all deserve to feel this feeling I now feel in my chest."
He kissed her cheek tenderly. "Of course. I plan on spoiling them all rotten. And don't think that that brand on your leg means I won't spoil you too."
She giggled. "I have no doubt, Master." Akeno raised her head to meet his gaze before clutching at the pendant around her neck. "I know exactly the man you are. The gift you gave me was the answer to my final question."
They kissed lovingly, passionately, her mouth opening to beckon his tongue inside before they finally pulled away.
"That said, I'm going to set some rules for you."
She nodded in understanding. "Of course, Master."
"Firstly, I expect nothing but complete and total honesty from you from this moment forward. No more secrets between us. Understood?"
"Yes, Master. All that I am will be laid bare before you."
"Secondly, know that you can always be upfront with me about how you're feeling. I won't have it said my Ju'Kara isn't allowed to be who she is."
She smiled brightly at him and nodded in understanding. "Yes Master."
"Finally." He placed a hand on her cheek. "You're never allowed to speak ill of yourself ever again."
Akeno frowned at that one. "You will...have to punish me for that one from time to time, Master. But I will do my utmost to obey."
"So long as we're clear on that." He insisted sternly. "Now then...kneel at the foot of the bed for me, Ju'Kara."
Akeno silently obeyed, kneeling before him with her thighs spread and her hands on her knees.
"Now...show me your wings. Your REAL wings."
Her heart skipped in her chest and she gulped back her anxiety. "I have...dirty wings, Master. I don't think-"
"Sounds like someone already forgot rule three." He growled, smoke flaring from his nostrils. "Wanna try again?"
Akeno bowed her head shamefully and nodded. "Yes Master…"
Two wings slowly unfurled from her back, one Devil, and one Fallen Angel. It was clear she wasn't comfortable in them by the fact her eyes kept darting around everywhere except his gaze.
"Look at me, Ju'Kara."
With that same shameful look in her eyes Akeno met his gaze once more.
"Your wings are beautiful. YOU are beautiful. Every piece of you. I'm going to spend every day reminding you of that until you believe it yourself."
Her heart leapt in her chest and her eyes welled up again. She nodded silently in understanding.
"Now turn around and lift your ass in the air." He pulled a riding crop from under the bed.
Akeno obeyed, turning around and getting on all fours before arching her back and sticking her ass in the air for him with her wings still unfurled. Jon gripped her by the ponytail and pulled, forcing her neck back.
"I'm punishing you for the dirty wing comment." He spoke bluntly while caressing her ass with the riding crop. "Count these out as I give them to you."
She shut her eyes as her voice quivered. "Yes Master."
He raised the riding crop above his head.
"Master?"
He stopped. "What is it, Ju,Kara?"
"I love you." Tears fell freely down her cheeks as she choked on her quiet sobs. "God...I love you so much."
He smiled at her in understanding. "And I love you."
With that Jon brought the riding crop down sharply across her ass and she cried out in pain, counting to one.
Matsuda could think of about a million things that were vastly more important than having the conversation that was currently taking place in that cellar. Sammy was working with Aika and Motohama to individually process each survivor and send them through the giant portal they had opened to Kuoh Academy. Meanwhile, he was stuck dealing with the argument that had sprung up between Irina and Asia regarding interpretations of the Holy Bible.
Uncomfortable didn't even begin to describe it.
"I still don't see how you can be okay with what you're doing." Irina spoke sternly with her hands on her hips.
"It's not like I'm doing any harm." Asia whined indignantly. "And besides the bible clearly states that a man should not lie with another man the way he would a woman. It never mentions us."
"Oh that is such a cop out and you know it." She retorted.
"So wait, I'm confused. Does this mean its kosher as long as I'm NOT fucking a dude in the vagina?" Matsuda spoke up, receiving nothing but groans from everyone around him.
"My point is, our Holy Text is not a bag of trail mix. You can't just pick out the words you like while ignoring everything else."
"According to the files we found in the Lab you can." Xenovia countered.
