Highschool DxD: The Prime Evil

by TalonAlpha3

"And the Evil that was once vanquished shall rise anew. Wrapped in the guise of man shall he walk amongst the innocent. And Terror shall consume they that dwell upon the Earth." Aidan Kain was just living a normal school life as a human with nightmares before being sucked into the Devil world as a pawn of Rias Gremory. What further adventures await for this Kuoh Academy student?

13. Chapter 13: What a King Must Do

I do not own Highschool DxD nor do I own Diablo. All rights respectively go to Ichiei Ishibumi, the series' creator, and Blizzard Entertainment, the company who made Diablo.

---

It was dark and cold. The air was still and dry. There was nothing but complete darkness as fog covered some parts of the background.

But there is always more than just darkness in a dream. For darkness eventually gives way to light. A light that beholds the dream.

Rias was the only one standing in the darkness, alone and cold. She walked and walked around but always found herself in the empty void. And there was nothing but pitch black.

"Hello?" asked Rias as her voice echoed but no one answered her call.

Then, a flash of light quickly stunned her eyes before she saw something. Rias beheld a vision of someone who was held by two men and bound to some sort of crudely constructed binding stone via chains and barbed hooks. That someone was Aidan, who looked unconcerned with him being restrained by the men and strapped to the large structure behind him.

"Aidan?" asked Rias. But her voice did not reach anyone, not even to her pawn. Before she could speak again, she was interrupted by another noise.

The stone door at the other side, guarded by two other men in robes, opened to reveal what appeared to be an angel. But this angel was different. His armor was golden, and his robes were white. He wore a hood but showed only blackness within, like there was no face. What struck Rias the most though were the wings, strands of light and energy illuminating off of him. Every strand was individualistic, never coming together.

"Tyrael?" asked Rias to herself. "What is he doing here?"

Taking a few steps forward, the archangel propelled himself over to the rest of the robed men with something in his hand. To Rias' horror as she gasped, it was the Red Soulstone.

"Your sacrifice shall not be forgotten," Tyrael said to Aidan.

And with that, Tyrael jams the soulstone into Aidan's forehead. Screams were heard as Aidan was let go, his body bound to the chains. The robed men walked over the bridge with the angel following behind him. The men looked on in sorrow as they left, like they sacrificed one of their own to a cruel fate.

The stone door soon closes itself as Tyrael was the last to see Aidan writhe in pain and agony.

Another flash of white light occurs as Rias witnesses the robed men and Tyrael outside in what appeared to be a great desert land with mountains. The robed men watched as the angel uses his tendrils of light on his wings to close two massive doors.

Finding herself back in the chamber, Rias sees the torches blown out before sealing runes on the binding stone emerged forth in red. Starting at the bottom and going upwards to cover the iron maiden, one by one. Each rune was different, ancient in its writing, a writing Rias could not understand.

Once the sealing runes on the binding stone were completed, the soulstone on Aidan's forehead glowed before screams from the man were heard next. His fate was sealed with the stone bound him as barbed hooks then emerged and pierced his skin, keeping him in place so he does not break free. Aidan was thus left alone, doomed to wrestle with Diablo for all eternity inside his makeshift prison.

Rias tries to run to Aidan to help him but could only watch as she is pulled back from the dream, hearing the screams of her favored pawn imprisoned.

*GASP*

Rias woke up with a gasp, violently opening her eyes wide open and thrusting her body upwards off of the bed. Her vision is blurry before it clears but her forehead and face were sweaty, and her breathing was ragged. Her head felt like it was split open with a headache as she tries to comprehend what she just saw.

Her eyes widened in shock as flashbacks of the dark memory came rushing through her mind. Instantly, she saw Diablo in possession of Aidan's body, bearing a wicked smile and holding the dead Ravel in his right hand with her neck snapped.

"GGGAAAHHH!" Rias screamed as she held her head in her hands, her eyes closed in denial of what she was seeing.

Suddenly the doors to her room were opened violently and in came a woman with shorter flaxen hair and violet eyes much like the natural born members of the Bael Clan. She looked to be around the same age as Rias but was in fact older, much older.

"Rias!" cried Venelana in her brown robes, seeing her distressed daughter waking up from her nightmare.

"Aidan… Aidan!" Rias cried, hyperventilating.

Venelana immediately rushes over and sits by her daughter's bed. "Rias! It—It was just a nightmare. A dream."

"No…" Rias cried into her hands. "Why? Why why why?"

"Just a nightmare," Venelana tries to reassure her daughter. She had never seen Rias this emotional, having lose someone she cared for truly as one of her own.

"I…I couldn't…" Rias muttered with her hands still on her face.

"Was it about him?" Venelana asked fearfully.

Rias soon turned to her left to see her mother, with her eyes bloodshot as countless tears poured down from them. "I couldn't save him…"

Venelana immediately hugs her beloved daughter, letting her cry into her robe. She could feel Rias tremble from her body and hear her screams of sorrow. She ushered away the maids and closed the doors to Rias' bedroom to ensure no one would disturb them at this time.

In Venelana's mind, Rias was emotionally damaged and as a mother, she must do everything she can to help her recover. After all, any other mother would have done the same for their child.

---

TWO WEEKS AFTER THE TERROR UNLEASHED…

The heads of the two families met privately to discuss the marriage between Riser and Rias earlier. Both of them had agreed cordially that with the most recent of events ending in tragedy, those being Ravel's murder, Riser's incapacitation and severe wounds, and the destruction of the Phenex Family's Grand Hall, the marriage contract between Riser and Rias was to be annulled and void. The plan to unite both heirs of two very well-known households was canceled immediately due to this catastrophe and both sides needed to repair the damage done to their Houses.

In short, Rias was free from her marriage to Riser, never to marry him. Her chains of fate that bound her to something she did not want were finally broken.

