I do not own the Persona series or High School DxD. Everything belongs to their respected owners.

"So… I ran into Riser Phenex's sister and his Rook last night."

Everyone but Ryuji looked up from their breakfast.

There were now nine days for Rias and her Peerage to get ready for her Rating Game. Of course, despite wanting to help, all of the Phantom Thieves were still responsible people and had to attend school. That didn't stop them from coming up with the idea to go to the training place after school though. But then there had to be a schedule. No point in forcing so much onto the Devils when they already have their own stuff in mind. Just some tactics, tips, and tricks here and there as well as some kind of bullshit ideas about.

Yet, now in this morning… Ryuji's mention happened to have the boy gain a lot of attention from his fellow peers. "And you didn't say anything until now because…?" Ann asked, raising an eyebrow while trailing off to allow the boy to at least explain himself.

"Well, that's because nothing really happened." Ryuji answered, ripping apart a piece of bread in his mouth and chewed. Swallowing after a few seconds, he grabbed a glass of milk. "I just helped them out, treated them to some ramen, and then they left. That was it."

"…That's a pretty uneventful meeting." Morgana put bluntly.

"Speaking of meetings…" Makoto noted, looking over to Akira. The leader of the Phantom Thieves was nibbling on some eggs before turning his attention to the brunette of their group. "How was asking Azazel about that weapon and skill cards?"

Akira wiped his mouth. "Surprisingly pleasant." He commented, scraping some of the yolk onto his toast. "He looked pretty interested when I showed him the skill cards, but invested when it came down to an actual firing mechanism related to the subject. Makes me wonder how he's going to make them though."

"It will definitely help everyone out… provided that they practice enough with the firearms Akira still has. Add on the fact that they must also have good aim if there were to shoot the thrown cards." Yusuke said his own thoughts as he brushed some hair aside from his eyes. "I wonder though, will our weapons have an affect on Devils?"

"Iwai-san has taught me some ways to make our guns stronger with some simple tweaking and modifications here and there." Akira stated, remembering all those moments he spent having to work at that store the man owned. A lot of work, but the exchange was worth it. "I'll need some time here though to do it so my afternoon is taken. I'm not sure if it will be enough, but it could be something. If not, let's see if Azazel can help out with those special ones I got from Iwai."

"It won't be much, but I can come along with Mako-chan with some food so that I can cook for them. It would be a bit efficient if they were focused more on practice than chores." Haru raised her hand, willing to volunteer.

"Gremory-san said that there is already a lot of food at the place they are staying at. But the cooking part is a nice gesture." Makoto nodded her head. "Oh right, Yusuke, I did take some skill cards from the suitcase."

"It is no dire matter of immediate attention." The blue-haired male shook his head, allowing to let the analyst of the team know that it was okay. "As long as you left one copy of the card inside so I can attempt to create more, it is okay. Plus, there are so many blanks we found together in Mementos after unlocking so many treasure chests."

Akira felt a lot of pride after so much grinding in Futaba's Palace and creating the eternal lockpick. Aluminum sheets and liquid mercury were a pain in the ass to find though.

"I wonder if I should come along…" Ann looked down slightly, playing with her hair with concern. "Asia-chan's already been converted into a Devil by now. I just wonder how she's taken to it and all…"

"Then just tag along." Ryuji shrugged his shoulders, stating this in a matter-of-fact tone. "There's not really any harm in doing that. Maybe even given Asia-san a tip here and there since you were one our healers apart from Morgana." The boy then blinked and looked over. "Actually, why don't you go over there?"

The cat meanwhile was stuffing his face in some bacon. Realizing that he had to speak soon, Morgana coughed a bit. "Can't do that." He shook his head, a tiny bit of grease dribbling down his mouth. "Sitri-san said that she'd have a book ready for us about the Phenex clan today as well as some information about Riser Phenex's Peerage. I'm going to have to study them while Akira is working on the guns."

"Well, I want in on visiting that special training place." Futaba grabbed a napkin. Reaching over, she began to wipe Morgana's face. Ignoring his fussing, she wrapped an arm around the cat so he wouldn't be able to move around too much. "I want to see and help out Koneko-chan in any way I can! Plus, those Evil Pieces actually interest me considering those are used to created reincarnated Devils. I wonder if I can study it with Necronomicon."

