Lily sat in the middle of the floor, coloring inside her notebook. It was a gift from Issei and Mitsuki. She picked the notebook up and looked at it. It was a picture. A picture of her new family.
It hadn't been long since her old family died. And Lily missed her mother and brother dearly. There were times when she would fall into a random panic whenever she saw someone with red hair. And Lily still wasn't sure whether or not she could trust these people. However, she knew that Issei and Mitsuki wouldn't hurt her.
She stopped coloring in her notebook for a few seconds and glanced at the clock.
It was only 6 pm.
Issei and Mitsuki were still out.
"Lily, are you hungry?"
Lily looked behind her.
This woman with silver hair. They said her name was Grayfia Lucifuge.
She was the scary maid from the house they visited over the summer. The one who was the mom of that red-haired boy who kept following her around. Issei and Mitsuki said that she had to listen to her while they were gone. And she was a good girl so she listened to them. She didn't want Mitsuki and Issei to die like her old family.
After all, it was her own fault that her family died.
She had overheard it when that weird crow man came to visit the house. It was because Lily was born with Devil blood that her old family was killed right in front of her. Not that she completely understood what death was. Most children her age had no concrete understanding of death after all. They were capable of perceiving it for others yet her own death was something a child her age would never understand. All she knew was that her family was gone and that they would never come back to her.
Lily nodded in response to her question.
"Wait here, I'll go get something for you," Grayfia said, closing her book.
Lily nodded and continued doodling in her notebook.
As she listened to Grayfia going through the kitchen supplies, Lily felt a chill run down her spine.
She dropped her crayon and began to hold herself. Her eyes became unfocused and her breathing increased. Her heart began to hammer against the walls of her chest. Lily shook as images of that day assaulted her mind once more. She brought her knees up against her chest and held the sides of her head, whimpering in fear.
Grayfia walked into the room with a bowl of ramen when she noticed Lily's posture.
She placed the bowl of ramen down on the table and knelt next to her. Her motherly instincts were threatening to break her usual stoic persona.
"Lily, Lily? Are you okay?" Grayfia gently touched her arm.
However, when she did, Lily screamed and backpedaled away from Grayfia.
She began hyperventilating and sobbing at once. Her body was rocking back and forth against the couch as she tried to block out the sensation invading her mind.
"E- Eh? Is she… having a panic attack?" Grayfia muttered to herself.
Lily sat there, crying and shaking her head.
They were getting closer.
Any second now, they were going to-
But that second passed too soon.
An explosion of glass and wood interrupted her countdown.
Grayfia grabbed Lily and shielded her from the blast.
"We finally got the go-ahead."
A familiar voice sent a wave of fear down her spine.
"Hey, Little Girl. Remember me?" Sorin walked into the house, picking something out of his teeth. His yellow eyes glowed ominously.
Lily hid behind Grayfia, who turned around to face their attacker with a glare on her face.
"Oh? A Maid? You look familiar…" Sorin squinted his eyes. "Ah! That's right! You look like Lucrezia Lucifuge, that old dead bitch! Ahahaha! You must be a Lucifu-"
"Leave." Grayfia stood up. A silver aura coated her entire body. Her eyes began to glow with an ominous shade of red. The ground shook violently and frost began to crawl across the floor toward Sorin.
The table began to age rapidly and the entire dimension of the room began to tilt.
"Ohoho! Moon Dial! I haven't seen that since this little girl aged up Runeas's arm," Sorin said.
"I said leave. Leave before I am forced to interfere," she said.
"Oh? And what are you going to do? Hmmm? You're just a maid," Sorin said, picking at the frills on Grayfia's uniform.
Grayfia's eyes dulled.
And in that very instant, Sorin found himself on the front lawn of the Hyoudou Household. In the next second, an intense pain, the likes of which he hadn't felt since the Great War, wracked his body, setting every nerve he had on fire. There was a massive gaping hole in his torso. His intestines were strewn across the grass and his stomach was punctured and leaking stomach acid into his abdominal cavity.
"I said what would happen if you didn't leave, didn't I?" Grayfia hovered above him like an angel of death.
She snapped her fingers and several magic circles appeared behind her.
"You… You bitch!" Sorin warbled out. He slowly got to his feet, his intestines still hanging out. His body was rapidly regenerating from the lethal injury he was dealt. Sorin ripped off the hanging entrails, allowing his body to repair itself.
High-speed regeneration? This will be a nuisance to deal with, Grayfia thought. However, it's of no concern.
The circles spun and glowed brightly. A hail of energy blasts rained down on Sorin, impaling him in various spots. The barrage was as fast as his regenerative capabilities, puncturing his flesh as soon as it reformed.
"Raaggh!" Sorin's aura exploded from his aura. Clumps of water began to form in the air.
Grayfia narrowed her eyes and glanced at the water droplets cautiously.
In the blink of an eye, the water droplets transformed and became highly dense needles. They sped toward Grayfia like a swarm of hornets.
Unperturbed by the situation, Grayfia swiped her hand.
Dimension Split.
Space bent around her. Reality fragmented momentarily like glass, shattering all the water needles and slicing them into oblivion.
"Damn, Lucifuge!" Sorin roared.
He took off towards Grayfia. The moisture in the air condensed and swirled around him. Demonic power surged from his body, generating more water until a massive 50 meter dragon towered above them.
"Die!" he yelled.
Grayfia flattened her hand into a knife-hand. Swirls of pink demonic power began to gather into her hand and traveled up her arm, coating it in a light pink aura. Space warped around her arm and she widened her stance with her knife arm held out behind her.
