Another day, another chapter!

-o-o-o-o-o-

Cato

The hard part of Ddraig's resurrection was completed. The soul had been separated from the sacred gear without Ddraig going into the next gear – the cycle of reincarnation was broken. Accomplishing the feat of freeing Ddraig was, of course, not the same as having killed the dragon. To those without proper grasp on the finer aspects of soul magic, simply freeing the dragon would surely be unimpressive, but Cato knew that if he told Azazel about freeing Ddraig's soul from its prison in the sacred gear system, the fallen would never believe him. In this world, it was an impossible accomplishment. So was killing the dragon now that it was free, but Cato was nothing if not a man who thrived on breaking expectations. The actual act of finishing the resurrection of Ddraig would be something of a gamble since Ddraig's corpse had been annihilated several millennia ago. Bringing a dragon corpse from Tamriel was the only avenue available, and because no soul was linked to the remains of the dragons Cato had killed, he was confident it would work. Probably. And when it did, he would need allies there to strike it down.

Killing Ddraig on his lonesome was something even Cato conceded was beyond him, though, but this was a hunt, not a duel. To ensure the next part went smoothly, he needed more people. Gathering allies was always a hassle. That was one of Cato's primary reasons for releasing Ddraig at the peace conference, after all. By unleashing it there, powerhouses from all factions were already present, and all of them were forced to pick a side without further thought. Even in the past, when the factions were less amiable toward each other, they had united to take down the two celestial dragons, so it had been a safe bet. Now, Cato needed to gather allies on his own, and the man who had been a prime candidate for an alliance, Azazel, was no longer in the cards. Though in truth, Azazel provided little combat strength because of his weak hold over his faction.

Aside from his new unlikely allies Jeanne and Metatron, the only faction that Cato was well enamored with was the devil faction. Even among them, his prime allies were schoolchildren who would be of no use in a cataclysmic battle against Ddraig. Luckily, one of those schoolchildren just happened to be the sister of the strongest devil alive, and Cato would do his best to leverage that connection to gain some real combat power on his side.

The streets had changed greatly since he had first arrived. Cato stood, looking through the window of a shop he often visited in the past. The woman behind the counter, handing a bag of bread to one of the now sparse residents of Kuoh, looked perfectly normal as she smiled at her customer. Despite the appearances, this entire shop was a symptom of the ongoing conflict. Despite performing a human job in a human way with human mannerisms, the woman was a devil. And the bakery was formerly a ramen shop whose end he lamented. Perhaps even the customer was a devil sent to populate the city for the sake of appearances. Such paranoia would lead nowhere though, and his destination was elsewhere, with his next prospective ally.

His sleep had been cut short by another unexpected visitor. It was a wonder that so many people from so many factions knew where to seek him out and had reasons for doing so to boot. The morning's visitor was a devil by the name of Grayfia, the wife of the very devil Cato was hoping to recruit. Despite greeting her straight out of bed with morning hair, disheveled clothes and an obvious lack of sleep, Grayfia sent him to track down her husband, Sirzechs Lucifer. She didn't appear particularly concerned with the fact that he had been in a close battle to the death only days before, offering no words of kindness, only a cold look telling him to do his job. A merciless woman. Of course, meeting with Sirzechs was Cato's own objective to begin with, so if anything, she did him a favor by giving him a reason that everyone could see. The fact that his given objective was identical to the one he already had was yet more proof that the universe itself revolved around him. It didn't, of course, but part of him always felt that way nonetheless.

Sirzechs and whoever he could bring with him would make up the bulk of the fighting strength against Ddraig. Jeanne and Metatron were tasked with keeping Vali in check. They were a boon in that regard, fulfilling the part that Cato had hoped Azazel would take. Jeanne's initial role was coordinating with the young devils, ensuring their survival and delaying the news about Issei's inert sacred gear from reaching Vali. It was a moot endeavor, of course, dead in the water, but delaying Vali was a worthy cause, no matter by how little. Jeanne wasn't happy that she had to deal with 'that creep', Issei, but aside from being the only one available for the job, sending a woman would undoubtedly be the most effective way to get the boy to comply. After Ddraig was properly resurrected, Metatron would act as the final line of defense against Vali, keeping the boy at bay until Ddraig's defeat was certain. And after that…

As long as they could kill Ddraig without interference, dealing with Vali would be simple. Vali was one of those rare few who lived his life as though it had no value outside of proving his own superiority over others in battle. Fate had decreed his enemy to be the wielder of the boosted gear, and Cato was certain that Vali would view Cato as his enemy after Cato consumed Ddraig's soul. As such, Vali would either outright attack Cato or at the very least challenge him. It would be his final mistake, and it wouldn't be much of a fight, either.