"I'll have to decline on any requests on tagging along." Yusuke spoke out. "I have had a person request that I do an art piece of them in a certain style and background yesterday that I must do today." He closed his eyes, remembering the scenario. "She offered me a rather large sum of money if I were to fulfill her request and would add a bonus if she were happy with it. It would be an extremely good amount to add to our savings."

Akira stared at Yusuke. "You sound… eager." He commented.

"How could I not be?!" Yusuke exclaimed, his eyes opening up with an intense excitement. "The description she provided continued to flow through my head, a great model in sight that I must create! All night, I thought hard on how to please her! My lack of rest shall be well rewarded!"

"…I'll make some more coffee for you." Akira got up from his seat and walked towards the kitchen.

TakeABreak

"…This is not what Cao Cao meant when he said make contact with one who could possibly be a Phantom Thief, Jeanne. Nor did I think this is what you had in mind."

A young man with black hair and spectacles simply chose the action to stare at a figure posing grandly in front of a canvas Yusuke had out as the blue-haired boy was too focused on his work. He wore a combination of a gakuran (Japanese schoolboy fall uniform) and a mage-style robe over such clothing. "To think this is how our first meeting would start."

"Now, Georg, I'm sure Jeanne has good intentions over his actions. After all, she did catch the attention of one close the Phantom Thieves. According to a couple of our sources who have been keeping an eye on Vali since that interesting church incident, his name is Yusuke Kitagawa who is related to such a group." A handsome young man with short black hair reassured the spectacled-male. He wore a uniform like the former boy but with ancient Chinese attire.

"Yet the boy has the nerve to only have his focus upon her. He hasn't even glanced at you or I since we arrived, Cao Cao." Georg commented.

A beautiful, young foreign lady with long blonde hair up in a somewhat wavy ponytail that ended at a little below the nape of her neck sat with a cunning expression on a chair. Her bangs covered her forehead and two strands of hair hung out of her ponytail and reached a little above her chest. In a comfortable pose that looked like she was holding something, her body language almost looked natural. Her slightly petite stature stayed still and perfect frozen in a pose. Her attire seemed to be some kind of blue and white dress that presented her cleavage with tight, black shorts on. A single, long white sock climbed up one of her legs as she completed the look with pointed ankle-boots.

Yusuke meanwhile was indeed focused on the art that he was creating, a beautiful picture of a lady among nature. How he pictured everything in his mind was spread into the physical world. His brush moved with wild instincts yet purpose. His eyes opened and closed every few seconds, but never did his tool stop moving.

"Kitagawa-kun, was it?" Cao Cao attempted to approach, standing a pretty fair distance away from the blue-haired boy. He didn't want to seem like he was interfering with the work being done. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Cao Cao and these are my partners, Georg and Jeanna." George only narrowed his eyes while Jeanna nodded with an even brighter, smile that seemed fake before Yusuke slightly scolded her.

"Jeanne-san, could you please not move?" Yusuke asked, too invested in his art. It was hard to tell if he was even listening to the person talking to him or not. "I could possibly end up making your chin or face a bit bigger and longer if you accidentally shift your body."

"I'm sorry, Yu-kun." The blonde female apologized, the words sang out not even sounding the least bit apologetic.

"I am sure, Kitagawa-kun, that you are aware that the threat to mankind is not our own species. It is the Devils, the Angels, even dragons and gods." Cao Cao continued to speak on. "I feel that it is my job to push mankind to be able to compete and protect ourselves from the supernatural threat that these beings pose. I've been recruiting humans with especially extraordinary talents to assist me in my goal. I would love to have you and the Phantom Thieves join us."

If he was disappointed, Cao Cao did not show it when Yusuke answered him. "If you wish to speak to me, could you perhaps wait until I am finished near your companion but not too close." The blue-haired male asked, his eyes slightly narrowing down into an irked look. "You are ruining my concentration."