Subspace Tear!
She rushed to meet Sorin, flying past him with her hand outstretched.
Sorin gasped as he felt his body sliding apart alongside the dimensional fabric of their surroundings.
His body fell to the ground, hitting it with a sickening wet slap. Sorin groaned as black smoke poured from his lower half, reforming it.
Grayfia walked over to him and planted her foot on his head, grinding his skull into the ground.
"I gave you a chance to walk out, Original Sitri. It's very unfortunate that you decided not to take the offer," Grayfia said coldly.
"Pfft… ahahaha… how else would I have gotten you out here?" he gasped.
"What…?" Grayfia's eyes widened.
"Did you think I was fighting you seriously? Even if you are stronger than me, there was no way I wouldn't have tried to even the odds. Didn't you find it strange that I didn't enter my Qliphoth Form?" Sorin laughed.
A scream pierced through the air.
"Lily!" Grayfia said.
"Runeas must have gotten to her already," Sorin chuckled.
Grayfia took her foot off his head. With one flap of her wings, she took to the air, speeding towards the fifth floor.
Her eyes widened when she saw a woman with long flowing red hair styled in a two-sided updo. The woman possessed a transcendental beauty that made Grayfia's mind falter for a second. The woman - who she assumed was Runeas - resembled Sirzechs, Annalise, and Rias so greatly. Her lavender eyes glanced at her for a few seconds before she focused on the little girl within her grasp.
"Sleep."
Her eyes glowed and changed shape. Two concentric rings of runes appeared around her pupils and a bird-like design manifested in her eye. The rings spun lazily as she locked eyes with the young girl.
Lily's eyes dulled before she fell over and passed out.
"Let her go." Grayfia threatened.
She slapped her hands together before spreading them out. Space folded and shifted into a glass javelin.
Runeas regarded her as one would regard a speck of dust. The sheer disinterest in Grayfia's presence irked Grayfia greatly.
She fired it at Runeas's unprotected back.
Runeas glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes glowed.
"Wha-!?" Grayfia coughed, sending blood splattering all over the floor. She shakily looked down and saw her own javelin jutting out of her stomach.
"Sorin. Let's go. I've retrieved the girl," Runeas said.
"You… You…" Grayfia ripped the javelin out of her torso. Blood flowed profusely from her abdomen.
"Mmm? You're still alive? As expected of the current Lucifer's wife," Runeas said.
Lily lay in Runeas's arms, completely unconscious.
"Unfortunately, I don't have time to deal with you. So… this is goodbye, Grayfia Lucifuge," Runeas said.
"Wait-!"
Before she could finish, Runeas's left eye glowed and a vortex of smoke appeared around them, swallowing her and Lily whole.
"Shit!" she ran to the edge of the opening and looked down to see that Sorin had vanished as well.
"I need to-" she fell to her knees. Her vision became hazy and she became lightheaded. Grayfia held her hand to her abdomen, casting healing magic on her wound before she could lose more blood.
"Call Sirzechs Lucifer!" Grayfia commanded.
A magic circle appeared in front of her, pulsating erratically.
Mitsuki sat on a rock, watching the battle rage on around them. They had cleaned their side of the field and now she had nothing to do. Corpses of devils from the Old Satan Faction lay around her. Each had various fatal wounds to their person, most of which originated from Mitsuki's beloved blade, Yorihime. She blew a strand of hair off her face and turned to Irina.
Her childhood friend was humming happily as she cleaned any excess blood off the blade of Malkuth.
"Rin, I'm bored," Mitsuki said.
"Eh? Really? What about the massive power signature you sensed over by Lord Azazel?" Irina asked.
"They're handling it. I sensed Sirzechs appear there a few minutes after. Even still… that massive energy isn't making a move. I'm kind of getting worried now," Mitsuki said, standing up.
"I don't think we can do anything for now. All we can do is wait for this to roll over and stop," Irina said.
"Yeah. I just wish these guys didn't go down so easily," Mitsuki said, prodding one of the corpses with her boot. "Maybe we should go help Ingvild clear her sector. I'm sure she'd appreciate the- Oh?"
A magic circle with the Leviathan crest appeared in front of her.
"Speak of the devil." Mitsuki swiped the circle and answered the call. "Need help-!"
"M- Mitsu-! -suki! We have- ergency!" The message was warbled and cut off at certain parts.
"Huh? Ingvild? Ingvild? What's going on? The signal is…"
"Mii-chan," Irina said, tugging her arm.
"What? What is… it…" the words died in her throat when she saw the sky overhead change color.
The sky of the Rating Game field which had once been a bright shade of reddish pink had darkened considerably. It was as if something was interfering with the very dimension of the Rating Game Space. As Ingvild's broken attempts at establishing contact continued, Mitsuki felt something she wish she didn't feel.
The nature of this energy was filled with rage and sorrow. It wanted to rip everything apart around it and burn it all down to the ground. And yet, behind all of these negative emotions, she instinctively knew in her heart who it belonged to.
"No… they were supposed to be gone from here. Why are they still here?" she muttered.
"You felt it too," Irina said.
"Aniki. He's still here and-"
"MITSUKI!"
"What!? What is it!?" she snapped.
"Thank fuck! I've been trying to get a clear-cut signal here! Listen, we don't have much time! I'm sure you sensed it too! Issei's energy is still here and not only that but… the entire Rating Game Dimension has changed! You can feel it too! All communication with the outside world has vanished and all points of exit have been barred! We can't leave!" Ingvild said.
