Monsters and Devils

by Godzilla Boy

10 years have passed since the Final Wars and the Kaiju have all but vanished, leaving Earth in a state of peace at last. But when a mysterious young man with a strange power suddenly arrives in town, things will never be the same for the Occult Research Club. Can Monsters and Devils come together to defeat these deadly threats, or will Earth once again be swept up in another war?

12. Kaiju & Dragon vs Phoenix

Disclaimer: I do not own Godzilla or High School DxD!

That's right, everyone, I'm back and still keeping this story alive! Seriously though, it's been a long time since I updated this story. I want to thank all of you who waited patiently for this chapter and put up with my absence. Doing this while still in college is a real pain in the a**, with all the workloads and whatnot. Writers have lives outside of writing too. We can't just pump out chapters 24/7. Also, I hope everyone is doing their part to say safe during this whole Coronavirus pandemic and taking the shelter-at-place order seriously. I know I have.

As I'm sure could already tell from the end of the last chapter and the title of this one, this chapter will be Tokugawa and Issei facing off against Raiser and will conclude the Phenex Arc. And I know some of you have been asking how Ddraig knows the Elias, and I'll only say that it serves a roll in an important part of the story that won't be fully covered until around the Peace Treaty Arc, so please wait patiently. As for those who have been asking if Tokugawa will gain Kaiju Form, I'll answer it like this: Yes, he will, but he won't get until the near future, and I've already planned out the situation in which he does gain it. I won't have him gain it in the fight against Raiser since I don't want to make Tokugawa too overpowered too early in the story.

Also, I've been informed by some readers that the Fandom site for this story has disappeared, and I regret to inform you that it appears to have been taken down for reasons that I am not aware of. I'm not sure if I will attempt to remake it, although if I do decide to, I will create some character profiles on my DeviantArt page. I will let you all know when those will be up.

And one last thing before we begin, I created a new poll and put it up on my bio page and eventually close it by the end of the year, so please make sure to go check that out and place a vote whenever you have the time.

Now, grab your popcorn and drinks, and let's get started!

---

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

'Godzilla, Mental'

"Godzilla/Kaiju Speaking" -human speech

"(Godzilla/Kaiju Speaking)" -Kaiju speech

[Ddraig Speaking]

---

Chapter 11: Kaiju & Dragon vs. Phoenix

As the remaining three Phenex members quickly departed from the artificial battlefield via a Magic Circle, Rias, Asia, and Issei were still left stunned and slightly confused by the appearance of the two tiny beauties hovering before them on a bird-sized moth. At the glimpse of their faces, they saw that they were completely identical, though one was dressed in bright orange robes and the other wearing bright blue. Their aura seemed almost divine, and the others could only stay silent as they watched them use their magic to carry the unconscious boy off of the ground.

"Cancelled? What do you mean by that?" Rias asked in confusion about the announcement.

"The lords of both participating houses have called for immediate cancellation of the match until further notice." The woman in blue spoke in a calm, soothing tone.

The one in orange continued in a similar tone. "Until then, you may all settle your matters with your household and await the final decision on the match."

"Wait a moment. Who are you, by the way?" Issei asked as Asia supported him, prompting the two to turn their attention towards the Boosted Gear wielder.

"We believe that your friend there already mentioned us by name." they both stated in unison.

Issei blinked before he looked down at his gauntlet. "H-Huh? You mean Ddraig?"

[It certainly has been a long time Moll. Lora.] The large green gem on the Boosted Gear flashed as Ddraig spoke.

"Indeed it has, Ddraig," Moll said with a small smile.

"You seem to be doing much better since we last spoke," Lora added.

Ddraig gave a slight chuckle. [I suppose you could say that.]

Issei just stared between the two girls and his gauntlet with confusion. "Uhh... What's this about? You guys know each other?"

[That's right.] Ddraig replied. [These two are Moll and Lora, otherwise known as the Elias, the twin priestesses of Mothra.]

"Mothra...?" Rias' eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait, you mean THAT Mothra?! The Queen of the Monsters?!"

[The very same. By the way, how is Mothra doing these days?]

"She has been doing quite well," Lora said.

Moll nodded. "We told her that your current host was to take part in this Rating Game and asked that we greet you in her steed."

[Well, it's nice to hear that she's still doing well.] Ddraig said.

"Now then, we highly insist that you leave this place immediately." They said to the three Devils.

Asia raised her hand meekly. "W-Wait, what about Tokugawa-san?"

"Do not worry. Lord Beelzebub has already made preparations to have him cared for." Moll replied to her.

"You will be informed when he has recovered. Until then, we again ask that you regroup with your households." Lora suggested.

As much as they wanted to ask more questions, they knew that they were right. Rias conjured up a Magic Circle beneath her, Asia, and Issei as all three of them disappeared. As soon as they were gone, Moll and Lora turned to look down at the unconscious boy.

"It is him, sister," Moll said as she stared down at Tokugawa's sleeping face.

"Indeed, the one that the goddess told us about," Lora replied with a nod.

"Tokugawa Serizawa, the human student of the King of the Monsters."

---

Fukuoka, Japan - July 2001:

Destruction.

That was all that he could see once he regained consciousness. Everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but destruction and carnage. Buildings were reduced to rubble, fires raged all around him, the sky blotted out by smoke and ash, and massive crystal spires loomed over the ruined city like giant towers.

This indeed was Hell on Earth for him.

Fukuoka, the only home he had ever known, was completed in utter ruins.

It had all began when that...thing suddenly appeared and started to attack the city, reducing it to a wasteland and transforming it into a twisted kingdom for himself. He couldn't remember much of what happened before he lost consciousness, but he knew one thing for sure.

His parents were dead.

He recalled watching them get crushed under a falling building just before everything went black, and he knew that no one could have survived something like that. It was still difficult for him to take in everything that was happening all at once, and he didn't know how to react to any of it.

"Toku!"

He then heard a familiar voice calling out his name, and he quickly turned around to see someone running towards him from the smoke.

"Akira!"

"Tokugawa!"

Tokugawa ran into his older brother's arms as the two held each other in a tight embrace, the former starting to cry into the latter's shoulder. Akira patted the back of his little brothers head in an attempt to soothe him.

"Shh. It's okay; it's okay. I'm here now. You're going to be okay." Akira said quietly.

"..Why?" Tokugawa managed to let out between sobs. "Why is this happening, Akira?"

Akira sighed as he continued to hold Tokugawa. "I don't know Tokugawa. I don't know, but it's going to be okay. We'll get through this, alright."

The young boy could only nod in response, to which Akira let go and stood up. "Okay, then let's get out of here before-"

BOOM

Both brothers froze as a tremor shook the ground violently. Not long after that, a second tremor came, then a third. Akira quickly ushered Tokugawa behind him before they both looked up at the massive wall of dust and smoke that had suddenly appeared at the opposite end of the rubble-littered street.

BOOM

"Stay behind me, Tokugawa," Akira instructed.

The boy nodded. "O-Okay..."

BOOM

After a few moments, everything seemed to go quiet. Then, a flash of lightning from the sky suddenly revealed the outline of a towering figure from behind the smoke wall. A growl was heard as the figure seemed to lean down, its massive head suddenly appearing from the smoke.

Akira quickly shielded his younger brother, but Tokugawa was left frozen, and terror quickly overtook him as he saw a pair of orange-red eyes staring back at the Serizawa siblings.

"SKKREEEEEEEAAAAARRRRNNT!"

---

Tokugawa's eyes quickly shot open before he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. His arms felt like someone had shoved needles inside of them, and his legs felt like jelly. As his eyes slowly wandered, he noticed that he was in some sort of medical room.

'A dream... Just a dream.' he thought with slight relief before he continued to look around the room.

Thinking back on it, Tokugawa couldn't remember how he got there, or anything that transpired over the last few hours.

However, he slowly began to remember the incident with Raiser, and his eyes widened as he started to remember everything. At the same time, he also felt a strange surge of power flowing through him for some reason during that time, and he recalled how it felt much stronger than he had ever felt it before. His visions were clouded by rage, and all he could remember about that time was beating the crap out of that idiot Phenex.

However, he was also able to recall something else before he lost consciousness. He was able to remember the faces of two small women riding a bird-sized moth staring at him. Who were those two? And what was that strange power that they used to knock him out? The more he tried to think about it, the more he felt like his head was going to burst from the horrible migraine he was having.

'Goddammit, it feels like I got ran over by a bus...' Tokugawa attempted to set himself up, but immediately locked up and cringed when he felt a sharp pain shoot through his side. 'Scratch that, more like several buses.'

"I see you're finally awake."

Tokugawa opened his eyes when he heard an unfamiliar voice from his left and turned to see a man standing near the wall next to his bed. He had slicked back green hair and striking blue eyes as he stared at the boy curiously. He wore green and yellow robes that covered most of his body except for his midriff for whatever reason, Tokugawa chose not to question that.

"Where am I?" he immediately asked, somewhat surprised that he hadn't sensed the man's presence until now.

"You're in a medical room in the Gremory territory. More specifically, the Underworld." the man replied.

Tokugawa's eyes widened as he turned to the man. "The Underworld...?"

The man nodded, and Tokugawa looked around the room briefly before facing the man once more.

"...I'm not dead, right?"

"No, you're very much alive."

That almost made Tokugawa want to sigh with relief, although he made sure to keep his guard up around the strange man. "Well, I guess that's good. So what happened before I passed out?"

"You exerted a great deal of power during your clash with Raiser. It seems that it was so great that the lords of both houses demanded that the Rating Game be canceled for the time being, so we had a third party render you unconscious before you could injure Raiser even further."

"I see..." was all the boy could say in response. Now that he thought about it, he remembered how he attempted to finish off Raiser after seeing him try to kill Issei. After that, however, he only remembered being engulfed by a bright light before losing consciousness. He looked back at the man. "I'm guessing that third party was you?"

"Somewhat," he replied. "I merely asked that they prevent you from causing further damage without bringing harm to you."

That got Tokugawa slightly confused. "You asked them? Wait, who are you?"