So, with his two new allies taking care of the final hurdle, Cato was free to gather whatever help was necessary to guarantee victory. Sirzechs was the obvious choice. The devil alone might be able to take down the weakened Ddraig, and his interactions with Cato so far had been sparse but friendly. From what Cato understood, Sirzechs had led the peace talks with great competence, earning positive words bordering on praise from Metatron when Cato asked.

Grayfia had complained that Sirzechs had run off after the peace conference. Cato smiled at the way she ranted about how her husband never took his responsibilities seriously enough. Cato thought differently. When he met Sirzechs at the academy, the devil gave off an air of cheer and relaxation. His warmth was genuine, or so Cato believed, but it was a warmth that he brought with him, not one that he sought out. There was no doubt in Cato's mind that Sirzechs took his responsibilities more seriously than anyone – Sirzechs's understanding of what he was responsible for just differed from what his wife thought his responsibilities to be.

Though Grayfia couldn't find Sirzechs, Cato was confident that it would be an easy task. The devil leader would be in Kuoh still, whether to cull any straggling enemies or take care of some other unresolved business. The idea of a king out on his own, hunting enemies after a battle was absurd by Tamriel's standards, but it served as yet another reminder that devils were different indeed. Their worship of power was what gave Sirzechs, the strongest devil, the reins of their society even in matters where raw power was of no use. The fact that Grayfia wanted the devil king back so he could take care of paperwork, though absurd, was the result of that strange devil logic. Cato shook his head and tore his eyes away from his former favorite ramen house and headed for the outskirts of the city.

Kuoh city was split into three major sections. The first was the commercial area. All the shops were spread throughout the center streets, making up the bulk of where the population spent their free time – at least back when there was a real population. At the edge of this area lay Kuoh Academy, back when it still stood. The second area was primarily a residential area. It housed a few shops and businesses, here amongst Cato's office, but it was mostly quiet residences. At the center of these two areas and bordering the third was the park, which was rather large for being in the middle of a major town, but otherwise unremarkable. The third area was the industrial district. This part included the port district and was mostly storage or shipping facilities. Many of the Khaos Brigade members, especially among the Old Satan faction, as they called themselves, had come in and out of the city in this area, using shipments at the port both to travel in and out and to arm themselves.

The third area was where Cato thought to seek out Sirzechs. Cato's money was on Sirzechs hunting the straggling Khaos Brigade members. So, he headed out for the cargo facilities near the port area. He decided to take a few detours in the way there to check up on how the city was doing in the wake of the battle. Information gathering was always a valuable pursuit, and missing something was always a danger. Thankfully, there were no signs of the Khaos Brigade anywhere, and that gave credence to his guess that Sirzechs was and had been busy with pest control.

If all else failed, Cato would rely on clairvoyance, but using the spell had the disadvantage of making him miss what else might be going on in the city. It was a spell best used when there was but a single goal. He passed the park on the way, catching a glimpse of Azazel looking unusually greasy, even by the fallen's own standards. Cato kept moving. Hopefully, he would have the chance to extend an olive branch to Azazel before Ddraig's resurrection, but if not, Azazel wouldn't be his ally in this round. Still, Cato was confident the fallen would join in on the fighting against Ddraig when it came down to it. Anyone in the city when the fighting began would be a fool not to help fight the dragon. Or escape, he supposed.

With his mind elsewhere, he only barely noticed the light tickle of magic that touched him as he entered a large storage facility near the edge of town. He had entered a magic field, a type of rune magic that separated whatever was inside from the outside in some way. It was probably set as an alarm system with a noise canceller masking whatever was inside. The devils seemed particularly fond of this type of magic. At any rate, passing such a boundary meant excitement was within arm's reach, whether Sirzechs was there or not. The room was full of large shipment containers organized in rows that obstructed visibility, so Cato moved slowly, doing his best to mask his presence. Under ordinary circumstances, such an effort would make him entirely undetectable, but if his assumption about the bounded field was correct, then whoever set it up was already aware of his presence.

