"Hmmm." Azazel found the child lying on Issei's bed interesting. A yellow magic circle ran up and down along the length of her body, analyzing the girl's magical power and genetic make-up. All tests have diagnosed that she was a Devil but the tests also revealed that both of her parents were human. The results baffled him to no end and was sure that no one had the answer, not even Mimir of the Norse Pantheon.
He closed his hand and dispersed the magic circle.
"As far as I can tell you, there's nothing wrong with this girl. The cool, clammy skin and the bradycardia sound like cardiogenic shock but, physically, this girl is the picture perfect result of what a healthy kid looks like," Azazel said.
Issei and Mitsuki sighed in relief. It would be a cold day in hell before either of them let a child die on their watch. Especially in their own neighborhoods.
Issei walked over and brushed some of the red strands of hair away from the little girl. He smiled when the girl nuzzled his hand before returning to sleep.
"It looks like she's been through a lot. Judging by what my scanning circle says, the girl has all the traits and abilities of a Devil but… the scan also says that both of her parents were human. At least genetically," Azazel said.
"Humans giving birth to a Devil? That's impossible. Such a thing can only happen in movies," Mitsuki said.
"And yet, here is living proof right in front of you. My best guess is that this girl is someone's peerage member but even that is a stretch," he explained.
"Why would it be a stretch?" Issei asked.
"The girl doesn't have any evil pieces inside of her. The circumstances surrounding her status as a Devil are completely nebulous at best. She just woke up one day and suddenly had demonic abilities," Azazel said.
"So if she isn't someone's piece and she has demonic powers but is human, what is she?" Rias asked, eyeing the girl curiously. Was there someone out there who had the capacity to create Devils? If so, then why haven't they been found or noticed. An ability of this caliber would have been noticed and coveted by Devils.
"Well, that's the billion yen question. What even is this girl?" Azazel answered. "In any matter, we have to investigate this situation clearly. Her existence is too unnatural for us to cover up. Sooner or later, someone will find her and someone will realize that something about this girl is off."
"I see." Issei nodded along to Azazel's words. He scratched his head, trying to think of a suggestion that would work out for everyone involved. Obviously, adopting another girl into his family would be an easy matter. Rias and Azazel have practically brainwashed his parents into believing whatever they say, whenever they say it. Convincing them to get another daughter after the hassle his parents went through to adopt Asia was mere child's play in the book of magic.
"Now that she's done," Azazel said. He nodded to Mitsuki who gently cradled the young girl in her arms.
"Issei get on the bed."
"What?" Issei looked at Azazel dumbfoundedly.
"I said get on the bed. I'm going to run a diagnostic on you. You said that you experienced illusions and voices again. Considering that the Dividing Gear is gone and the Divine Energy in your body has rapidly faded without a trace, then the root of this problem is something else," Azazel said.
"So you're saying that I might have schizophrenia?" Issei asked.
"Hey, you said it, not me," Azazel said.
"Just get on the bed, Aniki. The sooner you do this, the sooner it will be done," Mitsuki said, patting the little girl's back.
"Fine, whatever," Issei said. He laid down on the bed and stared at Azazel. "What now?"
"Stay still, will ya? I don't want to have to mess up the results by getting a false positive or negative or something. Just think you're standing still for an X-Ray or a CT Scan. This will only take a few minutes," Azazel said.
Like he did with the girl, a yellow magic circle with various inscriptions and angelic wings on the top and bottom appeared and lazily circled as it scanned Issei's body. The feeling of the scan was tingly. It felt like a mild, constant electrical stimulation tickling his body down to the last nerve cell.
Azazel's eyes scanned the magic circle for results. His eyes widened for a split second before returning to normal. He dispelled the magic circle and sighed. Issei's body was a clean bill of health. Nothing wrong with any of his organs nor was there anything wrong with his Evil Pieces. But… Azazel closed his eyes and looked at Issei who was now sitting up straight. The boy was looking at him expectantly for answers.
"Well, on the upside, there's absolutely nothing wrong with you. You're a perfectly healthy virile young male in perfect breeding condition-"
"Azazel! Mind your words! There's a child here!" Rias admonished. Making perverted jokes in front of a child whether they were asleep or not was not something Rias liked. Lucifer knows how many curse words her nephew, Millicas, picked up from her older brother or her sister-in-law. Despite Grayfia's prim and proper appearance, she had the mouth of a sailor and could curse up a storm.
"Er… sorry. Anyway, you're healthy," Azazel rectified his mistake.
"I'm sensing a but here," Issei replied.
"Yes, well, the but is that you have traces of foreign magic on you," he answered.
"What?" Rias's eyes widened in surprise. Foreign magic meant that residual magical energy from a prior spell is left on the target in choice or just around where the user cast the spell or used the ability.
"Have you been training them lately?" Azazel asked.
"Only a little bit. We do use magic attacks but-"
"It's not you. The signature is completely different and it's not Mitsuki-san either. The energy is similar to something I encountered back in the Great War and no, it's not a Demon King or a Demon King's descendant. It's something else," Azazel said. He stroked his chin and looked at Issei with a gleam in his eye. "Let me sense it one more time," he said, placing his hand in front of Issei. There's no doubt about it, this energy is…
"Naamah." Azazel's face hardened as he finally had the proof and confirmation that he needed in order to present his case.