"Ah, of course, my apologies." Cao Cao nodded his head. Raising a hand before Georg could protest, he led his ally to the side and away from Yusuke. At a distance, far enough to be around Jeanne but not able to see most of Yusuke, the two people waited from the painter to be done with his work.

Behind the canvas, hidden, Yusuke stopped for a bit. Letting out an irritated sound as a ploy, he reached over to his phone. He soon began typing a quick message.

[Visited by human strangers that claim to know I'm a Phantom Thief. Have odd goals with strange reasons.]

Pocketing his phone, he began to get back to work before they could suspect something. He still had magnificent art to finish after all.

TakeABreak

"Thank you for your help, Sitri-san."

Akira held out his hand and Sona placed a book in his palm. With a small bow, Sona began to walk back to the student council room due to work needing to be finished. Ignoring the small complaints from Morgna about there being not much space for him, Akira fitted the object into his bag. Hearing a buzz soon though, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and read a message sent by Yusuke.

"Hmm…" The black-haired boy hummed and Morgana poked his head out to read the screen.

TakeABreak

The afternoon sun kept its way over a few mountains in the distance, slowly descending behind them. In the faint rays of the light, a group of people were standing outside a lavish looking villa among the trees of the forest. In front of the villa was a large sparkling pond surrounded by a ring of freshly trimmed bushes. Off to the side of the pond was a cluster of Roman columns, not really sure what their purpose was but they were probably just for decoration.

Standing in front of the villa in a large patch of grass was the Occult Research Club. Everyone was in their training clothes, which was pretty much PE clothing, and were ready for their aid from the Phantom Thieves. Some looked more tired than others, namely Issei. As the members stood in a line, Rias meanwhile had just finished creating a summoning circle. Stepping back, a flash of red blinded them briefly before Makoto, Ann, Futaba, and Haru were all standing before them.

"Welcome to the private training grounds of the Gremory family, Phantom Thieves." Rias greeted all of the females of the group as each of them looked up with surprise at their surroundings.

"…Are those Roman columns?" Haru asked, looking to the side.

All of the girls from Tokyo looked over to where Haru was looking and indeed saw what the heiress described. "Huh… Perhaps Gremory-san's family is very diverse in many cultures." Makoto noted with a tilt of her head due to thinking.

"Gremory-san is really addicted to our Japanese stuff." Futaba muttered.

Rias, to save time among other things, coughed into her hand to grab their attention. "While it is nice to admire the scenery, this is not exactly the reason you came all the way here." She asked the four girls who continued to still stand in the same place. The red-head soon noticed a couple of bags that both Haru and Makoto were carrying. "What are those?"

Seeing Rias point to the stuff they were carrying, Makoto decided to be the one to answer. "Oh. Haru brought some ingredients over so that she could cook for you all to give more time to focus on training and such. As for me…" Trailing off, the female brunette decided to let the items speak for themselves. Dropping the large bag, she rummaged around before pulling out a replica of a revolver she first had when she became a Phantom Thief.

All of the Occult Research Club were in complete surprise when they saw Makoto pull out the firearm. "Is that a freaking gun?!" Issei exclaimed, pointing at the weapon dramatically. "Why the hell do you have that?! How the hell do you have that?!"

Makoto blinked. "Did you forget that we use guns?"

"Guns created from Personas if I remember what Akira-kun had vaguely told me." Rias decided to answer, raising an eyebrow at Makoto's nonchalance. "But what Issei-kun is trying to ask, is how in the world did you get your hands on real guns?"

Again, Makoto blinked. "Real guns?" She asked, looking down to the item in her hand. "Oh, that's what you mean." Commenting to herself, the girl looked back up to Rias and her Peerage. "These are all airsoft. None of them are real… Well, at least not these ones. They just look like the actual thing. Here, you all can even take a look for yourselves."

Seeing the Phantom Thief female wave them over, each of the Devils looked at themselves before slowly walking forward. Haru handed out a replica of a pistol, an assault rifle, and a shotgun to Kiba, Akeno, and Asia in the respected order. Makoto meanwhile handed a fake SMG over to Rias while passing the revolver to Issei. Futaba fished a grenade launcher out of the bag meanwhile and jogged over to Koneko.