With no warning, a container two rows in front of him blew up violently, launching deadly shrapnel that blew through the metal containers with frightening ease. Cato stopped and listened. Faint footsteps, then the powerful beating of wings. Fallen…?

There was no time to finish that thought as Cato jumped clear of the container he was hiding behind, barely avoiding being turned into a meat cloud. Without even properly regaining his footing, he followed through on his momentum, rolled and then jumped up onto a container. There, hovering mid-air a stone's throw away, with strange bat-like wings beating slowly to keep him afloat was Sirzechs Lucifer. The devil's eyes, which Cato remembered as being blue, were glowing a dangerous red, and even the air around the devil seemed to have taken on such a glow.

At the next beating of his wings, Sirzechs shot forward, a claw passing through air where Cato's head had been a split-second before. Cato had no time for a counterattack as he leapt back, narrowly avoiding Sirzechs's next swipe and landing on a different container. When the third attack came, Cato was prepared, placing a rune behind him before he dodged away. Shock magic rippled through the devil as he connected with it, but for all the reaction he gave, it might as well have been nothing more than a cheap lightshow. Cato went invisible, clearing some space between them, placing runes on the way through. He was forced to abandon that line of action when Sirzechs began indiscriminately blowing up the containers and ceiling.

What in Oblivion is with this guy?

Before he even managed the thought, Sirzechs tossed a container right at Cato's position.

"Fus!"

A powerful force collided with the container, sending it straight back at its sender. A black and red wave of destruction magic tore it apart in the air, leaving not a trace of its existence.

"What a rude way to greet a man," Cato said, as there was finally a lull in the action. Sirzechs glared at him with unjustified anger.

"Are you one of them?" The devil landed on the ground a distance away. A distance that Cato would formerly have thought to be safe. "I recognize you. From the school. From the battle."

If the recognition sparked any goodwill, Sirzechs did not show it. On the contrary, the red aura surrounding him intensified. Cato frowned. Why was he…

Sirzechs's open-palmed strike slammed into Cato's chest, catching him off guard. Cato hadn't even seen the devil move. He flew backwards, propelled by the strike, managing to toss a few shock spells while airborne to slow down the follow-up. A head on fight with someone renowned as the strongest devil. That can't be good.

Sirzechs was unarmed, but between his enormous strength and that terrifying magic of his, there seemed to be no opening to take advantage of. The only hope was to convince him that it was all a misunderstanding, but Cato had no time to speak throughout the onslaught. Dodging a blast of magic that tore soundlessly through the wall behind him, Cato drew his dagger but thought better of it. Getting close to the devil was folly if not outright impossible. Instead, he placed intermittent runes as he ran between the containers.

The roar of fire and shock runes being triggered were not accompanied by the usual screams from his opponent. Sirzechs charged through it all, not even appearing the least bit affected by the powerful spells. It wasn't much of a fight as things currently stood. Sirzechs was powered up before the battle started, and Cato had been caught flat-footed. All he could do for now was run around like a sewer rat chased by the king cat. If only I'd been better prepared…

Regrets had no place on the battlefield, but when chased around like common vermin, such thoughts were unavoidable. There were a myriad ways to improve his chances, but almost all of them were lost to him now. He clacked his tongue in annoyance before moving location – staying still would come with the unfortunate side effect of never having the chance to move again. He placed a frost rune on the end of a container and kept moving. Did Grayfia send me here to die? Without looking back, he tossed a poison vial and a fireball to fill the air behind him with poison gas. No, Sirzechs's words made no indication of him knowing this was a trap. The sound of the frost rune being triggered let him know Sirzechs's position. Cato jumped, twisting in the air just as Sirzechs was about to reach the poison cloud and let loose a shout.

"Fo Krah Diin!"

Cato was under no illusion that the shout would freeze Sirzechs solid. The idea was to slow the devil inside the poison cloud, hopefully doing some damage. If the poison and frost breath could slow down Sirzechs, that would also give him the time to use some weaker alteration spells, but he knew they wouldn't be enough. The only hope for winning the fight with force was to use that one accursed shout.

"Mu- oof." Apparently, Cato's frost breath hadn't slowed Sirzechs in the slightest. The devil's fist connected painfully with Cato's stomach, driving the wind out of him. Instead of being knocked back, however, Cato felt strong fingers clasping his skull. Held in place, Cato's eyes met with the hateful glare from Sirzechs. The devil had to hover above ground to even reach his head, but his grip was strong.

