Twelve Watchers. That's how many Riser capped out at was twelve damned Watchers before both he and his Peerage began to run out of gas. The Sitri Peerage wasn't faring much better. With the arrival of Kokabiel's Elite, the Fallen Forces moral had effectively turned. They were on the winning side now and they knew it. But he wasn't done yet. Riser was a Phenex, the Immortal Bird. A man for whom death turned a blind eye. He'd see this through to the end no matter what.

Besides, they did have one more card to play.

"Things are looking pretty dire, Big Brother!" Ravel cautioned over the sound of battle while she hurriedly tended to Yubelluna's wounds. "Should we break off?!"

"It's too soon!" He insisted before parrying an Angel's attack with his polearm and basting them back with magic.

"We won't survive this if we keep going the way we are!" Yubelluna insisted. "My Lord, we need to retreat!"

"If we break off now the ground forces will be slaughtered!" He fired rays of deadly light at another Fallen Watcher, searing one of its wings in the process.

"We can't maintain our position like this! We need more help!"

It was then a portal opened in the sky.

"Oh sweet Lucifer, what now?!" Riser bemoaned in sheer exhaustion. "More Fallen?!"

Yubelluna narrowed her eyes at the lone figure descending from above. "Wait a minute...that's-"

"Sona!" Tsubaki called to her President, her voice filling with excitement.

Ravel looked towards the sky where the Sitri King was descending from. Sona proceeded to blast three Fallen Angels who charged her with Arcane Missiles from her staff before blink warping to her Queen, Tsubaki.

"I see you've been keeping your hands full."

Tsubaki smirked at her. "Sure, we'll just completely gloss over the fact you're in your Leviathan Form."

Sona rolled her eyes at her. "The Hybrids had me up against a wall. Taking them to the Leyline was my only choice for winning."

"I'm just saying." Her Queen teased her a little. "I recall a very serious conversation involving you and your parents about never doing that under any circumstances without your Sister's supervision. Something about...destabilizing the veil and causing an earthquake large enough to split the continent in half?"

"My parents and Older Sister can bitch at me later." She declared indifferently. "I did what was necessary."

Tsubaki chuckled lightly in amusement. "Of course, Ms. President. Now if it's all the same, care to lend a hand?"

Sona nodded, her focus returning. "Right, I have just the thing to help."

She raised her staff into the air and summoned an orb of blue light. The light shot into the sky before scattering into dozens of smaller orbs. Each orb hit a different member of the Sitri and Phenex Peerage, restoring energy to their bodies and revitalizing them.

The battle was far from over.


"IRINA!" Jon laughed ecstatically upon seeing his old student. She had come back. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Irina had come back to help them.

The Holy Swordswoman turned back and smiled at him warmly. After all this time, she finally understood where she was needed most.

Wherever her family needed her.

Irina turned and focused her attention back on the massive three headed canine in front of her. "Alright, I'll keep Poochy here distracted while you finish getting Koneko back on her feet, Asia."

The Bishop smiled at her and nodded. "Thank you, Irina."

With that she charged towards the now incredibly pissed off Cerberus. Her Excalibur Mimic formed into that of a whip as she proceeded to lasso the beasts left neck and launch herself up into the air. With a spin of her body, Irina slashed her razor whip across Cerberus's back, making the creature howl in pain yet again.

Xenovia stopped battling Freed long enough to turn and gawk in abject surprise at who had just showed up. "Is that, Irina? She's here?!"

"So she came back after all, huh?" Rias commented warily while continuing to do battle with the Reapers. "While I can't say I'm happy she ignored my warnings I'm glad for the help all the same."

While Irina kept the three headed beast distracted, Jon continued to boost the power of the Life Spell Asia had helped him create. Finally, the spell reached an acceptable level of power, growing to the size of a beach ball. He proceeded to shrink the ball down to a fraction of its original size before clutching it in his right gauntlet and charging towards the Reapers.

"Rias, Akeno, move!" He shouted.

Both girls quickly dove out of the way as he reared his fist back.

"Eat this, Boneheads! TWILIGHT FLARE!"

He launched the ball of energy from his fist. The Reapers watched as it soared above their heads before erupting into a flash of brilliant green light. High pitched shrieks like the wails of the damned rang from their cloaks as they blocked the radiant light with their hands. The brilliant glow healed and revitalized every single member of the Gremory Peerage while also burning the Reapers cloaks away and stripping them of a massive portion of their power.

Now fully healed, Koneko stood up and gave Jon a weird look.

"Twilight Flare?" She asked in cringey disbelief.

"Look, if you wanna come up with a better name for it, then go ahead." Jon replied in exasperation.

Asia giggled and blushed at the name. "I think it's sweet…"

Jon then turned his attention back to the three Reapers. They had them right where they wanted them. Now it was just time to finish the Death Spirits off. Jon summoned his wings and took to the sky.

"Oh girls!" He whistled to both Rias and Akeno.

"Good boy!" Rias cheered.

"Oooo, fun." Akeno commented playfully.

Both girls each placed themselves at their Dragon's right and left side.

"You ready to finish this?" He asked in a flirty tone.

"Only if you are, Cowboy." Rias murmured in his ear.

Akeno pouted jokingly. "And here I thought we would play with them some more, Master."

"Oh don't worry." He grabbed both his Treasure's by their firm, round asses causing them to arch their backs and gasp in surprise. "I'll make it up to you both later."

He hit them with his Transfer ability, filling their bodies with power and causing them to both moan in euphoric delight. With their Dragon's power now coursing through them, the girls moral soared.

"We're ready now!" Rias boasted.

"Oh yeah!" Her Queen cheered.

"Now Akeno, Love? Care to do the honors?"

"With pleasure, Rias." Akeno channeled her lightning magic and formed a yellow magic circle in front of her. A massive beam of electricity hit the charred reaper furthest to the right, sending light energy all throughout his body until his bones began to crack and break away into dust.

Rias quickly followed suit, channeling her Power of Destruction into a concentrated ball before hurling at the Reaper on the far left. The orb of energy hit him square in the chest upon which his body disintegrated into nothing.

Finally, Jon summoned his Revolvers and fired on the reaper in the middle, riddling its skeletal body full of holes and causing it to break apart. He finished it off with Devil's Colt, sending a boosted round straight through the Reaper's skull, causing its entire body to explode into nothing.

"What?!" Freed stopped long enough to gawk in disbelief at the sight of three dead Reapers, giving Kiba the opening he needed to assist Koneko and the others.

"Koneko, over here!" He shouted.

She nodded. "Right!"

The Rook jumped into the air and grabbed Cerberus's middle head by the throat before summoning every last bit of strength she possessed to hurl the massive creature over her head. As she did this, Kiba slammed his fist into the ground while channeling Sword Birth. A bed of blades sprang up from the earth, impaling Cerberus upon them as Koneko slammed him down.

His body burned away into ash, returning once more to the land of the dead. Exhausted and wounded, Hati vanished back to his realm. Having helped win a battle well fought.

"Hell yes!" Jon cheered. "Nice one you two!"

"Jon!"

With the immediate threat gone, Irina ran up to her old Mentor and jumped into his arms, hugging him tight. Though initially taken off guard, he nevertheless spun her around happily before placing her back on her feet.

"Oh gimme a break." Freed stuck his finger in the back of his mouth and gagged dramatically.

"You came back." Jon placed a hand against her cheek, gazing into her eyes lovingly.

"I had to." She smiled up at him, her violet orbs glassing over. "You're my family, and I love you no matter what."

They embraced each other again. Rias took this moment to descend back to the ground, her arms folded, a cold glare on her features.

"I thought I told you to leave." She spoke frankly.

Irina pulled away from him and scowled sourly at Rias. "And I made it clear I don't take orders from Devils."

