italics - Thoughts

Bold underlined - Spells/Sword Skills

[Bold] - Ddraig

[Ddraig] - Ddraig mental speech

[Issei] - Issei mental speech with Ddraig

[Issei] - Issei speaking with Ddraig

Underlined - Timeskips/Flashbacks

"Bold" - Rating Game Announcement

Disclaimer: I do not own Highchool Dxd, Sword Art Online, or any of its characters. All rights belong to their creators.


Chapter 8:Fenrir, Pt.1

"What happened here?"

Kazuto was very confused when he got back to the party, along with the trio behind him. After calming down from the revelation the most famous sword in the west was split into seven fragments, they met up with the devils that had arrived, having found the disturbance that was Kuroka, the monkey and Arthur. After talking with them for a small bit, they decided to head back to the party to report what they had encountered. Then, they saw the venue.

The once pristine, beautifully decorated hall was now not so pristine. Small craters and burn marks were littered all over the place, indicating the remains of a battle. Most, if not, all of the previous heirs to their respective devil clans were nowhere to be seen, the same going for their peerages. Only a few devils were left in the hall. Including Maou Lucifer, Sirzechs, and his Queen, Grafiya.

"Onii-sama" Rias shot forwards towards her Maou brother. "What happened?"

"Rias!" Sirzechs looked shocked to see his sister. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to tell you about something we saw, but…" Rias looked around her. "It looks like you also had trouble of your own, Onii-sa– I mean Lucifer-sama."

"Yes." Sirzechs frowned as he looked at Koneko. "Your Rook looks shaken up. What happened?"

"We met with Koneko's sister, Kuroka." Rias explained. "They said that they were not here to cause trouble. Only to meet with Koneko."

"…I see. So those were the accomplices that Loki spoke of." Sirzechs muttered after a moment of silence, before he raised his voice. "Rias Gremory. Please join your Peerage back at the hotel. Your fight with the Sitri heiress will be postponed for now. You should prepare yourself with the remaining time left."

"As you say, Lucifer-sama." Rias bowed before she left.

..

Sirzechs waited until her, Issei and Koneko were out of the hall, then he turned to Kazuto. "Why were you with them?"

"…I walked into them by mistake?"

"That sounds more like a question, but that is not the main point right now." Sirzechs sighed. Right now, there was only him, Grafiya, and Sirzechs, so Sirzechs decided to loosen up a bit. Beside him, his Queen frowned a little, but she did not say anything. Yet. "Regarding your fight against the Flauros heiress, it will take place a few days after Rias's fight with Sona Sitri, which will be postponed for now. Those few days we would be used for you to rest."

"Is that all?"

"Not quite. Have you thought about our proposal?" Kazuto frowned at the mention of the tittles, land as well as riches. He was still on the fence about them, but...

"Well…" Kazuto thought out his words carefully. "Honestly, I'm not that great at these sorts of things. So, to be honest, it was a bad thing to tell me these sorts of political stuff. But, i guess I can say for everyone that this sort of rewards would be fine. I know it would save me quite a bit of time anyway. I can't say on everyone's behalf, but I am absolutely horrible at face to face contact."

"Okay then." Sirzechs chuckled. "The titles, rewards and land would be all finalized after your fight with the Flauros heiress. They could think of it as...a parting gift before they leave. The Flauros heiress, however…"

"Maybe give her some information. " Kazuto suggested. "She loves her info. Back on Aincrad, she was a very infamous Info Broker."

"I see then. If that is all–"

"One more thing." Kazuto beckoned for the Maou to come closer. Wary, he did. Kazuto leaned close and whispered a few things into his ear,

"-"

"-"

Simultaneously, both of them grinned. "It's a deal, Kirito-kun." Sirzechs had a large smile on his face as he shook Kazuto's hand.

"Thank you for your patronage." Similarly, Kazuto had a face-splitting grin on his face.

Off to the side, the strongest devil, Grafiya Lucifage, finally broke her emotionless facade, sighing heavily as she thought through what the black haired devil(An irony, since she had considered him a boy the entire time until now) had just done.


"Gremory-san! Kirito-kun!"

Rias had left the now partially destroyed hotel with Issei and Koneko(And Kirito, after a few minutes. He claimed that he had lost his way for a bit.). After a few minutes, she arrived back. And in the main hall, waiting for their arrival, was the chestnut-haired girl.

"Asuna-san." Rias smiled warmly at the girl. "I presume you were waiting for Kirito?"

"Yep!" Asuna chirped back, before she continued to snuggle into Kirito's chest.

"…You seem awfully chipper today, Asuna." Kirito blinked in surprise at the public display of affection his girlfriend was showing him.

"I met with Liz, Silica, Sinonon and Sugu just now. Now that we are all devils, we can all hang out together, no secrets!" Asuna leaned back, allowing the group to see her entire body. "And Liz made me Wind Flueret with her Sacred Gear too!"

"You did like that rapier back in the game." Kirito approached the excited girl, and with permission from his girlfriend, inspected the weapon. "...This is almost an exact replica of the weapon! Liz sure has upped her game. Especially since she has to do all of this by hand now."