"Those who dare lay hands on my sister," Sirzechs began, Cato made no move to escape the grip, knowing that any chance at winning the fight with words would have to happen now, "will know the power of destruction."

"I haven't…" Black and red magic started swirling in Sirzechs's free hand. "I came here to find you."

Grayfia sent me, he wanted to say, but Sirzechs gave him no time. The casting of the spell was more sluggish than it had been earlier, possibly signs of the poison working, just not enough by a wide margin.

"Feim!"

He only had time for the one word as the wave of destruction magic passed through him, leaving him unscathed. Happily so. That finally got a reaction other than murder from the devil, and the red mist surrounding him dimmed.

"How did you…?" Sirzechs stopped, finally looking Cato over properly before letting him go. Sirzechs landed on the ground, only a step away, his expression beginning to show a hint of curiosity. "Well, if it isn't the man trying to change the world."

Cato took a few deep breaths, more an act to regain a sense of calm than out of necessity in his ethereal form. When the effect faded, he keenly felt every muscle in his body relax, the clammy feeling of his shirt – somehow still intact – clinging to his back. Sirzechs didn't appear quite out of murderous intent yet, but at least he was willing to talk.

"What are you doing here?" Sirzechs asked, his voice cold.

Cato met the devil's eyes, once again the blue that he remembered. "I came here to find you at Grayfia's request."

Sirzechs raised an eyebrow. "And how, pray tell, did you know where to find me."

Cato smiled. This was more like it. No more running around between explosions, though the exercise had probably done him good. "It's what I do, isn't it?"

Finally, the oppressive murderous aura lifted and Sirzechs nodded reluctantly. "Though it seems to me you do a lot more." Cato didn't miss the way the devil's eyes moved to where the destruction magic had gone through him without doing any damage.

"Man has his tricks."

"Right," Sirzechs said dismissively. Perhaps the devil let it slide because he felt bad about attacking Cato, or perhaps he just didn't care. "It seems my wife chose the right person for the job, then. If only she did the same for all the tasks she pushes on me. But," Sirzechs gestured broadly, "I'm about finished up here anyway, so you could've spared yourself the trouble."

Cato nodded. "If I was here just for Grayfia, yes."

Sirzechs frowned before raising his eyebrows in understanding. "Is that so?" His voice completely changed, all traces of standoffishness gone. "Then, what business might you have with me?"

"To put it simply, the battle isn't over yet."

Sirzechs's posture changed to a combat stance, although without any killing intent. He made a point to look around at the once storehouse which looked not too different from Kuoh academy after its latest remodeling. Between Sirzechs's berserker spree and Cato's frivolous use of magic, there was little left. He gestured at the destruction before relaxing his mock stance again. "It sure looks over to me."

Now with a little more breathing room, Cato put two and two together. Sirzechs had hunted down the Khaos Brigade to avenge the threat to his sister, and Cato had simply been caught up in the devil's murderous glee. Which turned out to be exactly what he needed to guarantee Sirzechs would help him.

"At the end of the battle, I saved the life of your sister's boyfriend," he said. Sirzechs offered no reaction, probably all too used to people trying to suck up to him for favor. "But it came with a complication. A looming threat, if you will. Something which we must deal with." Cato paused to gauge the devil's reaction.

"Don't make me guess."

"In the process of stopping Ddraig from killing your sister's pawn," Cato said, weighing his words carefully. The term pawn was one he had only recently picked up. It designated Issei's power potential as expendable. The word left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth, "the Boosted Gear was destroyed, and Ddraig is now free."

It took a moment for the devil to process the idea. Despite looking like he was about to say something, Sirzechs settled on silence in the end. It was a somewhat disappointing reaction. Cato had hoped he would at least ask about what kind of free it was, but Sirzechs only stood there silently.

"Free," Cato continued, "as in no longer part of the sacred gear system. He is currently in spirit form, unable to take action, but I fear that is on a time limit. With great emphasis on limit."

"That's not good," Sirzechs said after another pause. He gave Cato an appraising look. "So, you're here to make me help in cleaning up your mess."

Cato smiled beatifically. "Seeing how Ddraig was indirectly in service of your sister, I prefer to think of it as 'our mess'."

Sirzechs shook his head, returning Cato's smile with only slightly less enthusiasm.