"Something we have yet to verify with the Vatican." Irina insisted angrily. "You're so quick to trust the Gremory's to help but you won't even consider just talking-"
"I am DONE listening to the lies those arrogant bastards have been feeding me." She growled. "My whole life they've used me as their puppet. Killing indiscriminately for a false cause. I won't return to them, Irina. Not after everything I've seen."
Her heart sank into the back of her chest. "So...you're really doing this? You're abandoning your God?"
Xenovia frowned and cast her gaze away, thinking for a moment before answering.
"I didn't say that." She finally admitted. "I'm not abandoning God. Not until I know all the answers."
Asia smiled at her words.
"But I am abandoning the Church." Xenovia declared resolutely. "The evidence we've received is damning. They can't be trusted."
"Oh but Lucifer can?!" Irina asked incredulously. "Do you not hear how insane that sounds?!"
"No more insane than willingly turning your greatest weapon over to a group of psychotic terrorists."
Everyone turned around to see Rias Gremory standing near the entrance. She did NOT look happy. Not one bit.
"I'm just...I'm just gonna go over here." Matsuda pointed to where Sammy and Aika were and quickly made himself scarce.
Rias sauntered up to Irina and Xenovia with angry powerful strides before shooting daggers at the former. "This whole dilemma is ENTIRELY your fault. I hope you realize that. Thanks to your stubborn pride, the Fallen Angels have reacquired the Holy Swords."
"They still don't have ours." Xenovia tried to sound assuring, referring to her Excalibur Destruction and Irina's Excalibur Mimic.
"You've seen the same files we have. You know what they intend to do with the swords." Rias spoke sharply. "Even with three they will have gained enough power to break through the barrier."
"Woah woah woah. Hold on." Sammy spoke up angrily. "I thought you said the missile was capable of doing that on its own."
She shook her head. "Tsubaki ran the numbers on the missile design they're using. It was a bluff. The Holy Swords were always the key to breaking the barrier and YOU just handed it right to them." Rias pointed at Irina.
"Oh for fucks sake…" Sammy clasped a hand over his mouth before kicking a box of medical supplies over in anger.
"My mission still stood." Irina spoke stubbornly. "I was to deliver those swords to the Church. Not to you."
"Brilliant how it all went according to plan." Aika snidely remarked.
"Hell is not my ally." She insisted vehemently. "The situation was far too complicated to just allow the swords to be handed over-"
"No no no." Sammy shook his head, not buying it for a second. "Uh uh. This ain't complicated. Game of Thrones is complicated. Shower sex? That's also complicated. This shit right here, this isn't complicated. You just handed the key to armageddon over to a group of psychopaths to keep it out of the hands of the ones trying to prevent it. The problem here isn't us. It's you!"
She bit her tongue and turned her head away. Rias approached her and placed her hand up to her arm, drawing a sigil on it.
Irina quickly backed away. "What are you doing?!"
"It's a sigil that will allow you to pass through the barrier unharmed." She explained coldly.
"Huh?" Irina blinked at the mark on her arm in confusion. "Why are you giving me this?"
"Because I want you out of my city, Irina." Rias growled. "Tonight!"
Asia gasped in surprise, placing a hand up to her mouth. "But...Rias…"
"I'm sorry, Asia. But this isn't up for discussion. Xenovia has been compliant with us but Irina has proven herself to be a potential security risk. I can't bring her back to Kuoh."
"But she could be killed out there." Aika insisted.
"She has plenty of training to keep herself alive and it isn't far to reach the barrier. Once she's on the other side she'll be a hell of a lot safer than we are." Rias explained.
"It's still risky." Xenovia worried. "What if I were to-"
"Save your breath Xenovia." Irina cut her off while still glaring at Rias. "I had no intention of coming to Kuoh anyway. Now that the survivors are safe, I'll be heading back to the Vatican."
"Don't be a fool!" She insisted. "If you go back empty handed knowing what you do now you'll be excommunicated."
"Well that doesn't seem too bad." Aika commented. "That just means she's banished right?"
"Excommunication doesn't mean the same thing to a Hunter that it does to a normal member of the Clergy." Xenovia explained, her eyes resolutely locked on Irina. "Hunters know too much to simply be allowed to leave. Irina, if you go back there they will KILL you."