"What does this have to do with what happened to Aniki?" Mitsuki asked.
"Everything. A few minutes ago, the warding I put up at the Hyoudou Manor like you requested was obliterated. And… you know what that means…"
A silence formed between Mitsuki and Ingvild for a few seconds. Mitsuki's breathing increased considerably. Her pupils dilated and sweat began to trickle down her forehead. It took her a mere second to realize what Ingvild was insinuating. She grabbed Yorihime and began walking towards the cliff.
"I'm going, Ingvild. Meet me and Irina where we felt Aniki's energy," she said.
"Got it. Nona Ouroboros out," Ingvild replied.
"Moon Halo out," Mitsuki said.
"Eh? Mitsuki? Where are we-" Irina was interrupted by Mitsuki.
"We have to go. No time to explain but… Aniki's in danger!" Mitsuki said.
"Eh? Issei?" Irina grabbed Malkuth and ran after her.
Her wings unfurled from her back and she took off, flying towards Issei's fluctuating energy signature at high speeds.
"Wait! What's going on!?" Irina asked, struggling to keep up with her.
"No time! I promise I'll explain later but we have to get there before…"
"Before?"
"Before they take Aniki!"
Beelzebub landed on the ledge. His toxic yellow eyes looked down at the large cloud of dust that rose into the air. He looked down at his hands before performing a few stretches. Standing on his tip-toes, he stretched his arms into the air. This girl was incapable of drawing out the full extent of his power. Any more and this vessel would explode. Not that he cared. He just hated having to clean up afterward.
"Akeno! What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Rias yelled, running over in her direction.
Shalba landed in front of them, causing them all to slide to a stop.
"That is no longer Akeno. The one you knew as Akeno Himejima is nothing more than a vessel for the venerable Original Devil King. One of the Seven Prime Demons! The Lord of Hunger, Beelzebub!" Shalba announced.
There was a clear hint of pride in his voice. His inflections rose higher than they normally were and the stoic disgusted look he had on his face was replaced with one of pride and admiration.
That pride was soon shattered when Beelzebub merely glanced over his shoulder.
"Oh right, you're still here," Beelzebub said, turning around to face them.
"Lord Beelzebub, do you want me to-"
"You're noisy," Beelzebub said.
"E- Eh?" Shalba took a step back when he saw Beelzebub pointing his finger at him.
"I said you're noisy. I should've known. You know what it's like, right Rias Gremory? These fans. They follow us everywhere and beg us for crumbs," Beelzebub said, twisting his finger slightly.
"What are you…?"
"L- Lord Beelzebub! I am your descendant-"
"And? Bidleid's dead and Soraya ran off. You're not my child but merely one of my descendants therefore I have no reason to care for you at all," Beelzebub said. "In fact… you're nothing more than a loose end."
"But… I proved my loyalty to you-"
"You proved nothing. You see… all you proved is that you're a slimy, sniveling rat who would sooner betray their master at the first opportunity to do so and I, for one, do not take chances with traitors," Beelzebub said.
"W- Wait! Please! I would never-"
"Dear Grandpa in Heaven, you're so noisy," Beelzebub sighed.
His eyes glowed and he kept pointing at Shalba, twirling his finger.
Shalba's hands flew to his throat, scratching at his neck. Numerous writhing masses began to form under his skin, wriggling their way up his trachea. Shalba fell to the ground with one hand supporting his upper body and the other reaching out towards the Gremory Peerage.
Rias and the others took a step back when they saw a mass slithering underneath Shalba's face.
"Hel-" he never finished his cry for help when a large bloody maggot crawled out of his mouth. Bits of tissue from Shalba's throat was stuck to the hooks on its mouth. Acidic spit oozed from the hole, dropping onto Shalba's lips.
Rias and the others watched in mute horror as maggots began to burrow their way out of Shalba's flesh like groundhogs on a prairie. Each one of them squirmed their way out and wriggled on Shalba's skin before burrowing into a different part of his flesh.
Shalba fell to the ground face first, spasming every few seconds as the maggots devoured him from the inside out. The putrid stench of flesh being dissolved and the sounds of writhing, wriggling larvae filled the air. A mix of blood and stomach contents flowed out onto the ground. Shalba's head, or what remained of it, was slowly being devoured. His eye began to slowly melt and his hair fall off slowly. A maggot writhed its way out of Shalba's eye socket, drinking the dissolved remains of Shalba's eye.
"Y- You!" Rias fought the urge to vomit. "How could you do that to your own descendant?"
"Mmm? Why you say? There is a fine line between leaving an organization for a cause you believe in and leaving others behind for your own greed. This brat fell into the latter. All he amounted to was a rat merely seeking more power. His greed is the reason for his entire existence and people like him will be easily swayed by the promise of more power," Beelzebub said.
"Therefore, don't you think it would make more sense to clean up people like them?" Beelzebub asked.
"Tch! You…"
"Do you even feel bad for him? He killed your friend," Beelzebub said.
"!?" Rias's eyes widened before she returned her glare.
"Those eyes remind me of Runeas. So fierce yet you know you're powerless to do anything," Beelzebub said.
"I'll show you powerless!" Rias growled. She raised her hands before her and gathered demonic power.
"Mmm. I guess this is where I get to listen to your heroic speech." Beelzebub picked his ear before holding his arms out. "Come on. I'll even help."
A smirk spread across his face.