"Yeah. She did spend a lot of time on it, so she was quite pleased. She said that right now, this was her best masterpiece!" Asuna's smile slowly faded away. "...I guess you want to know what happened at the party?"

"Correct, Asuna-san. Maybe we could all have some teas and snacks after you tell us all of this, before we take a quick bath and turn in for the night." Rias suggested. "Azazel will not be coming back until early tomorrow morning, so there would be little point in waiting for him. "

"Okay then." Asuna led the way to Akeno's and Rias's(Actually, it was Issei's room) "I'll start first. Where should I begin…"


Flashback: Just after Issei and Rias left the ballroom

"Asuna-san!"

The mentioned girl turned towards the owner of the voice, recognize her best friend's voice immediately. "Liz!"

The blacksmith-in-name approached the chestnut haired girl, a smile on her lips. Trailing beside her was Silica, or rather, Ayano. "Nice dress!"

"Thanks." Asuna smiled. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"Thank you." Lisbeth gave a small twirl. "I got Argo to buy some cloth and fashion us some clothes. We could choose the designs. I chose something that brought us back to the old days. So did Silica here." She showed off her maid like blacksmith attire, before opening her mouth once more. "Oh, and call us by our player names here. Much easier to pronounce, and it would get fewer busybodies on our tail if we ever get back to the human world."

"Won't they recognize us?" Asuna shivered when she thought back to the near dozens of fans she had back when she entered the SAO Survivor School. Thanks to her appearance being the same to their real bodies, she was instantly recognized as the second in command to the KOB. And the resulting fanmail she got in her locker almost everyday was disturbing to say the least.

"Devils use magic to alter their appearances." Liz's words made Asuna recall Rias's mother's appearance. She had looked no older than 25. "Shouldn't be too much trouble to make us look younger than we actually are, so when we go to the human world, we can revert back to our old selves."

"Why aren't you using that spell now then?"

"We...have not really learnt any spells yet." Liz blushed, evidently embarrassed by her next words. "Every time we try, we end up causing something to explode. Well, except for Su- I mean, Leafa. She has the best control out of all of us. So, we have been hitting the books, learning about the history of the devils, as well as working on our sword techniques."

"Same here." It was then she noticed the box that Silica was holding. "What's this?"

"A gift for you, courtesy of your personal blacksmith." Lisbeth grinned. "Turns out, I have a Sacred Gear. Forge is what it's called. I can make anything as long as I picture it hard enough, and have the blueprints if it's complicated. For anything that cuts, like, say swords for example, have no need to be sharpened. It can be used, fresh of the anvil."

"Wow..." Asuna admired the handiwork of the contents of the box. Inside, was a very familiar rapier. "Is this-?"

"Yep, its Wind Fluret." Lisbeth could not help but smile even more when she saw Asuna trying out the rapier. "Its my best work so far, so be prepared to get better gear in the future!"

"Thanks Liz!" Asuna hugged the brown-haired girl tightly. "I'll be sure to use this often." As she released the blacksmith, now in reality as well, she noticed a red haired Maou step onto the stage. "Oh, looks like Lucifer-sama is going to start!"

Both devils kept quiet when they saw the 4 Maou step onto the stage. They were surprised when they saw a few more individuals step up. Namely, a certain Fallen Angel leader.

"Oh, good work Baraqiel." The leader of the Fallen angels spoke to the next group of that was stepping up the stairs. Said group composed of three individuals: The first was a middle-aged, gruff-looking man with black hair, matching beard and a muscular body. The second was an elderly man with long, grey hair, and a matching beard, wearing a gold and white monocle over his left eye, without the addition of the chain. He was also wearing a short blue robe lined with gold at the top and bottom of the collar, sleeves of his robe, and front of the robe all the way to the bottom. The rest of his robe was white with matching shoes. And the final person was a beautiful young woman with long, straight silver hair and aqua-coloured eyes who appeared to be in her late teens. She wore a cheap business suit, two long strands of her silver hair dangling over her face.

"It's been a while, you shitty geezer from the Northern countryside," Azazel spoke rudely towards the elderly man. Similarly, the old man smiled back. "It's been a while, Fallen Angel brat."

Sirzechs bowed his head slightly towards the old man. "It's been a long time Lord Odin, God of the North."

"Its has been awhile, Lord Odin." Serafall gave a small curtsy.

"Ugh." Asuna turned her head away from that scene. "I hate formalities. They remind me too much of the parties my mother used to hold for me."

"You have it bad, girl." Lisbeth smiled consolingly. A sudden wail attracted their attention back to the stage.

"WAAAAHH!" The sliver haired female had collapsed to her knees, sniffling. "I-I'm just an unattractive Valkriye whose age equals the number of years I have been alone!"

"… …" Everyone stared at the form of the female, some of their mouths open wide in shock, Asuna and Lisbeth included. Others, acting more composed, merely looked on, a raised eyebrow the only indication they were affected by this outburst.