"Naamah?" Issei asked.
"Naamah is one of the Extra Devil Clans. They're not part of the 72 Pillars but they were a powerful devil clan in their own right. From what I remember back in my heiress education, Naamah was a clan that served Lilith, the Origin Demon and Princess of the Underworld, exclusively. Their leader was her personal attendant," Rias said.
"Naamah was supposedly wiped out during the Devil Civil War by the Anti-Satan Faction's Ace, Sirzechs Gremory," Azazel said.
"What? That Sirzechs wiped out an entire clan?" Issei asked.
"Big Brother never really elaborated on the reason why he eradicated the clan. Just that… it had something to do with my late older sister, Annalise Gremory," Rias said.
"We're getting off-topic here. The fact that traces of demonic power reminiscent of the Naamah Clan were found on Aniki. Doesn't that mean that there is a member of the Naamah Clan here? All of Aniki's dreams and hallucinations, they were made by them," Mitsuki said.
Rias's eyes narrowed in anger. Someone had dared put her cute little pawn through such cruel psychological torture. It was nothing short of barbaric. The state she had found Issei in was a state she never yearned to see ever again.
"Should I tell Sona to keep an eye out?" Rias asked.
"That's a good idea. The more eyes we have on the ground, the harder it will be for the Naamah to hide," Mitsuki said.
While they all discussed this, Issei had mixed feelings about the entire situation. Sure, the Naamah was responsible for his state of being for the past… week and a half, however, the latest illusion wasn't a threat nor was it an attempt to drive him to suicide. This latest illusion was an SOS. The more he replayed it in his head, the more he became certain. Someone was reaching out to him discreetly.
And the more he thought about this, the more he noticed that he wasn't alone in his head anymore.
"Issei! I need your help! Get the door now!"
Three-Four was what the Demons called her when they robbed her of her name. However, it was just a cruel play on her name's meaning. Her name was Miyo Yatogami. She was a teacher at Kuoh Academy and the teacher of Class 2-B. And that was all she wanted to be. She wanted nothing of the life her mother warned her about and she was completely content in living in anonymity.
And now, that life had come crashing down. It was only a matter of time. Her use was limited and she would be killed to keep their secrets. She had a lot of them.
Miyo's long black hair billowed behind her as she ran down the street. The idea of flying in order to escape was tantamount to suicide. She ducked beneath a brick wall and used her powers to scramble her energy signature. The ability to mask one's presence completely was something of a Naamah Family Specialty.
"Tch… damn it! Damn it! I should have run when I had the chance…" Miyo's violet eyes scanned the skies above.
She sensed them. Two massive power signatures greater than the Devils of this town but not greater than the Fallen Angel who lived here.
Miyo closed her eyes and clutched her hand close to her chest. Eren… wait for me. Big Sister is going to get us out of here…
She had only one hope. A hope whose chances were so low that getting 10 5-stars in one ten pull in a gacha game had a higher chance of happening.
Luxuria.
The Naamah Clan power. The power of mind and illusions. She needed to send an SOS and she had only one target to send it to. She knew where he lived. Miyo's privilege as an educator was having access to the addresses of all her students. Issei Hyoudou was no exception.
"Come on… please work!" Miyo begged. She prayed to every God in existence that Issei would hear her plea for help.
Her eyes widened in fear when she sensed the energy signatures getting closer. Those two must have detected the fluctuation in my demonic power! I need to go now! She took off down the street and ran towards Issei's house, all the while using the full brunt of her skill with Luxuria to launch a mental assault on Issei's mind with one message in mind.
HELP ME!
Issei buckled and fell to his knees. It was a high-pitched noise that only he could hear. He covered his ears in a vain attempt to drown out the noise but with each high-pitched squeal. The same message always came to his mind.
H̶͚̰̳͚̺͈̦̮̅̋̂̓͑͛̽̽E̸̛͚̤͙͂̉͒̎̅̽͒L̶̻̟̥͍̹̲͇̇̈́̔̓̈P̸͈̓̉ ̶̣̤̟̣̜̲̂̂͠M̵̛͙̣̂ͅE̸̠͖̝̽̂̈́͑̏̚̕͜!
Issei suddenly got up, ignoring the commotions of his friends and teacher. He made a beeline for the front door and opened it. The guest in mind was the last person Issei would have expected. In fact, it was the last person in the universe that anyone would have guessed.
"Yatogami-sensei!" Issei yelled, feeling the whispers vanish instantly.
He ignored the feeling of relief when Miyo ran into the house and slammed the door shut. She panted heavily, beads of sweat running down her forehead.
Issei could sense the defensive looks his peerage mates and Mitsuki gave him. The surges in their power explained why Issei saw their weapons and powers activated when he turned around. Azazel was watching the entire situation calmly from the stairs, smiling in interest and amusement.
"Y- Yatogami-sensei?" Issei calmly walked toward her. He sensed it now. It flowed off her in spades. Demonic power and there was a lot of it. Her power was as vast as a lake. Vast and large with a depth that spanned into the darkness.
"So you're the Naamah?" Azazel said, catching everyone's attention.