"In truth, I think of it not as a mess at all," Cato continued. "It's an opportunity to be rid of one of the great threats to stability. More than that, it's an opportunity that you ignore at your own peril. The dragon is already loose; we must unite to take it down."

"You're making it sound less like an accident by the second," Sirzechs said, smile widening when Cato did not deny it. Anything he said wouldn't matter to begin with – it was clear Sirzechs had already made up his mind. "I suppose I wasn't wrong in calling you the man trying to change the world. But do you even understand what taking out Ddraig would do to the balance of power?"

"Albion must be dealt with next," Cato said. Hiding his immediate motive would put his understanding of the situation into question – something ill afforded in front of an ally of convenience. "The pieces for the next step are already in motion."

Sirzechs nodded. "You're a real revolutionary, aren't you? Not that I mind. Back in my day, that's what they used to call me. It was a mantle I wore with pride. And when we forget the need for change…" Sirzechs said, looking away, a wistful look in his eyes. He cleared his throat, returning to the present. "That's not to say you have the strength. Take it from someone who knows it all too well: The world changes one powerful punch at a time. You barely scratched me in our earlier fight, and even I would be hard pressed against Ddraig."

"Ddraig will be weakened," Cato said. And then, unwilling to let the blow to his pride slide, "but lest you forget, I came here unarmed to speak with you as an ally. I did not come for your head."

Sirzechs looked at him disbelievingly for a second before he burst out laughing. "Yes," he said between laughs, "completely unarmed."

Cato frowned. "I take it you noticed the dagger?"

Sirzechs snorted.

"Lest you forget, you threw a poison bomb at me."

Cato nodded sagely.

"Come now, a little vial hardly qualifies as a weapon."

In the end, Sirzechs decided to follow Cato back to his office, Cato filling him in on a few of the details along the way, leaving out his involvement with Jeanne due to her connections with the Khaos Brigade. Sirzechs's distaste for the Brigade was clear in the destruction left in his wake. Aside from expressing some surprise at the mention of Metatron, Sirzechs didn't otherwise react strangely to anything. In fact, he seemed more surprised about Metatron having taken Cato's side than about the return of Ddraig.

"So, Ddraig, huh?" The devil's voice was nonchalant as he walked with his hands behind his head and an easy smile on his lips. "I'm surprised the old bastard is free. If I were a believer, I'd say these were the end times."

Cato said nothing.

"When I was a kid, I loved hearing stories about the Big Bads of the world. The badder the better! Dragons and deities, you know? Good stuff."

When dealing with creatures like Sirzechs, it was hard to tell if they were just making carefree conversation or if they were manipulating you. The devil was powerful enough to be afforded his easygoing attitude, but it could just as easily be the game he played to gain such power in the first place.

"I always believed the devils to be stronger, of course. Imagined myself taking on a god more than once. Me against Zeus? Destruction and lightning! A battle for the ages!"

"I'm sure it would make a good movie," Cato said.

"Oh?" Sirzechs's eyes took on a sparkle, his dramatic tone replaced by amusement. "You're into that sort of entertainment?"

"And why not?" Cato shrugged.

Sirzechs huffed and gave a Cato once-over. "Figured you'd be the type to lift iron in front of a mirror, to be honest. Or cars. Never seen a man as big as you."

"The wonders of regular sleep and a healthy diet," Cato said. "People tend to neglect the basics."

"Only too true. Youngsters are often too eager in the search for excitement, skipping rest and reason in favor of chasing the next thrill or battle."

And now he was being mocked. Cato sighed. It was mildly annoying to be on the receiving end, but Cato knew he would be vindicated soon enough. They would kill Ddraig, and he would grow stronger for it while ridding the world of a menace.

"So, tomorrow, huh?" Sirzechs kept his easygoing tone even when talking about the more serious topic. "If it weren't the tail-end of the on-going battle, I'd say it was a little sudden. I might not be able to gather enough people willing to fight in time."

Though Cato didn't frown, Sirzechs's words gave him pause. He had assumed – hoped, mostly – that in between being sent by Grayfia, already being indebted by the devil's sister's peerage, and it being a direct continuation of the battle at the peace conference, Sirzechs would agree to rally the troops and aid in taking down Ddraig. But there was a veiled accusation in the devil's words. I don't really believe this is about Ddraig, Sirzechs was saying, but I'm willing to play along. It explained why he wasn't questioning the resurrection of Ddraig any more than he was. And if he didn't believe in the premise of battling Ddraig, that could mean Sirzechs thought he was either being used or lured into a trap, but he walked that path with the confidence befitting the king of devils.