"Sorry. This one here is Rossweisse." The Norse god apologized, indicating to the silver haired woman by his side. "She's a talented one, but's too serious. Can't get a single boyfriend."

"I am sorry for making you wait." A new voice sounded through the hall. Asuna turned her attention to the newcomer. This one had the appearance of a handsome-looking man with long blond hair and green eyes. He was wearing a red robe with a gold cross on the front of his white alb, with golden shoulder plates with a white sash on each shoulder plate, and a golden halo set above his head. Trailing not too far behind him was a robed figure, with twin tailed chestnut hair trailing from her sides. "Lord Odin, I am glad to see you in good health."

"Irina!" Asuna turned to look at the person who had shouted her name, only to be surprised when she saw the shocked, yet pleased looks, of Xenovia, Asia and Kiba. Faintly, she heard Asia say. "To think we would see Irina-san here."

Do they know that person? Asuna thought as she faced the front, more interested in the ongoing events then what was happening in her temporary peerage.

"Devils, gods and Fallen Angels have reflected in the past and allied together, but there are ones who wish to start war once more. The new alliance with the Norse Gods is truly heartening."

"Lord Odin, if you have no objections, please sign the pact monument."

"Mmm" Odin only grunted in response.

"I have an objection!" A voice echoed in the crowded hall. But it felt different from the ones earlier. The ones earlier did not echo in the massive hall, no matter how loud or soft it was. This one, however, resounded throughout the hall, making it feel like it was echoing throughout the interior."

Odin only smirked. "So you came after all."

Suddenly, a blue magic circle appeared in the air. It split down its middle before opening like a pair of doors. And out appeared a floating man, his silver hair floating up in the air behind him. He wore a plain, white oat, white the only ornaments on him being three blue jewels that were set in his forehead "Foolish man, I am the Norse God, Loki."

"Well, this is a rare guest." Azazel commented.

"Lord Loki, though you are a Norse god, you have no right to cause havoc here." Sirzechs

"Seeing our great Father mingling with other mythologies brings me intolerable pains."

Rossweisse raised her arm to the All-father, but he raised his hand instead, signalling for the Valkyrie to stand down. "Loki, if you return to Valhalla now, I will forgive you."

"Forgive me?" Loki scoffed. "Don't make me laugh, old man."

"How dare you speak to our Father that way!" Outraged, the silver-haired Valkyrie finally stepped forwards.

"Know your place, Valkyrie." Loki glared at Rossweisse. "If the All-Father were to align us with other mythologies, we would never achieve Ragnarok!"

"I've heard this before. Your connected to the Khaos Brigade, aren't you, Lord Loki?" Azazel looked up and the floating Norse god.

"I will neither confirm nor deny that fact." Loki raised his hands, unperturbed by the guards slowly surrounding him. "But I will admit that this is of my own free will!"

"Come forth, my beloved son!" A large blue magic circle spun itself into existence, before exploding outwards with a blast of light, forcing back the guards which had encircled Loki.

*Grrrr*

A large wolf had replaced the explosion of light. It reminded Asuna of Aincrad's floor 28 boss, Waheela the Black Wolf. They were of the same size, and had the same features. The only two differences were their fur colour, and that Loki's son had two horns behind its head, nearer to its shoulders.

"So that is Fenrir…" Beside her, Lisbeth muttered, taking out a small mace that she had kept under her dress. As she watched, its length extended, as did its head, becoming a small one-handed club in seconds.

"Fenrir, huh. " Asuna readied her rapier, preparing herself to defend against the large wolf, no matter how futile it seemed. She knew about that particular wolf, having read about it online. While she was looking up the lore for a quest she was playing, she had encountered that name.

Fenrir was one of Loki's two sons. He was said to be a beast that was to be released on the day of Ragnarok, and could kill gods. She did not know how true that was, seeing as her knowledge came from a few paragraphs worth of myths, but she did not want to find out.

"Go, my son!" Snapping his fingers, Loki smiled as terror filled the faces of some of the devils below.

With a snarl, Fenrir leaped into the air, high above the heads of the guards. He then leapt off of a pillar, causing parts of it to come crashing towards the floor, before he slammed back into the ground, the shockwave from that attack blasting the remaining guards off their feet.

"Kyah!"

Asuna turned towards the source of the scream. Asia and Gasper were directly underneath the pillar that was damaged, so they were in the path of the rubble.

Asuna acted on instinct, running towards the duo. She crossed three-quarters of the distance in seconds. The rubble was now a few metres above their heads. "Linear!"

Asuna launched a Sword Skill, her rapier glowing with a green light, before it propelled her forwards, smashing into the piece of debris like a comet.

"Hah!" At the same time, Akeno released some of her lightning, its target being the same piece of debris...before it was smashed by Asuna.

Akeno acted quickly to prevent the lightning from hitting Asuna. She focused on the smaller pieces of rubble caused by Asuna's attack. And the bolt acted accordingly, splitting itself into many branches and hitting the smaller rocks, turning them all into dust, while just barely grazing Asuna's beautiful form.