Miyo looked up wearily, eyeing the Governor-General of the Grigori with cautious eyes. She knew the risk of coming here. Be wiped off the face of existence by Azazel himself or willingly turn herself over.
"I am…" she held her hands out in surrender. "I'm here to surrender."
"What? Don't expect us to fall for your honey-laden words, Naamah-"
Azazel raised a hand and Rias's mouth snapped shut. "You surrender?" he asked.
Miyo gulped loudly. She got down on her knees and served her hands up to them. "I surrender myself."
They all exchanged looks before Azazel made the executive decision before any of them could. He snapped his fingers and cuffs made of magic appeared around Miyo's hands. Miyo immediately felt the demonic power in her body become crushed under the weight of a thousand Earths. A suppression and binding spell, Miyo thought.
Issei never figured for the life of him that his basement would become a holding cell for his homeroom teacher. Miyo Yatogami was someone that Issei had known for the better part of one year. She was kind yet strict, merciful yet wrathful, and very dedicated to her job as an educator. So, it was very apparent that Issei had extremely mixed feelings about holding her in his house's basement.
And those mixed feelings were coupled with feelings of betrayal at the fact that his own teacher nearly drove him to commit suicide.
He could hear them arguing in the other room. Rias was voting for immediate termination of his teacher while Azazel argued the opposite, opting to gain any information they could from her. The commotion had roused Irina from slumber and that was where Issei had found himself. Sitting in the guest living room with Mitsuki and Irina along with most of the peerage. Xenovia and Kiba were tasked with guarding her.
"Aniki, are you alright?" Mitsuki asked.
"I never thought Yatogami-sensei would be the one to actually do it." Issei looked down and clenched his fists.
"I trusted her. She… She was one of the kindest teachers I'd ever had in my entire life. She's always there to help the class and was willing to… be concerned over the state of a pervert like me! And now, I learn that the condition she was so worried about was something she was causing. Why did she do this, Mii-chan? Why?" Issei asked.
Mitsuki remained silent at his statement and merely offered a consolatory nod in response. She placed her head on her brother's shoulder and sighed.
"I don't know. I wish I could tell you, Aniki," Mitsuki responded.
Issei bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
[You know. You can ask her, right? It's better than brooding over possibilities as to why she did it. It's better to go directly to the source and ask for her intentions.] Ddraig suggested.
But… yeah. No, I need to hear it from her, Issei agreed.
He suddenly got up from his chair and headed for the basement.
"Aniki?" Mitsuki hopped off the couch and followed after him. "Where are you going?"
"To ask Yatogami-sensei why," Issei responded.
"Have you lost your mind? What if she bewitches you with the Luxuria?" Mitsuki argued.
"I need to hear it from her first, Mii-chan. I need to know why she did it. Yatogami-sensei was a good person so her doing this makes no sense," Issei pressed. "I'm doing this whether you like it or not," he continued.
"Aniki…" Mitsuki looked at her older brother with a concerned gaze.
"I just need to know. Nothing more. Nothing less," Issei said.
"And if you don't like what you hear?" she asked.
"Then… I don't know," he answered.
"Fine but I'm going with you," Mitsuki insisted.
Issei said nothing in response and just pushed open the door to the basement. They descended down the stairs and saw Yuuto and Xenovia standing with their respective signature weapons drawn and prepared to strike down the Naamah woman in case she made a move.
Miyo Yatogami, the teacher of Class 2-B and a woman who possessed a divine sort of beauty in her own right, was now bound in the middle of his basement with a barrier keeping her contained. She had magical suppressors on her arms and legs, rendering her incapable of using the Naamah's family power.
"Ise-kun?"
"Ise?"
Xenovia and Yuuto blinked when they saw Issei and Mitsuki standing there in front of them. "Why are you here?" he asked.
"Her? She's been silent for the past couple of minutes. She refuses to answer any questions we have and only responds with Azazel has to be here," Yuuto said.
"So she's not saying anything?" Issei asked.
"Nope."
Issei didn't let that deter him. He closed his fists and took a step towards the barrier. His teacher looked at him and her facial expression lightened. She was clearly relieved to see him.
"Mr. Hyoudou," Miyo said, smiling softly.
"Yatogami-sensei-"
"I know what you came here for. I can give you an answer if you want but I don't know if it's the answer that you wish to hear," Miyo said.
"Why?"
Miyo went silent. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Miyo leaned back and sat on the cold, hard floor of the Hyoudou House Basement. Her violet eyes stared at the ceiling and she smiled.
"Do you love your sister, Mr. Hyoudou?" Miyo asked.
Issei and Mitsuki blinked before exchanging brief glances with one another.
"Of course I do. Even if Mii-chan and I have been apart for an entire year, she's still the sister I never wanted," Issei said.
Miyo let out a boisterous laugh. "Would you do anything if it meant keeping her safe? Even if it meant…" Miyo trailed off, allowing Issei to fill in the blanks.
But for Issei, he knew what his answer was. He didn't even need to say it and Miyo already knew just by looking in his eyes.
