DISCLAIMER: DxD doesn't belong to me.

"Hello, my little wonderers! M.M. is back with exclusive cover of all the chaos that is happening this instant! Like, Oh-em-gee, you wouldn't believe me otherwise that the White Dragon Emperor of this generation is throwing hands against the last survivour of a complete massacre on a nekomata village here in Japan! She infected him with a senjutsu-based virus, and so, he has just a few minutes to knock her out and stop the infection before the technique completely takes over his body and he dies! Such tensioooooon~! But that's just a normal tuesday in the life of the White dragon, after all!"

*ZOOOOOOM...!*

*DON!*

"Oh, and it looks like we got an extraordinary surprise guest to our show! Say missy, your name was Murasaki, right? How does it feel to be fighting and getting beaten by the White Dragon? Also, smile to the camera, sweetheart, my little wonderers love when we have a guest pretty face! Ah, but hide the cleavage, your kimono is slipping~. I don't want to be demonitized, after all!"

"DAMN YOOOOOOU...!"

Oops, and there she goes again, in the direction of dear Falco without batting a word for the video. A pity, really, but I guess the massacre of her village by the white one is more important to her at the moment. Her loss, I guess...

I adjust the camera on my phone so that my dear viewers could have a better look at the unfolding chaos in this desolated place, the fight between the avenging beauty and the handsome white one, hurling orbs of powers and punches at each other. They have been fighting for a while now, all thanks to that little warmonger I call my dear friend and assistant, and from here I see how deep the infection has affected him: the burn-like marks on his body spreaded all over his right arm and leg and part of his face, and every time he lands, he falters a little, not to mention the small coughs of blood, and punches on his leg to wake himself up. At least the tattoo-like markings are cute and his state is a lot better than the kitty's, whose face was a bit black from the constant punishment, her senjutsu not protecting her from Falco's physical prowess. I would help him in that situation so he wouldn't die... But I don't want to, and this is all his fault, so~ I'll just stick around and see the outcome of his own missdoings. He looks he's having a good time, though...

"Why?! Why did you do it?!" The nekomata girl screams, droplets of blood coming out of her mouth as tears also stream from her feline eyes. "This village was peaceful and harmonious. We respected our Gods and follow the instructions of Lady Yasaka about not harming humans, living humble lives! Why target us?! What is the reason behind this slaughter?! Is this a punishment?! Revenge?! Bloodlust?! Tell me, just tell me so I can understand!"

"Hmmm~... Nope. If you want answers, then you gotta rip them off me~. You fight so beautifully, why end this in such ugly way?" He sticks his tongue out and sheepishly smile, only drawing more and more ire from his opponent, the enviroument growing colder and even the forest around us starting to rot and wither away. That Murasaki... Is also such an idiot, like a 14-years old would be able to slaughter an entire village of senjutsu users. Maybe she deserves a beating, after all, to stop being stupid. "C'mon, that Kokubyou haven't effected me at all thus far! If you're really hellbend on revenge, you gotta spice things up, do something nastier! Otherwise... I might destroy another village!"

"Scoundrel...!" The nekomata girl claps her hands together and from behind her a mandala-like rune appeared, unlike anything I've ever seen, which from several black-coloured flames emerged and hurled against the white dragon. "Sage art: Seven unholy flames!"

"Cool, named attacks are always strong! Like in those Power Ranger shows!" Falco exclaimed excited, I'm still not sure why his obsession with Ranger heroes, as he kneeled on the floor to shield himself from the upcoming attack, his white light wings going awry and cutting and swatting away the blasts of fire in his direction, practically extinguishing them on contact! He coughs a little, but a daring smile shows on his lips later, cleaning the bloody trail from his mouth. "This is really fun! Maybe we should burn down another village for real next time!"

"No way, Falco! Only villains do that! Not cool, dude!" I scream at him. He might be having a blast in this encounter, but I guess this is only the battle high going too much into his brain. I gotta pull him back and scold him later, he shouldn't be like that. He snaps for a second and smiles awkwardly at me.

"Oops, sorry M.M.! I guess it's just the battle high!" He admits, and I'm glad he's able to discern good from evil. Yeah, no, burning another village would not only be a hassle to deal with, this is not a person as pure as him should be doing just to get a good fight... Most of the time. Turning to his opponent after that, we both notice that she dissapeared during our squabble. What do you know, this might not be good. "Ah, she's gone! Murasaki~, where are y-...?"