But she did not feel any joy out of her freedom, mainly because of losing Aidan in the process. Since that terrible night, her dreams have only ended as horrible nightmares, each one with Aidan suffering at the hands of the Lord of Terror. Every night, Rias only cried, longing for Aidan and his comfort of which there was none to be found. Her mother, Venelana Gremory, often has to come to her room to sleep and comfort her, holding her baby daughter in her arms as she cries for loss of her beloved pawn. Her father, Zeoticus Gremory, assisted as well but also had to deal with the political and nobility turmoil that Aidan had caused within the Underworld as a whole.

Rias longed desperately for someone to fill that void and repair the emotional damage of her heart, but no one could replace it. Some would say she was damaged emotionally on a permanent level, but she still retained enough cognition. Her argument with her best friend, Akeno, only added fuel to the fire, along with the slap the latter gave for her cowardice.

In truth, Akeno was right. Rias had become a coward and needed Aidan more than ever. She had put all of her trust to him to save her from this marriage. Yet during the Rating Game, she had betrayed it by blasting him away from Riser to save himself from his own power. It may have been the right call in her mind, along with many others, but that action ultimately sealed his fate into becoming the host to Diablo, the Lord of Terror.

It was a fate she could not have foreseen.

In regards to her family, they were disappointed that the marriage was canceled at first, but their hearts were also filled with a great weight of sorrow concerning their daughter. Not only was she wounded but she was also psychologically and emotionally hurt, all of it stemming from one man, one Pawn, who had meant more to her than anything.

And now that Pawn was possessed by a Prime Evil.

Grayfia, as the one who led Aidan to the Red Soulstone of Terror, would be given a punishment decided by the heads of the family once the crisis has been resolved. Sirzechs has had to comfort Grayfia almost every night, sleeping with her in order to shake off the nightmares she had witnessed within the treasury vault. To Grayfia, she had kept apologizing, both to Sirzechs and to Aurelia-sensei, her teacher whom she had not heard from in many decades. Her son, Milicas, was of good source of comfort to his mother but ultimately, it fell to Sirzechs to aid her.

She would recover in time, much more so than one other particular Devil with the so-called Immortality.

As for Riser, depression struck him hard. Emotionally and mentally, he was severely damaged due to the death of his little sister and of his wounds. His moment of triumph to marry Rias ended only in disaster when Aidan emerged as a host for Diablo. He became vastly more powerful than Riser and easily defeated him, bringing him close to the edge of death. Riser had clearly underestimated Aidan but never thought that his own soul had been damned in the process.

In terms of his injuries, he was immediately hospitalized and put through multiple surgeries. His wounds slowly healed in time and his stomach was stitched back up, albeit leaving a horrible scar in the process. Not to mention that with part of his intestinal system destroyed, it will become difficult for him to eat, relying on IV bags for much of his life. However, despite the healing of wounds, the damage was already done to him and his Immortality powers could not regenerate his wounds.

And now currently, after recovering in the hospital for some time, he has locked himself in his room, forbidding to speak to anyone and forbidding anyone to enter in, even his family. Not even Riser's peerage was allowed to give him comfort, suffering to only watch in silence in front of the doors to his bedroom to hear his screams of agony and his tears of sorrow for Ravel. Nightmares of Aidan/Diablo have plagued him ever since, where he revisits Ravel's death countless times. He could hear the Demon's dark laughter as he witnesses his family members dead on the floor. Loud banging noises could also be heard, as if Riser was pounding walls or flinging furniture across the floor in a temper tantrum.

The Phenex Family are currently working on a way to contact a psychiatrist for Riser, but it may not be enough.

One member of Rias' Peerage, Asia, was informed of the events alongside Deckard Kain by Kiba and Koneko, who went to the house back in the mortal world to relay the news. Asia was left heartbroken as was Deckard. The former fainted and needed tending to while the latter felt shocked and disheartened.

Had he known that the corruption in Aidan's arm from his Sacred Gear was of Diablo himself, he may have found a way to stop it. The visions only added back to the evidence, and Deckard felt ashamed.

His ancestors must feel disappointed for his short sightedness. Then again, his ancestors also acted a bit too prideful in the past.

'Oh Aidan… I never knew. I am so sorry.'

MEANWHILE…

In a meeting chamber of sorts where the Four Great Satans had held council were Rias' Peerage, bar Rias, and Sona and her Peerage, the Student Council. With Rias being taken care of by her family and Sirzechs, her Peerage has to attend this emergency meeting without her presence.

"These are dark times for us all," A man stood as he poured wine into glasses for everyone in the room, except for Asia, Koneko, and Issei as they were all too young to drink. He was bewitchingly beautiful and attractively young, appearing in his early twenties with light blue eyes and green hair that is slicked back. He held a mysterious aura around him which he claims to make him seem devilish.

Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the Four Great Satans and childhood friend of Sirzechs, pours wine into four glasses and hands them to Akeno, Kiba, Sona, and Tsubaki.

"The marriage between the two great families is severed, a young noble is killed, my best friend Sirzechs is wounded, and the Terror once thought sealed away has now been unleashed," Ajuka said. "And yet, I had long feared this day would come."

"What by that do you mean, Beelzebub-sama?" asked Tsubaki as she took a sip of her wine.

"A day when the Burning Hells would eventually return," Ajuka revealed, but everyone was surprised to hear the word Burning Hells mentioned.

"…Do you know something we do not?" Kiba asked. "With all due respect."

"I do. In fact, only the Four Great Satans and a few others know of something that the majority of the Devils do not." He then turned to the group before him. "You were all given proof that our Devil Mythology was in fact real by the Pawn of Sirzech's younger sister, correct?"

Everyone nodded in confirmation as they remembered when Aidan and Deckard Kain recounted everything and proved the mythology was no mythology at all, beginning with Anu and Tathamet and ending with the Great War.

"There is one piece of our history known only to the four of us Maous where the Three Factions had worked together for the first time after the Great War had ended."

"What do you mean?" Akeno asked.

Ajuka then decided to drop the truth.

"It was called the Second Dark Exile. Much like the first one but replace the Horadrim with the Three Factions."

