Mitsuki sat on a rock with her legs closed. Despite being healed by Asia, Issei had yet to wake up. It had been nearly 12 hours since their fight with Kali and the Young Devil's Gathering had ended. Her body was bathed in the soft moonlight of the Moon of the Underworld.
"The Moon is our ally. With the Misokazuki, we draw power from it and use it as our own…"
Those were words she grew tired of hearing during training but now, she used it as a way to relax.
"That last Mangetsu drained me," Mitsuki said.
She held her hand out and violet lightning danced across the tips of her fingers. The demonic power in her body had recovered but she needed to restore her "save for later" stores of moonlight.
Mitsuki closed her eyes and began to breathe in a pattern.
In and out.
Her heartbeat slowed as she drew in more and more light, creating a faint silver aura around her body.
An esoteric breathing pattern that helped managed their heart rates to allow them to control the flow of adrenaline and their metabolism of moonlight during battle. That was what she was doing. The Misokazuki.
A fast moving demonic signature moved in front of her, causing her to open her eyes. A faint smile appeared on her face.
Lily was running around, rolling in the Gremory Gardens where she chose to mediate.
Getting her out of the Gremory Mansion was a good thing for her. Too much exposure to the Gremory Clan was causing the girl to constantly freeze up. But Lily had felt oddly at home around Grayfia and followed her around as well.
"Lils, remember that we're going to go in a few minutes, okay?" Mitsuki called out.
Lily poked her head out from one of the flower bushes and nodded.
Her smile grew wider before she exhaled and closed her eyes once more.
The moonlight began to flood her body once more. She directed the light and allowed it to diffuse into her body, storing it within herself.
A scream rang through her ears. In an instant, she sought out Lily's demonic power signature and vanished from her spot.
What her eyes rested on next was an extremely terrified Millicas, who was backing away from her and a trembling Lily. Mitsuki sighed and retracted her aura back into her body.
"I- I'm s- sorry! I didn't mean to make her cry. S- She just looked so lonely and I wanted to-" he closed his eyes and waited for the hit that wouldn't come. Instead, he felt a hand softly stroking his head.
"You really scared us there. Don't do that next time, okay?" Mitsuki said, looking into his blue eyes.
He felt a feeling of warmth wash over him and he nodded.
"I'm sorry about Lily. She's not used to… red haired people," Mitsuki said. She walked over to the girl and began consoling her.
"Come on, Lils. Breathe. 1, 2, 3. In and out, just like we practiced," Mitsuki said, breathing alongside her.
Lily shakily nodded and began to breathe like her protector did.
In and out.
And count to 3.
In and out.
Lily's shaking began to visibly cease before it stopped altogether.
"What… what's wrong with her?" Millicas asked, taking a step towards them.
Mitsuki fought to keep herself from shaking her head. She forgot how tactless children were.
"She was hurt by bad people. And those people had the same hair color as you. So now, she's scared of people with red hair," Mitsuki explained, sitting Lily on her lap.
"But… I didn't hurt her," Millicas protested.
"I know but… it's just something that happens. Here, Lily. Lily~" Mitsuki cooed.
Lily looked up.
"Millicas isn't here to hurt you, okay? Look," Mitsuki said.
Lily turned her head tentatively towards the red-haired boy.
She froze when she saw his hand reaching out for a hand-shake.
Mitsuki reached out and touched it, showing the girl that she was okay and allowing her to check her hand.
After five minutes of Lily inspecting her hand, Lily reluctantly got off Mitsuki's lap and stood in front of Millicas. She stared into his eyes for a few seconds before running back into Mitsuki's arms.
"That's progress if I've ever seen it," Mitsuki said, picking her up. "It'll be a long while before she can be your playmate but I hope you can help her get over her fears."
"Fears?"
"Because that's what friends do right? Friends help each other?" Mitsuki said.
"Y- Yeah… Yeah! I'll come visit Lily every day and help her!" Millicas said, pumping his small fists at the idea.
Mitsuki smiled. "Come on. Your Mom might be looking for you and I have to go see if Issei woke up."
The three walked back to the mansion with Millicas happily chatting with the girl in Mitsuki's arms. As they talked, Mitsuki noticed that Lily was beginning to hold eye contact with Millicas for longer periods of time.
"Ah, I was wondering how long you'd sleep. Even in your own head," Mastema said.
Issei blearily opened his eyes and sat up.
The Gremory House?
[They carried you back here, Partner. You've been out for almost 12 hours now and you left me with her!] Ddraig said accusingly.
"Huh? I didn't even bother you the whole time! I was healing Ise-chan!" Mastema said tearfully.
Issei glanced at the apparition, who was looking far more translucent than usual. She had a pouting face.
"Did we win?" Issei asked.
Mastema glanced at the pulsating green orb on Issei's left hand before turning her gaze to him.
"No, you lost… horribly."
Issei smiled bitterly and gripped his covers tightly. And to think he spent 20 days almost dying to Mitsuki and Tannin, only to lose easily to Kali. "I still haven't gotten any stronger, have I?"
[Take it easy, Partner. Kali is an extremely powerful Goddess. There was no way you could have even posed a threat to her.] Ddraig reassured.