"I see. Those illusions and dreams you've been having, Mr. Hyoudou. You don't have to forgive me but I wish to deeply apologize for causing you such intense mental trauma and anguish," Miyo said. "But to be honest with you, it's not like I had any other choice. My job was to awaken you after all."
"A- Awaken me?" Issei asked.
"Do you remember Raynare?" she asked.
Yuuto turned around suddenly and narrowed his eyes. "What about her?" he asked.
"The circumstances regarding Issei's death were something I created myself. Raynare was here to observe Issei and if needed, kill him if his Sacred Gear was deemed too dangerous to be kept around. However, I slowly pushed her into doing so. Initially, Raynare was supposed to await orders from Azazel after feeding him information regarding your Sacred Gear but.." Miyo trailed off. "Well, you know how it went for you. The whole purpose of that event was that the near-death experience was supposed to awaken you."
Issei stood there with a dumbfounded expression on his face. So… Raynare came after him because of his teacher? "You did that? Did you have her kill Asia too?" Issei asked.
"No. I deemed at the time that it would have no effect on your current status. Besides, there were too many parties involved in this situation with the Grigori and Heaven watching Kuoh at that point, I had to stay low and maintain my cover. And that's when I started," Miyo said.
"Started what?" Mitsuki asked.
"Manipulating Issei. It was a gradual process that would take a while but eventually, it would have led to the situation Issei was in mere days ago. The thing that accelerated the process was the Divine Dividing's Gem being inserted into your Sacred Gear. My magic was amplified by the sudden influx of energy and all I had to do was manipulate the visions to ensure maximum effectiveness-"
"You bitch!" Yuuto slammed his fist on the barrier. "Issei almost committed suicide!"
Miyo said nothing and averted her eyes to the floor.
"Yatogami-sensei… why?" Issei asked.
"Because I was ordered to," Miyo said.
"Ordered?" Xenovia raised an eyebrow.
"There are many things about this world that you aren't aware of. Khaos Brigade is the least of your problems. Forces older than the organization are awakening and manipulating events across the entire world. In fact, their attack on Kuoh is a direct result of such manipulations. Issei's death was because of them ordering me to manipulate the players in this town into their respective positions. When I finished performing my duty, they deemed me and my brother disposable," Miyo said.
The four looked at her uncomfortably as she continued to talk.
"Your opponent isn't just some random run-of-the-mill devil with a revenge fetish against the Four Satans. Your enemy is the walking incarnation of malice itself," Miyo finished. "I'm just a tool forced to do his duty because I had no choice. At least, that's how it was…" Miyo had a bitter smile on her face.
"I'm sorry for what I did to you and coming to you now for help now that I'm about to be killed is a scummy move. But… for the sake of my brother, I'd sacrifice the entire planet if it meant him waking up and smiling at me once again," she said.
Issei stared at her with a conflicted gaze. Her methods were nothing short of methodical and cruel. The illusions she had inflicted him with had nearly shattered his mind and plunged him into the depths of insanity and yet…
"Why do they want Issei?" Mitsuki asked.
"Because he's special. A human with the power of the Red Dragon Emperor and infused with the Origin Demon's blood. Triggering him was a priority. It only takes one for the rest of them to awaken," Miyo said.
Origin Demon? Mitsuki thought.
"What is the-"
Issei's words were cut off when the house shook violently. A magic circle appeared next to Yuuto's ear.
"Yuuto! Is our prisoner still there?" Rias's voice could be heard from the circle.
"Yeah, Buchou. What's going on?" Yuuto asked.
"We're under attack. The magic barriers I placed around the house won't hold for long! I need you and Xenovia up here. Is Issei with you too by any chance?" Rias asked.
"Yeah, he's here," he replied.
"Good. I need you all to get up here. Now!" she ordered.
"Ise-kun. Xenovia. We need to go upstairs. The house is under attack," Yuuto said.
"What?" Issei asked.
"They're here."
The four turned around to face her.
"Who's here?" Xenovia asked.
"The two operatives responsible for overseeing this town and Issei. They're here to kill me," Miyo said.
Rias and Azazel walked outside with Akeno, Koneko, Asia, and Irina in tow. The six of them looked up to see the barrier coming down as the last blast of fire incinerated the magical foundation of Rias's barrier.
Azazel's eyes narrowed as he stared at the two assailants.
Their demonic powers were impressive. Both of them were massive and were estimated to be as strong as an Ultimate Class Devil. If he had to guess, they were almost as strong as the Cadre of the Grigori.
"I'll handle this," Azazel said, unfurling his twelve-midnight black wings. He took off, flying to their location, and hovered in front of the two. In an instant, Azazel recognized who they were.
The woman had blonde hair and golden eyes with a pair of flaming wings. Her arms were crossed and she had a smirk on her face when she saw him. Azazel knew this woman as Raeliana Phenex, the progenitor of the Phenex Clan and one of his older sister's creations.
The man next to her had black hair and golden eyes. Unlike the woman, his wings were that of a standard devil's. He had a stoic look on his face but Azazel could see the scrutinizing look on his face. This man was Noa Morax, the progenitor of the Morax Clan.
"Azazel. I never thought I'd see you here," Noa said.
"Well, you know me. The Alliance was a huge success and I was chosen to stay here to be a teacher of all things," Azazel said, shrugging.