"Why come back at all then?" Xenovia asked, using the break in the fight to speak to Irina.

Her former partner cast two woeful eyes at the former Hunter turned Knight. "It's good to see you too, Xenovia. You look...different."

She frowned and cast her gaze away shamefully.

"Answer her question." Rias demanded. "Why did you come back here?"

"Because you were right about one thing." Irina retorted somewhat spitefully. "I can't be what you are. I could NEVER be what you are." She then turned back to Jon and her expression immediately softened again. "But...Jon is important to me. He's the only family I have left. I wouldn't let that die for anything."

They hugged once more.

"Aww, what a touching display. Such a shame you'll all be dead soon."

They all turned back up towards Kokabiel, who smiled down at them with that same cruel humorless face.

Rias flared in anger before taking to the sky and conjuring a massive blast of Destruction Energy. "Take this!"

She hurled the destructive spell at him which he proceeded to casually swat out of the air like a passing fly. It hit the ground a couple yards away, obliterating everything around it.

"Impressive." He complimented before sitting up in his throne. "Look at how much stronger you've become now that you've had a little Red Dragon Emperor inside of you. Sexy...and fascinating. But I'm afraid you've officially lost. The missile is due to fire any minute now and you haven't even laid a scratch on me."

"Oh really? How about this!" She conjured another massive blast of energy before firing at him. Kokabiel caught the destructive power and formed it into a ball in his left hand.

Akeno matched Rias's move by casting a massive chain of lightning at him. The Angel of Stars caught the attack as well and formed it into a ball. He brought his palms together and coalesced the two energies together, forming a massive purple ball of death.

"Fools!" He roared before hurling the ball at them.

"Rias!" Akeno quickly darted in front of the President to protect her.

Moments before the ball made contact, Jon appeared in front of them and crossed his gauntlets together in an X formation, forming a barrier between his Treasures and the death ball. All three of them were sent flying by the blast, with Rias barely managing to maintain altitude while Jon and Akeno went careening down to the planet below.

"Jon!" Irina sprinted towards his falling body before catching all of his weight on her shoulders. The three of them went tumbling to the ground with Jon landing on Irina and Akeno landing on Jon.

"Thanks...Irina." Jon groaned in pain.

"Don't...mention it." She groaned back, also clearly hurting.

The awkward dog pile was made even more awkward by the fact that Akeno's robes were shredded and her breast was now out. They rolled off each other before taking a moment to regain their senses. Jon was the first to sit up, rubbing his now bleeding forehead whereupon he noticed his hat was missing and his jacket was now shredded along with most of his shirt.

"Dammit, not again." He grumbled in frustration.

Akeno sat up and turned her head away, a shameful blush on her cheeks. "I'm sorry Master. You wasted all that energy on me."

"I ain't worried about it right now." He assured before placing a hand gently on her cheek. "What matters is are you okay, Ju'Kara?"

She nodded, sighing gently into his touch. "Yes Master. Thanks to you."

As the two were about to kiss, Irina cleared her throat abruptly.

"Jon…" She was sitting on her knees, clenching her fists until her knuckles turned white. "...did I just hear her call you...Master?" Irina spoke through clenched teeth, her left eyebrow twitching in anger. "Care to explain?"

Akeno turned her head curiously to Jon, who at that moment looked as if he suddenly had something bigger to worry about than even Kokabiel, then back at the VERY angry looking Irina, before realizing what was going on.

Despite the imminent danger looming over them, this was simply too good an opportunity to pass up.

"Errr…" He turned white as a ghost. "...now is really not the best time to be-"

"Oh it's quite simple really." Akeno giggled before pulling on her Master's arm and holding him close. "You see, in the Harem he's formed, I'm his Love Slave."

What was most terrifying of all was that, in that one moment, he could hear something audibly snap inside of her. The look on Irina's face was one of a woman who wasn't sure which emotion she should be feeling more of right now, rage or embarrassment. And the expression she bore was something in the middle of those two.

"Really…" Jon refused to look her in the eye as she craned her neck to him. "...you don't say? As low as you've sunk into your base perversions...I never pictured you'd be into THAT."

He didn't move. He didn't breath. All he did was pray that if he stood still enough, MAYBE, she wouldn't be able to see him through the blinding red rage she was experiencing.

"Oh there's no need to be a prude about it. I love serving him sexually." Akeno rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. "Master has had me in just about any position you can think of. I especially love it when he fucks me rough though. It's my absolute favorite."

"Dear Sweet Lucifer, what is she doing?" Kiba looked completely mortified. Meanwhile, Xenovia was silently praying to turn invisible so she could run away. This conversation was NOT going in a direction she liked at all.

"But that's not all. Asia was actually his first treasure. She was so shy the first time they had sex but now she's basically as hungry for his cock as I am. Even if she still likes to pretend she's not."

"WAAAAAAAAAAH!" Asia's mouth dropped open and mortified tears leaked from her eyes, her whole body quivered in one giant pile of total embarassment.

A murderous aura began to waft off Irina, Jon could feel two predatory orbs on the back of his neck. Meanwhile, Koneko couldn't breath as she was laughing too hard.

"Oh and don't even get me started on little miss Koneko over there." Akeno spoke in that slight vocal fry before turning her flushed face over to the Rook next. "Or as he likes to call her, Kani."

Koneko suddenly stood up stiff as a board, her body brisling from head to toe as she proceeded to turn white as a sheet.

"I swear, every time I see those two come out of her room my Master is ALWAYS covered in claw and bite marks. It's a little concerning really."

Koneko was now the one quivering in abject embarrassment. Meanwhile, Asia's head was slouched to the side and her soul was leaking out her mouth.

Irina's dark aura was now more like a blazing inferno. Jon was DEFINITELY not turning around now.

"Really? Now?" Rias stared down at her Queen in complete disbelief. "You're doing this right now?"

"Oh please, do let her go on." Kokabiel leaned back in his throne and laughed in amusement. "This is QUITE entertaining."

"You stay out of this!" She shouted at him angrily. "Akeno, what the hell?! We're in the middle of a war! You can't just be-"

"Oh and the President? She's the worst out of ALL of us. Our monthly meetings almost always get cut short because if she doesn't have her Dragon inside her at least three times a day she gets cranky."

"A...Akeno!" Rias went wide eyed, her face breaking out almost as red as her hair.

"Some days I feel a little bad for him. We can be VERY demanding ladies. But fortunately, Jon's a Dragon, so we never have to worry about that healthy stamina of his running out any time soon." Akeno stuck her tongue out playfully.

"The relationships I could understand...but you mean to tell me you have been having overly indulgent sex…with ALL FOUR of these women…and you're not married to ANY of them?!" Irina's voice couldn't even be described as mad anymore, it was more like a banshee trying to hold back her shrieking with just her teeth alone.

"Oh no no, sweety. Not FOUR of us." Akeno corrected.

Xenovia blanched in abject horror. "Dear God no…"

"Your ex-partner has ridden our Dragon as well. We used Ritual Sex to initiate her into the Peerage and Jon had the honors of popping her cherry just last night."

"GYAK!" The words hit Irina in the back like a spear. Her mouth fell to the floor and every last bit of color drained from her whole body as she shakily turned her head to Xenovia for confirmation.

Xenovia was gone. Though her body was still present her ghost had drifted off to join Asia's. Merrily drifting away as they both tried to escape this situation that was completely not okay for ANYONE involved.

Kiba couldn't have looked more uncomfortable at that moment if he tried. He thought the nightmare realm and the coffin was bad but compared to THIS that was a cakewalk.

"Ju'Kara…" Jon spoke in a low, severe tone, still refusing to move. "...you do understand that...the MOMENT we get back to Headquarters, I am going to tan your hide SO hard you'll stay bruised into the next year."