"End of the line, you genocider!" And from the curtain of smoke she lifted on his surroundings by that last attack, the cat girl appeared and trapped the white dragon in a headlock, so tight and strong, not to mention she kicked him in the legs to unbalance his stance, Falco fell on his knees once again, trying but failing to escape from her grasp. Little by little, he would struggle to pump air into his body, either by her technique or her lock, and once she took control of her situation, she lifted a hand and summoned from it a black flame that only screams 'death'. If that hits, Falco is probably toast. "Now, before I kill you, say that you're sorry. Apologize for the lives you have taken for your selfish goals, and maybe the judges of the Underworld might spare you from eternal suffering. However, I, Murasaki, the one who shall send you to them, will have not. May the lives you have forsaken weight you down to the deepest parts of hell!"

"I... I..." He no longer tries to free himself from her hold, now waving his hands uncontrollably for air as his face pales, making the black markings from her technique more and more apparent. His bloodshot eye turn to me, and with the camera still rolling... I wave back. Wonder what my little wonderers will think of a live execution. Nowadays is just sex and violence, this oughta bring some sick view spikes. Just kidding, I will help once he falls unconcious, but for now, let's see how he deals with it. "I... I'm..."

"Yes. Apologize." The nekomata girl says, lifting her hand and ready to deal the finally blow against Falco, his single eye tears up and his seems to swole as life starts to fade in his appearance. Her eyes then shine bright golden, and she was ready to slap that cursed flame against the white one. "As I send your soul to the Underworld...!"

"I'm... I'm s-... I'm sorry..."

"For what?!"

"For... For this."

"Wait, wh-...?"

*BITE!*

"NY-...!"

And then... Silence. I think, I guess it was silence since I couldn't hear a thing. As that Nekomata girl was about to deal the final blow and end the life of the white dragon emperor, Falco went from completely moribund to apologetic and stoic, and without losing a second with that cue, mercilessly bit one of Murasaki's tails. After that, she let out a wail so alien, so derranged, I couldn't help but for a second think she just burst my eardrums.

A few seconds passed, and after a few rings, my hearing returns, only to hear now the screams and whines of the cat lady and Falco's deep breaths and decomposed stance, holding his throat while his opponent rolls on the floor, holding her affected tail for dear life and with tears down her eyes.

"KYAAAAAAAAAH! CURSE YOU BE, CURSE YOU BE! TO HARM MY TAILS, MY PRIDE AND JOY AS A NEKOMATA, HAVE YOU NOT DONE ENOUGH TO HARM MEEEEEEEEE?!" And all the pride and confidence in her suddenly evaporated, replaced by rather pathetic cries and whines for her appedances, so much I kinda felt bad for recording it, maybe I can edit it out later. However, she stops once she notices that Falco completely recovered, and while affected by her headlock and curse, stood tall against her fallen self. One, two seconds pass, and she jumps at him, her senjutsu coating her hands once again. "DAMN BE THY SOUL! DEATH AWAITS Y-...!"

But her empty threat was silenced when the white one mercilessly punched her stomach, making air exhale her mouth in a rather grotesque way and the flames on her hands dissappear. But it didn't stop him: Falco followed it by a swift kick on her sides and she again went away rolling around until she hit the debris of a burnt house, dissappearing in the destruction her own body caused.

"Phew... She's tough. I wonder if this senjutsu-thingy makes her invulnerable to harm or something. Hey, M.M.! Does Senjutsu makes her tougher or something?" He turns to me after another moment to catch his breath. Usually, yes, sages can coat their bodies with natural energy to make themselves stronger, faster and tougher, that's called Touki or fighting spirit if you're not a degenerate. But since he's human, I guess this makes no difference since there's no way for him to learn it. Gosh, humans are truly pathetic with such limitations. He coughs blood once again, but this time it seems to affect him more, making him almost fall. "Not good... Now I'm feeling it... I can feel the curse spreading through my veins, like my blood burns as rivers of lava... My organs corrode and wither, my conscious fights to resist the sweet embrace of slumber... I feel poetic today!"