"Cut the small talk, Noa. Hand over the Naamah Child, Azazel. You have no need for her," Raeliana said.
"How about no? This girl came to us for help and I'll be damned if I turn a girl with a body like that over to you two," Azazel said.
"Are you going to resist?" Noa asked. He held his hand up and several bronze-colored magic circles appeared behind him.
Azazel's smile morphed into a cocky grin. He held his hand out and summoned a light spear into it. Twirling it a few times, he dropped into a stance and winked. "You said it. Not me."
"Enough games," the Phenex Progenitor said. She raised her hand and unleashed a stream of white-hot flames at the Governor General.
Azazel beat his wings, flying high into the air.
Raeliana raised her hand and fired blast after blast at him. The entire night sky was lit with fiery explosions that could be seen for miles.
"Noa! Go find the girl and kill her!" Raeliana barked.
"Hmph. Don't be so bossy," Noa said. He disappeared from his spot and reappeared in front of Rias and the others in the blink of an eye.
Rias grimaced. This man was far stronger than all five of them combined. Fighting him would be like shooting herself. But…
Issei and the others are still in the basement. I just have to hold out until they get here! Rias thought.
"Step aside. I'm here for the girl," Noa said.
"She's our prisoner and needs to go to the Underworld to face punishment in accordance with Underworld Law. I won't let you lay a finger on her," Rias said. The Power of Destruction crackled around her fingers.
Noa sighed. His yellow eyes glowed. He waved his hand and all of them were thrown aside by an unseen force. He took one step forward and was barraged with a stream of yellow lightning. The lightning arced uselessly against his body.
His toxic yellow eyes slowly moved to see Akeno staring in shock.
I- It didn't work!? Akeno thought.
Noa turned around and pointed a finger at Akeno's leg.
A horrible crunching sound echoed through the night sky as Akeno's right shin snapped in half. She screamed in pain and fell to the ground.
"Amateurs-"
"Akeno! You bastard!" Rias fired a volley of destructive bullets at him.
Noa raised his hand and summoned a wall of Earth to block the attacks.
"Haaah!" Irina and Koneko appeared on both sides.
Irina created a light sword and began swinging furiously while Koneko unleashed a barrage of punches.
But to Noa, such attacks were moving in slow motion and were easily deflected. He caught the light sword between his fingers while catching Koneko's punch with his other hand. Noa shattered the light sword. He grabbed the broken piece and stabbed it through Koneko's stomach, causing the Rook's eyes to go wide as she fell to her knees.
"Koneko-san!" Irina yelled. But her attempt to help was futile as Noa slammed his foot into her torso, breaking all of her ribs and sending her flying across the field. She crashed through the wall and onto the street.
"Koneko!" Rias flew towards Noa with a massive sphere of destruction in hand. "I'll kill you for that, you bastard!"
She brought down the orb on top of him only to find herself being restrained by an unseen grip. Her arms wouldn't budge and neither would her body.
"You… You're just a half-baked version of your older brother," Noa said. He raised his hand and threw Rias into the second floor of the house.
Noa's gaze then falls on a terrified Asia, who fell down to the floor. He ignored her and continued on towards the front door. As he approached, he felt two demonic signatures coming at high speeds. The front door shattered into pieces.
Reacting quickly, Noa summoned a spear made of earth and blocked the attack of the first assailant. He quickly turned on his heel and kicked back the second assailant.
Xenovia skidded across the grass before catching herself. A sonic boom was heard as Xenovia disappeared in a burst of speed. Durandal was poised to pierce through Morax like paper.
Meanwhile, Yuuto kicked off before summoning the Sword of the Betrayer. He twisted his body in midair and came down to split Morax's skull in half.
"Fools." Noa's eyes glowed and he raised his hand.
Their attacks were halted by an invisible barrier that kept them from moving forward.
What…. What is this? I can't push Durandal further! Xenovia thought.
I can't move! Yuuto tried forcing the sword through to no avail.
"Dragon Shot!"
A beam of red energy shot forth from the house and slammed into Morax, sending him flying out of the house and into the sky. There, the beam exploded violently.
Yuuto and Xenovia soon found that they had the ability to move again.
"Guys! Are you alright?" Issei asked.
"Issei-san!" Asia said.
"Asia, go heal the others. We'll handle this," Issei said.
Asia nodded and began to heal the injured Koneko.
"Aniki! He's still alive!" Mitsuki said, appearing next to him. She summoned Yorihime to her side and gripped the trigger on the sheath.
Issei nodded and his wings appeared on his back.
[Dragon Booster]
"Hyoudou Issei…" Morax hovered above them. "If it isn't our lucky day!" He dove towards them.
In the instant that he was mere inches from them, Mitsuki pressed the trigger on Yorihime's sheath and fired the sword from its scabbard. She performed a draw slash so fast that she appeared to be a blur to Issei.
And Morax was caught off guard by the extreme speed of her quick draw. The blade cut into his face, slicing half of it off and sent him careening into the house as he was knocked to the side.
Mitsuki held her sword tightly as she dropped into a stance.
"Nice sword," Yuuto said, holding the Sword of the Betrayer.
"Thanks," Mitsuki said, smiling.