"That… I… yeah, I guess," Issei said. "Still, it's kind of frustrating that she didn't even bother to take us seriously."
"Mmm. You'll get there eventually. You're already plenty strong for someone who's only been part of the Moonlit World for a few months. I reckon that with time, you can make Kali notice you and take you seriously,"Mastema said, patting Issei's shoulder.
Issei nodded and swung his legs off the bed. He got up and stretched when he heard knocking on the door.
"Mmm? Yeah, come in," Issei said.
The door swung open and Lily came barreling towards Issei. He smiled and bent down to pick her up.
Mitsuki smiled as she walked into the room.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Like shit," Issei said.
"Aniki. There is a 5 year old girl in your arms," Mitsuki chastised.
"Right, sorry, Lils. Don't repeat what I just said, okay?" Issei asked, poking her nose.
Lily shied away from Issei's finger and nodded.
"I heard we lost," Issei said, sitting back down on his bed.
"We did. Badly. Kali didn't even take us seriously at the time," she said, sitting next to him.
The two stayed silent for a few seconds before Mitsuki said something.
"Irina's coming to the Underworld. She's coming with Lord Michael as part of his entourage to watch the Rating Games between the Devil Youth," Mitsuki said, swinging her legs.
"Irina? I can't wait to see her again," Issei said.
"In the meantime, you have a bit more time before Rias's match with Sona-"
"We're going against Kaichou?" Issei asked.
"Yeah, you are going against the Sitri Peerage. Don't worry though, I'll be on the sidelines, acting as the world's greatest moral support," Mitsuki said, patting his shoulder.
"When is it?" Issei asked.
"Since Kali sparred with Rias's peerage, the match was postponed to next week to let everyone recover from the battle. Granted, Sirzechs just did that in order to give Rias more time to prepare for the match. Thankfully, no one disagreed with it," Mitsuki said.
"I see…" Issei looked down at Lily's red hair. "What have you been doing for the past…"
"12 hours."
"12 hours."
Mitsuki fell back on the bed. She looked up at the ceiling for a second before answering. "I've been outside meditating in the moonlight."
"Meditating? I never took you to be the type," Issei said, glancing down at her.
"Well… my family's a bit special so I have to do it every now and then," Mitsuki said. "I also did some training while I was out there because you know… I lost to the Great Evil of Destruction herself?"
"Yeah. Why don't we train together? You and me over the next couple of days?" Issei asked.
"I was going to train with Irina since we both use swords but sure, we can include you in the mix. We can make it a date with me as the third wheel," she said, sitting up.
"O- Oi," Issei said.
"But in any case, I can't really do it tomorrow so you'll be mostly on your own. I have to meet up with Ingvild about something for a few hours so you'll need to handle training your own way," Mitsuki said.
"Something?" he asked.
"Ingvild detected some sort of interference in the Rating Game Spar today and she's gone with Lady Asmodeus to see what it was. I'm going to go help her tomorrow. We're going to try and figure out the source of it," she said, standing.
"Shouldn't I come?" Issei asked.
"No, just stay here. We don't actually know what it is and you need to get some rest for the Rating Game. It's probably nothing," Mitsuki said.
Issei walked down the halls of the Gremory Manor. Rias had granted him permission to use an empty field located in the Gremory Manor in order to train his abilities. She was particularly interested in his new Black Gauntlet as she had taken to calling it. So he wasn't alone as Mitsuki had initially speculated. Rias had decided to tag along with the excuse of studying his new Sacred Gear.
"Ne, Issei. Do you think this is a double awakening? Your new Gauntlet seems to be different from the Boosted Gear," Rias said.
"Er, Buchou, are you sure you need to come with me? I'm sure I can handle it by myself-"
"Listen here, Ise! I'm your King and it's my duty to help you." she poked his chest with her slender finger, "figure out what it is. Besides, we can spend some time alone together. Wouldn't that be fun?"
She winked at him suggestively.
Issei turned red at the insinuation and the numerous lewd images that began to form in his head.
"Y- Yeah! Yeah, let's do this Buchou!" Issei said.
The two walked out into the field, which Issei quickly realized was just an empty plot with several magical seals on it near the main pathway of the house.
"First thing's first. Bring it out," Rias said, crossing her arms.
"Right!"
Oi, Mastema! Issei said.
"Alright."
A black gauntlet materialized around Issei's right arm. He held it up for Rias to see.
From Rias's point of view, the Gauntlet resembled the Dividing Gear that Issei had stolen from the White Dragon Emperor. However, from her understanding, the Gear did not exist until a certain point in time so when did Issei awaken it? And from what she saw and heard during the match, Rias deduced that this Gear had the ability to use the Shevirat HaKelim.
"Hmm, what's its name?" she asked.
"Opposition."
A fitting name for a Sacred Gear that has the abilities of the Great Evil of Rebellion, Rias thought.
"Alright, let's test its features," Rias said.
"Right!" Issei held his hand out and manifested a small pitch-black orb.
He closed his eyes and then reared his arm back before throwing the orb at high speeds toward the dummy. It pierced right through, creating a perfect cylindrical hole through the entire thing.