"Here you go, Koneko-chan." Futaba handed the weapon over to the smaller girl who lifted it with ease as well as a curious expression. "I think you'll like this one. Oh! Maybe even a shotgun!"

"…" Koneko looked up at Futaba before looking down at the firearm that had just been placed into her hand. Raising the grenade launcher in her hands, she aimed down the sights a bit. Putting it down, Koneko tapped Asia on the shoulder. With a small, non-verbal exchange with arm movement and head gesturing, Asia gave Koneko the shotgun gingerly.

Asia was soon handed a slingshot from Ann.

Koneko continued to stare at the two powerful items on her person. Blinking for a few seconds, she looked back at Futaba. "…They're cool." She said with a nod of her head and Futaba cheered while hugging the white-haired girl.

"Hmm…" Kiba hummed with a bit of concern, looking closely at the pistol Akira once used. Despite the claim, the swordsman was still unsure about the fact that these weapons being real or not. They looked like the real deal to him. "Will these actually affect Riser Phenex's Peerage?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Those guns, extremely unlikely." Makoto said in a matter-of-fact tone, getting a look from the blonde-Devil. She sighed when she saw his face ask for an explanation. "We don't exactly want you guys to accidentally injure one another with the real deal. Not only that, but Akira is modifying a few so they will end up being more effective."

"Will the… real thing actually affect Riser's Peerage though?" Rias pointed out slowly, slightly taken aback that the Phantom Thieves indeed had genuine firearms. "I mean, perhaps Pawns. But other pieces worry me. A Rook and Queen being primary examples."

"We have an associate helping out with that issue." Makoto said quickly, not exactly sure if it was a good idea if she should inform Rias about Azazel or not. But seeing how Sona acted and reacted to them about the issue about the Fallen Angels compared to Rias, it was Makoto's decision to keep it a secret. Perhaps the reveal would be a bit later.

"Come on, what are we waiting for? Let's go shoot some stuff!" Futaba exclaimed, dragging Koneko along while allowed the action and looking over the shotgun plus grenade launcher at the same time.

TakeABreak

"…Not bad I guess."

Ann had to slowly say this, as indeed, it was not that bad.

With several trees marked up as targets, each of them took turns to fire at the trunks. Most of them managed to hit it, but in rapid succession was a problem. When it came down to having to fire at multiple targets within a certain time… it was probably better not to ask.

"I doubt that me using a gun is a good idea." Kiba stated, raising his hands so that they were far away from the firearm he used. "I'm more of a swordsman rather than a firearm fighter."

"My magic is all I need, so I do not require such." Akeno shook her head but still smiled. "It is still a nice thought though that you came up with."

"I suppose it would be handy for me to keep at least something on hand just in case I'm alone." Rias nodded slowly, looking at the SMG in her hands. Moving her hand back and forth, she had to admire the look of the replica even though it looked so real..

Koneko just stared at the shotgun in her hands while the grenade launcher was slung around her back with a quick modification with some spare cloth. Sitting down, she leaned against a sitting Futaba who was in her Phantom Thief outfit with Necronomicon out, metal tentacles holding onto an Evil Rook Piece as green screens surrounded the hacker's front. "…I like these." Koneko said.

"See? What did I tell you Koneko-chan?" Futaba turned around while flashing a smile before getting back to her work. She soon began making sounds as if she just discovered something interesting or something mischievous came up in her mind.

Asia stared down at the slingshot in her hands meanwhile, with a slightly conflicted expression. "Umm…" She timidly looked up towards Ann who was standing nearby. "I… I feel fine using this." She said. "But I'm not used to using a weapon."

"It's fine, Asia-chan." Ann walked over with a reassuring smile. "It takes some getting used to after all. Nobody is good at anything right away."

"Unless you count Issei." Futaba noted from the side.

Soon everyone began to look over towards the brunette who was standing right next to Makoto. As Issei pulled the trigger and hit a trunk dead in the center, he easily pulled the hammer of the revolver back with his thumb while shooting another tree with his other armed hand. With extremely good coordination, the boy moved his arms back and forth pulling the trigger while reloading in perfect succession. Soon, twelve trees all had perfect, single holes in the center of their bodies.