Akeno licked two of her fingers and moaned in arousal before casting a lustful gaze at him. "Please Master, don't get me so riled up during a battle. You know what it does to me."

That was it. That was officially it. Irina had reached her threshold. The young Hunter proceeded to pounce on her former Mentor and grab him by the neck before attempting to throttle all of the sinful and overindulgent thoughts out of his head, looking like a woman possessed by spirits of pure righteous fury.

"I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HEAR WITH YOUR ANTICS! YOU LECHEROUS TWISTED DEVIL FUCKING MANWHORE! WHY CAN'T YOU EVER EVER EVER KEEP IT IN YOUR DAMN PANTS?! IHAVEHALFAMINDTO-"

As Irina proceeded to knock his head repeatedly into the ground with her throttling, Rias shook her head from side to side, completely beside herself with embarrassment.

"Akeno...why?"

She placed a hand up to her mouth to stifle her giggling while Irina pummeled Jon into the dirt. "Sorry, Rias. I just couldn't resist."

While Irina continued to throttle Jon, Kokabiel's amused grin slowly faltered into one of passive annoyance. Finally, he sighed and raised his hand up in the air.

"Okay, this was amusing at first but now it's just tedious. I've had enough."

Immediately sensing danger Jon grabbed Irina, rolled to his feet, grabbed Akeno, and dodged out of the way right as Kokabiel threw his Lance. It detonated upon impact, creating a shockwave that sent all three of them tumbling.

"Jon!" Asia and Koneko ran to check up on them. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Asia." Jon assured before standing to his feet and glaring at Kokabiel.

Freed cackled maniacally. "Time we got this pain train rolling again!"

Kiba and Xenovia's battle with the Stray Hunter resumed as they began to clash at superhuman speeds once more.

"I'm impressed, Ddraig." The Angel of Stars called down to Jon. "It's been a long time since I've met an opponent who can dodge one of my direct attacks."

"Don't fuck with me!" He growled in a threatening tone.

"But I mean really…" Kokabiel rested back in his throne. "...to think the almighty Red Dragon Emperor wants nothing more than to be Harem King. You know Ddraig, if that's REALLY all you want then why not come work for me? In my new world, beautiful girls will fall at your feet wherever you go. Just point at the ones that you like and they'll be yours."

At that, Jon's angry scowl faded and he laughed at him. "Right. Like window shopping in Argentina. Get real, Buddy." He popped his neck and rolled his shoulder. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Kokabiel. Dragons don't collect Treasure out of greed or some petty desire to horde vast amounts of wealth, power, and beauty to themselves."

Kokabiel glowered in irritation at his response.

"Just think about it. When is the last time you heard of a Dragon using his cave of gold to invest in high end Real Estate? Or buy a multibillion dollar company? To a Dragon, gold is not some symbol of power to be exploited and controlled. No...it's just a rare shiny metal that makes their cave brighter and feels soft against their hard scales. To a Dragon, Treasure is a comfort to be respected and appreciated simply for what it is, not what it can do for them."

Irina gazed up at him curiously as he spoke.

"I'll be honest, when I first started to change. When it first became clear to me that I would never be capable of feeling monogamous love the way a human can, I hated it. I hated the idea of being a Dragon." He smiled at his Treasures before continuing. "But now? I'm honored just to be a part of these lady's lives. Their passions, their hopes, their dreams, the fact that I can help them make those a reality is what I live for."

His Treasures smiled at him. Each and every one.

"I don't consider the love and affection they give me to be anything short of a gift. And so long as I still have that gift I will covet and protect it with my very life."

He ripped his tarnished coat and shirt off his body. Twin gauntlets appeared on his right and left hands as well as metal boots on his feet. His body became covered in the Dragon's Mark and two horns grew on his forehead. Finally, two Dragon's Wings appeared on his back.

"They're not my Treasures because they belong to me! They're my Treasures because I belong to THEM! What's precious to them is precious to me and I will destroy ANYTHING that tries to bring them harm!"

Xenovia felt her heart skip a beat. At that moment, the same thought kept replaying through her mind.

Does he mean me as well?

Irina, for her part, looked noticeably more calm. Hearing the passion in his voice. The fury. She could feel the sincerity of his words as clearly as she used to feel the faith in Father Kyle's. Jon truly loved these women. They gave him strength.

And that's when it dawned on Irina. Was it the same thing for her? Did Jon's source of strength come from their bond at the Monastery? Was being a Dragon's Treasure not as shallow and lascivious as she initially thought? There must have been more to it.

"Ju'Kara, stay here while Asia tends to your wounds." With that, Jon flew away to rejoin Rias in the sky.

Akeno smiled up at him lovingly while Asia used Twilight Healing on her. A deep blush set on her cheeks. "And there he goes. The passionate Hero as always."

"Can I...ask you something?" Irina asked her meekly with her head turned away. "Why is it you love Jon so much? How is it you don't mind sharing him with each other?"

Akeno quirked her head in surprise, as did Asia and Koneko. After a moment of thought, the Gremory Queen explained.

"Do you see this pendant?" She gently placed her hand on the pendant she wore on her collar. "It belonged to Jon's mother. It's one of his most prized possessions and a piece of his heart."

She narrowed her eyes at the jade figure. "Wait a minute...I've seen that pendant before!" Irina couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. "Jon never let anyone even go NEAR that thing! Let alone wear it on their neck!"

Akeno nodded, blushing even more deeply. "Honestly, I still think it's too much. But ultimately, I couldn't refuse."

"Jon sacrifices so much for us every day." Asia explained. "He goes out of his way to make us all feel special and loved. And never once does he ask for anything in return."

"So wait…" She gave Akeno a disbelieving look. "...that whole 'Love Slave' thing was YOUR idea?"

She nodded, completely unbothered by it. "Mhmm. I was the one who initiated it. If I had said nothing, I'm certain Jon would have continued to behave like a perfect gentleman around me as he always did. But I wanted something else." Akeno then grinned mischievously. "Did you really think it was his idea?"

She frowned sourly. "Considering what I know about him it wouldn't have surprised me. Back at the Monastery, Jon would flirt with just about every pair of breasts and nice butt he could find."

"Is that a hint of jealousy I hear in your voice?" Koneko asked mischievously.

Irina peeped in surprise before shutting her lips tight and turning completely red.

Back in the sky, Jon and Rias took turns testing their power out against Kokabiel. Sure enough whatever they threw at him he would swat out of the way or catch and throw right back.

"What do you think?" Jon asked Rias cautiously. "Are you ready?"

"It's not time." She shook her head. "I need to feel out the situation a little more."

"Rias, what was the point of that whole ordeal we went through together if you're not gonna use it?" Jon insisted. "I know it still scares you, but at this rate we're gonna run out of time."

"What if we were wrong? What if I still can't control it?" She asked nervously, suddenly getting cold feet.

"You're stronger than that." Jon assured her. "I would trust you with my life."

"But Jon, it's not just you this time. My whole Peerage is at risk."

He pointed to Kiba and Xenovia, who were once again duking it out with Freed.

"They're already at risk."

The two Gremory Knights were losing. Freed's sword was gaining more and more power by the second as he rapidly adapted to it.

"You're starting to fall behind, you two!" The Psychotic Hunter taunted them.

With a beastial warcry Xenovia jumped in the air and slammed her blade into the Earth, trying to cleave him in half.

"Too slow!" He taunted again while appearing behind her, having seemingly teleported. Moments before he could slice into her back, however, she lifted her feet up into the air, balancing on her hands while narrowly avoiding his blade.

Xenovia went into a full upside down split before turning with slight pivot of her hip. Her heel connected with the side of his jaw sending him flying into the dirt. She then sprang off her hands and landed gracefully back onto the ground with her sword at the ready.