"Ah, yes, forgive me for neglecting to introduce myself." The man stood straight and dipped his head. "I am Ajuka Beelzebub. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Tokugawa Serizawa."

Tokugawa's jaw practically dropped upon hearing the man's name. He remembered hearing the name 'Beelzebub' from Rias' explanation. "You're...one of the four Great Maou, right?"

Ajuka nodded. "That's correct. It seems that young Rias has told you about me. I can assume that means that she's also explained to you about the history of Devils, correct?"

"Y-Yeah, that's right," he replied, still trying to get over the shock of realizing he was currently speaking to one of the literal rulers of the Underworld. However, he quickly regained his composure upon noticing something. "Wait, where are the others?"

"They're currently with Raiser Phenex's Peerage along with Lord Gremory and Lord Phenex to discuss what should be done about the Rating Game. Sirzechs should be there as well."

Tokugawa blinked upon hearing that last name. "Sirzechs?"

"Sirzechs Lucifer, another of the four Great Maou," Ajuka replied. "He's also Rias' older brother."

The boy seemed to understand. He did recall Rias saying that her older brother was THE Lucifer before the Rating Game started. Eventually, Tokugawa began to feel the pain in his body subside, and he was able to set himself up in his bed.

He looked back at Ajuka. "You mentioned a third party knocked me out. May I ask who they were?"

He noticed a slight smirk on Ajuka's face. "Why don't you ask them yourself?"

Before Tokugawa could inquire about what he was talking about, a bright light suddenly shined down from the ceiling, temporarily blinding him. As soon as the light died down, he looked to see a large butterfly about the size of a crow hovering at eye level with him. As he observed the butterfly, however, he then realized that two small women were probably around only 12 inches in height. They both looked utterly identical aside from the fact that one was dressed in blue and the other in orange. As he observed the two girls, he began to sense a familiar aura surrounding the two. It felt pure and devoid of malicious intent, and it felt similar to the energy they felt just before he lost consciousness.

The woman stood upon the butterfly's back and bowed their heads. "Greetings, Tokugawa Serizawa. We are the Elias, Moll and Lora, priestesses to the great goddess, Mothra. We have come because there is much to discuss."

Tokugawa was in utter shock. He had heard about the Elias from Godzilla once before when he first told him about Mothra, but now here they were in person. However, a part of him wondered why they would be here in the Underworld of all places. Didn't Godzilla say that they usually confined themselves to the human world?

"Um, okay?" he replied, deciding to hear them out first before asking any further questions. "What is it that you need to discuss with me?"

"As Lord Ajuka already told you, the Rating Game between Rias Gremory and Raiser Phenex was canceled." Moll started. "However, what we also needed to discuss with you is that the engagement between the two was postponed due to developments concerning you."

Tokugawa blinked with confusion. "Me?"

Lora nodded. "Yes. As we speak, some are already considering putting you under observation due to the nature of your powers."

"Observation?" Tokugawa was still slightly confused until he managed to put the pieces together in his head. He then sighed. "Let me guess, its because I'm part Kaiju, right?"

"That's correct," Ajuka spoke up as he approached Tokugawa's bedside. "Thankfully, since the match wasn't official, most of the details regarding what happened during the game haven't been revealed to the general public. However, it seems that word of your existence has reached the Elder Council, and they are currently discussing options as to what should be done about you."

Tokugawa sighed again as he pinched the brim of his nose. This was precisely the reason why he tried to keep his powers a secret if any higher-up Devils started making a fuss about him and create something that would most likely trouble him and Rias' group.

He then turned to the Elias. "I'm guessing that it was you two that knocked me out, right?"

They both nodded in response.

"Good, I can only imagine what would've happened if I had ended up killing Raiser. I would've only brought more trouble for the others. Godzilla told me to try and not do anything that would make me be considered a threat, yet I almost messed that up."

"It seems that Godzilla truly holds you in high regard, Tokugawa Serizawa," Moll said with a smile.

Lora nodded and smiled as well. "The goddess told us that Godzilla did not want anything troublesome to happen to you, and we promise to do whatever we can to aid you."

Once he heard that, Ajuka was now the one looking confused. "Hmm? What do you mean? Are you implying that you already knew that he existed before I told you?"

The two looked up at the green-haired Devil King and smiled in unison. "That's correct."

Now Ajuka's look of confusion became one of shock. "But then...why did you not mention this to me before?"

"The goddess had told us of the existence of Tokugawa Serizawa, but we were curious to know of who exactly he was," Moll explained.

"Also, the goddess had promised Godzilla not to reveal any sensitive information about him to any of the other religions, and so we agreed to do so as well," Lora added. "Therefore, we wished to understand your reasoning for being curious about him before we decided to tell you everything if there was any sort of alternative motive."

Ajuka seemed to understand their reasoning for withholding information. It was valid that there many Devils that were quite wary of the presence of Kaiju in the human realm, with his old friend and fellow Maou Sirzechs being one of them, but for understandable reasons. Ajuka, on the other hand, was among the minority side who was rather curious of Kaiju and wished to understand them more.

"...Very well." the green-haired Devil finally said. "I promise to keep this knowledge to myself if it ensures his safety."

The Elias both gave grateful smiles at Ajuka and nodded in unison. "Thank you, Lord Ajuka."

Ajuka nodded back before looking back to Tokugawa. "Now, if you're feeling better, I can take you to meet with Rias and the rest of her Peerage."

"Thanks." the boy replied as he slowly got out of bed. Thankfully, the pain had seemed to completely disappear during the time he had been talking to the Elias and Ajuka, no doubt from his healing factor. The Maou led him towards the door, while the Elias followed beside him on their moth, though they couldn't help but give a slight glance towards Tokugawa.

''The power flowing within him is strong... Just what kind of training has Godzilla put him through?''

---

The meeting between the Gremory and Phenex Peerages was being held in a rather large room just down the hall from the infirmary, with the Occult Research Club standing on one side with Rias, who was also accompanied by her brother Sirzechs and Grayfia. Meanwhile, Raiser and his Peerage stood on the other side, with the former having an irritated and somewhat sour look on his face the whole time as he cast a searing glare towards Rias and her Peerage. They merely returned it with neutral expressions save for Asia, who stood next to Issei nervously while the brunette glared back towards Raiser.

Along with the Phenex Peerage stood Raiser and Ravel's father, Lord Rainard Phenex, who came along to ensure that his son wouldn't attempt to do something brash that would disturb the peace. The results of the Rating Game left Raiser with quite a bitter taste in his mouth despite it being canceled.

After all, he had been beaten by a human. No, not a human, a monster.

There was mostly silence between the two sides as all waited for news of the boys' condition.

However, it didn't take long for them to wait as the double doors to the room opened and revealed Ajuka alongside Tokugawa and the Elias.

"I've brought him," Ajuka spoke towards Sirzechs.

"Sorry again for all the trouble, Ajuka." The crimson-haired Devil King apologized, earning a nod from his friend.

Issei and the others looked incredibly relieved to see that Tokugawa was finally awake and looking well. On the other hand, Raiser sent a somewhat resentful glare towards him while the rest of his Peerage looked a little on edge at the boy's arrival.

Tokugawa could feel the stares directed towards everyone in the room, making him feel on edge himself. He then felt something on his left shoulder and looked over to see the Elias resting there, their moth having disappeared. They looked up at the boy with gentle, reassuring smiles that made his discomfort seemingly ebb away.

Feeling a little better about the situation, he turned to face forward again only to notice his friends walking up to him with looks of relief on their faces.

"Glad to see you're finally up," Kiba said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, a little sore, and possibly the mother of all migraines. Other than that, I'm feeling pretty good, all things considered."

Koneko gave a faint smile as she walked up in front of the boy and brought her fist out in front of her. "You're a tough nut to crack, Senpai."

Tokugawa blinked a few times at the comment, but then gave a slight smile of his own as he lightly bumped his fist against hers. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Tokugawa-san!" The boy felt someone wrap their arms around his waist and looked down to see Asia hugging him with tears stinging the corners of your eyes. "Thank heavens; you're alright! I did everything that I could to heal you, but you've been past out for the last several hours now, so I was worried!

"Yeah, I guess I made a bit of a panic there. Sorry guys." Tokugawa apologized before looking up at the other members of the Occult Research Club.

All of them, save for Rias and Asia, had bandages wrapped around different parts of their body, but Issei looked like he had taken the most damage from the fight. He had bandages wrapped around his forehead and on the sides of his face as well. Issei noticed Tokugawa staring at him and blinked with confusion.

"What?"

"You look like crap." the black-haired teen replied bluntly. "You holding up?"

Issei scratched the back of his head with a sheepish look. "Kinda. It still hurts a little to move, but Asia's healing helped get rid of most of the pain."

Tokugawa gave another smile. "That's good to hear. After the beating I saw you take, I thought you wouldn't be able to walk."

"We're all holding up, thankfully," Rias said while sending a subtle glare towards Raiser and his Peerage. She would never forgive them for the horrible pain they put on her servants, especially Issei. The boy could've possibly died had Tokugawa not intervened at the last second.

Speaking of Tokugawa, he felt another pair of arms wrap around his right arm and looked over to see Akeno hugging said arm in between her breasts, much to his surprise and discomfort.

"You know, you gave us all quite a scare when you wouldn't wake up," she said with a seductive smile. "You'd better make it up to us later. Especially me."

"Uh...sure. I'll remember that," Tokugawa replied hesitantly. Honestly, Akeno's sudden seductive approach was about as scary as it was confusing to him.

Moll and Lora smiled as they watched Tokugawa interact with the members of the Occult Research Club, while Ajuka turned to face Sirzechs. "This won't involve the information about him, will it? The last thing we need is the public getting into an uproar about a half-Kaiju in the Underworld."

Sirzechs nodded. "So far, only the Gremory and Phenex Clans are aware of him, but we have no intention of revealing his identity to the general public."

"We of the Phenex Clan have no desire to cause trouble for the boy or the Gremory Clan as well," Rainard stated with a solemn nod. "We came here for a peaceful discussion of the engagement and do not wish for further hostilities."