All were silent before…

"…WHAT!?"

"What is the meaning of this?" Saji demanded. "How could we be working with the enemy after the war?"

"And what do you mean Second Dark Exile?" asked Kiba. "I thought there was only one."

Ajuka gave a complete and honest answer as he walked towards a window, looking at the outside.

"In the long days after the Great War had ended, peace roamed throughout the realms, with only a cold war taking place. But in the chaos of the aftermath, the Prime Evils were once again exiled to Earth in the same manner as before."

Ajuka's mind begins to flashback to the days of old, many years ago when he, the Four Great Satans, Michael, and Azazel gathered together. They were overlooking a map of Sanctuary, trying to decipher just where the Prime Evils were located.

"With the Horadrim having died out, there was nothing left to stop them. And so it was that the leaders of the Three Factions came together in a temporary alliance to hunt down the Three Brothers before their plans came to fruition."

Akeno noticed Ajuka's voice had trembled a bit.

"It sounds as if you were there to see it, Lord Beelzebub," Akeno noted. But Ajuka, to Akeno's shock, did not deny her that thought as he turns to face her.

"Because I was there," Ajuka emphasized. "I was there so many centuries ago. As were Sirzechs, Serafall, and Falbium. Even Michael and Azazel, the leaders of the Angels and Fallen Angels respectively, were there."

The room was stunned and silent, just like during Aidan and Deckard Kain's storytelling.

"What?!" Kiba asked. "You were there?"

Ajuka nodded as he turns his head back to the window, overlooking the Underworld. Dark storms were vastly approaching from the horizon as his memories of the Second Dark Exile come rushing back like they were yesterday. Soon the rain began to fall.

"I was. I was there through it all. I was there when the archangel Tyrael of the High Heavens gave us the soulstones to trap the Prime Evils. I was there when we confronted the demon lords and their servants. One by one, we managed to entrap them but not without great cost."

Everyone looked at one another for a brief moment before they looked back to Ajuka.

"At great cost?" asked Issei.

Ajuka began his tale.

"This all began some time after the Great War had ended, when all three sides retreated to recover from the loss of their forces. After some time, we had eventually learned that the High Heavens and the Burning Hells were indirectly involved in the conflict."

"Indirectly involved?" asked Sona. "How so?"

"Although the Angiris Council were forbidden to interfere based on their ancient laws, one of their members, Tyrael, knew that the Burning Hells would not remain quiet. If they conducted themselves into the Great War, not even the full might of all three sides would stem the tide of darkness. So it was that he came to the aid of the Angels, his younger brethren, indirectly while the Seven Evils aided the Devils indirectly."

It made sense in some sense. If the Demons were capable of granting the Devils powers, that explains why the Red Soulstone of Terror was kept hidden right under from everyone's noses all these years. For an outside and ancient, evil force to be involved in the Great War made some sort of sense if the Great War was a part of the Eternal Conflict somehow.

But one thing was not made clear to everyone.

"But why us?" Kiba asked. "Why would the Demons ever aid us?"

Ajuka had to drop another truth bomb, one related to why Aidan called Riser a slave and Diablo to Sirzechs regarding the former's brothers. He narrowed his eyes as he looks out in the horizon.

"It is because we Devils were not always the Angels who had fallen from Heaven," Ajuka said. "We are, or rather were… the former slaves of the Burning Hells and their demon masters, the Seven Evils."

Silence ensues for about a minute.

"…WHAT!?" Everyone yelled at the same time.

"What do you mean slaves?" asked a stunned Sona.

Ajuka soon turned around and brought up a projection on screen via a large book he pulled out from beneath his desk. Opening itself up, the ancient words on the text light up and show ancient calligraphy pictures of old displayed the Devils in chains. Some of them were tortured mercilessly for disobedience, others were carrying large pieces of metal and working in the forge day in and day out. Even the women and children were forced to work in such hard labor.

Everyone looked stunned.

"This is a part of our ancient history that no one but the Four Great Satans know of, a secret that we swore to protect and keep. It is said traditionally that after our fall from grace from Heaven, we lingered here in the Underworld, coexisting alongside the Fallen Angels. But that was a truth we wanted to tell the masses to ensure we all forget this dark part of our history."

"But why?" asked a scared Asia.

"Nobody loves to remember the days of slavery," Ajuka explained. "I don't know how the humans in the mortal world ever manage to move past it but to us Devils, this was a time we saw as…unbearable."

More ancient pictures and paintings displayed themselves before everyone, showcasing more of the slavery. As the Demons overworked and punished their slaves, the Seven Evils lorded over them from above within the shadows, taking in great satisfaction.

"After our fall from Heaven, the Demons of the Burning Hells had captured us. They dragged all the Angels down to Hell where they forced them to work as slaves, driving us to take part in building their Demonic Legions. By aiding them in the Eternal Conflict, we would take part as the harbinger of their armies, meant to weaken Sanctuary, or Earth as it is now called, and be casted aside so that the Demons would claim the world as their own."

"And how long did this slavery last?" asked Tsubaki. But Ajuka felt uncomfortable to answer.

"Who knows, really? No one really knows how long the slavery lasted. But during that dark time, as we were enslaved and forced to do the Demon's bidding, the Seven Evils and their servants experimented on us, changed us. They altered our biology and manipulated our essence, once an Angel turned Fallen Angel from Heaven, to match theirs to keep us enslaved to their will. They trained us in the many ways of their arts of war, hence why we are able to create our own magic to serve them. We became a new entity in their eyes, a new weapon of war for them to use. Thus the first Devils were born from the original Lucifer, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, and Leviathan. Our wings are the result of those experiments."

To further his point, Ajuka unfolded his wings. The others slowly yet hesitantly followed suite, looking at their own wings. Upon closer inspection, they do indeed contain a faint trace of the Demons' power from the Burning Hells, made possible by their masters.