"You doing great, dear." I cheer him up with a thumbs up, and he responds in equal despite his worsening condition. I can see from here that he won't last long like that, better end it while he still can. From the other side, from the wreckage of the destroyed building, emerged furious as ever the cat woman, dusting the debris off herself and adjusting her kimono before going into wardrobe malfuction. I focused my camera on her, then turned to Falco. "Falco, I guess this is it. For better or for worse, end this battle before things go south, even I can see you don't have much time left, but neither does she. Do it flamboyantly, though. That will attract a lot of views!"

"Okay! I'll do it flamboyantly! Lots of sparkles and the like! It'll be an expectacle!" He grins, gathering his remaining strengths to stretch himself and crack his neck, confidence surging like no other. On the other side, Murasaki takes a deep breath, claps her hands together once again and aims them at the corrupted white one. I can see some black aura oozing from her hands, and with one final whistle, she asks, her aura not becoming any less dangerous.

"Tell me... At least... Before our final clash..." She whispers at us, her power growing denser and denser despite not getting any stronger, like malevolence itself was concentrating there. In another second, Murasaki lifts her face and shows us her crying expression, pure tears of grief falling down her wrecked face and sadness emanating from her body. She is no longer angry. She's... Sad, confused, lost. I can tell, she'll give her all in this one last attack... And then, withdraw if it doesn't work. "Why did you do it? Why? We were peaceful, we were humble, we respected and followed our Gods and harm no one. Then why? Why target and destroy us? Quench my question, and whatever happens now, I shall accept it wholeheartedly. Please..."

"..." Again with that question? She's really persistent, so much it's annoying, but I guess she really thinks this is her last moment alive otherwise, so a bit of solace can make a difference. I might be human, but I can understand those quite well. I turn to Falco, who blinks pensively a few times, pondering what to do now. One, two seconds pass, and with his arm pointed at her, doing a "W" sign with his thumb, middle finger and pinky up pointed at her, he smiles. "Because... Because I'm free."

"...?"

"I'm free; therefore, I can do whatever I want." He answers, silence in return. "Be lying, be destroying villages, be simply existing to cause mayhem or salvation; I'm free to do anything I want, when and how I want. I did that because I wanted to, because I was free to do it. This is my answer, and the only one that I need."

"..."

"..."

That's a good answer.

A really good answer.

For a human, at least.

"I see... You're really a monster... A monster, indeed..." And then Murasaki lifts her head again, showing us no anger, no sorrow; only content. Her eyes wouldn't stop leaking tears, blood was filling her mouth and escaping her lips, yet her eyes were calm and a serene smile plaster her pretty face. She looks content with that answer. "Father... Mother... My dear peers... I'll be... Seeing you soon."

And then she turns to us with a fierce glare, summoning from her various runes a barrage of magical attacks laced with sage arts. Lightning, fire, ice, wind, all were heading towards us with the power of natural disasters, the boost with sage arts being enough to almost double their powers, but also making her weak on her legs. So I was right, this is her final attack! In order to escape this battle I have no business in, I jump sideways to a safe distance and observed as Falco faced the barrage of elements, live or die being his final choice in the matter. He could dodge that one as well with his faster-than-light speed, but I know he won't do it, that idiot...

Instead, still with his arm lifted with a w-sign, I saw him gather again light particles all around him and form a light arrow from the back of his hand, thick and visible enough to almost be blinding. Again, he says that he isn't part-angel in no way, yet that is a legit light element spear. Without losing a second, he snaps his fingers and the arrow is shot, a single one against the assaulting elements in his direction.

As expected from the white dragon emperor, his arrow of light was enough to disperse most of the elements hurled at him, the assaulting magic not being enough to stop it and being thrown everywhere instead to open space for the stronger light weapon. Not only that, it collided and pierced all the runes in its way, shattering them like glass and cancelling their effects altogether, and with the last one, the arrow dissapeared in light particles. However, the impact and concussive force was enough to hit the nekomata girl, flicking her backwards and making her lose balance!

"N-No..." She whispers, for a nail not falling on her arse. When she turned back to reality, Falco was no longer in front of her, and then a white flash appeared right behind her! She turned around and prepared another rune. "I... I...!"