Ajuka smiled at their responses, feeling glad that they were able to put aside their weariness of Tokugawa for the time being. "I see. In that case, shall we get back to the subject at hand?"

Sirzechs nodded once again. "Yes, of course. First of all, I'd like to ask that the engagement be-"

"Hold on!" Raiser suddenly exclaimed, cutting off the Crimson Satan. "I'd like to know what's going on! Especially with him!" he pointed his finger in Tokugawa's direction. "Just what the hell is he?!"

"We gathered here to discuss what should be done about the engagement, not about him." Lord Phenex replied. "We called him as one of the participants of the Rating Game."

That didn't seem to deter Raiser, however, as he continued to point at Tokugawa. "But why the secrecy?! We all know he used the same power as that...that beast from the human realm, and I want to know why!"

He then felt a tug on his clothes as Ravel tried to calm him down. "Onii-sama, please. You're making a scene."

As Rainard and Ravel tried to keep Raiser quiet, Issei leaned over to whisper to Kiba. "What's the deal? Is Godzilla that big of a deal in the Underworld?"

"More than you know." the blonde Knight replied. "Apparently, he's as much of a big deal here in the Underworld as he is in the human world."

"I'm guessing it's gotta do with the whole thing Buchou mentioned about the existence of Kaiju, making some people question the truth about religion, right?"

Kiba nodded. "Right. And although the Underworld seems to be wary of the power the Kaiju posses, it's supposedly rumored that Kaiju may have played a big role in the Underworld's history."

"Really?" Issei was surprised to hear that. "How?"

"Not sure. It's information only the higher-up Devils know about, so Low-Class Devil's like us aren't given that information. Not even Buchou knows."

Sirzechs and Rainard turned towards each once they believed Raiser had been calmed down.

"Well then, as for the engagement-"

"I could care less for the engagement now!" Raiser suddenly shouted, interrupting his father. "I demand a rematch!"

All eyes turned towards Raiser with looks of surprise, especially from Sirzechs and Lord Phenex.

"A rematch?" Sirzechs inquired.

"Raiser, you realize what you're asking for is uncalled for. The Rating Game is considered finished and was canceled. There's no further need to discuss the battle." Rainard replied, trying to dissuade him.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Raiser wasn't having any of it. "I demand a rematch!" he bellowed.

"Onii-sama, stop it!"

Raiser's ranting began to escalate and only proceeded to make the others, especially the Gremory Peerage, to shake their heads at the High-Class Devil's uproar. Sirzechs and Rainard were beginning to lose their grip on the situation when Tokugawa suddenly took a step forward, interrupting them.

"So, you want a rematch, eh?" he inquired with a calm and neutral tone.

"Tokugawa?" The others turned and looked at him with surprise. Even Sirzechs, Grayfia, Rainard, and Ajuka were surprised at the boy's question.

The Phenex smirked. "So, the monster finally decides to speak! I demand a rematch with you! You and that filthy low-class Devil!" Everyone blinked with even greater surprise as Raiser then pointed towards Issei, who was also just as surprised. "I refuse to let him get away with disrespecting me the way he did! I demand to face both of you!"

"You really wanna take on both of us at once?" Tokugawa inquired with a raised brow. "Just how desperate are you?"

"Silence, human!" Raiser hissed at the black-haired teen. "I am a Phenex! A high-class Devil! The likes of you cannot defeat me!"

Tokugawa just frowned with a deadpanned expression. 'Yep. He's desperate, alright.'

"Raiser, the matter will not be settled with just one match." Lord Phenex tried to speak but stopped when Tokugawa politely raised his hand.

"It's fine. I suppose we could make some conditions to put those matters out of the way for good." the teen spoke, his eyes burning with determination. All of the present Devils looked at him with confusion.

"What do you mean by that?"

"If we win, you'll leave Buchou and the others alone and accept defeat fairly. Deal?" Tokugawa wagered.

Some of the members looked at him with disbelief, but Raiser gave a sinister smirk at his response.

"Fine by me. But if I win, I'll be taking your precious president with me."

"...Done."

"TOKUGAWA!" Rias and Akeno shouted in disbelief.

With Tokugawa still glaring at Raiser, Moll and Lora turned towards Sirzechs and Rainard. "We suppose that settles the matter then, correct?"

After a brief moment of silence, Sirzechs nodded at the proposal. "Very well, I'll accept the terms. What's say you, Lord Phenex?"

"Onii-sama! You can't be serious!" Rias shouted with disbelief.

Rainard nodded in acceptance. "The human boy is something indeed. I suppose I could accept his terms. I hope this also settles your matter as well, Raiser."

The blonde-haired Devil smirked. "I've been waiting for this moment."

"Then we will hold the rematch in an hour. The only ones who will be permitted to watch this match are those who were a part of this meeting. I highly recommend that this information remains concealed from the other Pillars. Is that clear?" Sirzechs reminded causing everyone to nod in response before they all went back to rejoin their respective groups.

Rias and the others met up with Tokugawa and the Elias.

"Just what are you thinking, Tokugawa?" Rias spoke. "A rematch against him? I thought we were behind that already!"

"Raiser needs to understand what it means to lose," Tokugawa answered calmly. "Otherwise, he won't stop coming after us until he gets what he wants."

"That may be true, but Raiser underestimated you back then," Akeno said in worry. "Now that he knows the nature of your powers, he won't be holding anything back against you."

While the Gremory Team was still discussing the matter, they quickly noticed Sirzechs and Ajuka walk up.

"I just spoke with Lord Phenex concerning Tokugawa-san's identity. He has agreed on keeping his identity a secret, which only leaves the other suspecting households the only ones standing in the way."

"Do not worry. We will take it from there." Moll reassured. "They will not make any sort of move against him."

"We apologize for the trouble Lady Moll, Lady Lora." Ajuka apologized.

Lora shook her head. "There is no need for that, Lord Ajuka. We're just glad that the matter didn't get out of hand."

"Well, we still have a battle ahead of us. It will be a 2-on-2 rematch between households. Seeing as both combatants on your end have been selected, you should prepare yourselves for the fight ahead." Sirzechs informed.

Tokugawa and Issei responded by looking across the room towards Raiser with determined looks, with the blonde-haired Devil giving a smug look back at them. The battle between Gremory and Phenex was about to begin.

---

One hour later:

With the discussion between the two groups continuing without any further issues, it was decided that the battle would be held in an open dimension where only the two households were able to watch. Anything else was to remain concealed from the eyes of other Devils at Sirzechs and Ajuka's request to keep the true nature of Tokugawa a secret from the populace.

In a long, dimly lit hallway leading to a portal that led to the battlefield, Tokugawa and Issei were preparing themselves for the upcoming battle, with the rest of the Occult Research Club along with them.

"Are you two serious about this?" Kiba asked.

Tokugawa shook his head. "If we had left things the way they were, he would just keep coming after us until he gets his way. Raiser's ego won't let him back down from anything that could be a threat to his superiority complex. If this were an actual life-or-death battle, that would get him killed without hesitation. He needs to learn the hard way how much of a threat his ego is to him."

"That may be true, but this won't be like the Rating Game," Akeno interjected. "Now that Raiser understands the true nature of your powers, he's not going to be holding anything back."

"Then we'll just have to beat him before he gets the chance to get serious," Issei suggested.

Tokugawa glanced at him. "You know it's not gonna be that simple, right?"

Rias stepped forward with a look of concern on her face. "Issei, Tokugawa. Are you both sure you want to go through with this?"

Issei nodded, his expression becoming serious. "Don't worry, Buchou. We won't let that Yakitori take you away from us. We'll beat him for sure this time!"

"Besides, we already sorted out a plan to defeat him," Tokugawa revealed.

Koneko gave a curious look. "What is it?"

The dark-haired boy gave a small smile. "You'll find out soon enough."

"Ojou-sama." a voice spoke, causing the group to turn to see Grayfia standing behind them. "Sirzechs-sama has asked me to retrieve you. It is almost time for the battle to begin. Please head to the observation area."

Rias nodded in understanding and turned to the two teens. "Issei, Tokugawa. I believe in you two. Make sure that Raiser understands that he has made a grave mistake challenging us."

Both teens responded with nods and looks of determination until Issei suddenly was pulled into a hug by Asia, who looked at him with a worried gaze.

"Issei-san...please be careful." she pleaded, looking on the verge of tears. "I know you and Tokugawa-san will win, but please be safe. If you two get hurt out there-"

"Don't worry, Asia," Issei reassured as he gently patted her head. "I'll be fine. Besides, I'll have Tokugawa out there with me, so everything will be okay."

Accepting his words, Asia slowly nodded before looking towards Tokugawa. "Tokugawa-san, you'll be there to protect Issei-san, right?"

Tokugawa nodded. "Don't worry. I'll have his back out there. He'll make it through this alive."

Feeling reassured by his words, Asia pulled back and joined the others, who all gave the two encouraging smiles.

"Good luck out there, you two," Kiba spoke.

Koneko gave them a thumbs up. "Kick their butts, Tokugawa-senpai. Issei-senpai."

"Make sure you show no mercy out there," Akeno said with a suggestive wink, making the two males slightly flinch with discomfort.

Once everyone stood in position, Rias looked towards Grayfia. "We're ready, Grayfia."

The silver-haired maid nodded as she brought her hands up, summoning a magic circle beneath them before they all disappeared in a brief flash of light, leaving only Tokugawa and Issei in the hallway.

"Guess it's time to do this," Issei commented. "You ready?"

"I think I should be asking you that. You going to be okay out there?" Tokugawa inquired.

The brunette smirked. "Don't worry. Asia finished healing my injuries before we got here. So I'm ready to settle the score with Raiser!"

[Don't assume it'll be easy, boy.] a deep voice spoke up as a green light appeared on the back of his left hand. [You've only just recently awoken to Boosted Gear's Second Liberation, and I doubt the Phenex was even giving it his all last time.]

Tokugawa stared at the voice that spoke from the blinking green light with slightly widened eyes. "...Is your hand talking?"