Now it all made sense. The endless conflict between the Three Factions, the beginning of the universe with Anu and Tathamet, the Eternal Conflict-all of it made possible by both the High Heavens and the Burning Hells in the universal struggle of good versus evil. The Worldstone was the focal point of the Eternal Conflict as it had the power to create worlds. But with its destruction, nothing was to be fought over.

All except for Sanctuary. For Earth. Hence why the Great War, and the ancient Eternal Conflict, were fought on Sanctuary's soil on multiple occasions.

And that the Great War was a part of the Eternal Conflict. That the Three Factions had unwillingly taken part in the war for all of creation.

"Then, how did the Fallen Angels come into existence?" asked Asia.

"Not all Angels that fell were captured by the Hellspawn," Ajuka explained. "A large group led by Azazel, the leader of the current Fallen Angels, had hidden themselves away, magically removing traces of their presence to avoid capture. Lurking in the shadows of Sanctuary, they remained hidden from all prying eyes, slowly building up their numbers and gathering their strength in preparation for the war to come. Over the millennia, they kept watch and guarded over the reborn Sanctuary, now named Earth by God, ridding it of the Demons that remained after the Worldstone's destruction. They had also observed our time in the Burning Hells, our slavery to be exact. Only when the Great War began did they reveal themselves, being the only side influenced by both Heaven and Hell; not just one or the other."

If the Fallen Angels were indeed as Ajuka said, then it stands to reason as to why Raynare had been corrupted and turned into a Demon. She was susceptible to corruption by either the light or the darkness, more so the latter. In a way, Fallen Angels are much like the humans in that they can be manipulated and have a choice to do good or evil.

"So…how did we gain our freedom?" asked Akeno. "Diablo spoke of some sort of rebellion that gave the Demons a setback and that it worked in their favor."

"After centuries of enslavement to the Demons, Lucifer and his fellow Devils gathered what followers they could and lead a rebellion against their Demon masters. In time, we had grown beyond their control to the point we were able to wage war, dubbed Lucifer's Revolution." More paintings and ancient carvings depicted this rebellion, with the Devil slaves taking up arms against their Demon masters. "We had succeeded but just barely as the uprising costed millions of Devil lives and only thousands of Demons dead. For every Demon slain, two Devils died in the process. In the end, the original Satans ended the conflict and managed to sever a small portion of the Burning Hells and formed a realm of their own with a shard of the destroyed Worldstone they had found. They called it - the Underworld."

"…WHAT?!"

The entire room was shocked. To hear Ajuka say that the Underworld was created from a small fragment of the Burning Hells could have been madness. The fact that they very ground they stood upon, their own home, was just a tiny fraction taken away and molded into a realm to call their own home. It made sense in some sense concerning that the origins of the Underworld were always a mystery but never had they suspected it was created from the Burning Hells itself. For one thing, they thought God created it as a place to cast down the wicked and the rebel Angels. But the truth is once again far more frightening and disturbing at the same time.

"So…the Underworld is…formed from Hell?" Asia asked fearfully with her hands near her mouth in horror. "And that we… were created by the Demons?"

Ajuka nodded.. "After the Underworld was formed, a magical barrier created by Lucifer had kept it separated from Hell to ensure that the Demons do not breach through and reclaim it. Since our rebellion, they have not forgotten us, and they never will."

"But that still doesn't explain the significance of the Great War, then," Kiba said. "Why did we go to war with the Fallen Angels and Angels?"

"Traditionally, it was said that we wanted the human world for ourselves, creating world domination goals due to our pride," Ajuka said. "But the truth is, our rebellion against the Seven Evils was a plan masterminded in the beginning. That our world domination was nothing more than a string of fates pulled by the Demons."

"What do you mean?" asked a worried Tsubaki.

"I am saying that the Seven Evils, mainly the Prime Evils, masterminded and funded our rebellion so that we could create the Underworld and initiate the Great War with the Angels and Fallen Angels."

Everyone soon remembered what Diablo had said earlier.

'Your rebellion gave us a setback, one that ultimately worked in our favor.'

It made sense though. If the Prime Evils were powerful as the mythology says, then they would also be influential enough to have masterminded the rebellion. Diablo certainly proved that with Aidan, having manipulated him from the very beginning of his involvement with the Devils. The Rating Game and its aftermath certainly gave concrete evidence to support it.

"But what advantage have we granted unto the Demons that we do not know of?" asked Kiba.

"It was something we had realized all too late until now," Ajuka said, once more looking out his window as the storms arrived and it began to rain. "Once the Great War had ended, all three sides had grown exhausted of its resources. And the Prime Evils knew that with us weakened as we were, they could return to Sanctuary in another Dark Exile and succeed where they had failed. With us weakened as we were, we would be unable to sense their presence and they would turn Sanctuary into an outpost of Hell where they would use it and humanity to assault the High Heavens."

Ajuka soon showed a projection showcasing the appearance of the Three Brothers in their mortal disguises as humans but in a much darker tone.

"The return of the Three, along with mankind unaware of their existence, marked another time of evil in the history of Sanctuary unlike any other. The cataclysm that followed their arrival brought immense change to the world when the Three unleashed their hellish followers upon the world, bringing great destruction upon the lands of Sanctuary. That which was not consumed by the arrival of this malevolence was often twisted and altered by the effects of the resulting chaotic forces. Many of the native creatures inhabiting the world became vile and depraved shadows of their natural forms. A world that once allowed the unfettered development and expansion of mankind became a place where only the strongest could survive."

In a timeline of events, the projection showed nations on earth showcased war, death, and destruction. Bodies of humans laid about on the battlefield, villages burned to the ground, women raped and enslaved to men, and all the while the Three Brothers, in mortal disguises and wearing black cloaks, watched from afar, looking over their work of sowing chaos amongst men.

"The Prime Evils roamed the east of Sanctuary, feeding upon the lusts of men, leaving chaos in their wake. Entire nations were led into brutal and petty wars. Their exile from Hell had left the Three with an insatiable hunger to bring suffering and pain to all who would not kneel before them, and so the Three Brothers ravaged the lands of the Far East. They could even inhabit the bodies of humans and used this ability to control political and religious figures, allowing them to deceive humanity with ease."