Rias blinked. That black power oddly resembled the…
"Power of Destruction. That black sphere is like the Power of Destruction," she said.
"Right? That's what I thought when I first tried using it a few days ago during my training with Tannin and Mii-chan," Issei said, opening and closing his fist.
"So it seems that you can use some kind of progenitor ability to the Bael Family's Power of Destruction," Rias said.
"Buchou, just what is the Shevirat HaKelim?" Issei asked.
"What is it? Well, it's the most mysterious ability of all Devils. All Devil abilities were derived from it and it's regarded as the Divine Power of Devils," she explained.
"It was the power of the Mother of All Devils, Lucifer, who used it to give birth to our entire race. Legend has it that it governs the concepts of Genesis and Extinction. The abilities that all Devil Clans have can be traced back to it. However, despite being Lucifer's children, none of us have ever inherited the power itself which is why it's strange that a Reincarnated Devil like you has it. My best guess is that it's a Sacred Gear that no one ever accounted for," Rias said.
Issei looked at her with a dumbfounded expression before turning his gaze back to Opposition.
Mastema, did you know about this? Issei asked.
"I am its manifestation. Of course, I know," Mastema answered.
Ddraig snorted at her words but did not offer anything to the conversation.
"Now, let's continue training some more. I want to see just what you can do with this!" Rias said.
"She said that the disturbance was detected here," Ingvild said.
The Ballroom. A mere 12 hours ago, this place was filled with Young Devils, celebrating their youth and mingling with each other in order to further their reputations and goals. Mitsuki traced her finger across the wall.
It amazed her how quickly they could empty this place. But then again, she knew that magic was involved in the cleaning process and her amazement died in all but a few seconds. Mitsuki's eyes began to glow red as she scanned the room with her Precision.
"Nothing," she said, looking around. "Nothing over here."
"Nothing here, either." Ingvild stood up and looked at her. "Do you think it might have been just a mistake?"
"I've learned not to doubt your senses. If you felt something, then something must have been here," Mitsuki said, walking around.
"And if Lady Asmodeus also felt it, then…" Mitsuki suddenly stopped walking and turned around.
Ingvild tilted her head in confusion at her sudden action.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Are we limiting our search parameters just to the Ballroom?" Mitsuki asked.
"This is where I felt it but no. I got permission to comb the entire building," Ingvild said. "Why? Is something wrong?"
"I got a distinct feeling that we're being watched just now," Mitsuki said.
Ingvild nodded and sent her a few hand signals.
Over there. Let's look over there, she signed.
Mitsuki nodded and followed behind Ingvild.
"Oh right, by the way, is the bar finished?" Mitsuki asked.
"It is but the opening isn't until we get back from the Underworld. I have to set up the Remote Access Terminal so we can access the internet from our location. This way, we can also have a place to update our AS's and recharge them as needed," Ingvild said.
"I'll let you do the technical stuff. I was never good at that anyway back in Academy," Mitsuki said,
"You never were despite the fact that you built your own computer-"
"It was for games and you know it. I just used my AS for work," Mitsuki retorted.
"Whatever the case may be, if something were to ever happen to me or if I'm not there, you'll be the next best person to maintain the RAT," Ingvild said with a smile on her face.
"You want me to crash the server?" Mitsuki joked.
"No, but I know you'll be fine. I have everything set up to be made easy for you," she replied.
"You're not fun." Mitsuki pouted at the insinuation that she was completely hopeless with technology. Her eyes drifted momentarily to Ingvild's hands.
Are we still being followed?
"At least teach me how to maintain the RAT," Mitsuki said, waving her hands in an exaggerated manner.
Yes, let's round the corner and jump them.
The two walked down the hall and made a left.
The presence following them darted through the halls and made to turn left when a silver flash nearly sliced its head off. The figure dropped to the floor and backpedaled towards the wall. Yorihime was now mere millimeters from their face.
Mitsuki stood above the figure, staring down at them with blazing red eyes.
Ingvild had her arms crossed as she walked towards them, but the pressure she was releasing was enormous. As she got close, the windows in the hallway began to crack and the lights overhead began to flicker.
"P- Please don't kill me! My name is Lise! I'm just a Rating Game Technician!"
The two glanced at each other.
It was a girl. She had bright, crimson red hair reaching down to her mid-back. Her eyes were a bright shade of azure. The girl wore a uniform similar to that of one of the Rating Game Technicians that had let them in, consisting of a black blazer with a white undershirt and black pants. The girl had her arms raised defensively and radiated the feeling of a feeble animal.
Mitsuki sighed and sheathed Yorihime before holding her hand out and helping the girl up.
Wow… she looks kind of like Rias…
"Sorry about that," Mitsuki said, "But why were you following us?"
"E- Eh? I got lost on my way back to the Rating Game Chamber," the girl said.
"Rating Game Chamber?" Ingvild narrowed her eyes and gave the girl a scrutinizing glare. "I thought all the technicians left."