The ground shook violently as demonic aura surged from the hole in the Hyoudou Household. Morax walked out with a look of tranquil fury on his face. The part of his face that had been cut off was beginning to regenerate. Black smoke wafted off it as his flesh and bone put themselves back together.
"Insolent bastards!" Morax growled. He took one step and all of Kuoh was shaken by a small earthquake.
"We need to keep this battle to a minimum or else the whole town will be-"
Mitsuki's words were interrupted by a sonorous explosion that ruptured the silence of Kuoh Town. A flash of light illuminated the entire sky as one of Azazel's light spears collided with Phenex's fireballs.
"And… now," Morax said. He took one step and appeared in between the four.
Everyone scattered, jumping away from him.
Morax held his hands out, catching them all in a telekinetic grip. He pulled them towards him. Several sharp rocks erupted from the ground around him, creating a wall of earthen blades.
"Shit! Ddraig!" Issei called.
[I got you.]
[Boost]
Issei felt the rush of power inside him. He summoned demonic power and pooled it into a single orb. "Dragon Shot!" a beam of red energy soared through the air and impacted Morax's shield of blades.
"Damn!" Xenovia raised Durandal and swung it, releasing a wave of energy from the sword.
Yuuto did the same with the Sword of the Betrayer while Mitsuki coated Yorihime in lightning and fired lightning waves.
The attacks all hit home, shattering the front yard of the Hyoudou Household. The explosion threatened to spread into the neighborhood but was barred by a barrier.
Morax's telekinetic grip waned and the four of them were able to move freely once more.
"Did we?" Issei asked.
Mitsuki narrowed her eyes and scanned the cloud of smoke. "He's still alive."
"My my, to think that you've awakened to this extent. I can practically sense it, Red Dragon Emperor," Morax said, emerging from the smoke with a few injuries on his person.
"We barely even fazed him!" Xenovia exclaimed.
"His wounds are healing at a rapid rate too," Yuuto said.
"Beelzebub said I had to capture you too but he never said you had to be intact," Morax said. "Which means that I can go…"
Issei's eyes widened as an excruciating amount of pain coursed through his body.
"ANIKI!" Mitsuki yelled.
Morax's fist was buried in his stomach, going as deeply as it could without puncturing his skin. But Issei could feel several of his gastric organs become flattened by the force of the punch. Issei flew with the speed of a jet going at hypersonic speeds before colliding with the barrier violently. He coughed blood as he slid down to the ground.
Every part of his body felt like it had been broken by that one punch.
"S- Shit! That punch was no joke…" Issei said, shakily getting on his hands and knees.
Morax appeared in front of him, looking down at Issei's beaten form.
"Ise!" Kiba and Xenovia appeared in a burst of speed behind Morax.
Morax glanced over his shoulder and the two were thrown by a telekinetic force into the house.
"Now…"
"Haaah!" Mitsuki appeared by Morax's side and slashed him in the back.
"W- What!?" Morax's eyes widened when the blade dug into his flesh, leaving a deep wound. He jumped away, looking at the girl in shock as his wound regenerated.
Mitsuki glared at him. The green gems on her wristbands began to glow softly.
She took off in a burst of speed towards Morax. Mitsuki sheathed Yorihime in its scabbard and focused her demonic power. Her irises turned into an iridescent shade of red and the world slowed down for her. Her perception had accelerated like her ability to process information.
"Oborozuki-Ryuu: Akatsuki!" She drew Yorihime from its scabbard, swinging it upward before turning around rapidly and performing a downward diagonal slash.
Morax raised his arm to telekinetically block the attack when he realized that he missed.
I missed a block!? He thought in a fit of rage as the attacks sliced into his flesh. His eyes roamed to the wristbands on her arms. That's… That's…
Mitsuki prepared another attack when a kinetic blast slammed into her and sent her flying across the street. She slammed into the barrier and fell down to the ground, groaning in pain.
"Telos Karma. You're the wielder of Telos Karma," Morax said. His wounds began to close.
[What? That girl is…?] Ddraig said.
"What is it, Ddraig?" Issei asked.
[Your friend is the wielder of Telos Karma. It is one of the Longinus and has the power to warp Karma. Essentially, its powers are over statistical probability. As long as the chances of an event happening are possible, she can warp it to make it more likely to happen.] Ddraig explained.
"Mii-chan has such a broken cheat power? How is that even fair?" Issei asked. "And how the hell are we losing so badly?"
Issei felt a force pin him in place. He looked up and saw Morax glancing at him from the corner of his eye.
"Now, let's get rid of the Telos Karma User before she becomes a nuisance," Morax said. He raised his hand and fired a beam of golden energy at her.
"Mii-chan!" Issei yelled.
Mitsuki looked up, using her sword to support herself. I guess I have no choice, she thought. As the beam was about to swallow her whole, a burst of energy exploded from her body and bathed the entire area in green light. The golden beam of energy suddenly curved upward, soaring into the sky before harmlessly exploding in the upper atmosphere.
Mitsuki stood in the middle of a small crater, shrouded in a green aura. Her hair had turned into a silvery blue. She wore a white bodysuit with a black collar around her neck. Her suit exposed her inner thighs while her legs from the knee-down were covered in stark white greeves with green lines of energy pulsing every few seconds. Her arms and legs were covered in white armor with similar shining green lights and there was a silver crown on her head. A mechanical wing extended from her back.