"And how long had this happened before you discovered them?" Akeno asked.

"It would be decades after the Great War and their banishment that eventually, all Three Factions had discovered their existence and came together to formulate a plan to stop them."

Ajuka soon showed on the screen a meeting between the Four Great Satans, the leaders of the Grigori, and the Four Great Seraphim. Behind them were their subordinates and floating above them was the archangel Tyrael, holding three crystals in front of him as if he was presenting the solution. Each was made of sapphire, amber, or crimson.

"It was through the archangel Tyrael, the archangel of Justice and member of the Angiris Council, that we had come together. He had concocted a plan to trap the Prime Evils in the very same manner the Horadrim did, albeit with stronger soulstones than last time."

"What makes them any different?" asked Kiba.

"The soulstones the ancient Horadrim used before were attuned to track down the essence of each Prime Evil. But the ones we had gave us their precise location. So instead of hunting them down which would have taken years, we confronted them right on the spot. And it did not take long for us to track down Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, first."

The image showed the Three Factions in unison, to everyone's shock, leading their armies against Mephisto's Fortress of Bone.

"We were nearly overwhelmed by the tide of undead the Demon Lord had kept sending against us but managed to overcome it in the end. Eventually, we had tracked him near an urban center within the Middle East and imprisoned him, but it costed way too many innocent human lives. So instead of confronting the Evils on the spot, we decided to lure them away from populated areas and out into the open, where we would have the advantage."

"But how exactly did you lure them out in the open?" asked Kiba.

"Simple really: patience."

But everyone was confused so Ajuka gave a clear explanation as the projection showed the Three Factions hot on the trail within the desert.

"We were in close pursuit to Diablo and Baal before the latter took shelter in the capital city of Egypt. Not wanting to risk civilian casualties, we waited in the desert for three days, with the Egyptian Pantheon keeping an eye on Baal. Soon Baal fled into the Sahara and that is when we made our presence known."

The next image showed the towering Baal surrounded by all Three Factions, the demon lord unleashing Hell and the powers of Destruction at its finest as meteors rained down upon his foes from the blackened skies. The terrain was shaped and horribly twisted to reflect one of the most horrendous battles the Three Factions had ever faced, subterranean caverns forming beneath their feet as the very ground itself gave way.

"During the battle, Baal had shattered the amber soulstone. But still we managed to seal him in the largest shard; only to encounter a problem."

"Problem?" asked Akeno.

"The largest shard could not contain Baal indefinitely. And we all knew that reforming the shard would take too much time. Soon a suggestion was put forth; that someone of a greater power would act as the surrogate soulstone, using the shard as a conduit to their body."

"Um, what does that mean exactly?" asked Saji.

"it means that someone would become Baal's prison…by using their own body," Tsubaki deduced. But this horrified Saji, Issei, Asia, and other members of the Student Council. The act of someone using their own body to contain Baal would something worth called sacrilege. After all, they had seen what a Prime Evil could do to someone when possessed.

In that moment, their minds flashbacked to Aidan, possessed by Diablo himself.

Ajuka regretfully continued, "In that moment of decision making, the archangel Raphael, Michael's brother, would volunteer for the role, resigning himself to fate to wrestle with Baal for all eternity."

Asia was horrified, learning a terrible truth of the Angels. She would have fainted had Kiba not caught her, though she had a terrible headache due to her Devil nature.

The projection showcased Tyrael appearing to the Three Factions, specifically to Raphael, who spoke into his ear as if he was acknowledging him for accepting this ill-fated role. Then the next image showed the Three Factions underground, in some sort of burial chamber, as they bound Raphael to some sort of binding stone.

"Regrettable as it was, the rest of us, and Tyrael, bound Raphael to this binding stone we constructed, etched with runes of containment, held fast to the chamber's walls by unbreakable chains crafted from the most primordial materials and ancient magic. After we chained Raphael, Tyrael jammed Baal's soulstone into him, leaving him to wrestle with it for all eternity. Sorrowfully, we sealed the chamber and buried it deep beneath the sand."

As Ajuka explained the events, it all played out like some sort of vision, each playing its part before it ended with the Binding Stone activating and Raphael's screams of torture echoing throughout the chamber. The Three Factions then buried the tomb underneath the sand for all time, a tomb within the Sahara that no one, not even the Elder Angels could ever find.

"After we sealed Raphael away, we began the hunt for Diablo," Ajuka said as the projection showed images of the Three Factions hunting Diablo in the dark of night. "It nearly took us ten years but finally, we found him in Eastern Europe and engaged him in a battle that nearly costed our lives."

As projections of the battle showed, so too was one certain image that showed all Four Great Satans charging in to face Diablo, with Sirzechs taking the lead with his spear.

"It took the combined might of all Four Great Satans to subdue him, but we eventually managed to defeat Diablo and trap him in the last soulstone."

Standing over the crimson soulstone that contained Diablo's soul were the battered Four Great Satans, the Four Great Seraphim, and the Grigori leaders.

"I always suspected Aidan and Professor Kain did not tell us everything," Sona speculated while thinking in thought with her hands together, fingers interlocked.

"Kaichou?" Saji asked with worry and confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Issei.

"Both Aidan and Professor Kain did explain and prove that our Devil Mythology was real, but they never went into detail about the aftermath of the Worldstone's destruction concerning the High Heavens and the Burning Hells. If both sides did indeed influence the Great War to their designs, then we have already become part of the Eternal Conflict in a way."

"But humanity has nothing to do with that war!" Tsubasa exclaimed. "And there were certainly no records of Demons or Elder Angels sighted in the accounts of the Great War."

"But humanity is descended from both Elder Angels and Demons," Sona interjected. "I suspect the reason why the war was started was not just out of pride for world domination but also control over mankind and, if they are still alive, the nephalem. If not, then the nephalem power laying dormant within humanity."