"You got pretty used to using a revolver, Issei-san. But to be able to manage two like that is very impressive." Makoto nodded her head.

"Heh, thanks Makoto-senpai." The boy scratched the back of his head with a bit of a blush, not really used to compliments from beautiful girls.

"However," Makoto grabbed one of the revolver while setting it to the ground. With only one gun in his right hand. "With one gun, a better way to reload is…"

Shifting over towards his back, Makoto ended up pressing her chest against his back while trying to show Issei how to fan the hammer. It slightly startled Issei, having to try and get a bit more used to one of the girls trying to beat him for peeking before be so close to him. In the middle of listening, he began to feel something soft against his back and his mind began to drift off into another world.

Soon, Makoto saw this and figured out what the boy was thinking as soon as she realized what she was doing. Issei ended up eating dirt when Makoto punched the back of his head.

"He's surprisingly good with his fingers and hands." Rias commented.

"Probably because of all the perverted things he fantasises about and tries to attempt." Koneko added.

TakeABreak

"Oh… this is absolutely magnificent, Yu-kun!"

Ignoring the misuse of honorifics, Yusuke took the great compliment the blonde girl he had just painted.

Within a background of greenery, Jeanne was pointed to look like she was sitting on a small rock bank. But then her single sock and boots were off since the legs were in a pool of clear, cool water. One hand rested on the natural, hard surface. Her other hand meanwhile was holding a single butterfly that was a color the greatly complimented the setting.

"And thank you for all the hard work. I love it!" Jeanne continued to gush as she handed a good amount of bills to the boy. Taking the money, Yusuke looked over the cash before nodding his head with satisfaction.

"Thank you for you patronage." Yusuke bowed, placing the bills into his wallet. Pocketing the money holder, he looked at his phone and raised an eyebrow. But soon he looked up and saw two people staring at him, one with patience while the other had eyes narrowed in slightly irritation.

"Are you perhaps prepared to listen what I have to say now?" Cao Cao asked, his hands to his side as a sign of good will.

"I have listened to what you have to say, as it was in the back of my head for a while now… much to my dismay since I think it ended up ruining the quality of my painting." Yusuke said with a sigh, unsure if he ended up insulting the boy or not. "So… Cao Cao-san, correct? Just how did you come to your conclusion that I am this Phantom Thief?"

"I apologize if it sounds like bad, Kitagawa-kun, but I can assure you that it was with the purest of intentions." Cao Cao smoothly replied. "We have actually been keeping an eye on you 'Phantom Thieves when our sources found about your crossing and events with Asia Argento, a female who we thought we should ask for aid from."

Yusuke sighed. "Are you willing to walk with me while we speak?" He asked. Earning a nod from the black-haired male, Yusuke began to step forward at a moderate pace. But then he slowed down so that he and Cao Cao traveled at the same speed with Georg and Jeanne close behind them. "So you have been spying on us, hmm?"

"Not recently." Cao Cao assured him.

The blue-haired boy hummed as they all slowly passed buildings. "You say that your goal is for the advancement of the human species, correct? That the threat to mankind is not ourselves, but all being of supernatural origin." He glanced over to the person he was having a conversation with. "While your goal is admirable, you forget one thing. They are not just Devils, Angels, dragons, or gods, but also humanity itself."

"Are you speaking against your own kind?" Georg asked, having to fiddle around with his glasses due to the movement of walking shaking it around. "You and the Phantom Thieves do seem to have a close relationship with the Devils. Are you perhaps already stating that you have chosen a side from the start of Cao Cao's words?"

"I am not stating anything like that." Yusuke said firmly, his eyes narrowing slightly. That one look made Cao Cao glance over to his companion and the glasses-wearing male went silent. "From experience, humanity can possibly create its own downfall from just the act of living through their day to day lives."

"…" Cao Cao let out a thoughtful breath, nodding with Yusuke to perhaps appease the boy. "The Great War," He soon began to speak. "The Angels, of both kinds, and the Devils found for a long time. We humans were nothing to them. Those of us caught in the middle of the conflict were slaughtered indiscriminately. Those of us who survived were used as pawns by all three sides."