"I do not fear death." She spoke resolutely. "Only losing my soul. You've made your choice Xenovia. All of you have. This is me making mine."
"Call it whatever you will. The fact remains I want you out of this city by morning." Rias demanded. "The rest of you are coming back to Kuoh for debriefing."
"Finally." Aika groaned in relief.
Rias approached the portal and tweaked it, changing the coordinates to the ORC Headquarters. One by one they each stepped through the portal, leaving Xenovia and Irina to gaze at each other solemnly for a moment.
"For what it's worth...I'm proud of how far you've come." Xenovia finally smiled at her.
Irina cast her gaze away. "Tell me why…"
"What?"
"Tell me why!" She asked again hurtfully, her eyes glassing over. "Don't you understand what awaits you on the other side of that portal?! Why are you letting them do this to you?!"
"I'm sorry, Irina." Xenovia turned and made her way to the portal. "But your faith was always stronger than mine."
Xenovia vanished through the portal and Irina collapsed to her knees, unable to accept that two people she once admired so much had both sided with Hell's forces.
"Come along, Asia." Rias beckoned her towards the portal. "Jon's waiting for us."
Asia looked down at the distraught Irina then back at the portal. "I'll be right behind you, Rias. I promise."
She nodded before making her way through the portal along with the others. Asia knelt down next to Irina and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"What do you want?" She asked bitterly.
"I just wanted to say that...I admire you. Even if the others don't."
Irina peered up at her in confusion.
"It takes a great deal of strength to walk the path you're walking." She continued. "I walked that same path once before. Though...I never chose it."
"I didn't choose this path, the Lord chose it for me." Irina insisted. "God had a path for you too once. Same as Xenovia...and Jon." She turned her eyes towards the portal resolutely while clutching at her Mother's cross. "Before he died, my Dad had a saying. If you're going to have faith, you can't just have it when the miracles happen. You have to have it when they don't."
Asia nodded in understanding. "I believe the same thing."
"Then why did you become what you are?" She asked, still not able to fathom it. "Why throw everything you believe in away and allow yourself to be condemned?"
She frowned thoughtfully. "It...won't make any sense."
"I'd like to know all the same. If you'll humor me."
Asia thought best on how to answer before speaking.
"I consider Jon to be a blessing worth any sacrifice. Even if I can never go to Heaven."
Irina looked visibly shocked by her words. "But...he's just a man."
"He's not just a man, Irina." Asia insisted, gently shaking her head. "You've seen it just like the rest of us. When you look in his eyes, you see it."
She turned her gaze away sharply, biting down on her lower lip to keep herself from saying what her heart was telling her.
"When I was excommunicated from the Church, I began to seriously question my Faith. Why would God do this to me? I asked myself. Why am I being punished for following his teachings?" Asia placed her hands up to her chest and bowed her head. "But then...God lead me to Jon...and to Rias. He gave me everything I ever dreamed of. Friends, family, love. Even if it didn't appear the way I expected it to."
Irina seemed to consider what she was saying.
"I believe that God has placed me where I am at this very moment for a reason. Even if I can't speak to him the way I once could, I still pray and have faith that he is working everything out."
She cast her gaze up towards the sky.
"I believe in God not because the bible tells me to, not because the Church tells me to, but because I have experienced his mercy and grace for myself."
"You could be wrong…" Irina spoke quietly, her voice uncertain. "...I know Jon better than any of you. There's always the chance you'll get hurt."
She nodded. "And tomorrow I might die. That's what life is. That's how God made it."
Irina's body trembled silently, she was still so unsure.
"I know how scary it is losing what you love." Asia assured. "You want to shut yourself off forever, from everything. Believe me...I know. But when you shut out pain, when you shut out fear, you shut out everything else too."
Asia hugged Irina tightly to her chest before standing and waving.
"God bless you, Irina Shidou. I pray that someday...we can be friends."
She turned and stepped through the portal which vanished behind her. Leaving Irina on the cold hard stone floor, alone, and lost in her own thoughts. Unbeknownst to her, Alice was watching from behind a stack of crates with a piercing look that bore straight into Irina's soul.
Liking what she saw, the young girl smiled approvingly before warping away of her own power.