She opened her eyes, revealing her glowing green irises and her aura exploded, shaking the entire neighborhood violently.
"Balance Breaker: Code Verdandi."
Mitsuki stared at the Morax progenitor wordlessly.
"A Balance Breaker?" Morax raised an eyebrow. "It is of no consequence," he said. He took off in a burst of speed towards Mitsuki and swung his fist.
However, the girl dodged his attack easily. Yorihime crackled with violet lightning as it exploded from its scabbard. Mitsuki caught the blade and used its increased momentum to slash Morax multiple times.
"W- What!?" Morax jumped back,
"Emerald Divine Clock." A massive green circle appeared underneath Mitsuki and spread across the entire area.
"Tch! You insolent fool!" Morax fired several blasts at her.
All the attacks suddenly curved and began missing Mitsuki significantly.
Mitsuki raised a finger and fired a beam of violet energy at Morax. Morax dodged the attack, however, the beam suddenly glitched and curved, piercing straight through his supposedly invincible flesh.
"How!?" Morax stumbled and gripped his side.
"Emerald Divine Clock is a technique that allows me to harvest all manner of miracles from reality. As long as the probability of the event isn't a perfect circle, it is capable of happening within this circle," Mitsuki said, holding her blade in front of her.
"You… You!" Morax's eyes glowed as demonic power surged violently around him. His power created localized weather phenomena as lightning and wind began battering the area. "Raaaggggh!" Morax's fangs elongated and horns extended from his skull.
Mitsuki's eyes widened as his powers began to grow rapidly. She tightened her grip on Yorihime as she prepared herself for an attack.
As Morax transformed, he grew taller and a segmented tail appeared from his back. His forearms became covered in a jet-black substance and eldritch markings appeared all over his exposed flesh and blackened forearms. He let out an animalistic growl as he trained his sights on her.
Is that the… Qliphoth Form? Mitsuki gulped.
In a split second, Morax vanished and reappeared behind her.
Her instincts saved her along with the Emerald Divine Clock. She barely dodged the attack. Mitsuki jumped back.
In the distance, Issei watched as his sister fought against the even more demonic Morax.
"Dammit. I need to get to Asia and get healed so I can help Mii-chan fight!" Issei said, shakily standing up. Morax's grip had long since disappeared.
"What if I help you?"
You again?
"All you have to do is say yes and this power will be yours to fully use… for the grand total of 1 minute."
1 minute? He glanced over at Mitsuki, who had just performed a spin slash before disappearing in a burst of speed. Her sheer speed was immense even though she wasn't a Knight like Kiba. Several afterimages of her appeared around Morax and attacked him simultaneously.
Yes! Issei replied.
A flash of red light caught Issei's attention.
A Black Gauntlet with a Red Gem covered Issei's right arm.
[Partner… is that the Dividing Gear?] Ddraig asked.
"It was," Issei said, feeling a rush of power flowing through his body.
"Remember, 1 minute," the voice reminded.
The gem glowed brightly and Issei suddenly found himself with more power than he knew what to do with. He opened the palm of his hand and a black orb manifested above it.
"I need to wait for an opening…"
Issei watched the fight carefully, waiting for the right moment.
And he found it. Morax had caught Mitsuki by the leg and slammed her into the ground. The girl groaned in pain but was relatively okay. She glared as the man lifted her by her leg.
Morax's claws sharpened and he raised his hand to impale her.
As she prepared to counter, Mitsuki sensed the surge in Issei's power, however, her opponent was too engrossed in his supposed victory to even consider the possibility. She activated Telos Karma and shifted all of its power into producing a miracle for her. If its possibility was even 0.000000000001%, she would force it into existence.
Violet lightning crackled around her body. She opened the palm of her hand and engulfed it in highly concentrated electricity. The green circle beneath them glowed brightly as the miracle she hoped for was torn from fate and imposed upon existence.
She hit him in the face with a demonic power-enhanced kick and forced him to drop her. She flipped mid-fall and slashed his eyes with her lightning-covered hand.
"Now Aniki!" Mitsuki yelled.
Issei charged at full speed, using his Boosts to enhance the speed at which he traveled. He shattered the sound barrier several times over, reaching high velocities.
"Mii-chan!" Issei called out.
Mitsuki sensed his rapidly approaching energy signature. She flipped over Issei, who shot past her and barreled towards Morax like a meteor of dark energy.
Morax's eyes regenerated in time to see Issei slamming a black orb into his torso. "Wh- WHAT!?" Morax roared as he tried to push back.
[Boost]
The sudden increase in power amplified Issei's current enhanced strength to new levels.
"Get the fuck out of my house!" Issei screamed, sending Morax flying into the air.
The orb rapidly expanded and then detonated hundreds of feet above them.
Issei stumbled as the power he received from Opposition began to vanish. The black gauntlet on his right arm disappeared, causing him to fall to his knees.
W- What? I never experienced this kind of backlash with Boosted Gear. Issei thought.
"It looks like you went over by 10 seconds," the voice said.