"So how will you go about summoning Ddraig anyway?"

"It's not a summoning. Ddraig is already there."

"Then why is he not wreaking havoc? He's not known for subtlety."

Were you not listening? Cato sighed dramatically. "He's in spirit form."

Sirzechs was about to respond, but suddenly stopped, a look of realization on his face. "I see."

"What?"

"Not a summoning then." Was that all the devil realized? Cato couldn't tell. "In that case, how will you bring about changing Ddraig's form? I assume that's the role that you're offering in all of this."

"I will bind Ddraig's spirit to a lesser dragon's remains. He will be weakened adjusting to his new form, and that's when we strike hardest."

Sirzechs raised an eyebrow at his explanation but didn't ask how he was going to get ahold of a dragon's remains. Dragon bones were even more valuable in this world due to a vast amount of alchemical uses that were completely unexplored in Tamriel. Unexplored by everyone except for Cato, of course. There simply weren't dragons around for anyone else, so despite the impressive properties of dragon bones and scales, there was no widespread knowledge surrounding their use.

That same reason was why it would be so easy for Cato to get the dragon remains in place. He was the one in possession of every dragon in Tamriel, and many of them were still fully intact skeletons. All he had to do was transport one of them from the place that he had dubbed 'the Dragon Graveyard', uninspired a name as it was, and straight to where Ddraig's spirit lingered. It meant performing spatial magic using an Elder Scroll in front of Sirzechs and whatever other allies he found, but Cato doubted it'd be much of a problem. At least not compared to the alternative. He could come up with explanations for the necessity of the Scroll, perhaps even manage to downplay his own skill with magic in the process. But if Ddraig managed to escape and recuperate in safety somewhere, everything would fall apart.

Despite them having no further business together, Sirzechs still followed Cato all the way back to his office. His jovial attitude – a stark contrast to his initial violence – was a mixture of endearing and annoying. Luckily, the devil took no offense when Cato expressed his exasperation with his antics; rather, he seemed even more amused at the reactions. When they reached Cato's office, Cato froze. Sirzechs was apparently unaware of this, as he strolled up to the door, ignoring the bundle that lay in front of it.

"'Closed until open'? What kind of a sign is that?"

Cato didn't hear him as he picked up the bundle. His weapons. All of them. Azazel hadn't swiped any of his bombs or vials, all the daggers he brought to the battle were there along with the two larger weapons and his shield, and all of them in proper condition. Azazel hadn't tampered with anything nor kept anything for himself. But he had seen fit to return them impersonally, ruining any chance of Cato using that as an excuse to reconnect. Cato clutched the bundle tightly, willing none of his bitterness to show in his expression.

"Oh. Oh! So that's what you meant when you said 'unarmed'", Sirzechs said, wholly unaware of Cato's distress. In fact, he looked rather impressed.

Cato went inside, inviting the devil in as he did so, but Sirzechs declined, citing that he had other things to do. Though true, Cato still thought of it as a blatant sign that the devil mistrusted him, and rightfully so, he supposed. One should always be wary of trusting others. Still, it was a somewhat strange situation to be in. He had been entirely truthful with Sirzechs throughout it all, answering all the devil's questions in as much detail as he could be expected to. It had to be because Sirzechs didn't believe that Ddraig was actually free. Sirzechs's lack of inquiry into strategy for taking down the dragon and how Ddraig would properly die was another clue to that end. Cato only hoped that it wouldn't result in the devil bringing fewer allies than he would against the dragon.

Tomorrow…

-o-o-o-o-o-

Azazel

With the weapons out of the way, Azazel's focus improved considerably. They were a weight on his mind as he sat in his office, working over what he knew, trying to figure out the way forward. No matter which of his records he looked through, none of them detailed the dragons having a language at all. Azazel had gone so far as to consult Shemhazai, who denied knowing anything and promptly left, which struck Azazel as somewhat suspect. In fact, the hurry with which Shemhazai had excused himself led Azazel to think it was cowardice rather than ignorance that made Shemhazai deny knowing anything about it. After all, Shemhazai was a craven first and foremost. The end result was the same either way. His attempt to understand the dragon language and decipher the gemstone dagger failed.