{DIVIDE!} But then the light wings on Falco's back announced its powers being used, sapping even more strength from the cat lady and making her lose balance and control, dismissing the sage rune. Her dizziness was enough for the white dragon, and so he grabbed her by the face and smashed her entire body down onto the ground! Such a merciless attack! The impact caused a curtain of smoke to be lift and the ground to tremble like in an earthquake! Aw, man. Now what? I might lose viewers for just a blank screen!

In the end, when the coast cleared and I could approach seeing a single silhouette standing on ground zero, I saw the victor of this match: My dearly beloved companion Falco Crawford, his body no longer marked with the cursed drawings of Murasaki's Black Malary, standing tall and triumphant over the fallen body of his cat rival, taking deep breaths and a few missed steps to regain balance, but overall extremely well, even his white wings seem stronger and brighter than usual!

"And we have a winner~! Ladies and gentlemen, give an ovation for the one and only White Dragon Emperor and tonight's champion, Falco Crawford!" I cheered, coming closer to film his beaten yet smiley face of victory. He, who was too tired to even notice me approaching, turned to the camera and smiled, giving a peace sign as a show of goodwill. I bet a more beautiful and cuter girl would rack some more viewers, but I'm glad he's okay regardless of outcome. Besides, I can't ignore my female fanbase either with some manservice. "My wonderers, I'm here now with tonight's champion, the one and only white dragon! He just beat a cute nekomata girl to the ground, and despite his state, he's all fine and dandy! As expected from a dragon! Hey now, Falco dear, do you have something to say for our dear viewers, my little wonderers?"

"Huh? Ah! Hm..." He snaps and blinks, confused as to why my eyecam is so close to him and probably at the loss of words for his sudden popularity. Don't worry dear, stage fright is something you can get used to it, and if you're cool enough, people will start liking you even more. He pauses for a while, then just smiles and lifts a v-sign in a dorky way. "Yay for me~. I did it~."

"And that's our dragon, ladies and gentlemen, my dear wonderers! Stay tuned for other exciting confrontations regarding me and my dearest white dragon companion on M.M.'sW.W.! Until next time and remember to stay wonderful, bye~!" And then I end the stream with one final cute blink, now turning the camera off so I can focus on Falco. I might say those things, but for a moment he got me worried, a lot. He's all bruised, and while the markings are gone, I can see they left some first-degree burns-like wounds on him, not to mention he vomited a lot of blood. Dummy. I reach for a handkerchief on my pocket, sponsored by that angelic company, and wiped some of the blood on his lips. "Dummy dragon, you. You could've died there, and then what? Freedom is also an exclusivity for the living in a way. Don't go being so careless next time. I won't help, but I'll be upset if you die in stupid ways like that."

"But it was fun, wasn't it? It's the first time I fight this... You-kay thing, and it was really cool. Exorcists and angels also hold back so much, it's always too boring to fight them." He chips, with me now wiping the dirt on his face and darkening my pure white cloth. He flinch a little when I reach an open wound. "Owowowow..."

{YOUNG ONE, THIS LASS IS RIGHT: DO NOT BE IN A HASTE FOR CONFRONTATION. ENEMIES AND ALLIES ALIKE WILL GATHER IN OUR SURROUNDINGS AS NATURAL AS BREATHING, THEREFORE NO NEED TO SEARCH FOR TROUBLE YOURSELF. ONLY AN EARLY GRAVE SHALL WAIT FOR YOU AS A RESULT OF SUCH INCONSEQUENTIONAL ACTIONS.} I hear a powerful voice emanate from his Divine Dividing, the white english dragon known as Albion scolding him like a very upset father. In response, Falco sighed and bowed a little. After that one with that tone, I would feel bad too.

"Sorry, master Albion. I'll be more careful. You're right... But it was fun, no?" He tried to assuage his little prank as something usual, and for his trouble, I could almost hear the scolding scream he received in return, shaking his entire being to the core and changing his daring smile to an awkward and scared one. Never mess with dragons, I see. "S-Sorry, master. I will be good now."