However, before Rias could attack, an ear-piercing roar shattered the air.
"Huh?" Beelzebub saw Issei's massive armored claw slam down into his body. The impact blew everyone away and shattered the entire cliffside.
Issei growled and cleared the dust with his wings. However, his talons had hit nothing but air.
"Ahh! That almost got me!" Beelzebub said as he stood on one of the pillars. His six dragonfly wings were spread and a black halo was above his head.
"The main spectacle hasn't even started yet and you're already this fired up! I hope you display the same enthusiasm when we finally begin the main game," Beelzebub said.
Issei roared and took off towards Beelzebub in a burst of speed.
Beelzebub jumped off the pillar, dodging Issei as he rammed through it.
He landed on the ground and looked up to see Issei changing his trajectory.
"RAAAGGGHH!" Issei charged toward Beelzebub. His wings flapped, increasing his speed. A loud boom shattered the air as Issei slammed into Beelzebub.
The force of the impact shattered the ground beneath them and sent powerful tremors across the entire area.
Issei snarled and roared, attempting to push his fist forward.
Beelzebub smirked as he held his hand out, holding Issei back with one finger.
"Oh no no, Issei. You haven't even gotten the hang of your power yet," Beelzebub taunted.
"He… He's holding Issei back," Rias said.
A concussive force exploded from his fingers as he finger flicked him, sending Issei flying through the rubble of the shrine and off the island.
"Issei!" Rias yelled.
"Don't worry. He'll be back right about now…" Beelzebub flicked his fingers, knocking Issei away once more.
"He's flicking Issei away like a fly. How do we even stop him?" Yuuto said, gripping his arm.
As Rias was about to speak, Issei burst into the air. His two pairs of wings were spread and aura began to concentrate around him. Divine-Demonic power mixed with the draconic energy of Boosted Gear swirled violently around Issei.
The chest piece of the Boosted Gear's Juggernaut Drive opened, revealing a green core. The energy swirled and condensed within the core, causing it to glow brightly and bathe the entire sky in crimson light.
"President. We have to go or we'll be blasted away," Yuuto said, walking up to Rias.
"I can't… Issei needs me. He needs me to-"
[Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost] [Boost]
A series of Boosts were announced by the Boosted Gear.
"No time! Koneko, grab Xenovia!" Yuuto said.
"W- Wait! Yuuto-!" Yuuto grabbed Rias and took off into the air with the others.
"Oh? This is the famous…" Beelzebub narrowed his eyes and widened his stance slightly. His wings spread fully and the halo began to glow darker. A smile spread across his face and a bout of laughter escaped from his throat.
"Very well! Hit me with everything you have, Dragon of Domination!"
The area warped around Beelzebub. Hands erupted from the ground and began to clap mockingly at Issei's efforts while the mouths that appeared in the air began to laugh. Beelzebub spread his arms, allowing himself to become an easier target for Issei to hit.
Issei roared. His aura increased and his power grew even higher. The entire area was shaking as if an earthquake had struck it. Clouds swirled in the sky and red lightning rained down on the battlefield.
The Gremory Peerage was forced to erect a shield to block the lightning.
In the distance, Irina and Mitsuki were struggling to fly past the buffeting winds.
"What the hell?" Mitsuki shielded her face.
"Issei!" Irina yelled.
Issei let out a growl. The emerald glow on his chest pulsated for a split second before an announcement from the Boosted Gear was heard.
[Longinus Smasher!]
A powerful beam of green energy shot forth from Issei's chest, bathing the sky in an emerald hue. The beam ripped through the air, creating powerful winds strong enough to displace the earth and send rocks flying into the air.
Beelzebub grinned and held his hand out in front of him.
What happened next was inconceivable to all those watching. The green energy came to a grinding halt in front of Beelzebub as if the brakes had been hit on a moving vehicle. The force of the stop sent a shockwave that blew back Beelzebub's hair and cracked the ground around him.
"Hmph. You're wasting your energy, Issei," Beelzebub chastised.
The energy beam warped and began to narrow as it was being absorbed into Beelzebub's hand. The entire attack began to weaken and fizzle out as it was sucked in. In a matter of seconds, the Longinus Smasher had been completely absorbed by Beelzebub. He closed his fist and let out a small burp.
"So this is Dragon Energy but… Divine-Demonic power… it's the same as…" Beelzebub narrowed his eyes before turning to face Issei.
[Mastema, that was the…]
"Yeah, it was. The Keter Shel Achlanut. One of the special powers granted to the Seven Prime Demons. Unlike the other Original Devils, the Prime Demons can be born with more than one inborn ability. Beelzebub is a prime example. The Lord of the Flies grants him the ability to create and manipulate arthropods and the Keter Shel Achlanut… or Crown of Gluttony. A defensive ability that allows him to absorb all energy-based attacks whether it be divine, demonic, or even magic," Mastema explained.
[I know that ability all too well… from when Albion and I were…]
Mastema remained silent.
"Now that we're done with that. Shall we continue?" Beelzebub said, stepping forward.
Issei snarled and charged toward the Prime Demon.
Beelzebub dodged Issei's attack, staying out of the reach of his talons.
Issei's segmented tail came out of his left.
He raised his hand and caught the appendage, lifting Issei into the air and slamming him into the ground.
Issei groaned and was about to get to his feet when Beelzebub's foot filled his vision and sent him flying across the island.
"I have to admit. I wish I had let you assume the complete Juggernaut Drive," Beelzebub said. "This is turning out to be a very disappointing test run."