"You are correct," Ajuka agreed, catching everyone's attention back to him. "We did not know originally why the Great War started in the first place. But we later realized the truth when Sirzechs and I became Maous. It was discovered that Lucifer and the others wanted the power of the nephalem for themselves so as to not just conquer Earth and also destroy their mortal enemies, the Angels, but also to strike back at the Burning Hells in a fiery vengeance. That was why they had sought to influence humanity under their thrall, acting no better than their former masters, but their pride would not let them see that."

It now made sense why the Great War had been influenced by the forces of the High Heavens and the Burning Hells. With the Worldstone gone, all that was left was humanity, the third party. If they were ever enslaved by beings greater than them, then their nephalem power and potential could be unlocked magically, giving one of the two sides advantage over the other. Since the nephalem were never meant to be in existence in the first place, and by extension humanity as a whole, it made sense why everyone sought to bring them under their control by any means necessary. Whether they followed the teachings of the Church or tapped into the dark powers of Hell, their will can easily be swayed to serve their purpose.

And yet, humanity may be the most powerful but also the most vulnerable and in need of protection to ensure their continual survival despite what others may think of them.

"What happened next?" asked Sona.

"After we finished sealing the Prime Evils within their soulstones, the archangel Tyrael appeared to us one last time to congratulate us. Together with the other leaders of the Three Factions, we formed a plan where each of us would keep a soulstone to guard. The Angels would keep watch over Raphael's tomb where he wrestled with Baal, Mephisto's was granted to the Fallen Angels to guard, and we Devils had safeguarded Diablo's."

"So…" said Asia. "The Gremory Family had kept Diablo's soulstone all this time?"

But Ajuka surprisingly to everyone shook his head. "Not always. We knew that giving the soulstone to one noble family to guard was too risky as they would be easily corrupted. So to ensure we do avoid such a catastrophe, we formulated a plan where every year, a noble family would be chosen by the government to guard Diablo's soulstone. To cover up its true nature, the Maous and I simply told the heads that it was a simple crystal meant to symbolize the end of the Great War, never leaking the information that they were guarding the Lord of Terror. The Gremory Household was recently chosen almost a year ago."

"So every noble family has at least held the Soulstone within its treasury chambers," Sona deduced. "But that still doesn't explain why you couldn't just simply destroy it."

"To destroy a soulstone, we would have had to venture into the Burning Hells itself and locate the Hellforge. But we could not take such a big risk, with so many lives lost in the process of capturing all three of the brothers. Thus we decided to do what the ancient Horadrim did and seal them away. It had been like that for the next hundreds of years."

The projection on Ajuka's desk soon dissipates away, powering down. Everyone had taken time to absorb what they had just seen. Their entire history rewritten from what they had originally knew of their people. Once they were heavenly Angels of the Lower Heavens but fell to corruption due to pride, only to be captured by the Demons and made to be slaves. After a lifetime of slavery, they rebelled against their masters and created the Underworld, a small portion of the Burning Hells severed from the body and formed to become their home and for the Fallen Angels.

Then came the Great War, a war that inevitably was just a small skirmish in comparison to the Eternal Conflict. And like the Sin War, the High Heavens and the Burning Hells intervened indirectly in a war for will and influence. Once the war ended, the Second Dark Exile unfolded, a part of history where the Three Factions came together to stop the Prime Evils.

And yet, they knew the cause of all of this suffering. All this destruction. All this chaos.

The Prime Evils. They had engineered everything from behind the scenes. The fall of Lucifer, the slavery rebellion, their second masterminded exile, their capture. All of it. All of it leading to this moment in time where it would begin with Diablo's release and possession of Aidan.

Ajuka however had one last thing to say.

"Shortly afterwards, a Vecin Mystic came to us," Ajuka said as everyone brought their attention back to him.

"A Vecin Mystic?" asked Sona, having heard of the Vecin before.

"Myriam Jahzia was an old friend of the Gremory Family, yet she came with ill news regarding the Three Brothers years after the hunt was over."

Ajuka soon took out a scroll from the table to unfold it across the table for all to see. Its words and runes lit up to show the translated interpretation.

And the evil that was once vanquished shall rise anew. Wrapped in the guise of man shall He walk amongst the innocent; and Terror shall consume they that dwell upon the Earth. Behold! The war amongst the heavens shall not be contained; and the sons of man shall be engulfed in the flood of conflict, and all hope shall be lost unto them. And He shall make war upon the heavens, and the heavens shall gird themselves as for battle. The righteous shall fall upon the wicked... and lay siege to the very gates of Hell. And He shall take peace from mankind and loose great destruction upon the earth. The Lord of Hatred shall ascend his throne; and the fires of Hell shall devour all.

And He shall mete out his vengeance upon all flesh. And the blood of innocents shall run as great torrents. And all of creation shall tremble before the burning standards of Hell.

...Who then shall be saved ...

"By the looks of it, it looks like some sort of…prophecy," Akeno interpreted.

"It was to foretell the return of the Prime Evils, but we had no idea it would start with Diablo," Ajuka revealed.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Sona.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

Doors suddenly opened to reveal a servant of Beelzebub.

"M'lord Beelzebub!" The man bowed. "The heads of the Phenex and Gremory Family are requesting Lady Rias' Peerage to return to the Phenex Estate."

"What for?" asked Ajuka.

"I do not know, sir, but Lord Phenex says it is vital they return."

Ajuka nodded and turned towards Akeno. "We will speak more of this later. For now, Miss Himejima, lead your group to the Phenex Estate. I doubt this is an apology they are planning to give. But I also doubt they are not calling you for execution."

Akeno understood as she, being the Queen and temporary leader due to Rias' absence, led everyone over in a magic circle to transport them back to the Phenex Estate.

---

PHENEX ESTATE; MAIN HALLWAY….

When Akeno and her Peerage arrived at the main hallway of the Phenex Estate, they were a bit surprised to find Sona and her Peerage as well.