"My face!" Freed railed in fury. "You scum bitch! Who kicks a beautiful creation like this!" He jumped back to his feet, his eyes wild with rage. "I'll tear you apart for that! I'll turn your corpse into a slip and slide, you hear me?! Prepare for your final reckoning!"

Freed charged her yet again only to be blocked by Kiba. Xenovia dashed to the side and tried to hit him on the right flank only for Freed to flash step out of the way, causing her to nearly decapitate Kiba instead.

"This isn't just a powerful sword you know."

The homicidal Hunter began to split into copies of himself and surround the two Knights. They readied their swords and stood back to back in anticipation for whatever he was about to do next.

"This is the power of Excalibur Nightmare." The Freed clones all spoke in unison while taking it in turns to charge at them. "With this sword I can cast powerful Illusions and even control Dreams."

"Which one is the real one?!" Kiba shouted in frustration. "Dammit, none of my attacks are hitting anything!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Xenovia saw one of the Freeds glare at Kiba with murderous intent before vanishing into thin air. Already knowing what was coming next she quickly darted in front of her fellow Knight and blocked.

Freed's invisible attack clashed with her Excalibur Destruction and knocked her to the ground. Kiba swung at him only for Freed to use Excalibur Rapidly and dash out of the way.

"That one was Excalibur Transparency." He boasted with maniacal glee. "I can turn completely invisible to all senses. Sight, sound, even smell."

Xenovia attempted to stand back up upon which a sharp pain radiated through her leg. She looked down to see a small cut on her thigh. Barely a flesh wound and yet it felt like it went down to the bone.

And that's when she began to notice her energy draining away. It seemed even she, with her Holy Blood, was not immune to the wrath of the Devil's Curse.

Freed cackled like a madman. "How's it feel getting a taste of your own Holy Weapon?! Painful isn't it!"

The power that Fused Excalibur had was incredible. If this was what a flesh wound felt like, then a direct hit from that blade would mean it was all over.

Kiba dashed to her aid and helped her up. "You alright?"

"This is bad." She grimaced in pain while shakily standing back to her feet. "He can use every ability of the four Excaliburs Valper fused together."

"You think those two were impressive, then wait till you see this one." Freed stuck out his tongue before raising his sword into the air. A massive ray of light began to form from the tip of the blade.

Xenovia's eyes bulged in horror. "Oh no…"

"This is Excalibur Blessing! Now watch as I use it to blow you Devil Scum away!"

"Get behind me!" Xenovia pushed herself in front of Kiba before driving the point of her blade into the ground, erecting a Holy Barrier from the pommel of her weapon.

What followed was a massive wave of Holy Light that washed over everything in all directions. Xenovia's barrier shattered and they were both sent flying backwards. She cried out in pain as holy light tore at her body like razor sharp scalpels cutting away at her flesh.

Both Knights collapsed, holy poison coursing through their veins.

"Kiba!" Jon called out to his Peerage Brother in worry.

"Xenovia!" Akeno shouted as well.

The Knights both struggled to get to their feet. As Kiba attempted to stand up, Valper slowly approached him.

"As Freed attunes himself to the Holy Sword, he will continue to grow in power. Sorry my dear boy, but you were simply no match."

"Valper…" Kiba snarled while bracing himself against his sword and slowly standing up.

"And to think, for a moment there you almost had me nervous." He sneered down at the Knight hatefully. "But look at you now. Just another failure whom I should have disposed of a long time ago."

Jon was about to intervene when Rias stopped him.

"Don't!" She warned severely. "Right now we're the only thing stopping Kokabiel from wiping out the others."

"But you know something?" Valper's expression seemed to soften. "As big a thorn in my side as you've proven yourself to be, I see a lot of myself in you. The anger, the bitterness, the drive to destroy those who did you wrong."

Kiba was fuming though he couldn't will his body to move.

"The problem is, you didn't aim high enough." He explained. "Vengeance is a good start but there has to be more. Wiping out the Catholic Church? Yes that will bring me no small amount of personal satisfaction. But wiping out all their filthy followers and recreating the world in your image? Well...that is how Gods are born."

He snatched the Phylactery away from Kiba who lunged at him to get it back. It was ultimately futile, he had little strength left.

"Take this phylactery for example. In it is the gene responsible for giving each of my test subjects the capacity to wield a Holy Sword. Your Genes are in here as well, as I'm sure you're already aware. Alone, the subjects, did not possess the capacity to wield a Holy Blade, but with their genes combined, we created a means to induce the capacity artificially."

He tossed the useless Phylactery into the dirt which Kiba immediately picked back up.

"I proved two hypotheses with that experiment. One, that genetic disposition alone does not dictate a Holy Sword users power. It is their bloodline that is chiefly responsible for their abilities. And two...that the vast majority of human beings are USELESS. Nothing but so much excess flesh that serves no purpose than to dilute what once were powerful hereditary gifts. The only way to regain those lost powers was to get rid of all the excess."

"You're completely insane." Kiba seethed bitterly.

"I'm insane?" Valper laughed hysterically. "My boy, you do not even know the meaning of the word. But allow me to enlighten you."

He kneeled down in front of Kiba.

"The true definition of insanity, my boy, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Such as these ill fated attempts at extracting your petty vengeance against me. Each of which has failed miserably."

The Knight hung his head while clutching the crystal to his chest.

"Don't feel too down." Valper assured. "After all, I spent forty years of my life making that very same mistake. Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result every time." He stood up and began pacing back and forth as he spoke. "I tried to explain to the Church the reason they were losing the war. Why the faithful were abandoning them. But they never listened. They were more than happy to take credit for the results of my research, but did anything ever come of my sacrifice? Of course not."

He stopped, his expression suddenly darkening as a particularly sour memory came to the surface.

"And then one day...in the midst of my research...I learned something I wasn't supposed to." He grinned viciously at Xenovia. "She knows of what I speak."

Xenovia cast her gaze away painfully.

"Naturally, I tried to expose what it was I discovered. Confident the Church couldn't send their Hunters after me, too many people knew my name."

He clenched his fists and began to quiver in anger despite the smile on his face.

"So instead...they ruined me. Tarnished my reputation and made turned me into a monster. I was slandered with every scandal you can possibly think of under the sun. False child molestation charges, multiple non-existent affairs, fraud, bribery, simony, purgery!"

He took a moment to calm himself down.

"I lost everything. My thirty year long marriage. My children. My livelihood. And my life's work."

Finally, he smiled again.

"But as one door closes, another one opens, as they say. Everything the Church tried to take away from me the Nazis gave right back. And all I had to do in exchange was the same work I was doing for the Church. Come up with more effective ways of exterminating their mortal enemy." He chuckled sadistically. "Of course, killing Jews is far easier than killing monsters, so my research was always able to take priority."

Irina felt her stomach lurch. She didn't even want to look this monster in the eye. "I'm gonna throw up."

"It was during my time with the Nazis that I actually came up with the idea for this Virus. Hitler was tasking special interest groups with coming up with a method of selectively eliminating specific genetic populations on a massive scale in the form of a global bioweapon." He cast his gaze up to the sky, now free of the barrier. "But I thought...why stop there? Why not use those same genes to our advantage? If you could take the general population and turn them into an army, then you would be unstoppable. So I began work on the prototype during my tenure with the SS."

He raised his hands up towards the sky.

"And so here we are. My magnum opus. A global pandemic that will wipe out the human population, and raise an army of almost eight billion for my Lords. In hindsight, I owe both the Nazis and you a lot, my dear boy. You both helped me learn a valuable lesson."

He smiled villainously down at Kiba.

"If a man dedicates his life to good deeds and the welfare of others, he will die unthanked and unremembered. But if he exercises his genius bringing misery and death to billions, his name will echo through the millennia for a hundred lifetimes. Infamy shall always be more preferable to ignominy."