He walked towards the downed Issei.
In the distance, Rias watched with clenched fists. She tightened them to the point where she began to bleed from her hands.
"Issei…" she said.
"RIAS!"
She turned around upon hearing her name. Mitsuki, Ingvild, and Irina landed on the magic circle platform.
"Mitsuki, I-"
"What the hell is going on? Why are you still here!?" she demanded.
"Diodora captured Asia so we went to get her back. But…" Rias glanced over to Issei and Beelzebub, who were now resuming their battle.
"Is that Ise?" Irina gasped.
"He's activated the Juggernaut Drive. This is… a problem," Ingvild said, crossing her arms.
"And he's fighting… Akeno? Why is Akeno engaging Aniki in combat?" Mitsuki asked. However, before anyone could answer her question, Mitsuki saw Akeno's eyes. The shade was the same as her grandmother's yet it held a more dark and more malicious shade to it.
"He calls himself Beelzebub," Rias said. "And I have no doubt that it is the Original Beelzebub."
"Serpent's Seed," Ingvild said. "They're here for Issei. They're using the Khaos Brigade's attack as a smokescreen for their real goal. To capture the last of the Fallen."
"We can't just stand here and let this happen! I'm going out there-" Rias began.
"And do what? Do you think you can fight a Prime Demon by yourself? Running out there is suicide!" Ingvild said.
"Even still I-" she tried to say.
"So, it was the Juggernaut Drive after all."
The group turned around to see a rift opening in front of them. A young man with spiky silver hair and hazel eyes stepped out. He had a lean muscular figure and was dressed in a black blazer with a white button-up v-neck over a green tank top. He had maroon pants and grey shoes with a white belt hanging slightly off his hip. His deceptively lean stature belied the power he held underneath. The power was on par with that of Ingvild's own demonic power.
"White Dragon Emperor… Vali Lucifer," Rias said.
Bikou stepped out of the rift after him, holding his staff on his shoulder.
"I only came because I sensed a shift in Issei's condition but…"
Vali looked past them towards the raging battle.
"So that's him huh?" he asked.
Rias nodded.
"His transformation appears to be incomplete and…" his hazel eyes landed on Akeno.
In an instant, Vali felt an overwhelming pressure slam onto his shoulders, threatening to send him down to his hands and knees.
"Who… Who is that?" Vali asked.
"Beelzebub," Mitsuki answered. "He's taken control of Akeno Himejima's body."
"A Prime Demon. Here," he muttered.
"Vali. What do you want us to do?" Arthur asked, stepping out with Asia in his arms.
"A- Asia?" the peerage said in surprise and relief.
The girl lay in Arthur's arms, completely unconscious.
Arthur smiled. "We happened across her while we were in the Dimensional Gap. Thankfully, we saved her before the Gap killed her. But it seems that we have bigger matters to attend to," he said, turning to the battle.
"Even if it's incomplete," Mitsuki said. Her eyes turned to meet Vali's. "I've read that the Juggernaut Drive consumes the life force of its wielder."
Vali nodded.
"W- What!? Is there any way to turn him back!?" Rias asked.
"Since it's incomplete, it can be done but… I doubt he'll let us do it," Vali said, looking at Beelzebub.
Beelzebub caught Issei's jaws before flipping him and throwing him into the ground.
"We need to get to Aniki before Beelzebub captures him," Mitsuki said, stepping forward.
"Mitsuki-"
"Ingvild, we'll be fine. We have the White Dragon Emperor with us, you, me, and Irina. We can handle this," she said. We have to… she added as an afterthought.
"When did I ever say I would help you?" Vali asked.
Mitsuki turned to face him and walked over to Vali. Her eyes turned red and she grabbed Vali by the collar, bringing her face close to his.
Surprised by her action, Vali couldn't help but blush at the close proximity of their faces.
"Because if he dies, I'm killing you next. And besides," she pushed Vali back, sending him stumbling.
"What would you ever do without a rival?" Mitsuki said.
Vali straightened his collar and narrowed his eyes at her. He slowly turned to look at Issei.
"I know that as a complete stranger, you have no reason to help me but if you even care one bit about wanting to fight Issei at his fullest, then, at least help us save him," Mitsuki finished.
She spread her wings and took off, leaving them all behind.
"That idiot," Irina muttered under her breath. She spread her wings and took off after her.
Ingvild glanced between Vali and her friends before following them.
Mitsuki sped towards Beelzebub at blinding speeds, using her demonic power and touki to coat her entire body in lightning. Her hand gripped the sheath of Yorihime tightly and her finger rested on the trigger.
"Aniki… just wait for me…" she said.
"And what are you going to do once you reach him?"
Mitsuki looked to her left and saw Vali flying next to her.
"Fight him. Or at least, hold him off long enough for Sirzechs and Azazel to get here," she replied.
"You'll die," Vali said.
"Then I'll die trying," Mitsuki said, brushing off his statement nonchalantly.
Vali nodded and looked towards the two clashing titans. Were it not for the fact that Issei Hyoudou was his rival, he would have left them there. And Vali would never hand over let someone defeat his rival before he did. That was what Vali told himself.
(Vali, what are you going to do?) Albion asked.
I'm going to help them. Considering there are two targets here, then… Vali replied.
(Remember that in order to contain the Red Dragon, you need to make contact in order to use Divide. And… be careful of the Lord of Hunger.) Albion warned.
Vali nodded.