"Akeno," greeted Sona. "I'm glad you and the others can make it."

Even with the fight Sona was involved in between Rias and Akeno, she had still greeted them warmly. After all, like Rias, it reflected her status as King and the Sitri Clan's heir, along with the fact that she is the Student Council President of Kuoh Academy.

"…How is she?" asked Akeno. But Sona's expression turned a bit somber.

"I haven't heard a word from her in two weeks," Sona said. "Whenever I asked one of the maids from the Gremory family, all I get is a silent response."

"You are all here. Good," Lord Phenex arrived, along with his wife and one other figure with red hair and wearing white.

"Lord Gremory?" asked a surprised Kiba. "What brings you here?"

"This matter involves both of our Houses," Zeoticus explained. "With my wife taking care of Rias and my son attending to Grayfia, I will step in as representative in this meeting."

As everyone gathers, the meeting begins.

"As you all know, the marriage between my son Riser and Lady Rias of the House of Gremory is annulled and void," Lord Phenex states. "While we are disappointed it has come to such, that is not our concern and why we called you all here."

"If it is not about the wedding, what is it then?" Saji asked.

"It is to discuss about that Pawn from my daughter's Peerage," Zeoticus explained. "As we can tell, only you all know who or what he is. And how he had obtained that power. As heads of the Phenex and the Gremory Households, we would like to know everything about him. And I mean everything."

Everyone did not know what to say as they looked at each other. They were unsure of what to say about Aidan considering what they had experienced with him and of what he had done to Ravel Phenex.

Sona however, taking up the leadership of the group, decided to speak up front and confess everything. She steps forward in front towards the leaders of the Phenex Household and Zeoticus.

"Lords Gremory and Phenex," Sona began. "It started a few months ago when Aidan was transferred over to our school…"

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER…

"This is…a lot to take in," Zeoticus Gremory said. "I am not sure whether my daughter made a wise decision in saving him or sealed the fates of many lives considering the present circumstances."

"With all due respect, Lord Gremory, we were all unaware that your treasury had carried one of the soulstones," Sona stated. "All of us except Aidan yet I do not believe he had any malevolent intentions to bring harm to your family. All he wanted was to save Rias from her marriage with Riser."

"I cannot deny that," Zeoticus agreed. "Rias has changed much since that man came into her life. In her eyes, he is more than just a Pawn of her Peerage."

Zeoticus' eyes looked a bit somber, having finally understood everything from what Sona and everyone else told him about Aidan. From what he had heard from his son and Grayfia, Aidan was considered someone special to Rias. Traditionally for a noble like him, a commoner aligned with a noble like his daughter could lead to problems considering bloodline, especially for the pure-hearted Devils. But when he was told that he was the son of a certain someone who was Grayfia's teacher, he felt disturbed.

He saw a brief image in his mind of a female figure with her back towards him. It was difficult to make out what she had looked like as most was concealed by the light.

"Even with this new information given to us, it does not change the fact that my daughter is dead because of him," Lord Phenex stated. "We now have a murderer on the loose, and retribution must be called for it."

No one was surprised at the logistical facts but inside, for Rias' Peerage mainly, they felt like that was a slap on the face. To call Aidan a murderer when all he wanted was to save Rias from her marriage to Riser was uncalled for. Then again, he did kill someone important to the Phenex Household, a young noble at that. Lord Phenex's anger was well justified and they could not argue back.

Suddenly, fast footsteps were heard coming from the entrance door.

"M'lord and m'lady!"

One of the maids of the Phenex household approached towards Lord and Lady Phenex, kneeling on the floor as she did.

"There is someone, an elderly sage, who claims he can resurrect Lady Ravel."

Everyone in the room was immediately stunned, drawing their attention over to the maid's sudden announcement.

"What?" asked Lord Phenex in confusion. "Who is it?"

"I will introduce myself, Lord Phenex," The guest came while accompanied by the other maids, which revealed none other than Deckard Kain, Aidan's uncle.

"Professor Kain?!" A shocked Akeno saw her professor and her unreciprocated beloved's uncle.

"What are you doing here?" asked Kiba.

"I am here to ease the burdens you carry, and to tell you all of who I really am," Deckard explains. "So please, stay awhile and listen."

Deckard Kain was attired in some unusual clothing not known to even the Kuoh Academy's students. He wore a blue robe and carried on his right shoulder a large strap with a magic satchel attached, hanging on his left. Large scrolls were on his back in another sack while the smaller ones were attached to his shoulder strap. He was wearing Roman style wooden sandals and had a red sash around his waist.

On the right side of his hip were large red healing potions in case he was injured. He also carried a large book full of his own writings that was strapped and hung on his right shoulder, dangling on the left hip. He also walked with a large wooden staff for walking and defending himself, a simple stick whose large section at the top has been twirled. It was also capable of casting ancient Horadric spells.

(Author's Note: The reference is the Deckard Cain art from Heroes of the Storm)

Deckard Kain was escorted by the guards as Kain was brought before Lord and Lady Phenex.

"Who are you?" asked Lord Phenex as he stood up to face the elder. "And what makes you think you can bring back my daughter?"

Deckard gives a bow out of respect and courtesy.

"My name is Deckard Kain. I am the last of an ancient order formed when the Prime Evils Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal were banished to the mortal realm. The order was called the Horadrim."

The room was silent for a moment, almost as if what they heard was unreal.

"Impossible!" Zeoticus Gremory said. "If the Horadrim existed, it would not take the form of such an old human like this. How do we even know you are one of them?"

To prove himself, Deckard pulls out a large ornament he carried that showcased the symbol of the Horadrim. It was a large vertical infinity sign whose end piece at the bottom was missing. In the top circle was a golden disk encased in it.

Every Devil knew that that symbol was of the Horadrim. It was even on the front cover of one of their folklore books The Horadrim.

"Professor, why are you here?" Sona had asked.