{HONESTLY, YOUNG ONE...}

"Well then, I guess we're done here." I said. Yep, nothing else to do now. This place is literally too dead to do anything about it, and it'll be a heartless move to pillage the corpses and search for some gold. I look down on the fallen nekomata girl on our feet, and as expected, she's breathing, yet unresponsive. After that brawl, is little wonder as to why. "So... What now? Wanna grab a bite? I heard they have rotating sushi nearby. Like, they make the thing and then it comes on a toy monorail. It's, like, totz awesome!"

"Oooh~! Sounds awesome! I'm up for something like that!" He licks his lips and makes a satisfied face, I bet he's hungry too. I just got my cash too, so I guess we can splurge on some expensive cuisine... Or buy junkfood and make reactions to them, that works too. "Sushi, eh? I used to hear Rosa talk about those. It's raw fish, right? I wonder how does it taste, being raw and all..."

"Kill me..."

"Hm...?" But then we shift our attention downwards, the ground where the nekomata girl was lying, completely defeated and immobile, yet conscious somehow. Talk about some mad stamina and determination, it must be the so-called japanese spirit. However, she looks more miserable than ever, her eyes streaming salty rivers nonstop and a hand covering her shaming face.

"Just... Kill me...Finish the job... And let me meet with my beloved..." She whimpers, sobbing and crying, her volume not louder than a small whisper. Asking for a Coup De Gracê, now that's a honourable quality, but it's also sad. "I couldn't avenge my parents... I don't make you pay... There is no reason for me to go on... My vengeance was my only solace but now... Just... Just kill me. I am ashamed of my weakness, of my uselessness, to even defeat the bastard who massacred my vllage... So... At least end this... And make me rest and see my family again... Just kill me... Just kill me..."

"..."

"Just kill me... Just kill me... Just kill me..."

"Falco..." I nudged my partner with my elbow on his stomach, and he catches my cue. There is a time a prank goes too far, and now is one of that. We're not trolls to force someone like that to want to die, and honestly, even as a devituber, forcing someone to commit suicide is too much for me, I can relate to the feeling. He grits his teeth and sighs, an awkward smile on his face. "C'mon, that's too far..."

"I know, I know. My bad." He whispers back. I give him a satisfied smile, and then he takes a deep breath and walks towards the fallen nekomata, who continued to repeat her death wish. He looks down on her, lifts both his hands in a surrendering pose and laughs a little to dismiss the gloomy aura. "Hm... Miss Murasaki... You see... I wasn't... The one who... Massacred your village..."

"Just kill me... Just kill me... Just kill me... Jus-... Huh?" And then she snaps back, turning her miserable and crestfallen crying face to him with eyes wide open. Still assuming that innocent and awkward pose, he continued.

"Y-Yes, I wasn't the one who killed your family nor your village. Truth to be told, I didn't even know what a nekomata was before getting here, much less an youkai." He chirps with a forced smile and laugh, but no response from Murasaki. Actually, she seemed to freeze in time after his declaration, not even a disturbance in her spirit, just... Blank. "I just said those things because... Well, you were emanating so much power from your rage and sorrow, it seemed like it could end up in a good fight, so I took the opportunity and lied to you so that we could brawl. It was a good fight, a really good one too! You're very strong and stuff! But then... You started to cry and ask for death, and then I realized that I went too far... Sorry for that. We cool now?"

"..." Still no response. Her eyes got smaller and smaller, and her pretty face paler. She shifts her attention to me, as if silently asking if it was a bluff or not. I only shrugged, also silently responding that it wasn't bullshit, that stupid dragon indeed lied about being a mass murderer just so that he could get his rocks off a good fight. Not the worst the white one has done in order to do so, the last one joined a terrorist group after all. She turns to him yet again. "..."

"Eheheh... Eheheheheh! But it was fun in the end, right? We had fun fighting each other, so I guess it wasn't all that bad?" Falco beams with innocence and excitment, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "So no need to ask for me to kill you, okay? We cool? Do you forgive me?"

"..."

"Murasaki...?"

"..."

"..."

...

"RHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH...!"

"Holy Molly...!" And her response was the obvious one: pure, destillated rage! In a single jump, she stood up from her laying position with arms in the air and a seriously murderous aura,face contorted into a screaming mess of complete wrath and chaos! Being a dragon, of course Falco was faster to dodge her assault which created yet another crater. After that, like she wasn't in the brink of death wishing for release a few seconds ago, she started to pursue the white dragon emperor, who could only run away from her claws.