Of course, Cato's otherworldly nature should've been a major clue that gleaning his objectives by searching old records was impossible. The only promising lead that Azazel had to work with in the end was the knowledge given him by the Elder Scroll and his own interactions with Cato. It wasn't enough. Cato had claimed that his actions were all done in accordance to Azazel's own wishes. After mapping out everything Azazel knew of Cato's machinations in Kuoh, Cato's claim appeared to be true. Before being asked to look for Kokabiel, Cato had simply been doing detective work. Indeed, had it not been for his supernatural skill at said work, Azazel would never have approached the man. Everything Cato said added up perfectly.

But then, it really didn't. Cato had traveled from a different world specifically to this world, specifically to Kuoh, and knowing that changed everything. Cato had to have an objective in the city, and it couldn't possibly be related to the factions, because he was unaware of their existence when he left. It could still be related indirectly to the factions, of course. After all, Cato had presented himself as human representative. Had Cato crossed the dimensional gap knowing of some threat just to become the champion of humanity when facing it? Though Azazel was hesitant to believe such a heroic reason, Cato's actions so far pointed in that general direction.

A man bored of his old world moves to a new one to save and take over a race. But how? He was doing nothing before I came along. Did he just expect everything to fall in place on its own? Azazel shuddered. Actually, that was perfectly in line for the man. To just believe that the universe itself would just up and give him what he wanted. Fate, Cato had called it. If Cato had come to be humanity's hero, their great bulwark against an unknown threat, then Azazel had made a mistake in estranging him. He should've done everything in his power to avoid confrontation.

A flash of a memory made Azazel drop to one knee, nauseous as the emotions of the memory flooded his system. No, Cato had not come to become the champion of humanity. There was simply too much anger and sadness in those memories for that to be his reason. Those were not the feelings of a hero. They were the feelings of a broken man. Maybe he really did come here just to start over after completing his revenge, Azazel thought. Not that he would place a single dime on it.

No, there was no good explanation given the limited information he had, so Azazel had deigned to conduct an active investigation of his own. Cato would be proud, of course.

That was what led him to notice Sirzechs Lucifer walking from the direction of Cato's home, an uncharacteristically somber look on the devil's face. It was what led him to staking out Cato's home with a familiar, and what led him to follow, albeit at a very safe distance, when Cato went to Kuoh Academy – or what was left of it. He lost track of the man for a while, but eventually found him simply sitting in the middle of the ruined field, meditating.

Something's not right…

-o-o-o-o-o-

Cato

Cato slumped in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.

The day was still relatively young, but there was much to do. It was an enormous advantage to know the battlefield beforehand. He could place runes, catalysts, anything he wanted on the battleground, because he was fully in control of where Ddraig would be resurrected. He idly replayed his fight with Sirzechs in his mind to distract himself, but he quickly grew worried. He hadn't given himself the chance to think too much of it in or after the fight, but Sirzechs's power was unreal. He needed to be calm in order to properly explain things to Sirzechs at the time, so he had deliberately avoided thinking too much on the devil's power.

The power of destruction.

Metatron had mentioned it, the Bael power.

At the time, Cato had given it little thought, merely filing away the information as trivia. Knowing the power of your enemies was important, of course, but knowing about the lineage and specifics of an inherited ability was mostly pointless. The Bael power demanded his attention, though, and the more Cato thought on it, the more paranoid he grew. His ethereal form had saved him, yes, but having such a countermeasure wasn't good enough, since his ethereal form only extended to the items immediately on his person. It was unlikely that Sirzechs could destroy an Elder Scroll, but Cato would not hedge his bets on 'unlikely'.

To the best of Cato's knowledge, damaging an Elder Scroll was impossible. But he had never seen anything like Sirzechs's magic. Those red-black waves of magic were not destructive in the normal sense of the words, more accurately, they appeared to simply erase whatever they hit from existence. Getting close to Sirzechs in the way he had during the battle was a calculated risk, a risk he was willing to take. However, if the Elder Scroll was in any way damaged, everything he had worked for would be ruined. His link with the Elder Scroll was strong now, almost complete, if something were to break that…

The first thing Cato did was moving all Elder Scrolls save for the Elder Scroll of the Dragonborn back to Tamriel. His initial reason for storing them in his office basement was that their alien nature in this world was the greatest defense possible. No one would seek them out, and anyone who found them on accident would not know what to do with them. Not to mention, they were easy for him to track down. Now, though, they were no longer fully unknown. Azazel knew of them, and while it was difficult for Cato to think of the fallen as his enemy, he knew that Azazel was ultimately a selfish man. The most selfish of men, perhaps. If the fallen thought it would be of benefit to him, he might let Sirzechs know about the Scrolls and put them in danger.