"Oh, right!" Issei exclaimed, realizing that the black-haired teen still hadn't been caught up on what had happened after the Rating Game. "Tokugawa, this is Ddraig. He's a dragon that lives inside my Boosted Gear."

[Greetings, Tokugawa Serizawa.] Ddraig greeted as the light continued to blink each time it spoke.

Tokugawa continued to stare at the light before he seemed to remember something and looked up at Issei. "Wait, so the giant red dragon in your dream before..."

"Yep, that's him," Issei confirmed.

"...Okay. Guess that makes sense." Tokugawa replied with a shrug.

The brunette blinked with surprise at his response. "It does?"

"Sure. If Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels, and giant city-destroying monsters exist, then why not Dragons?" he said before turning around. "Anyway, let's get going."

"Gotcha!"

Just as the two were about to turn towards the portal leading towards the battlefield, a flaming magic circle erupted from behind as a familiar young girl revealed herself to the two. Tokugawa and Issei could only stare with surprise as the girl quickly approached them.

"Ravel Phenex?" they both asked in unison.

"Pardon my intrusion, but I need to speak with the two of you," Ravel said in a polite tone, which further surprised the two boys since the girl sounded much different from the rude, high, and mighty rich-girl attitude she had shown during the Rating Game.

Tokugawa and Issei glanced at each other with confusion, not recalling having any business regarding her. However, despite this confusion, Tokugawa stepped forward, looking down at the smaller girl.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked.

Without wasting even a single second, Ravel bowed her head before the two before speaking in a frantic voice.

"Issei Hyoudou! Tokugawa Serizawa! Please, defeat my brother!"

Complete surprise filled the faces of the two boys, with Issei feeling the need to repeat her statement as his expression drew more confusion towards her sudden plea.

"E-Eh? Defeat your brother?"

"That's right. I know that Onii-sama tends to overstep himself from time to time, but he's gone too far this time!" Ravel exclaimed, looking almost desperate. "That's why I had to speak with the two of you. Onii-sama won't be holding anything back this time. I'm not sure what's going on inside his head right now, but I'm sure he plans to seriously harm you once the fighting starts."

Tokugawa raised an eyebrow. Even if you didn't tell us that, we were still planning on defeating him any-"

"That's not the case here!" the girl yelled, further surprising the two. "When Onii-sama gets serious in a battle, he can be incredibly dangerous. I'm not certain what exactly he intends to do once the battle starts, so I'm asking that you be careful out there."

Ravel then looked over her shoulder to see if anyone else was around before turning and motioning for Tokugawa and Issei to come closer, which they did with curious looks.

"I'm technically not supposed to be telling you this, but Onii-sama has picked Yubelluna to fight with him against the two of you in the upcoming battle," she informed.

The two were once again surprised by her words, but Tokugawa's eyes slightly narrowed at the mention of the Phenex Queen. "The Bomb Queen, huh..."

The memory of the purple-haired woman defeating Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko during the Rating Game was still fresh on his and Issei's mind, and their anger was silently broiling beneath the surface. However, they did a pretty good job of keeping it contained. Eventually, though, Issei managed to regain his composure and smiled at Ravel.

"Alright, we got it. We'll make sure to remember that in the fight, so thanks for sharing that info with us," he said gratefully.

The young Phenex girl blinked with slightly red cheeks. "W-Well that's, u-um-"

"Issei, we need to get to the arena. Let's go." Tokugawa interjected, getting the brunette's attention.

"R-Right!" he replied before quickly looking back at Ravel. "Anyway, thanks again for the info. We appreciate it."

With that, the two entered the portal and disappeared, leaving the blonde, twin-tailed Devil behind as she stared at the spot where they disappeared with a flushed expression before she shook her head and headed off to rejoin with the rest of her Peerage to observe the upcoming battle.

---

The location of the battlefield was a large floating arena surrounded by four large monuments with torches inside burning brightly. The red sky above was accompanied by countless illuminating lights that resembled the Northern Lights, casting light down onto the soon-to-be battleground.

Rias and the others of her Peerage were outside the battlefield as they watched the impending fight through a spacial window with Sirzechs, Grayfia, and the Elias along with them. Elsewhere, the members of Raiser's Peerage did the same, with Ravel having rejoined them.

On the battlefield, Raiser was leaning his back against the wall of the far of the arena with a look of irritation as he waited for his opponents to arrive, with his Queen, Yubelluna, standing patiently and dutifully beside him. Raiser wasn't someone who liked to wait, especially when his upcoming opponents had caused him such ire and humiliation.

Then, a light on the opposite side of the arena caught their attention, and Raiser's expression twisted into a furious glare when Tokugawa and Issei appeared from their portal. Both boys immediately noticed their opponents and met their glares with their own; both boys feeling ready to fight.

"So you two finally showed up, huh?" Raiser's eyes glared solely towards the black-haired teen.

"Hope you said your prayers beforehand, Raiser. You still have a lot to answer for." Tokugawa said with a serious frown.

"Oh, enough with this idle chit-chat. I'm going to settle this by burning you down to ashes." Raiser scoffed before his expression suddenly turned hostile, making both Tokugawa and Issei raise their guard after noticing the killing intent. Yubelluna prepared her staff but stopped when Raiser brought up his hand. "Stay back, Yubelluna. I won't be needing you for this battle. I'll take them both on my own. Is that clear?"

The purple-haired Queen was surprised by his order and looked like she wanted to say something, but paused when she saw the aggressive look in his eyes.

"...Yes, Raiser-sama," she said as she dipped her head and stepped back a fair distance away from him to observe, surprising the two boys quite a bit.

Tokugawa narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "So, you plan to take the two of us on your own?"

Raiser gave an intimidating sneer. "The Red Dragon Emperor won't be much of an issue. The only one I plan to defeat is you, monster."

"Never underestimate your opponents unless you're looking to get the rug pulled out from under you." the black-haired teen retorted.

"I don't even have to."

Their eyes gazed intently at each other as both sides prepared themselves to battle. The air surrounding the combatants became silent and still, leaving the observers slightly nervous as they could practically feel the atmosphere between them become tense.

"Why is Raiser-sama fighting by himself? Wouldn't they win faster if he has Yubelluna fight with him?" Nel asked from the Phenex side, genuinely confused by their King's decision.

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Burent said with confidence. "Besides, Raiser-sama on his own is quite formidable."

While a majority of the others agreed with her words, Ravel and Isabela thought differently. The latter was well aware of the great strength that Tokugawa possessed and knew better than to underestimate the boy. Unlike the others in Raiser's Peerage, she had always been the only one who felt somewhat displeased with her master's acts of perversion and constant desire for superiority but also knew better than to express it openly and was forced to stomach through it all silently. She at least had some honor to her and silently hoped that the two boys would finally teach Raiser a lesson in humiliation.

Meanwhile, Ravel was having somewhat similar thoughts to the Phenex Rook. For years, she had always stood by her older brother's side as he moved his way up through the Rating Game ranks, regardless of what dirty or underhanded means he used to do so. However, unlike the others of her Peerage aside from Yubelluna, she had witnessed what had happened when one pushed someone like Tokugawa too far over the edge. After seeing him practically pulverize her brother single-handed and said Phenex males dogged refusal to accept defeat, she just wanted this whole thing to come to an end already. Hopefully, Issei and Tokugawa would be able to defeat Raiser and stop his vengeful tirade.

Then, back on the battlefield, Raiser suddenly sprouted his fire wings and flew straight towards the two teens at an incredible speed, surprising them in the process. While in mid-flight, Raiser conjured up a large sphere of fire in each hand and hurled them towards Tokugawa and Issei, who barely managed to jump out of the way in time before they hit them.

Several of the onlookers were utterly shocked by the display of speed Raiser had shown just now.

"Wh-What just happened?" Rias inquired as the sudden action caught her off guard.

"He's fast!" Kiba blurted out.

Sirzechs observed the scene alongside Grayfia with a neutral expression. "For Raiser to make the first move with such ferocity. It would seem that he's finally come to recognize them both as worthy opponents. He doesn't plan to fall a second time."

"And his immense hatred for those two seems to be the reason for why he's no longer holding back. He will attempt to do the same just as Tokugawa Serizawa had done to him." Grayfia added.

"Are you saying he intends to kill them both?" Akeno asked with a worried look.

The silver-haired maid shook her head. "No, he cannot while the members of both houses are observing this fight. If he does attempt something, we will take care of the situation."

"Not to mention the Priestesses of Mothra are also watching," Sirzechs said.

Moll and Lora offered no input as they remained silently focused on the battle unfolding before them.

Back on the battlefield, Tokugawa and Issei managed to recover from Raiser's sudden attack as they were both left surprised by how fast his assault had occurred. It was already becoming clear that this wasn't going to be like the last battle.

"To think he was holding back this much the whole time," Tokugawa muttered as he glared at Raiser.

"Well, he didn't know anything about your powers until now, so I guess he's gonna start being more cautious now," Issei replied.

The black-haired teen nodded. "Yeah, right now he only seems to be focused on me. We'll use this to our advantage, Issei."

Issei looked at him with confusion. "Huh?"

"You heard what he's been saying; he's underestimating you again. If I can keep him distracted long enough for you to use your Boosted Gear, then we'll have the chance to counterattack and take him down together." Tokugawa explained.

[Hmm, sounds like a solid plan. Partner, I agree with him.] Ddraig cut in, much to Issei's surprise.

"Ddraig?"

[However, are you confident you can hold out on your own, boy? This is a High-Class Devil we're talking about, and a Phenex on top of that.]

Tokugawa nodded. "With my power, I probably have the best chance of keeping him distracted long enough. And besides, people like him who abuse their positions to impose their will on those beneath them for the sake of satisfying their greed is something I just can't tolerate."

[Heh, that honestly sounds like something Mothra would say.] Ddraig chuckled. [Alright, let's go put that scumbag down!]

The two teens nodded in unison.