"T- They did but I'm on overtime since Lord Beelzebub wants data gathered on the curvature of the Rating Game Dimension during the match between the Gremory Peerage and Lady Kali." The girl shrank in her spot upon feeling the weight of Ingvild's stare.
"Come on, Ingvild. Don't scare the poor girl," Mitsuki said.
Ingvild softened her gaze but her mind remained suspicious.
"Whatever," she said, uncrossing her arms.
"Look, we'll leave you alone. We're actually going ourselves so… um, see ya?" Mitsuki said.
Ingvild sighed. Oh Mitsuki…
The girl nodded and turned on her heel before running down the hallway at full speed.
"So that happened," she said.
"Right. Still, something about her is weird. I can't put my finger on it," Ingvild said.
"Yeah, I didn't know your Dad assigned people over time," Mitsuki said.
Ingvild sputtered at her words. She glared at her friend before stalking off.
"Wait! We weren't done with this side!" Mitsuki said, running after her. "Okay! She was weird! I get that but she looked new!"
Ingvild stopped and turned around. She glanced over Mitsuki's shoulder and saw that the girl was no longer there. She pinched the bridge of her nose and beckoned for her to follow. "Come on. Let's go. I think we're done with this side."
"That girl looked like Rias, right?" Mitsuki asked.
"It was probably just her half-sister or something. Zeoticus Gremory is said to have a harem of his own. Rias and Sirzechs have siblings other than themselves is not too far off," Ingvild noted.
"Must suck having Rias and Sirzechs as siblings. You'll constantly be trapped in their shadows no matter what you do," Mitsuki said.
"Mmm," Ingvild replied. "By the way, I think we should head down to the Rating Game-"
A magic circle appeared in front of Mitsuki.
"It's Issei," Mitsuki said. She swiped the circle and answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Mii-chan! You need to come quickly! The Gremory Manor is under attack!"
The sound of Rias silencing him could be heard through the call.
"E- Eh? Attack? Hold on! Aniki, what's going on-"
"No time! You need to get here now!"
The call cut out and Mitsuki and Ingvild stood there with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.
"We need to go," Mitsuki said.
"Wait, what about the Ballroom?" Ingvild asked.
"There's nothing here. It's just that girl! Now, let's go before someone gets hurt," Mitsuki said. Her body shimmered before vanishing from the spot.
"Hey wait… and there she goes. You idiot! You forgot me!" Ingvild said. "Jeez… she's always like this even back in Academy."
A lavender magic circle formed beneath Ingvild's feet and she vanished in a flash of violet light.
"Issei, cancel the call and get down."
Issei was pulled behind a tree by Rias, who used her demonic power to mask their signatures. The two peeked from behind their hiding spots and looked out over the scene unfolding before them.
Koneko had gone snuck out of the mansion, not noticing that Rias and Issei were outside training. And the reason was to have a meeting with this femme fatale of a cat woman in front of them. Her curves had Issei's attention as did her twitching cat ears but what drew his attention away was Koneko.
The girl was none the wiser to their presence.
She merely focused on what was ahead of her
But to Issei, he could clearly see the fear and nervousness within her small form. It was the same posture Mitsuki would adopt back in middle school when she was cornered by their classmates. Issei clenched his fists and fought down the urge to go out there and grab her.
I trust that you'll find a solution to this, Aniki.
Mii-chan, you have so much confidence in me but I don't even know what to do in this type of situation, Issei thought.
"Why are you here?"
Issei refocused his attention back on Koneko.
"Well, I missed the big party the other day so I decided now was a good time to come visit you, Shirone," the woman said. Her yellow eyes gleamed as they scanned the diminutive white-haired girl below her.
Koneko remained silent and focused her stare at the black-haired woman above her.
"Ara, Shirone. You're going to make your Onee-chan cry if you keep staring at me like that," the woman said.
"Kuroka-neesan, just tell me why you're here," Koneko said softly.
Kuroka-neesan? He glanced over to Rias, who nodded and confirmed his suspicions.
"I've come to finally take you away, Shirone. I couldn't take you away back then because I was running so desperately," Kuroka said, sitting up.
Koneko's glare intensified.
"Aw, you're still mad?" Kuroka asked. Her gaze was soft and tender and her voice carried a hint of longing.
"You only cared about yourself that day," Koneko replied.
Kuroka's face broke its cheerful facade for a split second. But in that split second, the look of anguish broke through.
"S-Shirone, don't go hurting Onee-chan like that. I'll really cry, nya," Kuroka said.
"Oi, Kuroka. Sorry to interrupt your little heart to heart but… are you really going to ignore the two rats hiding in the shadows?"
Issei and Rias's eyes widened.
"No, I knew they were there. After all, Senjutsu allows us to sense ki even if there is magic hiding their physical presence," Kuroka said.
The two stepped out and faced the black cat. Issei's eyes drifted to the young man on the ground. He recognized his spiky red hair and delinquent-looking eyes. He wore the same Chinese-style armor that he had used to save Vali as well.
"Bikou, right?" Issei asked.
"Oho? You remember me?" Bikou said, stumbling for a bit.
"I- Issei? Buchou?" Koneko turned around with a shocked look on her face.