"IM'MA KILL YA, WHITE ONE! COME BACK HERE AND LET ME RIP YOUR FUCKING THROAT OFF! COME HERE! COME HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEH...!"

"I said I'm sorry! It was just a prank! Just a prank...!"

And I could only stare at the two idiots running around in circles in a pursuit not unlike those old cartoons, only this time the rat being one the strongest beings in this universe, that fact not being enough for him to face the wrath of little kitty cat girl. This is one of those times I expected being so close to the white dragon: pure chaos, brought up by the pureness of a dragon's heart no matter the intentions. We didn't even find the red one, and I feel like things will only get worse once we do.

And I'm all in for that.

Selfie time! This moment is too funny to let it slip! Wonder what my followers will think!

*CLICK!*

K.O.!

WINNER: FALCO CRAWFORD

"Falco dear, answer me thus: What is the most destructive things sapient beings ever created?"

"Hmmm... That's a hard one. I don't know, M.M.!"

"Well then, let me tell you: It is not atomic, it is not mustard gas or other chemical weapons, it is not cursed or holy swords, it is not even a material thing. The most destructive thing sapient beings ever created, which caused countless deaths even to this day and will continue to do it because humans are idiots... Is the concept of Justice."

"Hmm...?"

"Too hard too understand? Then let me tell a few facts: for every female ant, only one becomes a Queen. The other ants, male and female, are to work for the rest of their lives to provide and spoil said queen so that she could sit on her ass all day and make babies. No effort, no work, she just pops baby ants while everyone builds for her, feeds her and pamper her. Now, is that fair? Only a single ant is royalty while the others serve her? Maybe for humans and their concepts, but not for them. Also, among lions, only one is considered the 'Alpha'. He builds his harem and monopolizes all the female while the other males are either left to fend for themselves or have their kids killed by the alpha to assert dominance. Is that fair? Not for humans, but only for them, for that is nature. Only a few turtles make it to the ocean while the others die either eaten or dried up on the beach; ducks and seagulls violate their females without restraint; orcas and house cats kill for fun and eagles only feed their best while the others starve to death. Nature... Is unfair? No, absolutely not. Nature is nature, and the only species that thinks about unfairness and fairness... Is the wicked humanity and the likes of equal sapience."

"I see. I see."

"Therefore, there is nothing more selfish, more cruel, more destructive than the concept of Justice, a thing that is exclusive to the naturally wicked nature of mankind; possibly the epitome of human pettiness. When a person says 'this is not fair', they are actually saying 'Why didn't that happen to anyone else?' or 'I want some counterpenance for the harm done to me'. How many times have you heard that someone killed another to 'restore their honour'? How many individuals lost their faith because a tragedy happened and they wondered where their God were in those times, turning cynical and destructive? How many crimes were commited and even excused for the 'greater good' or for 'solace and search for justice'? Indeed, indeed; humans are very intelligent to create a concept to excuse all forms of atrocities, yet not intelligent enough to realize that, by the end of it, it'll only cycle back to them, in a vicious circle, and no action against thy neighbor is justified. Things, sometimes, just happen, yet the only beings petty enough to complain about it... Are humans and the like. Indeed, Justice, as its core, is nothing but a pretty word people use to justify their actions thinking they have the moral high ground and to feel good about themselves."

"Whoa~. M.M. really is smart!"

"Magician woman, do you have something to say to me? If so, don't hide it so thinly-veiled, it's annoying."

I laugh at Murasaki's little retort, which received in return a tongue from M.M.. Hello, everybody, it's Falco Crawford once again, now digging a few graves so that we could bury all the bones from the nekomata villagers and light some incenses for their souls to rest in peace or something. After we cleaned ourselves up for the misunderstadings my little prank caused and miss Murasaki got tired of chasing me after the reveal, M.M. and I decided to at least honour the dead nearby in this desolated place and compensate for my mean prank on this cat lady. As such, from morning until dawn, we dug graves deep enough to bury the bones of the dead villagers, paid a prayer or two and light some incense that smells good, my magician master saying it's a burial tradition around this place.