"Hmm?" Raiser blinked with confusion as Tokugawa walked towards him alone while Issei backed away a bit, gaining enough from both of them. "So you finally plan on facing me alone? If you had spent the entire time relying on that useless friend of yours for help, I would've lost interest. Though I doubt that the Red Dragon Emperor could do anything against me having such a useless host."

"One of these days, that over-zealous attitude is gonna get you in some deep shit," Tokugawa said with a glare. "If you think that it's safe to underestimate your opponents just because you're a Phenex, then you're a bigger idiot than I originally thought."

The Phenex scoffed. "Hmph! I won't be defeat by a couple of low-lives like you. Not you or anyone else!"

Raiser spread his arms as bright orange flames began to form around his arms and began to heighten, to which bluish-white energy began to circle Tokugawa as it engulfed him in a neon blue light. The energy was far more intense than it had been before, catching everyone's attention. The Elias looked on with interest as they felt the power emanating from the black-haired teen.

"Do you feel it, Moll? That power?"

"Indeed, Lora. While not as prominent as Godzilla's, I can sense he holds a great deal of potential within."

Issei was surprised that the incredible amount of power emanating from Tokugawa. It wasn't the same as he remembered before.

"What's happening to Tokugawa?"

[Looks like the kid's starting to get serious himself. Although it's still relatively weak compared to Godzilla's own, I can still feel quite a lot of power from him.]

"Wait, do you know Godzilla too?"

[Only by name through some of my more recent past hosts, but I've heard he's quite possibly the strongest being to walk the face of the mortal world.]

"Wow, who would've thought Godzilla would be so famous even here."

[Believe me, he's more famous within the other religions and mythologies than you might think. But right now isn't the time for distractions, partner. We've got our part to play in this, remember?]

"Right!" Issei said with a determined expression. "So, what do I have to do?"

[You've already made the sacrifice to gain the power needed for the two of you to beat that Phenex, so listen closely to what I have to tell you.]

As Ddraig began his explanation to Issei, Tokugawa continued to pour out his power as neon blue flames enveloped him in a dome of raw energy that soon shot into the sky. The destructive power resulted in a few tremors, and even Raiser couldn't understand what was happening in front of him.

"Wh-What is happening?" he asked himself in disbelief as the energy began to recede, revealing Tokugawa as he shifted his eyes towards the Phenex with a piercing glare.

"Whenever you're ready, Raiser. Better hope you don't choke on that inflated ego of yours." the teen lightly taunted.

"Kugh- Don't underestimate me, you damn monster!" Raiser shouted as he spread his fire wings and flew towards Tokugawa with flames gathering around his right fist.

In a flash, Raiser launched his flaming fist towards Tokugawa and a massive shock wave spread around them as it collided with something. However, when the blonde Devil looked up, he was stunned to see that Tokugawa had easily blocked his punch with just one hand.

"What the-?!"

Without moving from his position, Tokugawa summoned neon energy around his hand where he and Raiser were connected and blew him back in a blast of blue fire. Fortunately for Raiser, his Phenex healing was able to heal most of the damage, though parts of his clothing were left damaged. Raiser clutched his right arm as he could still feel lingering pain from that last attack.

"Eyes on the battle, Raiser!" Tokugawa's voice caught his attention, and Raiser looked up to see him coming down from above him with a flaming kick.

"Silence, beast! I don't know what tricks you have planned, but I'll make sure to put you down until you can't get back up!" Raiser blocked his attack with his kick that sent powerful shock waves around them upon impact. Their clash ended when the two leaped back before they landed a few feet away from each other as they stared at each other briefly.

"I dare you to try, you Yakatori bastard." Tokugawa taunted with a faint smirk as more energy surrounded him, causing Raiser's eyes to widen with fury as his flame wings began to surge with heat.

"Die, monster!" the blonde Devil shouted before the two lunged towards each other.

Both neon blue and Phenex flames clashed with such intensity that every collision of their attacks sent powerful shock waves that soon resulted in a powerful tremor that shook the battlefield. One could even describe the scene taking place as a battle between two monsters. Both Tokugawa and Raiser exchanged blow after blow, resorting to brute force and putting as much power into their attacks to bring each other down. Any damage being inflicted upon their bodies was quickly healed due to their respective healing abilities. However, their resistances also made it so that they were able to withstand each other's hits.

Yubelluna observed the scene from her position with a stunned expression. Throughout the time that she had served as Raiser's Queen, she had never witnessed an all-out battle like the one she saw now, not even during their previous Rating Game battles. She had never encountered an opponent who could actually rival or even outmatch her King like Tokugawa, so witnessing the action taking place in front of her right now made her feel shell-shocked.

Raiser managed to land a blow to Tokugawa's face, sending him flying back a bit before the black-haired teen quickly recovered, flipping himself upright and digging his fingers into the ground to bring himself to a stop. Tokugawa then gathered a large amount of energy into his right hand before punching it into the ground, causing a slight tremor that made Raiser lose his balance. Soon after, a powerful blast of blue energy erupted from the ground beneath the Devil's feet, sending debris flying all over the place and launching him straight up into the air.

"You bastard!" Raiser gritted his teeth as he flared his fire wings and managed to stop himself. However, when he looked down towards where Tokugawa was, he blinked with surprise upon realizing that the teen was no longer there.

It didn't take for him to notice a shadow loom over him, prompting him to look up just as Tokugawa clasped his fists together and smashed them down onto his head. The fierce collision resulted in a mighty gale as Raiser was sent crashing back towards the ground, creating a cloud of dust and debris that forced Issei and Yubelluna to shield their eyes.

However, the onslaught wasn't finished as Raiser looked up upon recovering and saw Tokugawa forming a large swirling orb of atomic power in mid-air, aiming towards the cloud of dust below him. He swiped his hands down and the blue ball of energy followed suit, slamming down to the ground and creating a powerful blue explosion that shocked the observing spectators. Moments later, the smoke from the explosion cleared, and a large crater spanning several kilometers was seen in the center of the battlefield.

Karlamine's eyes widened. "Did he just..."

"Obliterate the battlefield?!" Xuelan finished.

The other members of Raiser's Peerage were left completely stunned by the amount of destruction that Tokugawa's last attack caused, with Siris inwardly cringing at sight. She felt inwardly relieved that the blow she had taken from the black-haired teen back during the Rating Game wasn't as destructive.

"Such power... I didn't think Tokugawa-kun was this strong." Kiba commented from the Gremory side.

"Is Tokugawa-senpai going to win?" Koneko asked.

Rias shook her head in response to her Rook's question. "I can't say for certain. All we can do right now is hope."

Meanwhile, Asia had her hands clasped together, and her eyes tightly shut as she prayed as hard as she could for Issei and Tokugawa's safety.

Back on the battlefield, Raiser was able to escape the destruction as he used his flame wings to avoid the energy blast aimed at him. However, he barely managed to survive due to his Phenex healing, leaving his clothes scorched despite having dodged the full blast.

If he had taken it head-on, it would have settled the match right then and there. However, something wasn't right.

"Damn you! Just where did you get this kind of power?!"

Ignoring his opponent's question, Tokugawa remained more focused on the battle. Both of them had a fair amount of distance from one another as he landed back on the ground while Raiser rose into the sky, eyeing the black-haired teen cautiously. However, before he could come up with another plan of attack, Tokugawa suddenly felt a massive wave of fatigue wash over him, and he started to show signs of exhaustion from having used that powerful attack just now.

'Damn it...! Why now of all times?!' he mentally cursed himself.

Akeno's eyes widened with surprise and concern. "What just happened? Why did Tokugawa-kun just collapse?"

Moll looked on with a neutral expression. "It would seem he has already exhausted most of his energy."

"What do you mean?" Rias asked curiously as she and the others turned towards the Elias.

"He spent a large majority of his power after using that last attack," Lora answered. "While his body is capable of restoring lost energy, it would require time for him to recover. And unfortunately, he does not have time."

Tokugawa slowly dropped to one knee in exhaustion as he had already used up too much of his power with just that one attack. He could easily recover it with just a moment of rest, but given that he was in the middle of a serious battle, he doubted his opponent was going to allow him that opportunity.

"What's wrong? It seems as though you're already about to reach your limit, huh?" Raiser taunted, to which Tokugawa could only look up at him with frustration.

"I guess there's no helping it then," he grumbled as he brought his left foot back and assumed a fighting stance.

"Are you still planning on defying me? Well, too bad! I won't be defeated here!" he then spread his arms as his flame wings became enlarged. "Tale this, the hellfire of our clan, hailed as the bird of fire, the immortal Phoenix, and let it burn you to ashes!"

With that defiant shout, Raiser began to close in on Tokugawa with a nose dive, his wings growing larger until it formed into the shape of a phoenix that raced towards the teen.

However, unbeknownst to him, a faint smirk crossed Tokugawa's lips.

Then, the black-haired boy suddenly sprung up and leaped back just as a bright red flash zoomed past him and collided with Raiser at astonishing speeds. The red light collided with his attack, resulting in a colossal gale and shock waves that shook the air and blew away the flames that surrounded him, sending him tumbling through the air a bit before turning himself upright.

Once Raiser regained his bearings, he looked up and saw a figure clad in red armor with green eyes and gems embedded in the chest and the back of both hands hovering a few feet away from him.

"What-" Raiser's protest was cut off when the armored figure suddenly shot towards him and slammed his armored head against his own, sending him reeling towards the battlefield and crashing to the ground.

Tokugawa raised his head and caught a glimpse of Tokugawa facing the High-Class Devil while dawning a full-body armament rather than just his normal gauntlet. He could sense a great deal of magic power emanating from the armor, and he could also feel the presence of the hosting Dragon inside of the brunette.

"Sorry for the wait, Tokugawa." Issei apologized.

[It took a while, but it looks like he's finally done it.] Ddraig's voice spoke as the gem in the back of the teens' armored left hand blinked with a green light.

Meanwhile, the spectators watching the battle from the outside were utterly shocked when they took notice of Issei's transformation.

"That's...?!" Kiba began with a stunned expression.

Rias' eyes widened. "Balance Breaker?! How could he have already unlocked it?!"