As Valper concluded his speech, Kiba finally found the will to stand. His whole Peerage watched him, their hearts going out to the Knight.

"That's it? That's really everything? That's all there is to why my friends and I suffered? Why so many have died?"

He nodded pridefully. "Yes. That is all."

Kiba gripped the crystal tighter. "That's so...so…"

His expression softened and his demeanor relaxed.

"...pathetic."

Valper scowled at his words.

"I always wondered…" Kiba continued in a dull placated tone. "...what sort of man could take so many lives so casually? Hurt so many people without even an ounce of remorse? But now I think I get it." He glared at Valper in disgust. "There's just...nothing in you. Is there? No hope. No joy. No sorrow. You're...completely empty inside."

The Genocide Priest's features boiled red hot. Meanwhile, Kiba began to chuckle.

"You know what? I always questioned why Jon never pulled the trigger on Raynare. But I think I get it now. I used to hate you, Valper. I used to think you were no different from the monsters we once hunted. But now? Now I just pity you."

"How dare you." Valper seethed in rage.

"After you used this Phylactery against me, I was forced to confront the demons in my own mind. All my darkest thoughts, all my worst inner demons, they were all there. All except you, Valper. You were never even mentioned once. I finally understand why that was. The problem was never you, or the Holy Swords, or anything else…"

Guilt seized Kiba's heart as tears welled up in his eyes.

"It was me. I was the problem."

"Oh Kiba…" Asia's heart broke for him.

"For so long I prayed...and wondered…" His voice was practically a whisper. "...why me? Why was I the only one to escape?

His lip began to quiver as tears rolled down his cheeks and stained the crystal in his hands.

"There were kids there with bigger dreams than me. With stronger faith than me. Wesker, Clyde, Abigail….Emile…they all wanted to live more than I did. I was the only one without a dream. I was the only one who didn't care if I lived or died."

He collapsed to his knees and wept.

"It was a mistake! Why was I the one to survive?!" He released all the pain he'd kept buried for so long. "It should have been someone else! Anyone else but me! I didn't deserve to live! Not when it could have been one of them in my place!"

All were silent as the grave. Jon, Koneko, Asia, Xenovia, Akeno, even Irina. None of them said a word.

Until at last, someone spoke.

"You're wrong, Fynn."

Rias wasn't the one who spoke. It wasn't Jon. It wasn't Asia, or Koneko, or any of them. Kiba recognized that voice.

He looked down to see that the Phylactery in his hands was glowing.

"I told you before...you need to forgive yourself."

Jon gripped Rias's hand, both of them going wide eyed with shock. Valper, for his part, couldn't believe what he was seeing either.

"Im...Impossible." He took a step back.

Jon tugged on his President gently, slightly dazed. "Rias...are you seeing this?"

She nodded, unable to say a word.

All around the Knight, spectres of light began to form, each one taking the shape of a person. As Kiba gazed around at the faces smiling down at him, he recognized each and every one. The shrouds over their faces were gone now. The jumpsuits they were wearing in his dream now replaced with their old Church Uniforms. It was his memories, his friends, his family.

A small hand tugged on his sleeve. He slowly turned in abject disbelief to see a familiar young face smiling up at him.

"Emile…" He spoke breathlessly. "...why are you here?"

She giggled at him. "Isn't it obvious silly? We never left. We've always been with you."

"But…" The pain returned to his voice. "...why me? It should have been you. You were the youngest. You had dreams. I just-"

She shushed him. "You were always looking out for us. Protecting us whenever you could. No wonder you don't have a dream of your own, silly. You were always protecting ours."

Tears streamed down his face as he slowly began to break down completely.

"That's why we all agreed. You had to survive. We didn't die losing our dreams, Kiba. We died passing them on to you. Because we knew you could protect them. But also because…"

The smiles on all their faces brightened. Emile placed her hands on his cheeks.

"...we love you Kiba. We love you from the bottom of our hearts."

All the strength left his body as decades of emotion came spilling out through his voice. Finally, at long last, he was at peace.

Emile disappeared, her spirit sailing back into the crystal. One by one, the others followed suit, each of them saying what their hearts truly felt as they returned to the crystal.

"It's okay, Fynn."

"Let's all gather together now."

"Take us in, Fynn. It's time."

"You don't have to be sad. You should be happy, Fynn."

"We're going to be a family again. We will always be together now."

"We love you, Fynn. Our hearts will forever be one with yours."

Kiba smiled for the first time in decades. Not the forced, polite grin he would often give in polite company. This one was real. His first real smile in a very long time.

"Yes…" He wiped his raw cheeks and nodded. "...yes it's time. I promised you we would all see the light again."

He slowly stood to his feet, the glowing crystal beginning to resonate with the power of his Evil Piece. Finally, it merged with his chest.

"Thank you for this gift you've given me."

Asia was the first to start crying. Her hands were tightly bound in prayer as she openly wept in both joy and sorrow.

"Oh Kiba…" Koneko's bottom lip was quivering and tears were streaming down her face.

"At long last...he finally found peace." Akeno was smiling, though she too had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"That was...a genuine miracle." Irina stated in total shock. "But he's a Devil…"

Xenovia was just as much in shock as Irina was. This changed everything. Slowly, she lowered her hands in prayer, ignoring the pounding headache that followed.

"Maybe...you are watching after all."

Rias beamed with pride. "Kiba...you finally did it. I'm so unbelievably proud of you, my dear Knight."

The sound of someone sniffling right next to her made Rias turn her gaze to the side.

"Jon...are you crying?"

"Ah shut up." He quickly wiped his eye with his forearm and turned his head away. "I'm just happy for the stubborn asshole, okay?"

She smiled at him and nodded in agreement. "Me too."

"Oh Jesus Fucking Christ! I have had enough of this!" Freed leapt into the air, intent on bringing his sword down upon Kiba. "Stop ignoring me and DIE!"

"Kiba, lookout!" Xenovia shouted.

The Knight vanished into thin air and Freed was left looking from side to side in utter confusion as to where he had gone to.

"What the hell?!"

The Stray Hunter felt a sharp kick to his back that sent him flying to the ground. Kiba slowly lowered his back to Earth, still as tranquil as he was before.

"That speed…" Valper took a horrified step backwards. "...there's no way he can be drawing that kind of power from the Phylactery. He's a Devil!"

Jon narrowed his eyes at Kiba searchingly. "How in the hell?"

"The Knight has peaked." Came a booming voice in his mind.

"What the...Ddraig?" He peered down at the gauntlet on his arm. "When did you get here?"

"Bro...I'm always here." His gauntlet insisted. "How many times we gotta go through this song and dance?"

"I know, it's just...it's been awhile since…" Jon shook his head clear of distractions. "Oh never mind. What did you mean when you said Kiba has peaked?"

"His power has broken through the threshold imposed by the Laws of Natural Order. This is what happens when strong convictions of a Sacred Gear User oppose the natural order of things. It's known as Balance Breaker."

"Balance Breaker?" Jon repeated aloud.

"So you DO know what it is." Rias spoke up, her gaze still on Kiba. "More of your old memories must be coming back."

"Err...something like that." He commented awkwardly.

"Balance Breaker is a technique that allows a Sacred Gear User to unleash power that defies the laws set by God and the Underworld alike." Rias explained. "The Three Factions have a different name for it. They call it the Forbidden Technique."

"Interesting…" Kokabiel leaned forward in his Throne, now somewhat intrigued. "...to think I would find someone capable of wielding the Forbidden Power amongst the Devil Clans. Truly, yours is a fascinating Peerage, Rias Gremory."

"B...Balance Breaker?" For the first time since Jon had met the man, Valper seemed genuinely stumped. "What is this? Nothing in my research suggested a power that can defy the natural order!"