(Vanishing Dragon Balance Breaker)
Mitsuki's eyes widened when a silvery-white armor similar to that of her brother's appeared around Vali's body. His wings of light stretched slightly before jetting off at high speeds toward Issei and Beelzebub.
(I who am about to awaken…)
Juggernaut Drive!? Mitsuki looked on in shock.
(Am the Heavenly Dragon who lost all to the principles of Supremacy.)
(I envy the "Infinite" and I pursue the "Dream".)
(I shall become the White Dragon of Supremacy)
(And I shall take you to the limits of white paradise.)
"Juggernaut Drive."
Vali's armor began to transform, becoming more draconic in appearance. His light wings grew larger and his gauntlets became bulkier. The pauldrons of his armor became spikier and two talons appeared on each of his light wings respectively. His greaves shifted, growing talons. A segmented tail extended from his back. And finally, his helm transformed to become more dragon-like, extending slightly into a snout yet not to the same extent as Issei.
"Damn! Don't just leave me behind like that!" Mitsuki yelled.
Balance Breaker: Code Verdandi.
Mitsuki's wings transformed into light wings and she was clad in her white and black armored bodysuit. She took off after Vali at similar speeds.
Beelzebub smirked as he planted his foot on Issei's neck. The Dragon beneath him struggled uselessly, having spent the majority of its power trying to fend him off.
He reached his hand out to grab Issei to dispel the Juggernaut Drive.
"And now… I shall harvest the fruits of our labor-"
Beelzebub's hand froze mid-reach. He quickly turned around and saw Vali's claws reaching for him.
The moment slowed to a crawl as Vali's hand began to close around his body. Or so they both thought. Vali's hand closed around nothing but air.
Beelzebub appeared next to Vali's head and kicked him away.
Vali was sent flying across the island and crashed into the ground.
"White Dragon Emperor…," Beelzebub muttered. "Mmm?"
He quickly raised his hand, blocking the lightning-filled blade of Yorihime.
"And… the wielder of Telos Karma," Beelzebub said.
"Tch! Ghhh!" Mitsuki growled and pushed her blade against Beelzebub's flesh.
"You should be more careful. This girl is your friend after all. But still, two more Longinus Wielders. What a pleasant surprise," he said.
With one powerful push, Beelzebub parried Yorihime.
Mitsuki stumbled back and an unseen force slammed into her, throwing her back and sending her crashing into the rubble.
"Mitsuki!"
Beelzebub looked up and saw a girl with violet hair and another girl with chestnut hair landing on the island.
A Leviathan? And the wielder of a Divine Key? Michael and the new Satans sure are working their butts off to consolidate this pantheon as something to be respected once more. Merely having a majority of the world's population under their grasp simply isn't cutting it anymore, especially with… Beelzebub's eyes glowed slightly. Well, it's no matter. Let's get what I came here for and…
He raised his hand, freezing the high-speed charge of the White Dragon Emperor.
"Finish this harvest," he said.
Beelzebub waved his hand and threw Vali towards Ingvild, Irina, and Mitsuki.
"Apollyon. Keep them off me while I finish this," Beelzebub said, turning his back to them.
"Understood, Lord Beelzebub," a voice said.
The air glitched and shimmered. A void opened up before them, threatening to swallow everything yet it did not. Instead, a figure appeared from the vortex and stepped onto the battlefield. In an instant, the people she was ordered to face froze upon the sight of her.
Her black cloak hid it well but they could see her feminine figure. She had long red hair cascading down to her back. Her pale skin shined underneath the artificial light of the dimensional space. She wore black combat boots that let out a heavy crunch as she stepped forward. And in the two holes of her mask, there were a pair of red eyes with a glowing blue pentagram-like design spinning slowly within them.
"What? She's that… she's that masked devil from the footage," Ingvild said.
"Don't take too long, Apollyon. Our operation can only last as long as time allows us to," Beelzebub said.
"Understood, Lord Beelzebub," Apollyon replied.
She stopped halfway between the Demon Lord and the others, standing like a sentinel in front of a castle.
Ingvild stared at the masked Devil warily.
"You think that… summoning a goon is going to stop me from getting over there," Mitsuki said, slowly getting up.
Red lightning crackled around her body.
"Then you got another thing coming for you!" In a flash, she was in front of Apollyon.
She pulled the trigger on her sheath, launching her sword out of its scabbard. Mitsuki gripped the hilt and spun, using the added momentum to increase the force of her attack.
Her sword arced through the air like the ax of an executioner. The blade, which easily sliced through the air around it, neared Apollyon's head only for it to pass through as if nothing were there.
The mere sight of it was enough to send Mitsuki into a stupor.
As her blade finished passing through Apollyon's skull harmlessly, the masked devil followed up by thrusting her knife hand toward Mitsuki's torso.
The sound of lightning crackling and birds chirping snapped her out of her reverie. And as Apollyon's hand was about to make contact, Mitsuki's body vanished into thin air and reappeared next to Irina.
"What… my attack didn't hit?" Mitsuki said.
Apollyon remained silent and lowered her arm.
A rush of wind alerted her to a figure behind her. She quickly turned and saw Vali's towering armored form behind her. With a speed that even Mitsuki had a hard time perceiving with her Precision, Vali delivered a devastating punch to Apollyon, creating a massive cloud of dust and shaking the entire island.
The mere impact would have been enough to turn the Devil beneath him into a blood splatter.
Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Apollyon stepped out of the dust cloud completely unharmed.