"But isn't that supposed to be a forbidden move?" Akeno added.

"It was supposed to be like that," Sirzechs stated with a small nod, causing the others in the Gremory group to glance at the crimson-haired Maou, wondering what it was he meant by that.

Back on the battlefield, Raiser stared at the brunette with astonishment, more particularly at his armor. "No... To think that some low-class scum like you could be able to unlock Balance Breaker! Just what sort of trick is this?!"

"Sorry, but no tricks here," Issei replied. "I didn't get dragged into this fight just to sit on the sidelines. After that beating I took before, I think it's time I returned the favor!"

"Then show me what you've got, Welsh Dragon!" Raiser challenged. "Show me the power of the Red Dragon Emperor!"

[Remember, partner, the power that I've lent you will only last for up to ten seconds. Anything beyond that and your body won't be able to hold up, so get a few good hits in while you can!]

"YEAH!" With a defiant shout, Issei activated the thrusters on his back and shot straight into the air in a red flash.

[Ten!] The sound of the countdown boomed throughout the vast battlefield as Issei generated a large orb with his hands

"Take this!" the brunette yelled as he launched the orb towards Raiser, who barely managed to shift out of the way as the attack continued its course and created a massive explosion when it struck the ground.

Noticing the incredible amount of power that Issei was now displaying, Raiser began to realize that this wasn't going to be like their last encounter and that he would have to face him seriously this time.

"You two are no different from monsters! I'll put you both out of your misery!" Raiser roared as he sent a whirl of flames towards Issei, who narrowly dodged to the right. Using his thrusters to propel himself closer to the High-Class Devil, Issei balled his hand into a fist and reeled it back.

[Nine!]

A loud slam boomed throughout the battlefield as Issei's armored fist struck Raiser in the cheek with a fierce right hook, sending his body tumbling backward. Using his fire wings to recover his momentum, the High-Class Devil gritted his teeth in anger after having received that last hit.

"You'll pay for that, you little brat! Burn to ashes!" he shouted and, without hesitation, launched a massive wave of flames towards Issei, to which he responded by flying straight towards the fire.

[Eight!]

"There's no way your piddling flames have any chance of burning me!" Issei declared as he launched his fist forward and sent a green blast that collided with the flames, creating a massive shock wave that spread throughout the area, sending the brunette crashing to the ground with a few small cracks in the chest area.

"If I didn't have this armor... " Issei grunted as he slowly managed to sit up. "This is the power this guy has?"

[Seven!]

"Are you scared? Scared, I ask you!" Raiser exclaimed while floating several feet above him, with both of his arms raised over his head. "If you didn't have that Boosted Gear, you'd be common scum!"

He then threw him arms down and sent a blast of orange flames towards Issei, who quickly activated his thrusters and flew out of the way before zooming towards Raiser again. The blonde Devil gathered a large amount of fire around his right fist while Issei launched his left fist, the two striking each other square in the face at the same time.

[Six!]

The force of Raiser's flame-imbued punch was strong enough to make Issei cough up a large amount of blood that leaked out from the mouth area of his helmet. Seeing this, Raiser grinned in a somewhat cocky manner.

"Is that your best shot-?" However, his taunt was cut off when he too suddenly coughed up blood, much to his shock. "W-What have you done?!"

Raiser then noticed a small glint of light appear in Issei's left hand and saw a silver cross attached to a thin chain wrapped around his fingers.

"A crucifix!" he exclaimed with shock.

Issei came crashing to the ground once again with a grunt of pain but forced himself back to his feet despite the great pain he felt throughout his body.

[Five!]

"A crucifix?!" Raiser grunted as he fell to his knees, feeling his body grow somewhat heavy and weak.

"Our Bishop used to be a Sister, you see," Issei explained while holding up the cross. "I just borrowed this thing, which she keeps hidden away. It looks like not even your Phenex healing can withstand its holy power heightened by my Sacred Gear.

[Four!]

Raisers' eyes went wide. "Impossible! A crucifix causes immense pain to the body of a Devil! I don't care if you're wearing Dragon armor, just holding that is...!"

He was cut off when he heard a loud pulse come from Issei's left arm as the green jewel flashed and a very powerful presence come from within.

"You don't mean... You offered the Dragon that dwells in your gauntlet your arm?!"

[Three!]

"A Dragon's arm is unaffected by a Devil's weaknesses, after all!" Issei declared.

"Are you insane?!" Raiser yelled with astonishment. "If you do that, it will never be the same again!

[Two!]

"So what if it isn't?!" Issei replied as the gem on the back of his left hand began to glow brightly.

Outside the battlefield, Asia still had her hands clasped together as she continued to pray with all of her might. 'He even pledged his arm. There's no way Issei-san can lose. He's sure to win, and make certain that Buchou-sama can come back with us.'

[One!]

"If all it takes is one arm for Buchou to come back, then it's a small price!" Issei exclaimed as the green gems across his armor, started to shine all at once, causing Rias' eyes to widen.

The brunette let out a war cry as he once again activated his thrusters and zoomed towards Raiser while bringing his fist back, making the Phenex take a step backward with surprise and slight fear. Issei continued to yell as then swung his fist forward.

[Count up!]

Then, as Issei was still in mid-swing, the green light from the jewel on his left arm went dark, and his armor simply vanished, causing the teen to stumble forward a bit before falling flat onto his face.

[Unfortunately, your time's up, kid.] Ddraig spoke from the Boosted Gear, much to Issei's astonishment.

"You've gotta be joking...! I was so close, too!" he grunted. "What do I have to pay you this time? An eye? A leg? I'll give you anything!"

[With your current fundamental abilities, this is all you can do.]

Issei gritted his teeth. "It's because I'm weak, then...? Damn it, why do I wuss out at critical times while Tokugawa can easily push forward without any trouble...?"

[Upon release, I transferred a small amount of power to the gem.] Ddraig revealed. [But it's only temporary, and unfortunately, it probably won't be enough to counter the Phenex's regenerative abilities.]

"Still... Even so, I... refuse to give up!" Issei growled before he suddenly felt a hand grab him by the shirt collar as Raiser lifted him off of his feet.

"Now, isn't it about time I put you to sleep?" he asked as his fire wings surged with power. "Once you wake up, the marriage ceremony will be all over."

"I'm not... done..." Raiser blinked when he saw a smirk form on Issei's face. "To put out a fire... you just need water..."

Then, Raiser's eyes widened when he saw Issei reach into the pocket of his blazer and produce a small glass vile containing a clear liquid. Outside the battlefield, some of the onlookers were just as surprised.

"Holy water?!" Kiba exclaimed.

"But will holy water work against a Devil of Raiser's level?" Akeno asked.

Issei bit off the lid of the vile and spit it out before he then began to pour it out. "Boosted Gear Gift!"

[Transfer!]

The teens' gauntlet glowed a bright green color, and the holy water also started to shine brightly as it splashed onto Raiser's face. The moment that it did, Raiser let out a bloodcurdling scream while releasing his grip on Issei and brought both of his hands to his face as it released a large amount of steam.

Kiba looked on with surprise. "Raiser's flames..."

"The enhanced holy water is dramatically consuming his mental and physical strength," Rias observed as she watched Raiser's body start releasing flames as his Phenex regeneration tried to heal the damage, but to no success. "It's preventing him from regenerating."

"Even a Phenex, which is reborn from the ashes, cannot recover mentally, at least, for a few moments," Akeno added.

Koneko blinked with slight confusion. "Mentally?"

Rias nodded. "Mentally. The mind is not so immortal."

Back on the battlefield, Issei clenched his gauntlet-clad fist around Asia's cross and watched as Raiser collapsed to his knees and continued to scream in agonizing pain, the regenerative flames that flared and engulfed around his body slowly starting to recede as his Phenex healing began to overtax itself.

"That was a pretty smart move you pulled."

Issei blinked and turned with surprise to see Tokugawa walk up beside him, looking somewhat disheveled from fighting Raiser earlier, but he still seemed relatively unharmed.

"Tokugawa! You alright there?" the brunette asked.

"I am now, thanks to you jumping in at the last second and giving me the time to recharge," Tokugawa replied. "Still, I didn't think you'd come up with a smart enough plan like that without even telling me."

Issei chuckled a bit. "Well, back at Buchou's vacation home, Asia mentioned how Devil's are weak to things like crucifix's and holy water. And by enhancing both and using them together, it should do quite a bit of damage to a Devil, right?"

Tokugawa couldn't help but give a slight smirk at Issei's quick thinking. "Heh, you're learning."

---

BGM: Godzilla's Theme (Little V Mills Remix)

---

"You... You...!" The two turned back to face ahead and saw Raiser slowly getting back to his feet, his face covered with first and second-degree burns that still appeared to be steaming. "I'll kill you... You're both going to die here!"

"Looks like he still isn't ready to throw in the towel just yet," Tokugawa commented before glancing towards Issei. "You ready to finish this?

Issei looked back at him with a serious look. "Yeah, let's take him down!"

Raiser's body shuddered with rage as he raised his right hand and conjured up a massive fireball. "DIE, YOU MONSTERS!"

The blonde-haired High-Class Devil tossed the fireball towards the two, with Tokugawa dodging to the left while Issei leaped into the air as the fireball passed underneath him. The brunette came back down and launched his foot at Raiser with a fierce kick, stunning him long enough and leaving him open for Tokugawa to slam his fist into his gut, making him stumble backward.

"You...! If this is how you want it to end, then I will use my powers to incinerate you all!" With a last-ditch effort, Raiser used his remaining power and conjured up a massive pillar of fire in his hands that started to take the shape of a giant blade, aiming it directly at them.

"Oh, no, you don't!" both teens yelled as they both rushed towards the blonde Devil. Nuclear energy gathered around Tokugawa's left leg before swinging said leg and kicking Raiser in the chest while at the same time, Issei launched his gauntlet-clad fist and struck him in the stomach.

Raiser gagged in pain as he was stopped from finishing his spell when Tokugawa and Issei brought their fists back and punched Raiser directly in the face, sending him flying backward.

"Atomic Roar!"