"Hruff!" Fenrir turned its attention towards the two girls. When it saw Asuna…it snarled loudly, hackles raised.

"Oho?" Loki observed his son's form. "Are you perhaps…from that death game?"

Asuna shifted her body slightly, raising her rapier into a position which would allow her to parry or attack, while Akeno merely tilted her head in confusion and alertness. But those reactions were enough to confirm Loki's suspicions. "I see..." He had contemplative look on his face. "My son–"

But before he could finish speaking, Fenrir launched itself at the two girls, fangs bared and claws sharp. Akeno raised her hands into a defensive position, while Asuna prepared to dash forwards. "My son!"

"You will not touch my daughter!" A deep voice shouted out, before lightning bolts, more intense and brighter than Akeno's smashed itself into Fenrir's head. Surprised by this attack, Fenrir was forced to roll past the two girls, instead smashing into another pillar, causing it to collapse on itself. A gruff man then landed in front of the two girls, his hands wreathed in blue and yellow lightning.

"Foolish son…" Loki narrowed his eyes, preparing to raise his hands once more, before he was enclosed in a green pyramid. "What!" His son had also been enclosed in a similar pyramid, albeit larger.

"You are full of openings." The green haired Maou, Beelzebub, had managed to put together a spell while no one was looking.

"Beelzebub!?" Loki's voice was the last thing that anyone heard before both pyramids vanished, taking with them their enclosed victims.

"Ajuka." Sirzechs said his fellow Maou's name in a thankful tone. Meanwhile–

"Are you hurt?" The gruff man turned his attention back towards the two girls behind his back, dispelling his lightning.

"No, thank you for your protection." Asuna bowed towards the Fallen angel. She recognized him to be the man Azazel had called out earlier. Baraqiel, if she recalled his name correctly. Beside her, Akeno instead chose to turn towards the other way her back facing the man who had just saved them. ...Just now, Baraqiel-san said to not touch her daughter. So, Akeno is his daughter? So, what is their relationship? Akeno is acting so cold towards him… Asuna wondered in her mind as Baraqiel looked at his daughter for a few moments, before he sighed, walking towards the direction of a few of the wounded guards.

Asuna followed his lead shortly after, walking towards Asia and Gasper to see if they were hurt(Not that it would matter. Asia's sacred gear would heal up those wounds in no time.) She did, however, manage to catch Akeno's face as she turned back towards the leaving figure of Baraqiel.

It was one of worry, thankfulness, and…

Uncertainty.


"Is that all?" Rias asked the chestnut-haired girl before her.

"Yes, that is all, Gremory-san." Asuna fiddled with the strap attached to her waist. It was holding the new rapier that Liz had made her.

"Please, call me Rias." Rias ran her fingers through her long hair. "It is simpler to say, and I would rather not deal with all of this stuffy formality when we are not in the presence of other devils outside my Peerage or friends."

"As you wish then, Rias-san." Asuna smiled. "I too hate formalities to a certain degree."

Both of them reached Issei's room. "Rias-san, we would like to ask about the familiar ritual." Asuna asked that question.

"I could, but why?" Rias asked, confused.

"We wish to experiment with something." Kirito took over the explanation. "We would like to keep it a secret, so if it works out, it will be a pleasant surprise for everyone."

"Is that so…" Rias thought about it for a moment. If she told them the ritual, it would not be a demerit for anyone. And if all worked out, there would be a good surprise for the Peerage.

Of course, if they what they did failed, and had severe repercussions, they would be severely punished. And she would rather they not get punished. Despite knowing each other for a week, they were quite good friends, especially since they were similar to Issei in the regards of being clueless to certain parts of the Underworld(Something that relieved the girl greatly. No extra people treating her like a princess. Only treating her like a club president, friend, or benefactor.)

"Ok. I'll tell you the ritual." Rias eventually decided. "But! You would have to be extremely careful, and you have to ensure that if it fails, there would be no repercussions, like body switching, shrinking into your younger forms, or be trapped in the Familiar Forest."

"…So Rias-san was an otaku… " Kirito sighed as he said that, hand on his face. "Issei's a pervert. Akeno-san is an M, Gasper-san is a hikimori, and Xenovia is a blunt woman who says the most outrageous things without thinking about the time and place, if Issei's words are to be taken to be the truth. What's next? The other 2 maous are secretly like Sirzechs-sama and Serafall-sama?"

"I have no comment on that line of thinking." Rias blinked in surprise. "Well, please, join us for some tea and snacks. Akeno's tea is very good, as you have tasted before."

..

Timeskip, the next day,

It was the next day, and right now, Azazel was talking with Rias and her Peerage inside his room.

"Loki-dono will end up free soon. Ajuka may be the Maou, but he is facing a god." Azazel was speaking to everyone in the room, his hands interlocked. "So, the cage Ajuka made would last by noon today, at the very latest. Odin-dono is heading back to Asgard to get a copy of Mjonir. It s the most effective weapon to use against Loki. But this would take us some time. So, we are trying to send people in to slow him down. Otherwise, Loki would recuperate enough energy to launch an attack and spark the war that the Khaos Brigade wishes for."