"Kuroka. Koneko is a member of my household. I won't hand her over to you," Rias said, radiating demonic power with each step.
Kuroka remained unfazed. The bark beneath her began to wither and die as a dark blue shroud began to manifest around her body.
"Oh? Pffft… ahahaha! What are you even saying, nya? Shirone is my little sister. There's no way I'll allow her to even stay with a High-Class Devil like you," Kuroka said.
She hopped down from the tree and landed gracefully on the ground. Her eyes glowed as the full force of her aura was unleashed.
A gust of wind blew Issei and Rias back.
W- What an aura!? Issei thought.
"Now's not the time to be admiring her, Ise-chan." He heard Mastema's voice chirp.
[She's right, Partner. As much as I hate to admit it…] Ddraig added.
"We won't hand her over!" Issei said, holding his hand out.
Kuroka narrowed her eyes.
"Bikou, who is this boy?" Kuroka asked.
"That's the Red Dragon Emperor," he said.
"Eh? That's him? So he's the breast-loving dragon that made Vali retreat, huh?" Kuroka said.
[O- Oi! That's him! Not me! Don't lump us together!] Ddraig protested.
"There there, Ddraig."
[I…] He said nothing when he felt Mastema's soothing touch petting his snout.
"Whatever," Kuroka said. "I'm done playing nice." Her voice deepened considerably.
She raised her hand into the air and the air distorted around them. "I'll just kill them here and now, nya."
In a split second, Issei felt the air and atmosphere of his surroundings change. Despite not having moved anywhere else, Issei had definitely felt the change in the area.
"Spatial Manipulation. Youjutsu and Devil Magic wasn't enough for you. You had to learn Senjutsu as well?" Rias asked.
"Mah, it's not perfect but it's enough to mask our presence from the outside world. It doesn't matter what happens in here. No one will be able to detect you two. I'll kill you both and take Shirone with me!" Kuroka said.
"Neesan…" Koneko said.
She was about to step forward when Rias grabbed her from behind.
"I'm not going to hand her over to you, Kuroka. Do you even know what you put this girl through? After you became drunk off your own power, this girl saw hell! And I mean that literally! She was hated by all of Demonkind and had no one to turn to!
"You were the one person she could rely on and you betrayed her!" Rias yelled.
Koneko's eyes widened and tears began to leak out of them.
"That's right. We're not handing her over to someone who abandoned her. Last warning. Get out," Issei said, stepping forward.
"I'll keep you from laying your filthy paws on them!" he declared.
"Ise…," Rias said.
"Fufufu… ahahaha!" Her focus became fixated solely on Issei.
"Bikou," she said.
"Yeah?" Bikou took a step back.
"Don't get in my way," Kuroka said.
Bikou nodded and hopped onto the branch.
Issei narrowed his eyes and dropped into a stance.
"Issei, get ready," Rias said.
Kuroka said nothing and held her finger up. Several esoteric characters manifested in front of her before coalescing into one symbol. Violet mist began to pour out onto their surroundings until the entire space was covered in fog.
"What is…"
The sound of violent coughing caught his attention.
He turned around and saw Rias on her hand and knees, clutching her throat. Koneko was in a similar manner.
"Stop it! Can't you see you're hurting your own sister!?" Issei threw himself forward. The Boosted Gear manifested on his fist and he threw a punch at her.
A violet barrier appeared in front of Kuroka, blocking Issei's punch.
"This poison is something I designed to be effective against Devils and Spirits… but it seems to have no effect on dragons," Kuroka noted.
She jumped back as Issei broke through her barrier.
"You're much stronger than I thought," Kuroka said, hovering above him.
"What kind of sister are you?" Issei asked.
Kuroka's eyebrow twitched.
"First, you abandon her. Then, you come back to kidnap her? Do you think she'd want to be with you after everything you did?" Issei asked, summoning Opposition to his right hand.
"Don't talk like you know anything!" Kuroka roared.
She raised her hand into the air, summoning a massive ball of blue flames. She threw her hand forward, hurling the ball at Issei.
Issei jumped into the air and dodged the ensuing fiery explosion.
"I did all of that for her!" Kuroka appeared in front of Issei, surprising him at the speed she possessed.
In a blur, Issei felt her leg connect with the side of his head and he was sent crashing through several trees.
"All of you… All of you know nothing! Not even Shirone knows the truth of that day!" Kuroka yelled.
She raised her hand and summoned a massive ball of blue energy. She fired it as she saw Issei firing a beam of red demonic power at her.
The two attacks clashed before violently exploding and leveling several trees around them.
"You're all just getting in my way!" Kuroka said, unleashing a veil of red ki.
The ki surrounded her body and formed two flaming tails behind her. She let out a roar that shattered the ground beneath her and toppled several trees around them.
Issei stared at her before preparing himself for the real battle that was about to begin.
Mitsuki appeared in the Gremory Garden, looking around frantically. Her blazing red eyes took in every detail and she noticed faint footprints, leading towards the exit.
"Jeez, you couldn't have waited?" Ingvild appeared next to her.
"Sorry, no time!" Mitsuki took off running down the pathway.