"Dragon Shot!"

A blue beam of energy and an orb of red energy flew towards the High-class Devil. It engulfed him in a massive explosion, wounding him significantly as his clothes and skin were burned even further, his Phenex healing failing to restore the damage due to the holy water still affecting him.

"Quite a display. They appear to work together quite well." Grayfia commented with a slight hint of surprise.

Sirzechs nodded. "Indeed. It seems that even the immortal phoenix isn't quite as invincible as one might think."

Raiser stumbled backward in both pain and utter surprise as he held a hand up to his face where the two teens had struck him. "I-Impossible...! How could this be?! I am a Phenex! The immortal bird spoken of in myths and legends! How could a human and a mere low-class Devil be able to harm me like this?!"

"That's the consequence you pay for constantly underestimating your enemies without properly understanding their abilities. If this were an actual life-or-death fight, you'd be done for in a heartbeat." Tokugawa replied pointedly. "So, we'll give you one last chance to call off the fight and accept that you lost, or this is only going to get more unbearable for you."

"NO!" Raiser yelled back, furiously. "I won't ever give in to the likes of you! My pride as a Phenex will never allow me to accept defeat!"

Issei glared ahead at him. "Then let's finish this with one last attack."

"My thoughts exactly," Tokugawa answered with a nod.

Stretching their left and right arms back respectively, Tokugawa and Issei began to pour out all of their remaining power into a massive orb of blue and green energy behind them, combining into one surge of power that was felt even by those outside the battlefield.

"Wha-what's happening?!" Karlamine exclaimed in surprise.

Mihae's eyes widened. "Such immense power... Just how is this possible?"

"No way... Just how could a couple of humans be so strong?!" Shuriya asked.

Meanwhile, over on the Gremory side, Grayfia looked on at the display with a slight surprise. "What an immense pressure. To think that their power could even be felt from here."

Sirzechs looked on at the display with interest as he too felt the sheer amount of power the two teens were giving off. A power that was similar to that of a Maou. One could obliterate anything standing in their way.

Moll and Lora were silent through the observation of the event taking place at the moment. However, with their unique magical insight, they could make out the images of a large dragon and an equally large bipedal creature comprised of red and blue energy, respectively standing behind the two teens, causing them to smile briefly.

Raise took a step backward with an astonished look on his face before swiftly changing to one of terror. "W-Wait, don't you understand?! This engagement is something important and necessary for the future of all devils! Ignorant brats like you have business getting in the middle of it!"

Tokugawa's eyes narrowed. "Even if that's true, do you really think we'd listen to someone like you? Besides, you really should learn to get with the times already."

"I don't understand the important stuff, but when I was getting beaten around by you, there was one thing that I vaguely remember," Issei spoke up. "Buchou was crying! And that reasons enough for me to pound you into paste! Let's go, Tokugawa!"

"You got it!" the black-haired teen replied as the two orbs of energy behind them shrunk into a much smaller orb between their hands before thrusting their hands forward with one final shout.

"Atomic Dragon Emperor's Nuclear Flash!"

Tokugawa and Issei delivered a huge stream of energy towards Raiser, engulfing him completely and carving a path of destruction all the way towards the other end of the battlefield before resulting in a massive explosion that erupted in the distance. A bright light enveloped the entire area, blinding Yubelluna and everyone watching, forcing them to shield their eyes.

It about a couple of minutes for the light to eventually fade away to reveal a war-torn battlefield as smoke and embers left in the aftermath of the attack. Through the smoke, a lone figure was seen heavily wounded at the far end of the field as Raiser was lying flat on his back. His body was covered in burns and other injuries, but the slow rising and falling of his chest showing that he was still breathing.

Tokugawa and Issei lowered their arms and panted in exhaustion, with the latter's armor disappearing in green light and leaving him in his Kuoh Academy uniform again while the former was sweating heavily after the two spent most of their energy on that last move.

"N-No way..." Karlamine stuttered in disbelief. "Did they just...beat Raiser-sama?"

Xuelan's eyes widened with shock. "Impossible... Th-That can't be possible..."

"Raiser-sama was defeated...by a human and a Pawn?" Marion uttered to herself.

As the majority of Raiser's Peerage was still trying to process what was happening, Isabela smiled with a subtle nod of satisfaction at the outcome while Ravel gave a sigh of relief. She was extremely glad that Issei and Tokugawa were able to stop her brother and also relieved to see that Raiser was at least still alive. Even Rainard Phenex seemed surprised by the outcome, although he appeared to be taking it much better than one would have expected as he soon gave a small nod of approval.

A collective wave of smiles could be seen from the Occult Research Club upon seeing the battle end with their victory.

"They did it! They defeated Raiser!" Rias exclaimed.

Tears began to run down Asia's face as a wave of relief washed over her. "Issei-san, Tokugawa-san..."

"I can't believe it," Kiba uttered with surprise.

Koneko was quiet for a brief moment before nodding with a faint smile. "They're strong."

Akeno smiled as she felt her worries begin to lift. "Tokugawa..."

While Sirzechs and Grayfia remained silent as the Gremory group, the Elias smiled warmly over the victory of the two teens.

Back on the battlefield, Tokugawa and Issei eventually managed to recover from their exhaustion before looking towards each other, with the latter giving a tired smile.

"We...actually did it," he said.

"No, not just yet," Tokugawa replied before turning towards Yubelluna, who was kneeling beside Raiser and seemingly observing his current state. "Yubelluna-san!"

The Bomb Queen turned her attention towards the dark-haired teen upon hearing his call. "Do you plan to fight in your master's stead, or will you accept defeat? The choice is yours."

Yubelluna was visibly surprised by the young man's words and turned to look back down at Raiser's unconscious form. After seeing the damage that Tokugawa and Issei were capable of doing to her King, she knew that she wouldn't be able to stand a chance against them. After a few seconds of silence, Yubelluna raised her head and looked at Tokugawa.

"I...acknowledge our defeat," she spoke in a tone of resignation.

Tokugawa nodded in acceptance of her words and looked back at Issei with a light smile. "Now we did it."

"Yeah, we sure did." Issei grinned back before reaching his left arm out towards him for a fist bump. Tokugawa blinked at the gesture before his smile widened a bit and he returned the fist bump.

"Issei-san! Tokugawa-san!"

The two teens turned towards the source of the shout and noticed the members of the Occult Research Club rushing towards them. Before either of them could say anything to greet them, Issei felt the wind get knocked out of him when Asia practically barreled into him and gave him a bone-crushing hug.

"Issei-san! Thank goodness!" Asia cried as she buried her head into the brunette's chest. "I-I was so scared when I saw you two fighting out there! I-I..."

Eventually, she stopped when he felt a hand pat her on the head and she looked up to see Issei smiling at her. "Hey, everything's alright. We're all good, see?"

Asia couldn't help but return the smile as she nodded with tears still stinging her eyes before continuing to hug him just as Kiba walked up to the pair with a smile of his own.

"Man, you two sure gave us all a scare out there. For a moment I wasn't sure what was going to happen out there." the Gremory Knight commented.

"Well, Raiser certainly wasn't a pushover, that's for sure," Tokugawa replied. "He definitely was taking the fight a lot more serious than during the Rating Game, and I could tell he wasn't pulling any punches."

Koneko smiled. "Still, it's good to see you were able to show up that Yakatori, Tokugawa-senpai."

Akeno smiled as well as she came up beside Tokugawa and hugged his right arm. "Honestly, you just had to go and give me another scare. Now you owe me double the compensation."

"Yeah, yeah..." the dark-haired boy rolled his eyes in half-amusement. "Whatever the fair lady desires..."

"Issei..."

The group turned to see Rias walking up towards the brunette just as he gently pried Asia off of him and got her to calm down. Issei stared at the crimson-haired woman with a nervous look up remembering that somewhat embarrassing declaration he had made just before defeating Raiser.

"U-Um, Buchou..." he stammered nervously. "About what I said back there, I-"

"ISSEI!" Suddenly, Issei found himself being crushed in yet another bear hug courtesy of Rias as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Issei... Thank you, Issei. My Issei."

The rest of the group could only stare at their president with surprise over her sudden outburst, except for Akeno, who gave a rather knowing smile at the sight. Issei was left blinking with pure surprise and confusion over Rias' reaction.

"B-Buchou?"

Rias pulled away a bit and began to lightly caress his face with one hand while the other caressed his gauntlet. "You silly boy. Going through so much trouble for someone like me..."

Issei merely smiled. "Well, it was a bargain. After all, we were able to finally bring this whole thing to an end."

Rias frowned as she cast her gaze to the ground. "The engagement may have been broken off this time, but talks of engagement may come up again."

"Then next time will be my other arm, and after that, maybe even an eye," Issei replied without hesitation, earning a look of surprise from the redhead.

"Issei...?"

"No matter how many times, I'll keep coming to save you," he said with a smile. "After all, I'm Rias Gremory's Pawn, right?"

CHU

As soon as he finished saying that, Rias suddenly cupped Issei's face and brought his face close to hers, capturing his lips in a kiss. The action of course didn't go unnoticed by the others, who each had various reactions to the rather sudden action. Koneko's face remained blank and neutral as it usually was. Kiba and Akeno were smiling at the sight, although judging by the look in the latter's eyes, she had anticipated the action. Tokugawa could only blink a few times as he registered what was happening before letting out a small whistle.

"Well...wasn't exactly expecting that to happen," he said to himself when he heard a small whimper to his left.

When he turned, he spotted Asia staring at the two with what could only be described as a look of pure envy with her cheeks puffed out in a small pout and tears stinging the corners of her eyes. The sight only made Tokugawa sweatdrop.

'Something tells me things are gonna be getting pretty crazy from here on out...' the dark-haired teen thought.

---

Later that day:

After the final duel between the Gremory and Phenex groups had concluded, the members of the Occult Research Club plus Tokugawa were all allowed to return back to the human world while Raiser's went back to their domain with their King to nurture his injuries. Moll and Lora expressed their thanks to Sirzechs and Ajuka for allowing them the chance to speak with Tokugawa and witness the battle before they too returned to Infant Island.