Blood-red lightning crackled around her hands and she jumped back. Apollyon fired a massive bolt of lightning at Vali.
(Divide)
Vali's wings glowed, halving the lightning bolt until nothing was left.
Without wasting a second, Vali flapped his wings and rushed towards her.
Apollyon skidded to a stop and looked up at the White Dragon Emperor.
Vali threw a series of high-speed jabs at Apollyon, all of which passed harmlessly through her body. He performed a roundhouse kick, intending to snap her neck with the blow. However, his kick also passed harmlessly through her body as if she wasn't there.
Is this an illusion, Albion? Vali asked.
(Not that I can tell. It's more like… this woman doesn't exist.)
As soon as Vali's leg passed completely through her skull, Apollyon raised her other arm and caught his leg.
Vali's eyes widened as he was forcefully slammed into the ground. The force of the impact cracked the Juggernaut Drive's armor.
She then dragged Vali across the ground before throwing him into the air with tremendous force.
Vali regained his bearings and caught himself when his eyes widened at the sight of Apollyon mere inches from his face.
"VALI! DODGE!"
Vali turned and saw a massive water dragon heading in his direction.
He quickly ascended into the air as the water dragon passed underneath, swallowing Apollyon whole.
However, like all the other attacks, Apollyon merely passed through the water dragon as if she were a ghost.
As Apollyon was about to attack, a swathe of flames flew towards her. The Devil dodged them, twisting her body around the waves of flame.
She turned around and saw Irina flying towards her at breakneck speeds. Malkuth was poised and ready to strike her down. Flames engulfed Irina's body as she became a flaming rocket that passed through Apollyon.
Irina stopped after gaining some distance from her and eyed the Masked Devil carefully.
"..." Apollyon dusted herself off as if she had been hit.
"Tch." Irina glared and clenched her jaw.
She descended to the ground and landed next to Ingvild and Mitsuki.
"Telos Karma wielder, it looks like that woman won't let us past her to get to Hyoudou and Beelzebub. What do you suggest?" Vali asked, landing in front of them.
"None of our attacks work against her. Magic or not. And you can't divide her since Divine Dividing needs to make contact with the target in order to halve their power and that woman caught on pretty quickly not to use energy attacks against you," Mitsuki said.
"That much was obvious," Vali replied.
Ingvild placed a hand on her chin. She glanced at Apollyon and saw that the masked devil was merely standing there and looking at them.
"She's not attacking us," Ingvild said.
"Huh?" the three turned to look at her.
"She's not attacking us. She's just there to keep us off them," she answered.
"How does that help us?" Vali asked.
"You and Mitsuki can go in while Irina and I go after Issei and Beelzebub."
"You want us to be the bait?" Mitsuki asked.
Ingvild nodded.
Vali glanced over to Mitsuki before sighing.
"I cannot maintain the Juggernaut Drive for long. If we're going to do this, I need to know that it's going to work," Vali said.
"I can't guarantee that. The whole point of this is to give us a better chance."
Vali pursed his lips into a thin line and sighed. "Fine. You, Telos Karma Wielder-"
"I have a name," she protested.
"Er… Mitsuki. Are you ready?" Vali asked.
"Are you seriously asking me that, White Dragon Emperor?" Mitsuki replied. She sheathed Yorihime and nodded to Vali.
The two kicked off their spots. Their sheer speed caused them to vanish from sight and reappear at Apollyon's sides in an instant. The two simultaneously attacked her, knowing that she would just phase through their attacks.
But their aim wasn't to do damage but to stall.
Apollyon phased through their attacks and jumped into the air. Using her demonic power, she created a temporary magic circle and used it as a platform.
Like a crimson bullet, she slammed into Vali at high speeds, sending him sliding back as he raised his arms in an x-formation to withstand the attack.
Mitsuki appeared behind her and swung her sword at Apollyon's exposed nape.
But, as with their other attacks, Yorihime passed through as if she didn't exist.
Apollyon slipped through them and landed a distance away.
Mitsuki landed next to Vali and observed her carefully.
She's taking the bait. All we need now is to…
Apollyon vanished from her spot, catching them off guard.
"Where did she-"
An explosion from behind alerted them.
Vali and Mitsuki quickly turned to see Ingvild and Irina jumping back.
Apollyon stood before them with her hand coated in red flames and lightning.
"She saw through our ploy!" Vali said, charging at her.
"No! Get back!" Ingvild yelled.
"What-"
Vali made a sharp right in order to avoid a massive pillar of lightning and flames. The move was so sudden that even his instincts couldn't perceive it in time to perform a divide. It was a last-minute movement made by his primordial animal brain.
Apollyon lifted off the ground and hovered above them.
RAAAAGGGGHHHHH!
Their battle was interrupted by the sound of Issei's roar. This roar was not one of anger but one of desperation. It was the cry of an animal fighting for its survival. Yet, there were traces of Issei's despair and anguish etched into it.
Beelzebub flew into the air, frowning as he looked down at Issei.
The boy was no longer using just the power of the Boosted Gear but rather now, the Shevirat Ha-Kelim had seeped into his aura. Parts of his armor were turning black and the gems on the skeletal dragon wings of the Juggernaut Drive were beginning to bleed into a ruby red.
Issei inhaled, gathering sparks of red energy and a stream of black miasma into his mouth. The swirling mass of miasma and sparks coalesced into a small sphere before his snout. In one desperate attempt to erase him, Issei fired the beam at Beelzebub.
The beam ripped through space, fragmenting it and tearing it to shreds.