His earlier plan of bringing a dragon corpse to the new world in full view of Sirzechs and his entourage was also put into question. It went from being an acceptable risk to being completely out of the question. Getting the corpse into position would happen tonight. Ddraig's resurrection would require a binding spell, so there was a risk of Ddraig resurrecting early. Unavoidable, but at least he could take some precautions. Once the skeleton was in place, he wouldn't dare go back to the office to sleep, so Cato decided to rest up before heading out.

It was nightfall before Cato geared up and headed out to the ruins of Kuoh Academy with the last remaining Elder Scroll hanging by his waist. With the fear of losing the Elder Scroll, he would not be leaving it out of sight again. The image of Harkon, the obsessed vampire, flashed in his mind, and he muttered a quick apology to Serana for letting the Elder Scrolls influence him as much as they did, but if he ever was to see her again, they were his only chance.

He set up shock and ice runes all over the place. Fire would be of little use when fighting a dragon, since the damage that the runes would do to the beast would be negligible. Instead, ice would have the chance to slow Ddraig down, which shock had an innate dispelling effect on any magic the dragon deemed fit to use thanks to the mana-draining properties of the element. Draining mana was generally useless here, because the ambient mana of the world was vast, nothing like Tamriel.

The runes were mostly remote-controlled rather than the standard landmine effect to avoid hitting Cato's allies. While most mages in Tamriel used runes to rig fortified locations, Cato often used them mid-combat in tandem with his stealth to control the battlefield. Such a strategy was excellent against most humanoids, but in this case, they would be set up to blast Ddraig when he resurrected. Dragons were extremely weak when shifting into their corporeal forms, and even weak destruction magic like runes would be beneficial during those short few seconds.

He also set up another trap around the perimeter of what would be the battlefield. Vali was bound to show up at some point, and Cato would be prepared. The final gemstone dagger, this one with Albion inscribed instead of Ddraig, was hidden underneath his sash along with his potions. He had brought no poisons this time, having already handed the necessary ones to Jeanne. Yes, when Vali showed up, he would be in for a warm welcome.

Once satisfied with the setup, he nodded to himself and worked the Elder Scroll, quickly transporting a random dragon corpse from Tamriel to the academy grounds. He didn't know how much times passed in doing so, but the sky was starting to brighten every so slightly by the time the skeleton was in position, hidden from sight by an illusion spell for all those who did not know it was there. Cato channeled all the mana he could into his strongest alteration spells. Spells to strengthen his skin against physical and magical attacks, spells to resist debilitating effects from frost or shock attacks, and spells to enhance his own physical strength. All his long-lasting buffs. Despite his misgivings about the shout, Cato harbored no illusion that he could avoid using Dragon Aspect, the most powerful empowerment of them all. It was similar in many ways to the limit break armor of the Boosted Gear, only the armor that surrounded him after using the shout was ethereal looking and gave him the appearance of a dragon human hybrid. Using the shout prematurely was foolish, though, since its effect was much shorter than his alteration spells and using it multiple times was out of the question.

So, with everything prepared, Cato sat down and waited. It was a few hours away from the scheduled meeting with Sirzechs and whoever the devil brought with him, but there was nothing more for Cato to do. Everything was ready. He went over it all in his head, trying to find any flaw in the plan. The only possible breaking point he could think of was the resurrection itself, and doubt slowly crept into Cato's still frame that the catalyst wasn't strong enough to force Ddraig's resurrection.

But he needn't have worried.

Slowly at first, the earth itself started rumbling…

-o-o-o-o-o-

I wanted to include the last scene in this chapter to not have every chapter be bait, but it ended up being the biggest bait of all?

Anyway, finally finished this chapter (obviously). Hope you liked it. Things are going down. Cato is acting a bit weird. Azazel is once more taking active control of his life. Sartre would be proud. I feel like my writing style has changed a lot over the past year – speaking of which, this fic is now over a year old. Wow. Thanks for sticking around.