And now currently, Sirzechs and Ajuka, with Grayfia flanking the formers left side, were walking down a long empty hallway towards the primary meeting chamber after receiving a notice that the Elder Council would be convening to discuss the current situation with the existence of Tokugawa Serizawa. As they were making their way, however, Ajuka couldn't help but take notice of the slight look of satisfaction in Sirzechs' eyes, and he could already assume what it was about.

"I take it that your family is somewhat divided concerning the situation with your sister?" he asked casually to hide his amusement.

Sirzechs kept his expression. "Well, my father was somewhat disappointed by the outcome at first, but he seemed to have a change of mind soon after, and mother was rather pleased when I gave her the news that the engagement was called off. Rainard also seemed satisfied with the outcome; he apparently hoped that this recent development would help change Raiser for the better. Still, it's unfortunate that the engagement was broken in the end."

Ajuka couldn't hold back a slight smile. "You may say that, but the look in your eyes tells me otherwise."

Upon learning that his facade had been called out, the Crimson Satan was also unable to hide his smile. "Haha, there really is nothing that I can hide from you, old friend. Still, I never dreamed that the Welsh Dragon, the red dragon, would come over to our side."

"That is true, but you also know what that means," Ajuka replied as his expression became more serious and he turned his gaze forward again. "The encounter with the Vanishing Dragon, the white dragon, may not be all that far off."

Sirzechs nodded in affirmation, his previous jovial tone becoming grim. "Yes, I haven't forgotten. We will have to be prepared for that. Plus, there is also the issue with what to do with that other boy. I can already assume that the majority of their opinions will be quite negative."

The green-haired Maou nodded as well. "You do make a good point. Only one way to find out I suppose."

When the three eventually reached the door to the meeting chamber, Grayfia stepped forward and opened it to allow the two Maou to enter first. As soon as they stepped into the room, the two were immediately greeted by the sound of a fist slamming down on solid granite reverberating throughout the large room.

"-and therefore I suggest that our best course of action is to isolate and imprison this creature before he decides to turn against us!" an older man, the head of the Valac Clan, shouted loudly. "He is far too dangerous to have walk free!"

"You're a fool Valac." a woman, the head of the Sallos, spoke from across the table. "Unless you witnessed something different, you should know that acting rashly will only lead to our own misfortune. Do you honestly believe that you can hold him against his will? If he truly does bear that same power as one of the strongest beings in the human realm, then where in the Underworld do you recommend we hold him?"

The woman's words echoed in the now dead silent. No one had really thought of that.

During that period of silence, Sirzechs and Ajuka decided to quietly make their way towards the two remaining empty seats that were stationed between two other Devils. Ajuka decided to take the right seat beside a bald man dressed in purple and silver armor that had several spikes jutting out from the shoulder areas and a long purple cape hanging from the back. The man appeared to be on the verge of falling asleep, as he lazily propped his elbow against the table and was resting his head against his open palm.

He was Falbium Asmodeus, the third of the Four Great Maou and the head of Military Affairs.

To Ajuka's left, Sirzechs took the last seat beside a young teenage-looking girl with black hair tied into twin tails and blue eyes. She was dressed in a dark olive green suit with a black skirt that went down to just below her knees, brown boots, and a pink necktie.

Despite her child-like appearance, she was Serafall Leviathan, the fourth and last of the Four Great Maou and the head of Foreign Affairs.

Just as Sirzechs and Ajuka settled into their seats, a young man, the head of the Stolas Clan, spoke up to break the silence. "Perhaps we should consult with the Elias on this matter. Given their extended knowledge and close ties with the Kaiju, perhaps they can confirm for us that the boy is of no threat to us."

Upon seeing that he was in his element on this one, Ajuka cleared his throat to gain the attention of those in the room. "Lords of the Council, forgive me. I was not aware that we were in session until recently, although what I have heard so far is enough for me to understand. In regards to the boy, the Elias have already made it clear to me that he has no desire nor intention to cause any trouble with the Underworld."

Beside him, Sirzechs nodded in agreement. "I agree with Ajuka. Therefore, while I understand the great worries that many of you have, myself included, I do not believe that we won't have anything to be concerned over if he is under the observation of Rias and her Peerage."

"Humble praise coming from one who originates from a clan that prides itself on familial bonds." the lord of the Uvall Clan replied with a raised brow. "One would have assumed that you of all people would be advocating to remove the human, especially since he is under the watch of your dear younger sister."

"While I do have my concerns about the boy mingling among Devils, I also trust in my sister's judgment and believe that she will be able to keep a close eye on him," Sirzechs said. "If she truly did consider him a threat, then I would have known of it by this point."

Ajuka silently praised his old friend for his words. While he knew that Sirzechs had his share of concerns about Kaiju due to the role that they played in the Underworlds history and their legacy that they left in the human world, it was good to see that he was at least willing to be flexible and give the boy a chance to show that he didn't mean harm to the Devils.

"Which leads us in a circle," Sallos grumbled. "I don't suppose the other Maou have their own thoughts to share?"

"I certainly do!" Serafall suddenly proclaimed as she slammed her hand against the table, prompting those seated to turn towards the child-like Maou. "I wanna know what it is with humans and comparing that big overgrown lizard to Leviathan! Don't they realize that Leviathan already exists!? Guess what, it's me! So why does everyone go and call that stupid lizard as Leviathan and forget all about poor me!?"

Once Serafall's childish fit had simmered, the other Devils seated at the table only stared at her with looks of either shock, bemusement, or just blank expressions. Sirzechs looked as though he wanted to laugh a bit at her outburst, but managed to keep it restrained while Ajuka gave a quiet sigh and a subtle shake of his head.

Seemingly unamused by the Maou Leviathan's antics, Sallos turned her attention towards Fallbium, who continued to nod off despite the volume of Serafall's tantrum. "And what say you, Maou Asmodeus?"

Falbium opened one eye and glanced around the table lazily before closing it again and uttering, "Who cares? Leave him be until he becomes too much of a hassle, I guess."

While many of the Devils were astonished by Falbium's laid-back answer, the lord of Purson only shook his head in bemusement. "I suppose we should expect nothing less from the laziest of all the Maou..."

"This is absurd!" Valac declared as he resumed his tirade with a passion. "We're dealing with a half-breed brat with power geared to destroy all of us! Do no of you remember that it was one of those monstrosities that nearly wiped us all out during the Great War!? What's more, he's even united with yet another brat who wields the power of a foe that we had to unite with Heaven and the Fallen to subdue, in addition to might that even the Phenex could not overcome!"

"If I may," the voice of Rainard Phenex spoke from his seat, much to the surprise of Valac, having not noticed his presence until just now. "I will be the first to admit that the Phenex clan's healing cannot overcome the nuclear power of human origin. In hindsight, I had anticipated my son's defeat from the beginning once it was discovered that the human boy wielded the power of Godzilla. However, in regards to subduing the boy, would you be the vanguard for his containment, Valac? And if so, how do we know that doing will not draw upon the ire of Godzilla himself?"

Lord Valac stood there for a moment as the head of the Phenex Clan presented the difficult truth, stuttering for a response. It was a reality that no one wanted to acknowledge so far, save for Ajuka whose information networks were second to none.

"And allow me to add something, Valac," the Lord of the Flies said. "While it may be true that it was Kaiju that nearly brought us to our end during the Great War, let us not forget that it was also with the aid and unity of a Kaiju and the Heavenly Dragons that we are still here today and that the monstrosity was sealed away."

And with those words alone, any possible objection had been practically shut down on the spot as the heavy truth weighed on them.

"Well then, unless there are any further objections, I'd say this meeting is adjourned." Ajuka smiled.

---

Elsewhere:

"(So, have you heard?)"

Godzilla slowly opened his eyes and raised his head to look up at the glowing orb of gold light hovering in slightly above his face, just barely able to make out its presence over the howling snowstorm.

"(I did. What of it?)" the King of the Monsters grumbled.

"(Are you not proud? The boy was able to overcome the Phenex Devil thanks to the power that you granted him. He has come quite a long way.)" Mothra's voice spoke softly with praise.

Godzilla gave a mild nod. "(That is true, but that doesn't mean that it'll be the last time he'll have to deal with challenges like that. There will undoubtedly be other obstacles that will present themselves to him and those Devils that he associates with, ones that may possibly even come to overwhelm him.)"

"(Then what do you suggest he do to prepare?)" Mothra asked curiously.

"(The boy has yet to fully embrace his true nature.)" he answered. "(Only by doing so will he truly be able to awaken to his full potential. He may be able to harness my power and abilities, but he is still only human.)"

A hum of understanding could be heard from the orb as Mothra took in what Godzilla was saying. "(You aren't wrong there. Unless the child truly accepts his Kaiju nature, he may come to be overwhelmed by the future challenges that will undoubtedly present itself to him.)"

Godzilla nodded grimly. "(This is merely the beginning of what's to come...)"

---

And that's a wrap! My god, this took literally forever to finish, but I'm just really glad that it's finally done! Again, let me take this time to give a quick thanks to everyone who waited patiently for this chapter to come out. I'm gonna try my best to make sure that this type of long wait doesn't happen again, but I can't make any promises. You never know when life could decide to come in and take away all my free time.

Before I sign off though, I also want to announce that after I decided to cancel Persona: Infinity War, I've had a long talk with my buddy Omnifiction and he came up with a pretty amazing idea for a new story to take its place that I thought could work: Venomous Spirit. It's basically a crossover between the Tom Hardy Venom movie and Date A Live, with some elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe added into it. The first chapter of that story is currently in the works right now and should hopefully be out soon, so please keep an eye out for that. Much thanks to Omnifiction for sharing the idea with me. Then after that's done, I'll eventually get back to updating Godzilla: Rulers of Earthland and Persona Kagura: The Fallen Messiah. Wanna quickly give a big thanks to ElekingGudon and Recentreader325 for helping me with those stories, you guys rock!

As Always, this is Godzilla Boy signing off!

---

Next Time: Looming Premonition