"…It only took one war… One war for them to all realize their mistake and repair the damages that have been done to their own factions." Yusuke said after a moment of silence, his brain having to work hard to think. "What about the humans? How many wars have been fought for how many reasons? Try and tell me how many were caught within between the factions of humanity? Devils and Angels, a rivalry with reason. Humanity, murdering fellow mortals and taking advantage of the ladder of life for so much less."

"Oh my, just like your brush, it seems you have a way with words." Jeanne soon smiled, gaining a brief moment of attention. "But when did words get anyone anywhere?"

"With something like that said, wouldn't your leader's own sentences become mundane?" Yusuke fired back with a raised eyebrow.

"And so serious." Jeanne seemed to tease the blue-haired boy. But to Yusuke, it was more of a form that was close or did represent mockery. "Here I believed that our deal had brought us closer."

"That is simply an opinion." Yusuke replied. "Though it does make me wonder…" He slowly turned towards Cao Cao. Seeing their surroundings, he stopped which prompted the people around him to do the same thing. "Just how far are you willing to achieve your goals? You said you have been gathering humans with extraordinary talents to assist in your goal."

"…" Cao Cao went silent, wondering what he should say next.

Due to that quiet moment though, it clicked in Yusuke's mind. "You plan to start a war of you own." He concluded.

Cao Cao stood in through, contemplating his next move. "That is correct." He nodded his head, in a bit of a solemn mood as if in regret.

A frown was etched on the artist's face. "You-"

"You think that I would want an outcome as such?" Cao Cao asked back, his tone a bit harsher than before. "We have seen what the supernatural can do to our species. But what can our species do about it? Even if they were just normal before, how would it feel to be thrown into a world like this? To be killed and then resurrected by their killer? To soon face the hatred of the Angels and the Fallen? Such dismissive attitudes towards our people shall be stopped. For that as well as for humanity to protect themselves, we heroes must rise and stand before the supernatural threats." Raising his hand, he held it out. "So what is your answer, Yusuke Kitagawa of the Phantom Thieves? Will you also be the heroes of humanity?"

Yusuke weighed the words within himself. Such thoughts gravitated inside his mind. With no surprise, his decision was already made. He watched eyes with anticipation. They reminded him of feral dogs roaming around, waiting, judging.

The Phantom Thief soon began to laugh.

It startled the three who represented heroes. They did not expect such… a response from the blue-haired artist. At least they had expected a small chuckle from the boy judging by his nature. It was close. But this was barking with such an emotion. He found this conversation… Cao Cao's words… entertaining?

"How amusing…" Yusuke closed his eyes, finding his composure soon afterwards. His hand rested on his stomach due to laughing a bit hard in his own way. "While you do seem like a good person with that small speech, that still does not cover up the fact that the things you have said that they have done humans have done the same if not worse. The truth is stranger than fiction." He soon opened up his eyes into a narrowed gaze that caused Jeanne and Georg to step back while the former had a magic circle appear and drew a rapier from it. "No one can judge Angels and Devils for the crimes they commit when we too have committed such heinous acts! I will not be blind by your honeyed words, and continue to see the authenticity of humanity!"

"You Have Finally Come Back to Your Senses, Correct?"

Yusuke heard the voice inside his head. A voice that sounded like him but was different in tone he almost mistook it for someone else. But a split second after the question, he felt it pulse inside.

"Your Eyes Never Parted from the Truth…"

"Ngh!" Gripping his skull, Yusuke gritted his teeth as he hissed at the pain of his head feeling like it was going to burst. It did nothing to help though as the intensity was too much. Shaking his head in a manner only he would do, the action was another way to express the pain he was in.

"An Incredibly Fickle Thing Indeed…"

"…What in the world?" Georg muttered loud enough for the three of them to hear over Yuskue's constant breath through his teeth. He then began to look around them. "Is someone attacking us, deciding to target Yusuke Kitagawa first?"