"Valper Galilei." Kiba calmly spoke his name. "My friends never wanted me to seek revenge. They wanted me free." As he spoke, he calmly approached an increasingly more terrified Valper. He summoned his sword back to his hand and pointed it at him. "I promised you would see everything you love crumble in front of you, but I fear that is a promise I can no longer keep. You die by my hand, right here and now. It's time the world was rid of your evil once and for all."

"Freed! Get up and help me, you idiot!" Valper shouted at him both angrily and desperately.

Freed jumped in front of Valper and readied his blade. He summoned as much power as he could, murder now in his eyes.

"Little fool!" Valper barked angrily at Kiba. "You should have just died with the rest of them!"

"Hey Kiba!"

The Knight looked up to see Jon grinning down at him.

"Kick his fucking ass, Brother."

"You can do it Kiba. Your whole Peerage is behind you." Rias encouraged him.

"Come on Kiba!" Akeno cheered. "We all believe in you!"

"I wanna see blood." Koneko added.

"Ugggh, gross!" Freed griped obtusely. "Enough of these touching scenes from the group of Gag Me Gremory. This is creeping me out and I CAN'T TAKE IT!" The psychotic murder returned to his eyes as he readied his sword. "I need to kill you now! That should make me feel much better!"

Kiba took a deep, calming breath before raising his blade in the air. "Dear Comrades whose souls have merged with mine. I forge this new blade in your honor. May it stand as testament to the dreams I now defend."

Power radiated from his sword, both light and dark.

"Together, we shall overcome this! Now...SWORD BIRTH!"

The blade absorbed the powers of both light and shadow, turning into something completely different. Something powerful. Something impossible.

He brought his new creation to bare. A sword of both Holy and Demonic power. A silver blade with a dark ebon core inscribed with demonic runes.

"This is the Sword of Betrayer!" Kiba explained while bringing its ungodly power to its peak. "A blade infused with both Holy and Demonic powers alike. The very first of its kind."

"Demonic and Holy powers fused together?!" Irina could not for the life of her believe what she was seeing. "There's no way! God's divine protection can't possibly coexist with Demonic Corruption...can it?"

"So that's what Ddraig was talking about." Jon commented to himself. "That thing is Kiba's Balance Breaker."

"A Holy Devil Sword?!" Valper laughed obtusely. "What a childish notion. Holy and Demonic energy cannot fuse together, it is simply impossible. Such a thing would be an aberration!"

Xenovia was so stunned she didn't even notice Asia had run over to heal her. Never in her life had she seen something like this. Two dynamically opposite forces working together in harmony.

"That sword...it's…"

"I know. I almost don't believe it myself." Asia insisted.

"...beautiful." Xenovia finished, a bright smile forming on her face.

"I don't believe this garbage!" Freed wasn't even laughing psychotically anymore. He was just livid now and it was clear in his words. "That sword can be made out of whatever nonsense you say it does! I'll still destroy you!"

He charged Kiba and attempted to strike, only for the Knight to knock him away with a single swing of his new blade.

"Dammit! I fucking hate plot twists!" Freed got back up again and used Excalibur Nightmare to make illusion clones of himself again.

Kiba raised his sword in the air and used Holy Light to cut through the illusions.

"My swords Holy Power can cut through such simplistic illusions easily."

"Bastard! Stop taunting me!" Freed bellowed in psychotic rage.

He next tried turning invisible again. With a slick grin, Kiba channeled his demonic power and zapped the invisible Freed long before he could even come close to hitting him.

"And the Demonic Energy in my sword can detect your weapon's Holy Energy with ease, rendering your invisibility useless."

"Stop! Fucking! With! Me! And! DIE!" He tried yet again to take him down. Once more, Kiba easily knocked him to the ground with the sheer power of his sword swings alone.

"That blade of yours is just a broken old relic." Kiba insisted before readying his weapon yet again. "It can't compare to the Sword of Betrayer. You may as well give up, Freed."

"Kiss my ass!" He snarled before charging once more. Their swords clashed together and they began a furious struggle for supremacy.

"I've decided I don't like you!" Freed shouted at him venomously.

"The feeling's mutual!" Kiba retorted before knocking him back once more with both Holy and Demonic power.

"Die! Die! DIE! DIE! DIEEEEEE!" Freed shrieked, having finally lost it completely. He swung wildly at Kiba, no real rhyme or reason to his attacks.

Kiba easily blocked and parried each strike. With each wild swing Freed took, his Fused Excalibur began to crack and chip away.

Until at last, with one final swing, the sword shattered, sending Freed to the ground for the last time.

Valper reeled back in abject horror of what he just witnessed. One of his greatest masterpieces, destroyed by a magically summoned blade.

"My sword!" Freed slammed his hands into the dirt furiously. "Are you fucking kidding me?! After everything I had to go through just to get these damn blades! I refuse! I refuse to lose to Devil Scum like you AGAIN!"

He drew a Sword of Light from his robes and charged, blind fury taking over any reason he may have had in his skull. With a single, swift strike, Kiba finished him off. Slicing clean through his left arm at the bicep.

Freed shouted in unbridled agony as his amputated arm fell to the ground. He collapsed to the ground, a mixture of pain and rage in his eyes as he clutched his bleeding stump.

"You're finished Valper. Spare yourself the indignity and just give up." Kiba insisted.

"My arm!" Freed threw his head around before slamming it against the dirt in a blind wild tantrum. "Fucking Devils! I hate you! You hear me! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

As his beaten opponent's mind continued to degrade, Kiba sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay...now this is just getting sad."

He flash stepped behind Freed before knocking him over the head with the pommel of his sword. His eyes fell shut and Freed mercifully collapsed face first into the dirt.

With him out of the way, Kiba turned his full attention to Valper.

"B...But how?" He was too horrified to even move, not that it would have done him any good. "That's...that's simply not possible! My formulae were perfect! The alchemy was sublime! You can't destroy my sword with a mere conjuring! I refuse to believe it!"

"And to think, for a moment there you almost had me nervous." Kiba responded with the very same words Valper threw his way not long ago. "But look at you now. Just another failure whom I should have disposed of a long time ago."

"SHUT UP!" Valper railed against him, his terror turning into the rage of a cornered animal. "Shut your damn mouth, Brat! You're nothing compared to me! You hear?! Nothing! I gave you those powers! Without it you-"

The pommel of Kiba's weapon connected with Valper's gut, knocking the breath from his lungs and sending him flying backwards, tumbling head over heels before landing on his wounded belly. The old man gasped and gurgled for breath, clutching at his abdomen before vomiting up a large clot of blood.

"My friends gifted me with this power. You had nothing to do with it." Kiba calmly explained. "In the end, they made something far greater than you."

"You little piece of shit." Valper dug his hands into the dirt, trembling with unbridled rage. "Who the hell do you think you're speaking to?! I am Valper Gallilei! I am the Genocide Priest! The man who will wipe out the human race and-"

He vomited up more blood, the internal hemorrhage in his gut finally catching up to him.

"Look at you, Valper." The Knight aimed his sword at him. "Broken, obsolete, and now...rendered useless. Like it or not, this is where you're going to die. And I promise you…"

He brought his power to bare.

"...no one will remember your name!"

As he was about to finish him off, something made Kiba stop. Valper was laughing. At first it was just an unhinged chuckle, but it quickly built into full blown laughter of madness.

"I understand now." Valper slowly got back go his feet, still clutching at his stomach. "Yes...it all makes sense. In theory I knew it was possible but I never truly believed...if the balance between light and dark has been disrupted than it can only mean one thing. Not just the original Four Great Satans but also-"

His words were cut off by a spear impaling him through the back, pinning him in place. Upon seeing the spear impale him in the back, Kiba's entire body froze in place as his blood ran cold.