"…You wish for us to go?" Rias asked.

"You can choose not to do so. If you did, there would be little problems." Azazel smirked. "Your brother foresaw that you would offer to help slow him down, even if you were not told about the plan."

"Hai." Rias confirmed. "Then, the Gremory peerage offers to do so." This would also be a good chance for my Peerage to hone their skills that will be used in the Rating game afterwards, as well as help Koneko and Akeno overcome their insecurities.

"Good." Azazel's smirk widened sightly. "There will be 4 others joining you. 2 from Sona's Peerage, 1 from the Angel side, and the representative from the Norse side. You will meet them at the teleportation circle."

..

Timeskip, 2 hours later.

"Everyone has gathered here then." Azazel looked over their heads. The people who wished to go had now gathered. They were as followed:

Rias Gremory, Akeno Himejima, Issei Hyoudou, Xenovia Quarta, Kiba Yuuto and Koneko Toujou from the Gremory side.

Kirito, Asuna and Klein from the SAO devils side.

Sona Sitri from the Sitri side.

Irina Shidou from the Angel side.

And Rossweisse from the Norse side.

Well, when they found out Irina was participating, they were pretty surprised, seeing as Xenovia was cast out of the church for knowing the Lord had died. Although Irina seemed fine(considering that she too also knew of the Lord's demise). And, that she was apologetic at being angry that Xenovia left the church so suddenly like that.

"I'm sorry for what I said at that time." Irina shyly rubbed the back of her head. "I did not consider the reasons for your leaving..."

Needless to say, Xenovia accepted the apology.

..

"Ooh, this is a very exquisite form. Don't you agree, Saji?"

"Yeah." Saji gulped, looking in the same direction as the perverted boy. "I can't believe I am agreeing with you, Hyoudou, but that is indeed very exquisite."

What were they looking at? Well, obviously, it was Rossweisse's armour.

The protective gear in question consisted of a form fitting black suit that hugged her body, exposing her shoulders and thighs. Metal hip guards flowed from her sides in the shape of petals, leaving the front and back exposed. Her chest was protected, as well as accentuated, by a black chest plate, lined with gold and white trimmings. She wore white metal greaves on her feet, with wing like structures located at her ankles, as well as white gauntlets on her forearms. A material similar to her body suit also covered her legs and arms, leaving part of the thighs and her shoulders exposed.

""Ouch ouch ouch ouch!""

Both boys suddenly whimpered in pain. Their respective masters had grabbed their ears. One in jealousy, the other to control her Pawn.

"We are going soon." Sona pulled her Pawn by the ear, heading to the magic circle on the ground.

"Yes. Let's go." Rias did the same.

..

"My name is Klein! I am 24 years old, and I am single! Please, would you be my– gafuh!"

Klein, or rather, Tsuboi Ryoutarou, had bowed down in front of the white haired Valkyrie, hands extend outwards. He had started speaking, when a sword found its way towards his head, impacting it quite harshly.

With a dull thump, Klein slumped to the floor, eyes swirling.

"Eh..." Rossweisse did not know how to respond to the sudden proposal, her eyes also swimming about.

"Ah, don't worry about this guy." Kirito commented, placing Dark Repulsor(Still in its sheath) back onto his back. "He does not know how to control himself sometimes."

"Okay…" Although Rossweisse said that, she still looked at the downed form of Klein, her uncertainty plain on her face.

And thus, Klein was unable to participate, having been deemed not important enough to be healed by Asia.(Sorry Klein. Your looks played a part as well.)

..

"Good." Sirzechs looked at everyone assembled, before he nodded his head. Grayfia stood beside him, acting like a maid. "Now that everyone is here, we should start departure soon."

Asia and Gasper were staying with Argo and her Peerage(now including Klein) back in home base. Partially because they were not allowed to leave("The old geezers are just afraid I'll join the dark side~" Argo hummed happily(?)), and partially because everyone needed to hone their abilities, as well as other reasons.

Take Sinon, for example. She was a long range attacker. Her close combat skills needed much more work, so…

Then, there was Silica and Lisbeth. Silica was a dagger user. So, she would be unable to deal much harm to Fenrir, much less any devil soldier. And Lisbeth was a blacksmith, so her abilities were more geared to being a supporter.

As for Saji, he would be joining them later on, as he was going to ask the Grigori for some assistance to fight against Loki.

"Grayfia." Said maid/ Strongest Queen nodded her head, stepping forwards with a small pouch in hand.

"Use these." Grayfia opened the flap, revealing three red, crystal bottles. "We could only gather this amount in the short time that we had. Use them sparingly."

"Thank you Gryafia-san." Rias took the bottles of Phoneix tears from Grayfia.

With that, the group was teleported to the place they had to go.