However, for all her powers of Perception and Scanning, she failed to notice the figure in front of her and slammed into them. The two fell over, landing on the ground harshly.
Ingvild covered her mouth and ran to help her friend up.
"Watch it-... Irina?" Mitsuki blinked when her tunnel vision finally dispersed.
"Ow… watch where you're going, Mii-chan," Irina said, getting up. "Jeez, I visit and that's the first thing you say to me-"
"No time! I'll make it up to you later! Aniki's in trouble!" Mitsuki said.
"Eh? Issei, hey wait!" Irina said, reaching out for Mitsuki as she ran off.
"Should we go?" Ingvild asked.
Irina glanced over at the violet-haired Devil and nodded.
After a few minutes of running, the three arrived in a clearing within the woods. The footprints had stopped and mysteriously vanished into thin-air. Mitsuki clenched her fists and lightning began to radiate off her body.
"Wait," Ingvild said.
She pulled her AS out and activated it.
"Scan."
The orb let out a small ping.
Ding!
Results retrieved!
"Display," Ingvild said.
"You have voice command for your AS?" Mitsuki asked.
"It's in the settings, Mii-chan," Ingvild said.
"What is that…?" Irina asked.
"I'll explain later. What does it say?" Mitsuki asked.
"There's a spatial barrier in this area. The curvature of the barrier is 15:6. We need heavy firepower to crack it," Ingvild said. "Scan the barrier for weak points."
The orb let out a wave of blue light once more.
Ingvild's eyes narrowed.
"What is it?" Irina asked.
"There." Ingvild pointed to a space between two trees.
"That's the place where the spatial fold is weakest. An attack of sufficient firepower should be enough to crack the Dimensional Barrier," Ingvild said. "Lucky for us-"
"I got it," Irina said.
"Eh? Iricchi?" Mitsuki watched as her friend took a step towards the space Ingvild mentioned.
"It's fine. I get to test this baby out," Irina said.
She held her hand out and summoned an iridescent polychromatic orb with golden metallic decorations on it. The orb glowed and a faint red glow emanated from within it.
Crimson red flames exploded from the air around her, swirling and forming a vortex. Yet, despite the immense heat, the plant life around them did not combust. The flames consumed nothing and the swirl began to grow more intense.
Mitsuki and Ingvild instinctively took a step back, feeling the stinging sensation on their skin grow more irritating.
"I was gonna crack it but… what she's doing will shatter the entire thing," Ingvild said.
"What? What is she doing?" Mitsuki asked.
"She… She has a Divine Key," she answered.
"O' Key of God, open the gates to the Eternal Kingdom!"
The flames began to converge onto Irina, becoming smaller and smaller until they coalesced into the form of a katana within a white sheath. The sheath had a single orange angelic wing etched along the body of the scabbard. It had a black and gold tsubasa with a white handle and a red pommel that was shaped like flames.
"Stand back," Irina said, gripping the hilt of her blade tightly. She lowered her stance and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
Mitsuki and Ingvild nodded and took a step back away from Irina.
The heat around her was rising to nearly unbearable levels.
"How is her body producing so much heat?" Ingvild asked.
"The Shidou Clan is the polar opposite of the Adashino Clan. I didn't know about it until recently but their clan is diametrically opposed to us. If we, the Adashino Clan, draw our power from the Moon, then they draw their power from the Sun," Mitsuki explained.
She looked at Irina's stance closely. "And that is shown in their sword art, the Taiyo-Keiji Ryu."
Irina's eyes snapped open and an orange flaming aura surrounded her. It was not the aura of the Divine Key but rather her own power.
"Taiyo-Keiji Ryu: Taiyoken."
Irina exploded forward and drew the red blade of the Divine Key with explosive speed before spinning around and performing a circular slash that unleashed a wave of orange flames.
Waves of orange flames bombarded the area and shattered Kuroka's dimensional barrier like glass.
As the barrier shattered, Issei and Kuroka zoomed past them into the air, trading blows and exchanging attacks.
Explosions now dotted the skies above.
Mitsuki spread her wings and attempted to help her brother when Bikou appeared in front of her with his hand out.
"Kuroka said no one could interfere. Not even you idiots," Bikou said. "I don't know how you managed to shatter Kuroka's barrier but I have to give it to you."
"Tch." Mitsuki held her hand over her blade and lightning crackled around her body.
"Oho? So it's going to be like that then?" Bikou spun Ruyi Jingu Bang and pointed it at Mitsuki.
He moved his head and dodged a swipe from a blade made of pure flames. Irina spun her body and barraged him with attacks, sending him back.
"Ingvild, we'll go help Aniki. Go take care of Rias and Asia," Mitsuki said.
Ingvild nodded and went off to help them.
Mitsuki glanced over at Irina, who was engaging Bikou in combat and rushed in to help her.
Issei clenched his teeth when he felt Kuroka's heavy blow hit his side. He pushed her back and threw his fist at her.
She jumped back, forming a last-minute barrier that shattered upon being hit by Issei's fist.
"I'll take Shirone back no matter what! I won't let her be used by another Devil ever again!" Kuroka yelled.
She flattened her hand and swiped it.