"For all your actions and deceptions against yours truly, I deeply appreciate your help in assisting my fellow nekomata folks rest in peace." Murasaki claps her hands one final time at a certain grave and light some incense for the dead, drying her tears once it was done. She turns a weak and melancholic smile at us, and nod in gratefulness. "I might not be able to avenge them, but at least they have a place to rest now..."

"Don't be. Honouring the dead is also an exclusive action for sapient beings, and honestly, the most beautiful display of positive humanity." M.M. chuckles with a shrug. "To live is to die, that's the natural order of things. However, only humans are intelligent enough to grief and feel loss, and that's a quality we can always appreciate. Those last goodbyes are more than just a solace for loss; it's also a celebration of life for those left."

"I see. Thank you, magician woman. I didn't understand much, but I appreciate your words." Murasaki nods again, apparently being at peace with the death of her folks. However, the same couldn't be said after she turned to me, now her orbs emanating a hateful blazing aura. "Doesn't mean I will forgive you for toying with my heart, white dragon. Be as it may, you're in my shit list now."

"Heheheh~. I can always turn for a rematch, y'know. Like I said, you're really strong." I open a grin and nod, only to receive a mental knock on the head from master Albion, scolding me again for my recklessness. Ow~, who would've thought a mental hit would hurt that much? My stomach growls, and now I feel hungry, hungry for something sweet. "I'm hungry. All this digging made me tired. Hey, M.M., what are your thoughts? I'm thinking sukiyaki."

"I'm honestly in the mood for hotpot if you don't mind. Oh, but the ramen around here in Kyoto is the most spicy specially during this time of the year. I haven't done a taste-out for cuisine for a while now!" She snaps, looking on her phone yet again and scrolling across some pages written in some big drawings. Are those letters from this country? They have drawings for those? How weird. One moment away, and I notice Murasaki praying one last time and standing up and walking away. For that, I called for her attention.

"Hey, Murasaki! Wanna join us? I bet M.M. won't mind another plate around! The more, the merrier, as she always says!" I invite the nekomata girl. From her position, she simply turned her head to me, and blinked a few times, eyes a bit tired it seems.

"Sorry, but I'll have to refuse." She answers. Aw man, she won't join for delicious food? But food tastes a lot better when you have friends around... Oh, right. My bad. "The one who massacred my village is still lingering around, unpunished, and while I can honour my parents and peers with a proper burial, I bet their souls won't be able to rest in peace knowing the one who caused their demise is walking this earth without repercussions. I shall find him or her... And kill them, only them my soul will also find peace."

"Aw man, what a bother..." I murmur.

"Revenge is a fool's game, Murasaki." Now it was M.M.'s time to say something, still with her eyes glued to the screen of her phone like it's noone's business, and Murasaki's stare becoming a bit fiercer. One final scroll, and now the blond magician master shifts her gaze at the cat lady. "Nothing of substance will come your way with that path. People die, big deal; bury your last loved one and move on with your life. Killing that said perpetrator will only make his friends and family mad at you, and it won't bring your parents back nor remove your trauma from the bad experiences. The best course of action now is to forget. If you don't, then you'll only turn the wheel of misfortune that everybody has been rolling for millenia now."

"You might be right... But... That's my decision. Because I'm free to do as I please." She answers back with a sigh. Whoa~, she sounded so cool right now! So she's free as well? That rocks! No answer back or retort from M.M., only a sly smile. Murasaki then picks two skulls that weren't buried, tied then to her waist cloth and took her way to the opposite direction. "Well then, farewell, white dragon and magician woman. That we meet again, in this life or in another... As long as you don't lie to me again."

"Hahah!" I laugh, but I'm a bit nervous as well. Man, some people do hold grudges, eh? Should've told her the truth earlier. But man, Murasaki is so cool, and she's really pretty and strong too! I wish that we could spar once or twice someday... I hear a flick on my head! Of course! "Hey, Murasaki! How about we help you in your quest for revenge?"

"Huh?" And then the nekomata girl stops and turns to me, amazement and curiosity yet horror emanating from her eyes as if I'm saying crazy stuff. I approach her with expecting eyes and hands in the air!