When they teleported to Loki's position, the first things they saw was a green plain. Then, their eyes adjusted to the dim area. It was foggy, but when it cleared-

Several gasps could be heard. Issei, Kirito and Asuna looked a little sick. The rest had stunned faces as well. "Oh my…"

The entire place could only be described as a literal blood bath.

Numerous humans, animals, and monsters lay strewn across the entire plains, their innards and limbs laying all over the area. The heavy iron scent of blood lay thick in the air. And, a few dozen metres away, they saw a floating humanoid figure.

"Welcome, young devils." Loki, having noticed them, gave a smile.

The large wolf below him gave a large howl. Said howl blasted some bodies that had been laying near it away, clearing an area of about 10 metres around the large wolf.

"Loki-sama!" Rossweisse called out to the floating god. "Bearing your fangs at our great Father is unforgivable. You should voice your opinions through the proper channels!"

"The Valkyrie that accompanies Odin. "Loki sneered. "Though I hear that you are talented, your power is far from the gods."

Rossweisse gave a small sigh, never allowing her eyes to leave the floating figure of Loki. "You refuse to listen to reason."

"…You are all much too weak for the opening of Raganrok." Loki snapped his fingers, causing two bursts of light to appear on the plains beside Fenrir and explode. When they cleared-

"Fenrir's children, Hati and Skoll." Rossweisse murmured worriedly. From the smoke, emerged two more wolves. They looked very similar to Fenrir, but they were half his size. Beside them, the face of a large snake could be seen.

"Even one of the five great dragon kings, the Midgard Serpent?" Akeno said in slight shock. Rossweisse kept quiet, choosing to observe the serpent as it coiled around them. "…No, you are only an imitation based on the Midgard serpent." Rossweisse told the devils.

"Everyone, do not be intimidated." Rias stated, no, ordered, her Peerage, her voice firm with resolve. "We must buy time for Onii-sama!"

""Hai!"" Issei and the rest of the devils shouted out, each getting ready for battle.

Xenovia took out her holy sword. Kiba generated his Balance Breaker, Sword of the Betrayer. Akeno wreathed her hands in lightning. Issei used Promotion, then activated his Boosted gear, He had started the count down moments before the teleportation, giving him the advantage of activating his Scale Mail the moment he entered the battlefield. Kirito and Asuna drew their blades from their respective sheaths, each taking up stances that they were familiar with.

[Welsh Dragon Scale Mail!]

"You will regret facing a god." The moment those words left his lips, all the monsters sprung.

"Loki!" Issei flew up to meet the Norse god.

"The Sekiryuutei. What fate." A magic circle made itself known, before it blasted out bluish lightning.

"Hah!" Issei took the hit head on, punching forwards!

*Doon!*

The lightning struck Issei's punch, dissipating into nothingness. "I was chased by a fire-breathing dragon king! This is nothing!"

Loki only smiled, snapping his fingers. In response, one of the smaller wolves leapt at Issei.

"Gah!" Issei gasped in pain as the wolf sliced through his dragon wings like butter! W-what?

Landing heavily, the smaller wolf screamed, opening its jaws wide, ready to snap the falling Issei up like a snack. Shit!

"Yah!" With a shout, Xenovia used the flat of Durandal's blade, smashing it into the small's wolf's face. Kiba followed up the hit, using Sword Birth to keep the beast contained.

"Xenovia! Kiba!" Issei shouted thankfully.

"Don't forget about us, the Gremory Knights!" Xenovia brought her sword up, before cleaving it downwards. "Duuurandaallll!"

A hug wave of holy energy was shot towards the contained child of fenrir(Hati).

"Right, me too! Dragon Shot!" Issei fired the blast of demonic energy at Hati, further damaging him.

..

"So this is our opponent then." Rias commented, as she stared down the long serpentine form of the cloned Midgard Serpernt.

"Looks like it." Sona responded, fixing her glasses.

"Lightning!" Akeno fired off her charged attacks. The serpent was wreathed in lightning, but it did little to no damage, the only indication it had even hit the long serpent being the small bit of smoke rising from the area where it had been struck.

"So my firepower is not sufficient to sufficiently injure this serpent." Akeno muttered.

Akeno had multiple feelings going through her mind right now. She hated the fact that she was part Fallen Angel. After all, it was because of them that her mother ended up dead...But in her heart, she knew that to not be true. Okaa-san died, but it was not because of Otou-san. I know that, but I can't help it! Akeno clenched her fist tightly, drawing a little blood from it.

In the past, Akeno hated her father. She had truly believed that her father had been the reason her mother died. As time past, however, she found out various things, including the cause for her mother's death.

It had been the clan that her mother belonged to that had killed her mother. More specifically, a lone sect of the clan, as well as enemies of Baraqiel, that had been the cause of her mother's death. They had chosen to strike when he had left for a mission for the Grigori. Had her father not appeared when he did, she too would have been killed. She knew that, but she needed to still think of Baraqiel as the reason for her mother's death. Otherwise, she would have collapsed long now…

Ise-kun… Akeno's eyes' hardened, showing a strength and a fire that had only been showed once before. When she first became Rias's Queen. ...That's right I have Ise now too. He said that he likes me for who I am, even though I have the same blood as the detestable creatures who killed him! If Ise does not mind, then...