"DODGE NOW!"
Upon hearing Mastema's urgent yell, Issei flipped his body mid-flight. The air below him was sliced and he could feel the suction of the vacuum as it came back together.
"She's taken her senjutsu to incredible heights for someone so young," Mastema commented.
[She can cut the spatial fabric.] Ddraig said.
Yeah, I saw that-
Issei moved his body again, avoiding a swipe from Kuroka.
Her speed was blinding.
The girl was surrounded in a red veil of ki. Her movements were beyond that of other opponents but paled in comparison to someone like Kali.
He blocked one of her attacks before kicking her away.
Kuroka righted herself in mid-air and stared at Issei.
Issei stared at Kuroka.
"I won't leave her. Not this time. Not after everything… it's my duty as her older sister to protect her," Kuroka said.
"Your duty? I heard the story! You abandoned her after you got drunk on your own power! You killed your master and left her to be executed by the Devils!" Issei fired back.
"Ahahah, ahahahaha! Ahahahaha!" Kuroka let out a cackle. But it was not the laugh of someone finding a joke humorous, this was the laugh of someone who was broken.
"Is that what you were told? That I got drunk off my own power? Tell me, Red Dragon Emperor. Do you have a sister?" Kuroka asked.
Issei grimaced. "Yeah… we're not related but we're all we have."
"Then you should understand where I'm coming from. Family protects each other. No matter what I have to do. No matter what I have to suffer alone. I will make sure she's safe, Red Dragon," Kuroka said.
Issei remained silent as Miyo's words reverberated in his ears.
Would you do anything if it meant keeping her safe? Even if it meant…
Issei could see now what Miyo meant. This was how far Kuroka would go to keep Koneko safe. This was the depths of her resolve. She went so far as to kill her own king for keeping Koneko safe. At least, that was what Issei had gleaned from the entire situation.
"I would rather have a sister that's alive and hates me rather than one that's dead," she said.
"Tell me, Red Dragon Emperor. How far are you willing to go for your own sister?"
Issei was at a loss for words. He would never resort to something as callous as abandonment and murder. Would he?
Kuroka stared at Issei, awaiting his answer. As she was about to speak, Bikou crashed into her, sending them flying across the sky.
"Bikou! What the hell!?" Kuroka yelled, pushing him off.
"Sorry, Kuroka. But we gotta go. We've been here too long and these chicks aren't pushovers," Bikou said, landing on Flying Nimbus.
"Irina? Mii-chan?"
The two appeared in front of Issei with their blades brandished.
"Malkuth… one of the Divine Keys of the Sefirot."
Malkuth? Issei asked.
"It's that red blade your friend is holding. It's one of the 10 Sefirot and the key that corresponds to Kingdom," Mastema explained.
"Tch! Fine then!" Kuroka said.
She stepped forward and raised her hand into the air.
A massive sphere made of blue energy manifested above her, expanding until it was the size of a small skyscraper.
"Woah…" Issei said.
"What the…?" Irina stared wide-eyed at the sphere.
Mitsuki clenched her blade tightly, preparing to enter her Balance Breaker to slice the sphere in half.
"My, my. I always have to save you, don't I, Mii-chan?"
Mitsuki turned around and saw Ingvild below them with a smile on her face.
"S- Shut up! We can take care of this by ourselves!" Mitsuki protested.
"Aw, but your friend with the Divine Key and your Longinus-wielding brother get to have a turn. Now it's mine," Ingvild said.
She raised her hand before her, pointing it at Kuroka and her energy-sphere. "I'm going to steal your favorite spell, Mii-chan."
A violet magic circle appeared in front of Ingvild's hand. Another circle appeared in front of that, and then another and another until there were a total of five circles before her initial circle. The circles spun in an opposite manner to the circle before it, gathering an immense amount of magical energy.
"Moonshadow Beam."
A violent purple beam of energy exploded from the palm of Ingvild's hand, piercing Kuroka's energy sphere like a balloon.
The energy sphere exploded violently in the air, bathing the entire area in blue light. Winds and tremors battered the entire Gremory Estate as everyone was forced to erect a barrier to keep from being blown away.
"W- What was?" Kuroka asked, swiping the smoke away.
Kuroka's gaze landed on Ingvild, who was giving her a cocky smirk. Her anger was at a boiling point. Her playful demeanor had all but vanished.
A spear made of ki appeared in her right hand. She reared back and took aim at Ingvild, who kept looking at her.
Kuroka threw her hand forward, launching the spear at Ingvild.
Ingvild held her hand out and the spear froze in mid-air, mere centimeters from her hand.
"It's over. Surrender, Stray Cat Kuroka," Ingvild said.
"Over my dead bo-" before she could finish, another person appeared and grabbed her. The man had blonde hair and was dressed in a royal blue suit. He grabbed the back of her kimono and tossed her at Bikou, who caught and restrained her.
"Let me go!" Kuroka thrashed in Bikou's grip.
"Sorry, Kuroka. Vali's orders," the man said.
"Arthur, you pansy coward!" Kuroka screamed.
Issei dropped into a stance and prepared to attack when his entire body froze.
W- What?