Valper's internal bleed was now an external hemorrhage. After coughing up more blood, and allowing his brain time to process what had just happened he slowly turned his head up towards Kokabiel.

"My Lord...why?"

"Ah, Valper." The Angel of Stars tsked him while shaking his head in disappointment. "You were a talented scientist in your own right, but you've always had a knack for figuring things out you weren't supposed to. I fear you've just outlived your usefulness."

His gaze cast back down to the spear pinning him to the ground. "You...you knew…you knew all this time." He coughed up more blood. "...of course you did. I should have guessed it."

Kokabiel chuckled in amusement. "You'd think you would have learned your lesson after the Church. But such is life I suppose. Well...not for you. Not any longer."

"Jon...look." Rias got his attention and pointed to the ground near Valper.

The space near him was distorting into what looked like a portal. Albeit a very unstable one.

"Ahhh good. They're right on time." Kokabiel spoke approvingly.

A single figure forced her way through the unstable portal and collapsed on her hands and knees. Gasping for breath and clearly spent.

"Fuck that was janky!" Tamiel griped before standing up and dusting herself off.

"Oh great." Jon groaned in annoyance. "I was REALLY hoping she was dead."

"Tamiel, where is your Brother? The ritual cannot be done without him." Kokabiel demanded.

At that, she hung her head shamefully. "He's...dead, Father. My Brother gave his life so I could get back here."

The Angel of Stars expression dropped into somber silence. For just the briefest moment, Jon ALMOST felt bad for Kokabiel. As monstrous as he was, no Father in Earth, Heaven, or Hell, deserved to hear their child was dead. That at least, was something that deserved pity.

"Well...that will certainly make the ritual more complicated, but perhaps all is not lost."

Any sympathy he felt vanished. Of course Kokabiel didn't care his son was dead. He just didn't like having his plans ruined.

"Tamiel, both Freed and Valper have received transfusions of my blood." Kokabiel explained. "Their magic may not be as potent as ours. But either one should work as a sacrifice."

With that, Kokabiel produced a small sarcophagus from a magic circle. It was tiny, no bigger than a small vase. He floated the small sarcophagus down to Tamiel who took it in her hands and clutched it to her chest lovingly.

"Hello Mother…" She greeted in a somber tone. "...it's finally time."

Tamiel kissed the sarcophagus before breaking it open and pulling out what was inside. In her hand was a sickly green crystal spike reminiscent of the magical object Jon encountered in the underground lab. This one, however, was far more polished.

"I've seen something like that before." He spoke to Rias warily. "It's got some crazy power in it."

"That's another form of Phylactery." Rias explained, whereupon she suddenly blanched in fear. "And I have a pretty good idea whose soul resides in it. We need to stop her! NOW!"

"Say no more!" Jon drew his revolver and aimed.

Whereupon he was immediately blasted out of the sky by Kokabiel.

"Jon!" Rias swooped down to check on him. "Are you okay?"

"Yep." He grunted before dragging himself up out of the mud. "My barrier absorbed most of that. Still, it was a cheap shot."

Kokabiel chuckled. "Sorry Ddraig. I'm not about to let you ruin all of my fun." He then turned to Tamiel. "Now go ahead, Dear. Pick out a sacrifice."

"Hmmm." Tamiel mulled it over in her head while shifting her gaze between the unconscious and bleeding out Freed Sellzen and the impaled Valper Gallilei.

"Now which of you did I find more obnoxious? Eenie Meanie Miney…." She laughed. ...oh who are we kidding? Of course it's Valper!"

"W...wait!" He cried desperately. "Just WAIT!"

The streak of a scythes blade ran through his neck as Tamiel stopped time to slice him open. Valper's body slumped over as the blood in his neck began to drain. Before hitting the ground, however, it floated away into the phylactery located in Tamiel's hand. His skin began to peel off and fly into the gem as well, along with his flesh, tendon, and bone. Every last bit of the Genocide Priest was absorbed by the crystal save for his robes, which floated harmlessly to the ground, now devoid of any occupant.

Kiba stared in stunned silence at the empty robes. Valper Gallilei, the man who plagued his life for all these years was finally gone. Just like that.

The gem began to glow and vibrate with power. A spectre deep within its core was calling out to them. Demanding to be let loose.

"Now then, Tamiel, you know what to do." Kokabiel instructed.

She nodded, her expression turning solemn as she gripped the gem by its head in her right hand.

"Well Brother...it's like you said." Tamiel spoke softly. "We finally get to sleep."

A psychotic grin formed on her features.

"And mother gets to wake up!" She snarled.

Tamiel slammed the gem into her forehead and her knees immediately gave out. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her body floated a couple inches off the ground, swaying in the breeze as if being held aloft by the gemstone alone. Her eyes began to glow sickly green. Her mouth opened up whereupon a bright light and banshee like wail emanated from the back of her throat.

"That...cannot be good." Irina took a step back, her Katana at the ready.

The Hybrid's body began to come apart. Her skin and flesh burned and flaked away, revealing the bone beneath. Green and black energy streamed from the cracks in her flesh and her skeleton began to morph. The form of the corpse floating in the sky changed. Turning into a skeletal banshee with long black horns as well as a crown of spikes on the back of her skull. Tamiel's wings were replaced with a set of skeletal ones. Finally, her body began to grow.

"Rias...what the hell is that?" Jon asked nervously.

"The ultimate embodiment of the Necromantic Arts." She explained grimly. "A Lich."

Koneko swallowed nervously as the Lich continued to grow in size.

"A Lich?" Asia took a fearful step back. "Those are real?"

"Not just any Lich." Akeno shook her head in denial, her eyes uncharacteristically unsettled. "Rias...that power…"

She nodded, her expression grimm. "I know...it's her."

The Lich opened her eyes and looked around her environment.

"The White Haired Prophet of Madness." Rias declared. "Eurus Agares."

"My rest has been disturbed. The great silence I embraced has fallen into noise once more." Her voice was a wispy rasp of death and decay that leaked from the skeletal teeth in her withered head.

Kokabiel laughed loudly in approval, baring his razor sharp teeth. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Eurus Darling. How do you like your new body?"

Eurus inspected her skeletal arms and hands curiously. "Cold...lifeless...unfeeling...just like my old one. It's perfect."

"Jon…" Rias swallowed back her fears and reservations. "...I'm sorry. But you're going to have to take on Kokabiel by yourself."

He snapped his head to her and glared in disbelief. "Are you fucking kidding me?! Rias, the whole plan was-"

"I know what the plan was, Jon." She cut him off sharply. "But the plan just changed. Kokabiel is no longer the most dangerous threat we face now."

A chill ran up his spine. Jon stared down at the spectre of death looming over his family. Finally, his eyes cast back to Kokabiel, a fire forming in both orbs.

"Okay." He growled with intent. "Leave the Megalomanic to me, Rias. You go keep our Peerage safe."

She nodded before floating backwards away from Jon, who kept his gaze firmly on Kokabiel.

"So...the Red Dragon Emperor is to face me alone?" The Angel of Stars slowly rose up from his seat and cracked his neck. "Did I ever tell you, Ddraig...how much I respect you?"

Jon quirked a brow at him in annoyance. "What?"

"Don't get me wrong, I absolutely despise you." Kokabiel commented bluntly. "I hate everything about what you are and what you stand for. Unlimited potential wasted on the most base and simplistic of gains. But for you to stand toe to toe with me like this, and not so much as flinch. I've gotta say, that takes balls."

"Does it though?" Jon challenged, a hateful grin forming on his features. "I've gotten pretty used to hunting your kind, Kokabiel. You're the same thing, only bigger. The same brand of cockroach I've been squashing my whole life. An ugly, evil, belly to the ground, supernatural piece of crap. The only difference between them and you is the size of your ego."