"That shouldn't be possible." Jeanne frowned, also trying to check out the setting they were at. But not a single soul was in sight. "I can't really feel any presences either. Does that mean that this is a natural thing?" She then eyed the blue-haired boy. "Can't say I feel sorry for him though."

"Very Good That You Have Not Changed…!"

He couldn't hold it in. "A-aaaagh!" He cried out, a powerful pulse banging against his brain. He threw his head up as his voice of pain was released. Looking up to the sky with closed eyes and hands still on his head, he soon slowly lost strength in his legs. Slowly descending down, he ended up on all fours.

"Allow Me to Remind You of Our Contract…"

The heroes only watched with curiosity while keeping a sharp eye out in their surroundings. Yusuke's body shoot, trembling like a leaf in a storm. Cao Cao had frowned at the display the entire time. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I Am Thou, Thou Art I..."

Hearing a small grinding noise, Cao Cao looked down and saw that Yusuke was digging his fingers and nails into the pavement. But the friction the boy created was so strong it actually made the fingers bleed from the tips as streaks of blood were seen on the street.

"It's Your Time…"

"Teach Them the True Meaning of Beauty and Ugliness of the World!"

Yusuke's head suddenly shot up, and a fox mask appeared over top half of his face within a flash of blue flames.

The narrowed gaze the fox mask presented put the three heroes on a bit of an edge. But the yellow pupils that were presented was almost a dangerous look. The three humans who stood across from Yusuke, preparing themselves for something. They didn't know what was to come, but they had a feeling.

"Of course…" Yusuke said quietly, nodding his head slightly. Turning to his side, he grabbed the mask with one of his hands. "Come… Goemon!"

Ripping his mask off, he tossed the object away while holding his arms out in a presentable manner in the middle of a pillar of blue flames. As the bright intensity began to die down, something was behind Yusuke and had its back towards them.

It was garbed in what seemed to be a large, red kimono with sleeves rolled up to present its grey arms and white gloves. The chest was exposed, revealing a pattered white and black outfit underneath and it went down to the feet as it appeared below the waist like a loincloth. Dark-purple pants were slightly baggy as a pair of white boots and wooden sandals with extremely long soles. It looked like it was either wearing or had over its shoulders a gigantic dark-blue coat with light-blue highlights. Wrapped around its waist meanwhile was tied together with a red and white designed rope. A white and dark-purple rope also was there, wrapped around the shoulder and armpits while it created a fancy bow at the back.

Its face was pale-white, and a ice-blue chin-guard was attached to its head while armor was at the back of the skull. On top of the head though was what appeared to be a large pompadour. But despite the… flamboyant look, there was one thing that made it stand out even more. There was a giant white and gold pipe in its hands with a golden floral design near the area where lips are put.

With its arms apart while suddenly turning around, it posed as Yusuke was suddenly a part of the grand scene that was currently happening.

A high collared, puff-sleeved blck jumpsuit with a white fox tail attached off-centre to a striped sash worn across his hips was what almost took over his body. His collar bone was exposed along with a little bit of his chest, showing that there was nothing underneath it. With hands on his hips while looking down to hide his look, the heroes also saw he was wearing white motorcycle boots and bright blue gloves.

First, he stomped on the ground. That action brought the heroes back to reality as their eyes began to look up at the boy's face. Bringing his hands up slowly, he then spread them apart as if presenting something before him. Still wide, his eyes finally opened into a look different than his neutral gaze. "What a superb view…"

Hearing him speak, none of them bother to respond though, they were too busy looking at him and his Persona as the large construct began to balance on the tall, wooden sandals it wore while holding the pipe in an amusing way. His hands slowly trailed horizontally, words easily taken note of due to attention mainly on him. "You claim yourselves to be heroes due to your so-called noble act." Yusuke then placed his hands down. But your accusations against Devils and Angels prove nothing, as you are willing to perform acts that they have done. Such is a disgusting act of hypocrisy!"

No one noticed Goemon shift its positioning to almost match Yusuke's. After finishing his sentence, he immediately waved one of his hands backwards. His Persona mimicked the actions, and a small blizzard started as cold winds and snow blew towards the three heroes.