"Lightning!" Akeno roared out. Lightning struck the dragon, but this time, it had a holy attribute mixed in it.

The dragon roared, writhing a little on the ground.

I too shall overcome my past! Akeno thought to herself, a small smile on her face.

..

"Your Queen is hard at work." Sona took a few steps back, avoiding the lightning bolt that landed near her.

"Of course." Rias replied in a nonchalant tone, taking a few steps back as well. "Where is your Queen?"

"Ah, she is also using the Grigori's help, like Saji. But, unlike him, she would be unable to join us for today." Sona adjusted her glasses, preventing them from slipping down.

"I see." Rias could not help but smile a little. "But, that is not all, right?"

"Indeed." Sona nodded. "We would be having a battle after this, so it would be best to not show you all of our cards. We are just buying time, after all. There is no need to unnecessarily waste our strength. We do not need to win the battle. Only the war."

"You have not changed much, have you?" Rias sighed, taking up a stance.

"My personality has not, no." Sona's glasses glinted as she took up a similar stance. "But, the same does not apply for my fighting skills."

"Oh?" Rias smirked. "Then, shall we compare our training efforts then?"

"Let us begin!"

Both heiress fired off twin attacks on the serpent. Rias's one, infused with the Power of Destruction, smashed through a few scales on the serpent. Meanwhile, Sona's one took the form of a very familiar creature. A leviathan.

The water leviathan coiled around the flailing Midgard serpent, before it bits into its exposed neck, a number of the scales there having been blown off by Rias's earlier spell.

Screaming in pain, the large snake thrashed itself against the floor, causing the water-based spell to explode into mist.

"Though an imitation, it IS based on one of the dragon kings." Sona admitted as she and the other two devils flew back, the imitation having fired off a huge tower of flame at them. "Rias, let us proceed with caution."

Rias wordlessly nodded, before all three of them attacked the serpent once more.

..

"Stay alert!" Rossweisse warned Irina. "They may be smaller than their father, but that does not mean they are as dangerous. They have inherited his god-slaying abilities, so once their fangs or claws reach you, its over."

"A good opponent for me then!" Irina took of her robes, revealing the battle suit she had gotten from the church. "All fiends of Lord Michael will fall before his might!"

"Irina!" Xenovia called out from the other side of the battlefield. "Don't be too reckless. They are too much for a human like you!"

"There is no need for concern Xenovia!" Irina chirped back in response. She clasped her hands together as f she were praying. "Take a look, at this new me!" A red symbol started to glow on her right hand, in the form of a V…

Or an A…

Angel wings grew from behind Irina's back, as well as a halo.

"That form…" Kiba muttered under his breath. Similarly, Xenovia had her mouth slightly ajar in shock.

"I shall explain, everyone!" Flying into the air, Irina pointed a single finger upwards, where a white ring of pure energy was formed. "I have become a reincarnated angel through Lord Micheal's blessing! Amen!"

At the word 'Amen', she threw the ring towards Skoll, where it fixed itself onto his neck. Surprised by this new attachment to his body, Skoll was half steered, half veered, to the side, where he smashed his face into the earthen ground. Rosswessie, seeing her chance, launched a few dozen spells at Skoll's unprotected flank. "It seems they do not have Fenrir's defensive power!" She shouted over the sounds of her spells smashing into Skoll's side.

"A reincarnated angel, huh." Asuna commented from the side. Both she and Kazuto were watching this from the side.

"Never a dull moment around Issei, right?" Kazuto quipped, before he leapt backwards. A large claw had smashed into the ground where he stood, not moments ago. "Woah!"

"Kirito-kun…" Asuna sighed. "Please remember that we are fighting right now."

"The same could be said of you, Asuna." Kazuto smirked at her, before he swung his sword to the side quickly, batting away a claw. "Switch!"

"Star Splash!" Rapier glowing, Asuna unleashed the devastating 8-hit attack against Fenrir's exposed underbelly. Each hit made a dull sound as it impacted against his stomach.

*Grrah!*

Roaring, Fenrir leaped into the air the moment the barrage stopped. Facing the frozen form of the girl, he attempted to slash Asuna into three neat pieces...

"Switch!"

"Go–" Before he could finish speaking, he saw a white blur out of the corner of his eye. "Watch out!"

*doon!*

With a heavy sound, the wolf(Hati) smashed into his father, causing both of them to smash into the grassy field, displacing large amounts of dirt.

"…Kirito-san." Koneko landed on her feet lightly next to Kazuto. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Kazuto panted. Then he noticed Koneko's form. She had her cat ears and tail out, and her fist had a white aura around it. "What's that?"

"...I'm using Genjutsu." Konkeo explained. "I saw Akeno-senpai using her other abilities. If Akeno-senpai can overcome her past, then so can I!"

Past? Kazuto looked in the direction of Akeno. He could see the large serpent writhing about, with three small figures flying about the place. Looks like Rias is in a bit of trouble.