"Yeah! We can, like, help you find the guy or gal who killed your village and then make you have your revenge on them! Plus, if a guy can wreck an entire village of people who are just as strong as you, he or she must be powerful, or at least have something awesome to back them up! So... Let us help you in that!" I respond. Just imagine how strong this monster is to vanish an entire village in a few hours or even less! I can't wait to find this one and fight another good fight! Although I should leave the killing blow to Murasaki so that she can have her revenge and peace of mind! The cat lady is still confused...

"You... Want to help me...?" She murmurs. I nod.

"Falco, I don't think that's such a hot idea, dude." M.M. on the other hand calls for me, an amused look on her own eyes. She doesn't seen bothered for my precipitated invitation, not at all. "Murasaki chose the path of revenge, therefore she's a slave to her grief and sorrow for the one who caused such disaster. She's not free like us, therefore she'll only slow us down with her pettiness."

"But if she gets her revenge, that means she'll be free then, right?" I respond, and as if waiting for that exact same answer, M.M. simply nods back and gives me a thumbs up. Yeah! If someone isn't free, if someone is shackled by their own mentality and thoughts, then we just need to break them somehow so that she can be free! It was what happened to me two years ago! I turn back to Murasaki and smile. "How about it, Saki? Let us help you with that! Let us find the one who caused your wish for vengeance and fulfill your desire so that you can be free like us! And we can have tons of fun while at it! How about it? Doesn't that sound nice?"

"..." Saki was a bit confused, her entire body shook while my invitation was sinking in, and honestly, she looks a bit broken. One, two seconds passed, and in the end, the nekomata let a small tear run down her eye, and grabbed one of my hands, gently caressing the back of it with her thumb, taking a deep breath as well. She looks... Happy, really happy. "Will you... Will you really help me? To fulfill my revenge, to put my wrath into rest?"

"Of course. If that means that you'll be free, I'll be glad to help!" I nod, and she weakly smiled as well. I still don't understand how she can be mad and shackle herself to her grief when there's so many awesome and cool things in this world to appreciate. I mean, so many foods, so many places, why bother finding one person and putting an end to that? But that's okay, this person sounds like a blast to fight, and if she'll be free after that, then I'm all in for that!

"Thank you... Thank you..."

"Heheheh~."

And just like that, I got myself a new friend! And friends help each other!

Somewhere else...

"So, let me get this straight, Suou-san: you're telling me that you massacred an entire nekomata village around Kyoto, sparring only one of its member, so that she could be framed as the mastermind behind the destruction of her own home, and you could hunt her down and present her head to the Youkai faction so that you could boost the Himejima name's reputation?"

"Yes, that is quite correct. You're quite observant, Kokuto-kun."

"Well, if I were anyone else, I'd say that what you did was pretty fucking evil... But as a hitman, I'm not paid to think about those details. So, you want me to kill that nekomata girl and give it to you so that you can take all the credit? Why not do it yourself?"

"I'm an old man, my dear hitman. My body does not function the way it used to. However, once I present the head of that filthy youkai to the higher ups of her Faction, they'll learn to respect me even in this state."

"You really think of everything, no? No wonder you're still the head of the Himejima clan."

"Now, about the price for your mission? How does 5 million yens sound to you?"

"You say 50 thousand yens and then we're done. After all, I didn't became a hitman for the money."

"Is that so? Then why?"

"For the bloodshed, of course. If I may... I love a bit of massacre myself."

HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!

The hybrid (hit)man with luck by his side, Kurokami Kokuto.

And so, the nekomata girl cleaned all the misunderstandings and joined the team of mischief makers. And now, a new rival appears, someone who's not afraid to get their hands dirty, not even for young blood.

Hello, my little wonderers... I mean, hello, DxD fandom. It has been a while, no? Sorry for all of my delays and the like. This time though, hear me out, I had an excuse that while I'm not proud of for delaying my writing, I'm proud in another ways: I've finally moved to a new place even with this pandemic. New airs, new places, new views, all for me, and while preparing everything for my liking was tiring and probably impairing my ability to think and write, I'm glad that after all this time I have a new place to call mine. Hooray and cheers~´. That aside, I promise to have my juices flowing now that everything is in place and now I can think straight back into work and my own personal life, so I live, bitch!

That rant out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I loved to show that i'm back, so as always, don't forget to R&R, stay alert and healthy and have a nice day whererver you are. Greetings from Houki Minami~.