All of them raised their arms or weapons to defend themselves. After the quick wind passed, they looked down to see that their feet were frozen to the pavement below them while ice slightly encased their skin. "Ugh, so he has ice powers…" Jeanne moaned as she began to chip her way out of her cold binds.

Cao Cao unshielded his eyes, unaffected by the cold. "So… this is your decision…" His gaze narrowed. "You decide to side with the supernatural causes. You have turned your back against humanity."

Yusuke narrowed his eyes in turn. "How many hearts will be broken? He asked, closing his eyes before taking a deep breath. "How many lives shattered?" A second later, his slightly angered gaze was directed back at Cao Cao. "How much blood will spill until you are finished? How long will such a war be fought for?!" Yusuke's hands balled up into fists. "If you are to be heroes, then know that the Phantom Thieves will gladly play the role as the villains!"

Raising his left hand, his lowered right one behind him was holding a weapon. A tall katana that was perhaps his height. But the blade was still inside its beautiful, red sheath. The cover of the blade however was breath-taking, a design of flames made out of gold took over nearly three-quarters of the item. Gold casing also took up both ends of the sheath as well. Such shiny metal also made up the hilt of the katana while taking over the bottom of the handle, forming a design of a small wagon wheel with flame designs on top of it.

Despite its heavenly appearance, Usumidori came from the human Yoshitsune.

"…One last chance." Cao Cao threatened quietly, his hand being held out with a spear equipped all of a sudden. "One last chance to join us. If not, then we have no choice but to take care of you right here."

Watching the three heroes face him, getting ready to fight here and now soon, they expected the person to surrender. But instead of that, Yusuke began to chuckle once more. "If I may ask, what makes you say that?"

Georg raised an eyebrow. "…What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that you really shouldn't have allowed me to look at my phone to be able to come up with an ambush plan."

Hearing the clicking of a gun, the three heroes turned around and saw Akira and Morgana both in their Phantom Thief outfits while having their ranged weapons at the ready. Not only that, but both Arsene and Zorro were out with the former having its hands folded while the latter presented its rapier. Hearing another click, the heroes looked back at Yusuke pointing a weapon at them.

The gun was an assault rifle, almost looking like an actually military firearm. The body was sleek, the entire thing almost like a piece of planed wood; flat and smooth. It even nearly held the same thickness as such. It held a dark, military-green or brown color with the barrel being seen at the end. Aiming down a scope that was provided by the gun, Yusuke rested the stock of the weapon against his shoulder. While one hand was holding the firearm for support, the other was for the trigger. Between the two hands, the magazine for the weapon was lodged in an already loaded.

For a rather unholy weapon and appearance, Heaven's Gate was created by one of the Angels of Heaven, Uriel.

"We will give you a warning now." Akira stated, his finger firmly curled around the trigger of his pistol. "But if we ever meet again, it will have to be as enemies. As our enemies, we will be there to make sure that you understand where we stand."

"Hmph." Jeanne nearly scoffed in amusement. "We-"

"I understand." Cao Cao cut Jeanne off, closing his eyes. He didn't know if all of the Phantom Thieves were around. It could have just been those three, but then he didn't want to risk three versus seven. "It is beyond pointless to try and convince the Phantom Thieves to join the heroes. It's as you put it, Kitagawa-san, you are the villains compared to us heroes. I will respect your decision and choose not to pursue such an issue any further." He then turned his face to his companions. "Georg, Jeanne, we are leaving."

"But-"

"Of course, Cao Cao." Georg cut Jeanne off.

As the three heroes began to walk away slowly, the three Phantom Thieves didn't let them out of their sights until they disappeared from their gazes.

"…Why do I have a feeling that they are going to be a much bigger problem than I think they're going to be." Yusuke asked Akira and Morgana.

Yes, I introduced the heroes in a completely terrible way. While Yusuke was originally going to have awaken Goemon during the Exorcist Arc… an idea came up that I want to do. And that idea requires all of the Phantom Thieves by the end of the first season of HighSchoolDxD. So yeah…

Also Issei is surprisingly proficient with guns… especially the revolver.

No flames please.