"Aniki!" Mitsuki rushed over to him, catching Issei as he passed out.
Raeliana Phenex blocked a light spear from Azazel. Her regeneration was going to tucker out pretty soon. This man in front of her was too powerful for her to face. She and Noa needed to retreat.
"What's wrong?" Azazel asked, pointing his light spear at her.
"Tch, why you-"
An explosion from below caught both of their attention. Raeliana's eyes widened when she felt Noa's rapidly fading demonic energy signature.
"Damn it! Don't think this is over, Governor General. We will be back," Raeliana said. She dove past the clouds.
Azazel flew after her, intent on chasing her down before she could escape. However, her head start and surprising speed allowed her to escape.
Raeliana grabbed the falling Noa before disappearing in a burst of flame, teleporting away from Kuoh and disappearing into the night.
Issei woke up, suddenly sitting up. He panted as the memories of the fight came back to him. Issei looked down and saw that his torso was wrapped in bandages.
"Aniki. You're awake," Mitsuki said.
"Yeah, did we…?" he asked.
"Everyone's fine. Rias is in another room visiting the others but we're all fine. Azazel's talking to Sirzechs about what just happened and they're sending someone to repair your house," Mitsuki said.
"And Yatogami-sensei?" Issei asked.
"She's been detained. Her brother, who has Sleep Disease, has been retrieved and placed in Serafall Memorial Hospital," she answered. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah," Issei said, looking down at his blankets.
The two stayed silent for a little bit before Issei opened his mouth to speak. Issei replayed the fight over and over again in his mind.
Beelzebub said that I had to capture you but he never said you had to be intact.
Capture.
They were here for more than just killing his former homeroom teacher.
My job was to awaken you after all.
A human with the Power of the Red Dragon Emperor and infused with the blood of the Origin Demon…
"When you said that there was an organization that set its sights on Kuoh, are you talking about the same thing that Yatogami talked about?" Issei asked.
"Your first question is that?" Mitsuki asked.
"Come on, take this seriously. They've messed with my entire life, Mii-chan," Issei said. "I need to know why you came here and why you chose me specifically to join Blacklight. You told me once at the meeting that it was because of what Yatogami-sensei was talking about. I need to know. Who are they?" He gave her a serious look.
Mitsuki sighed. "I haven't finished reading all of the documents that Rizevim gave me but… here's what I know so far." Mitsuki turned to face him with a grim expression on her face.
"Our opponent is an organization known as Serpent's Seed." She pulled out what she was reading on her lap and dropped it on Issei's bed. "They are an organization of ancient devils far older than any we know today. Noa Morax and Raeliana Phenex are just members. Operatives of the organization and they are responsible for virtually every human and supernatural disaster in recent history… including the rise of the Khaos Brigade," she explained.
Issei took the files on his lap and began to read them over. His eyes widened at the information he had read.
"We don't know what their goals are exactly… or at least I don't. Maybe Grandpa and Grandma know but I do know this for sure," Mitsuki said, looking her brother in the eye.
"What?" Issei asked, placing the documents back down.
"You're one of their objectives."
Cornelius D'Arc sat in his office, filing the paperwork and digitizing them on the Blacklight Database. Normally, such work would fall to the intelligence department but there were times when the information was so sensitive that the work would fall to either him or his wife, the head of the Intelligence Department. As he prepared to incinerate the next stack of documents, he heard a beeping on the door.
"Ah. She's here," Cornelius smiled and proceeded to burn the papers.
The door slid open with a mechanical whoosh and the person he had been waiting for arrived.
The person in question was a girl with long violet hair, reaching down to her waist. She had orange-hazel eyes with flecks of yellow pigmentation inside of them. She had a buxom, curvilinear figure with large breasts. She wore a white sleeveless dress with a violet tie and a white coat above it. She had black leggings underneath her sleeveless dress and she wore black shoes. The girl had a powerful aura about her, reaching into the territory of Ultimate Class Devils.
Cornelius smiled as he folded his hands.
"I'm sure you've been briefed by Morgana as to why I've called you here," Cornelius said.
"Yeah, something happened in Japan?" she asked.
"Mitsuki submitted her report and Taki and I agreed that she is in need of reinforcements. Therefore, I am sending you over there to provide the reinforcements. I've deposited enough money in your account and opened a Japanese Bank Account for you. Taki has bought a lot in Kuoh for you, Mitsuki, and her referral. Construction of the new bar in Kuoh. The case details have already been submitted to your AS," Cornelius said.
She nodded and took out the orb, projecting a screen in front of her.
"Operatives assigned to this case. Issei Hyoudou. Referral and Rookie. Mitsuki Adashino. Primary Case Manager and Operative," she read. "When do I leave?"
Cornelius nodded. "You leave at 1700 our time. Are you ready, Ingvild?"
Ingvild deactivated her AS and pocketed it. A gleam flashed in her eyes. "Of course."
Welcome to the end of Arc 1. Now it's time for me to go on le small break. There won't be any updates for a while so please be patient. It's going to be a bit before the next update. So please, leave a review and I'll answer it... if it is a review I can answer and remember to follow! I don't have much to say regarding this chapter other than the antagonists have been introduced properly this time.