Beelzebub's eyes widened.
This is…
He threw both his hands forward, holding back the blast. However, the blast detonated as soon as it made contact.
A sonorous explosion shattered the sky of the Rating Game Arena, leaving a blank white void in its wake. The shockwave of heat and wind blew over the entire space, forcing everyone to erect a shield lest they be blown away.
The black and red flaming sphere that sat in the sky's apex burned until a swirling force forced it to contract violently into a single point until it vanished.
Beelzebub hovered in the air, looking down at Issei with a look of surprise on his face. His vessel's clothes had been partially burned off in the explosion. The burns left by the energy could be healed but only to a certain extent.
He looked down at his hands, both of which had several burns of varying severity. Beelzebub clenched his fists before looking down at Issei once more.
The Red Dragon Emperor was now on its last legs. The steam it had built up was beginning to fade.
And…
Beelzebub looked to the west.
The Crimson Satan and Azazel are coming here… how troublesome. I wanted to test the product more but, I guess playtime is over.
Beelzebub's eyes glowed. His halo began to suck in the light around him. A black and green aura emanated from his vessel's body, causing blood to flow from her eyes and mouth. His demonic power increased drastically, warping the space of the area.
Mouths of varying sizes began to appear and hands erupted from the ground, grabbing onto Issei's legs.
Issei struggled against their grip to no avail. The hands were draining him of his power rapidly. In a matter of seconds, he would no longer have the energy to maintain the Juggernaut Drive.
He raised his head up, only to be violently slammed into the ground by Beelzebub's foot.
The force of the blow sent spiderweb cracks across the ground.
"Issei Hyoudou. I commend you for pushing my vessel to such lengths. I can't wait to see how you'll perform out in the field test along with the other Products," Beelzebub said, smiling.
He grabbed Issei by the throat and in a feat of inhuman strength, lifted him into the air. His hand squeezed Issei's neck tightly. Energy began to flow from Issei into Beelzebub, causing Issei to thrash around in a desperate attempt to break free.
"I can't have you burning through your life force like a dying star, Issei. You still have a role to play. You and so many others. One of you will be the key to the bottomless pit," Beelzebub said.
With one final pull, Beelzebub wrenched the remnants of Issei's energy from his body. The armor of the Juggernaut Drive cracked and shattered as it was forcefully dispelled by the Lord of Hunger's draining touch.
Issei fell to the ground, unconscious.
"A- Aniki! You-"
Mitsuki made to move towards Issei but stopped when Apollyon appeared in front of her.
"Apollyon. We're leaving. Take Issei Hyoudou. I need to go ahead and prepare him along with the next batch," Beelzebub said.
"Understood, Lord Beelzebub," Apollyon replied.
"AKENO!"
Beelzebub's eyes turned to see Rias and her peerage flying towards them out of the corner of his eye.
"This vessel has finished its purpose. I guess I no longer have use for it," Beelzebub said.
Akeno's head suddenly faced upward. Her mouth was agape and her body was frozen to its spot, standing ramrod straight. A black plume of smoke vacated Akeno's eyes and mouth, rising and twisting into the air where it exploded into a burst of green flames.
"Apollyon, don't take too long," Beelzebub said before fading away.
Akeno fell to the ground unconscious. Her body spasmed every few seconds.
Apollyon nodded and began walking toward Issei's unconscious body.
"You… if you think we're going to let you take Aniki, then you got another thing coming-"
"Fata Morgana."
Apollyon turned around and her eyes began to glow. The star pattern began to spin rapidly.
Mitsuki froze. Her body felt extremely heavy and an unusual fatigue descended upon her. Her eyelids began to close and she fell to her hands and knees. She glanced to the side and saw that the others had fallen unconscious.
"Stop… give… Aniki back to me," Mitsuki said, crawling forward.
She reached her hand out towards the unconscious Issei, who was scooped up into Apollyon's arms. The masked devils said nothing as she glanced down at the knocked-out Red Dragon Emperor in her grasp. Her eyes looked over to Mitsuki for a few seconds before proceeding to do her assigned task.
"Aniki… no…," Mitsuki rasped.
And the last thing Mitsuki saw before the sweet embrace of sleep claimed her was Issei and Apollyon being swallowed into a black vortex and disappearing from the field.
Apollyon
A mysterious agent of Serpent's Seed.
Powerful yet mercurial.
Her powers of Gremory and presence are eerily similar to that of Rias Gremory and Sirzechs Lucifer.
[]
Blacklight File Archive: File #10576
File Name: Apollyon
A mysterious enemy encountered by agents of Blacklight at the Rating Game.
Seemingly responsible for some of the kidnappings orchestrated by Serpent's Seed across the globe.
Her abilities are unknown. Appears to be able to phase through attacks, rendering her completely invulnerable to all abilities.
Antydethy: His acting's pretty bad innit?
Shalba is dead. To be honest, Shalba's kind of useless so there isn't much I can do for him... for this fic at least. And we have introduced a new enemy. Apollyon. She's a Gremory with the same abilities as Runeas... well almost the same abilities, her abilities are quite different from Runeas as you can see. I don't really have much to say other than the next few chapters will slow down a little. Beelzebub is more involved in Issei's capture than he was in the previous two where he had Apollyon capture Issei by herself. Now... not so much.
Anyway, you know the drill. Like, review, all that jazz. See ya!
PSA: Remember to read Cat Got Your Tongue, DxD: Alternate, Worthless Exorcist! (and Azure... please?)