"Kirito!" Looking to his left, he saw the armoured form of Issei approaching him.

"Ah, perfect timing!" Kazuto was glad that Issei appeared when he did. "Koneko, please help Rias. She looks like she needs help."

"But–"

"Help Buchou, Koneko." Issei asked Koneko. "We will be fine, so go help her!"

"...Okay." Koneko did not look convinced, but she did as she was told. "Ise-senpai, stay safe."

"Oou!" Issei shouted in response. He watched Koneko's retreating form for a little while, before he looked back at the location of the collapsed wolves. They were getting back up. "Kirito-san, Asuna-san! Let's put these wolves back to sleep!"

"You deal with Fenrir. Keep him busy until we take out the smaller one." Asuna's voice became very similar to the one she had back in Aincrad. Ah, there she is. Vice-commander of the KOB, Asuna the Flash. "Kirito-kun and I will help you when we are done, so please hold him off until then!"

"Got it!" Issei nodded his head, before he dashed towards the larger wolf.

"Ooi, you big bag of fur!" Issei hollered. "Come and get me, you overgrown floor rug!"

*Grrrrr*

Fenrir's eyes sharpened, focusing on the red fool who had disrespected him.

I hope Issei stays in one piece after this. Kazuto prayed in his heart silently.


"My my..." Loki was watching over everything from his position in the sky. Despite the fact that his grandchildren were being smashed and hurt over and over again, he showed no concern for them. Even when he saw Skoll getting pierced by dozens of swords by Kiba, or Hati's flank being bombarded by dozens of spells by the Valkriye. In fact, his gaze was solely focused on two particular groups.

"Oho…" His face, nay, his eyes, gave off a very disinterested aura as he watched over the group fighting against the clone of the World Serpent: the two heirs, a Queen, and a Rook. "The Sitri heiress and the Gremeory heiress...both are slightly stronger than I anticipated. Especially the Gremory heiress. Last I saw of her, her actions were less refined, and lots of energy was wasted. Now, her movements are more refined, and her control over her gift is much better...still too weak, I am afraid." He gazed at the fight for few more seconds, before he gazed at the next fight.

The trio fighting against his son, Fenrir.

"Hm?" Loki's eyes had a glimmer of interest in them. How strange...

The fight itself was very simple. It used a hit-and-run tactic. One group would catch the attention of Fenrir, and while he was distracted, he would be attacked by the other group. Despite knowing that he was facing this sort of tactic, Fenrir was still getting hurt, unable to deploy a suitable counter against the flies buzzing around him.

This was because every time he tried to counter, both groups would deal a synchronized attack at the wolf. forcing the large monster off-balance, before hey went in and re-did the tactic again, picking up from where they last left off.

That in itself did not interest Loki much. It was the people who was fighting Fenrir that was piquing his interest.

The Red Dragon Emperor, the Sekiryuutei. Loki looked over the perverted boy. He has progressed quite a bit, considering he is the weakest wielder of the Boosted Gear in history. He almost laughed to himself. Almost. This boy is strong...but he is still too weak for the opening act of Ragnarok.

Loki turned his attention to the other group, consisting of a boy and girl pair. Those two...quite an interesting bunch.

He had been observing their fight for a full minute, and it was very...amusing.

The boy and girl would take turns attacking Fenrir. Before he could land an attack on either one of them, the other would use their weapon to redirect the attack, turning what would have been an otherwise fatal blow into a miss.

They are obviously very skilled...but they are too weak. And yet... Loki frowned. He was feeling irritated, yet he did not know the cause. What is this cause of irritation I am feeling?

As he watched, Fenrir leapt into the air, intending the slash into the exposed back of the male. He was very sure that that devil would have met his end right there and then, even as the Sekiryuutei shouted out a warning to him.

*Chink chink chin-*

Three high-pitched sounds were heard, followed by one dull thud. Loki's eyes widened, as his eyes took in the multi-coloured glowing square that had briefly formed from the slashed the boy made with his sword.

I see...so he is from that game. Loki lowered himself to the ground slowly, until he was a few metres above the ground, instead of a few dozen.

Let the curtains rise, then. Loki brought his fingers to his mouth, before he whistled.

Hearing the high-pitched sound, Fenrir disengaged from the trio, bounding back to his father.

Time to end this farce of a fight.


AN

So, the climax of this arc is being reached!

As I am rewriting this arc, plus the next one immediately after this, I am actually watching the Aniplex Online stream, and listening to the songs being released.

I am especially partial to the songs from SAO, Fate, and a few others, like Ed of 'Eromanga sensei'. The Op just does not agree with me, although it does set the mood for the series itself.

Speaking of series, I have just found out that a few series are making their endings this year, or near early next year!

Konosuba, The Devil is a Part-timer, & Undefeated Bahamut Chronicles!

These three are series which I have heard of, and the last 2, watched. Can't wait to see the endings that are coming out!

Thank you for reading this series. Comment, follow, favorite it, and Anime is Life!