Kokabiel's smile fell as his suit vanished, replaced with armored robes of black and deep brown. He slowly took to the sky, the throne he was sitting on vanishing into dust beneath him.

"You were amusing for a time, little flea. But you have caused me great discomfort. Now...I feel inclined to scratch."

Ten black wings sprouted from his back.

"Please forgive me the horror we both know you will make me put you through."

Power the likes of which Jon had never felt before erupted from Kokabiel's being. Such, raw, disgustingly obscene potential all compacted into a single being. Of course, Jon had been in similar situations before. He may not come out of this fight with all his teeth, but he would survive nonetheless.

As he brought his power to bare and squared off against Kokabiel, Rias made her descent down towards the others, becoming eye level with Eurus. Akeno, meanwhile, summoned her wings and joined her President in the sky.

"Who are these spirits in front of me?" The Lich of Eurus asked curiously, her voice like an arctic wind. "My eyes cannot see their faces very well."

"I am Rias Gremory. Next heir to the Gremory Clan, and younger sister of Sirzechs Lucifer." The President declared boldly.

"Sirzechs...the False King. Yes...I remember." Her words were completely detached from any semblance of emotion. "He sent his Silver Haired Witch to silence me." She cast her chilling gaze onto Rias. "Your family has many secrets it has long since tried to bury. But memories can resurface. Wounds can reopen. The roads we walk have Nightmares beneath. And yours have been waiting for a very long time...Heir of Gremory."

"I will not be swayed by your insane prattling, Mad Prophet." Rias spat back venomously. "You attempted to forcefully seize control of your Family's house via a bloody Coup orchestrated by the Fallen Angels."

"I was merely showing them the truth. Your Brother, like my own family, silenced me for speaking of things they did not wish to hear." Eurus replied with cold detachment. "His Queen's presence at my throat does not surprise me any more than your presence here now. And just like him, the act you are about to attempt only proves all I have ever said or seen. I merely wished to punish those who had wronged me. Just as your false king now seeks to punish my Husband. Death is nothing compared to vindication. My Order understands this, as does my Family. I have shared with them my visions, and they...like me...have become enlightened."

Rias sneered at her viciously, her eyes beginning to glow. "I will not allow our eons of work and dedication to be consumed by Chaos. Neither will my Brother."

"You say that word as if it were a poison. Something to be cured, to be treated." She replied. "But do you truly know what Chaos is tangibly? Some might call it suffering. Oppression. Deceit. But could all these things not be said of Devils? You hunt down the talented and the strong willed. You break them into servitude or you destroy them. You lie to your citizens and wage war on those who would dare speak out against you. The Four Great Satans you call Masters assume guilt while executing millions of lives on a whim."

Rias's power began to grow more and more violent deep within her. Akeno could see it. She was about to let that 'thing' out they had all been dreading.

"And why?" Eurus continued unaffected. "Why do you do this? Because you know Chaos is already there. Our realm was BORN from it. You cannot deny what you are, Rias Gremory. You, more than any other Devil, should be able to feel it. Yet you crush your own power even now for fear that it may aid the enemy. The Imperium of Order suffers because of Chaos. No matter how hard you fight, that will never change. Chaos exists in a state of permanent victory over you. You dance to our tune, Rias. You butcher and torture and repress one another because our God demands it. Order was founded by Chaos. This war, which has barely even started, was already won a long, long time ago."

Rias's power erupted from her being like a volcano. "Asia! Do it now!"

"Right!" She channeled a ball of green energy into the palms of her hands before aiming it into the sky. Asia cast her Twilight Radiance spell on every single one of her allies, restoring their vitality and power to absolute maximum.

"Chaos...you and your children really do have a one track mind, you know that? Unlike you, Eurus, I once walked the same ground as your Idol. As do all descendents of the Baal Clan who possess the Power of Destruction. I breathed the same air as Chaos, spoke its tongue, and allowed it permeate my being." Rias's voice boomed with power and authority, not a single ounce of fear or reservation could be heard. "And I tell you this without lie or artifice. He never wanted to become what you have made him! Chaos does not wish to be your God-Thing! He abhors your ideals! The slavery of your crippled, blind, malaise of a philosophy would sicken him if he even possesed the eyes to see it!"

Eurus remained silent, a blank emotionless wall on her skeletal face.

"Chaos is not a God. It is a force that only seeks to consume. A wild, savage, thing that cares NOTHING for your worship anymore than a hurricane empathizes with the people swept up in its gust."

"I see…" Eurus commented in a dead, unfeeling tone. "...so you too do not yet understand the true depths of suffering."

Without another word, Eurus began to channel her power. The ground beneath them shook as she cast her hands up towards the sky. The powers of both Space and Time bending in her grasp.

"Thrill in the noise that breaks the skin and ravages the mind! Savour the shuddering, shaking screams that shiver the spine and shatter the skull! Let sensation wash over you, through you, claim you, and cast you aside!"

Reality shattered around them, beginning to warp and bend as it fell apart at the seems. The Earth twisted and cracked, bent and broke, green spectral energy coming up through the cracks around them as large chunks of building, earth, and road floated off into the endless ether. The members of the ORC and their allies all felt their very beings begin to rip and tear apart. Pain engulfed their senses as mind, body, and soul were twisted and stretched beyond their breaking point. Eurus was bending reality to her will, destroying all of them in the process.

A massive blast of primal destructive force shattered the spell she was casting, sending them into a neutral zone of primordial time and space.

As the other members of the ORC gasped for breath and regained their wits. Rias stood before the Lich of Eurus, obstinate, collected, and in perfect control.

"I have a secret I wish to share with you, Eurus." The President spoke in a dark, foreboding voice. "A secret I now share with all my Peerage as well. It's time the world witnessed what TRUE Chaotic power looks like."

Rias brought her hands out to either side with her palms facing outward. She shut her eyes and the red and black energy surrounding her began to swirl around her body like a vortex.

"You may think me weak, think me ignorant, think me a child for allowing warmth and compassion into my heart, Eurus. But I assure you, there is still PLENTY of Chaos within my soul. Just as there is in yours."

The green immaterium that made up the neutral zone they were standing in slowly began to turn red.

"But this is different from what you are. I've learned how to harness it, control it, use it to destroy anything that stands against me."

Her clothes vanished off her body as black tendrils of power snaked over her skin. Rias's eyes opened, revealing two blood red irises surrounded by a black sclera as dark as the void of space.

Her features contorted into an evil, megalomaniacal smile.

"So what do you say?" She spoke in a hushed tone. "Would you like to see my secret?" An unsettling giggle emanated from the back of her throat. "Very well...but I must warn you…"

The black tendrils surrounding her body snaked and slithered into black scales that coated and protected her most intimate regions while exposing the rest of her skin, which was quickly paling into an ashen grey color. Her ruby lips turned black and her teeth grew razor sharp. Two armored pauldrons carved into the shapes of skulls appeared on her shoulders and her wings transformed into a flowing crimson cape with her family's sigil emblazoned upon it. Her legs were covered in scaly thigh high boots and her arms in scaly elbow high matching gloves with razor sharp talons on each finger.

Finally, a tiara of onyx formed on her head with red gemstones encrusted in its circumference. Followed by two black Devil's horns sprouting from her forehead.

With her transformation almost complete, Rias brought her hands sharply down and let loose the angry shriek of a banshee with her head cast upwards towards the heavens. A column of red and black power shot out from her being, piercing the ethereal space above.

When at last she set her demonic eyes upon the Lich of Eurus again, Rias's hair had ignited into a blazing inferno of crimson flame. Her black lip curled into a wicked grin as she brought one talon gloved hand up in front of her, summoning an orb of power.

"You are NOT prepared!"