"Don't attack him. That man is dangerous. That sword in his hand is the Strongest Holy Blade, Caliburn," Mastema warned.
What? First, another one of Vali's friends shows up and he also has the strongest Holy Sword? Issei thought.
"We have to leave now. Lady Asmodeus has noticed our presence here and is preparing to come down herself," Arthur said.
He turned to face Issei.
"Red Dragon Emperor, I apologize for my comrades' behaviors. Let us meet again, under different circumstances," Arthur said.
"Wait!" Issei called out.
Arthur stopped and glanced over his shoulder.
"Vali. Where is he?" Issei asked.
"I am not at liberty to discuss that information with you, Red Dragon Emperor," Arthur replied.
Without saying another word, he drew Caliburn from its sheath and slashed the air in front of him.
A rip in the fabric of space and time opened.
"Arthur, I swear to everything that you hold dear. If you make me step through that portal, I will-"
Before she could finish, Bikou jumped through the rift, drowning out Kuroka's protests.
"Goodbye, Red Dragon Emperor."
Arthur stepped through and the rift closed behind him.
"So after everything, this Rating Game is still playing out?" Ingvild asked, sitting next to Mitsuki.
The aftermath of Kuroka's attack on the Gremory Manor had not been overlooked. Sirzechs had sent out an entire search squad to comb every meter of the Gremory Household. There was not a stone that was left unturned nor was there a crack left unexplored. However, all attempts at locating their base were futile. Despite that, the Satans pushed forward with their planned Rating Game.
"It's to keep everything in order and maintain the illusion that nothing is wrong," Mitsuki said, watching as one of Sona's pieces got eliminated.
"But… that's the thing. Aside from Khaos Brigade, there's something else here," she said.
"Hmm?"
"I didn't have much time to discuss this with you since you were recovering against Kali but…" Ingvild trailed off.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Lady Asmodeus believes that a separate force has infiltrated the Underworld," Ingvild said.
"Is it… Is it Serpent's Seed?" Mitsuki asked.
"Who knows?" Ingvild replied. "But one thing I can tell you is… that the day you guys arrived in the Underworld. All the strange phenomena happening around Kuoh and the surrounding areas suddenly stopped."
Taiyo-Keiji Ryu
The Solar Revelation Style forged by Shizuka Shidou's watching of the dance of Ama-no-Uzume, benefactor of the Shidou Clan.
It is the polar opposite of the Adashino Clan's Oborozuki-Ryu.
A style forged in the age of the Gods and imbued by the powers of the Sun.
Oborozuki-Ryu
The Hazy Moon Style forged by Kazuki Adashino after witnessing the Eigo no Otsukumi of the Moon God, Tsukuyomi.
It is the polar opposite of the Shidou Clan's Taiyo-Keiji Ryu.
A style forged in the age of the Gods and imbued with the powers of the Moon.
Divine Keys
Superweapons from a bygone Era forged by the hands of God.
These weapons wield terrible and awe-inspiring abilities.
However, the existence and knowledge of these weapons are few and far in between.
These are the prototypes of what would become known as The Sacred Gear.
Divine Key - Malkuth
A Superweapon from the Era before the Great Flood.
It wields the power over the powers of Nature and the Cosmic Forces of the Universe.
Its mechanics and power exceed the understanding of current-day magic and science.
To Antydethy: Yeah. They're like an all-purpose ID Card that also functions as a smartphone with more features than anything Apple or Samsung could ever dream of having. Imagine having a phone that can detect the curvature of the fabric of space and time. The Not-SCP Foundation has more tech that I want to introduce and that Azazel would most likely collab with them over. Most of the tech they had is the product of years of research and attempting to replicate the Sacred Gear.
To Megar007: I will introduce an official power ranking later.
Alright, sorry if the fight wasn't what you wanted it to be. I rewrote this chapter several times and this version was what I felt comfortable with the most. Mostly due to the fact that I have a difficult time writing Koneko as a character so I had to get input from a Koneko expert - NecroGodYami. Please go check out his fic, Cat Got Your Tongue. It comes in one-shot form and full story form!
This chapter was mostly to affirm something that will happen much later on in the Arc and to set up the mysteries of the Divine Keys (Name stolen from Honkai Impact 3rd). These weapons will be an important focus in the Second Volume after Beelzebub's defeat. For now, all you need to know is that they're weapons underneath the control of Heaven... mostly. Now, let's talk about Kuroka. Kuroka is much different from how I wrote her in previous incarnations of TM. I decided to fuck it and add tragic character into the mix that Issei can sympathize with... on a spiritual level. She'll play a bigger role than she did originally... (originally was just one of Issei's cocksleeves in the old versions). How much of a bigger role? Well, that's for much later as she won't appear much anymore during this arc.
Also, did anyone catch me revealing Beelzebub's plan without actually revealing Beelzebub's plans? I hope so because kudos to you!
And Taiyo-Keiji Ryu (Solar Revelation Style) is the opposite to Mitsuki's Oborozuki-Ryu (Hazy Moon Style). I thought it'd be nice to give Irina the same powerups she got in the old one but do it in a different manner.