Deckard explained, "I came here to lend my assistance to the Phenex Family. And I can do so by bring back Lady Ravel, who was killed by Diablo."

This brought silence to the atmosphere within the room. They could have just been hearing things

"…You can… bring her back to life?" asked Kiba.

But Lord Phenex was not convinced.

"Preposterous!" cried the head of House Phenex. "The Horadrim are nothing but mythology. And old fairy tale meant for children. They had died out a long time ago. And now we have some man who claims to be the last and who can resurrect my dead daughter?! I will not stand resolving on such claims!"

"Enough!" cried a loud female voice, which was Lady Phenex's voice silencing her husband.

Lady Phenex, however, in a stunning move to everyone in the room, stands up and approaches the elderly sage and drops down onto her knees and prostrates herself before Deckard Kain, her forehead touching the floor. It seemed she was the one convinced of the myth, but in reality, she just wanted to see her daughter alive by any means possible.

"Sir Deckard Kain. Last of the ancient Horadrim. I beg of you as one of the heads of the House of Phenex. If it is possible, as you claim, that you can resurrect my baby daughter, Ravel, then I ask you to please do so," Lady Phenex requested in a passionate voice. "Every night since her tragic death, since that day when the Terror was unleashed, has been nothing but nightmares. All I wanted more than anything was to hold my baby girl in my arms again. I will do anything you ask for in return. But please! If you can bring Ravel back to life, then I beg of you with all your power to do so. Prove to us, to me, that you are as the tales say and release me from my nightmares!"

Tears poured from Lady Phenex's face as her body shakes. She was prostrating herself before Deckard Kain, the last of the Horadrim as he had called himself. What she and every other Devil thought was myth has now become a reality. The fact that the Horadrim, the ancient order of powerful warriors and mages who guarded the Earth from the threats of the Burning Hells, still existed all of this time. Their power could not only rival Demons, but also that of the Three Factions.

Lady Phenex grips her hands, waiting for her answer. Hoping that she is not making a fool of herself. She had reached out to the last Horadrim out of desperation, trying to find some ray of hope that Ravel can be brought back to life by his magic alone. Even if the chances were slim, she had to try.

Deckard Kain could only look on in pity. He can relate to the loss of family, having lost his in a tragic accident prior to meeting Aidan. A small tear appears in his right eye but is quickly wiped away, for the elderly man was moved by the lady's passionate request.

Kneeling down with his staff supporting him in his right hand, Deckard Kain offers a hand to Lady Phenex, who looks up with her tears now evident. Confused though at first, she takes the elder Horadrim's hand and stands up with him.

"I assure you, my Lady Phenex, that I will do everything in my power to bring your daughter back to life. That is a promise."

Those kind and reassuring words was enough for Lady Phenex to be filled with hope. If the last Horadrim can bring her daughter back to life, then it is worth a try.

"I will need to prepare a few things for the ritual to begin," Deckard said. "Bring her body here in front of me, unwrapped from its burial cloth."

Lady Phenex orders her maids to do so. "Do as this man says."

Everyone really doubted if this was going to work except for Lady Phenex. All she wanted was to hold her baby girl again. If Deckard Kain can do it, then she places all her hopes onto him.

As the maids went to retrieve Ravel, Rias' Peerage, led by Akeno and Sona, approached their professor who was preparing the ritual by placing candles and open books on the ground while drawing a magic circle that looked very ancient.

"Professor Kain…" The stunned Akeno asked. "You are…a Horadrim?"

"And… the last one?" asked Kiba.

"How can this be?" asked Sona.

Deckard continued making the magic circle and explained, "My ancestors stretch back to the very first founding many millennia ago, when the Prime Evils were first exiled to the mortal world. The very first was Jered Cain, who became the Horadrim's leader after Tal Rasha sealed himself away with Baal."

"But…your last names are not spelled correctly," Saji blatantly said.

"Yes, our lineage has had confusion over whether it was a K or a C. But along the way, we just adapted to it given by the various languages throughout the world that have attempted to translate it."

"But… if you are the last Horadrim, then what happened to the others?" asked Asia.

"The Horadrim fell into obscurity, their numbers began to diminish as generations passed," Deckard explained with a somber tone, recounting the disbandment. "With no quests to undertake and too few sons to replenish their numbers, our order faded away and took to squabbling amongst themselves over petty differences, leading to its dissolution. Only my family has ever kept hold to our traditions, vowing to guard over Sanctuary for all time."

Now they know how and why Deckard is called the Last Horadrim. If there was any ancient order that had existed since before the Great War, then the Horadrim and the Zakarum have proven such.

The maids soon came out with the body of Ravel on a stretcher.

Ravel's cold body was wrapped up in a funeral ceremonial blanket before it was unwrapped to reveal the sleeping beauty. She was still garbed in her purple dress from the party, clean and sewn up. Her hands were crossed over as they sat on her lap. She looked at peace, even in death despite her unfortunate passing. Though her skin was pale and cold, her expression was like that of a sleeping beauty.

"Bring her body over to me and place it in the middle," Deckard instructed.

Ravel's body was carefully lifted by the maids and placed on top of the circle. Candles were lit around the body in a circle as it rested on top of a ritual circle Deckard Kain constructed.

"So, what is this ritual exactly?" asked Issei.

"It is an ancient form of magic used by my ancestors eons ago," Deckard explained as he opens a tome. "It was not used often though, only in cases when the need was urgent."

"What are the chances then that this will work, Professor?" asked Kiba.

"I do not know," Deckard revealed, surprising everyone. "This ritual has been used before but details and results of it were hard to come by."

In other words, this could either not work, or it will work.

"Proceed then, Mr. Kain," Zeoticus Gremory stated. "Let us see if you live up to your title as the last Horadrim."

Deckard Kain begins his work on the ritual. With so many books opened out, Deckard begins to chant ancient languages and conjures magic from his hand in the form of a gold glowing mist. Nobody understood what Deckard was saying, most likely because the language was a forgotten one.

Deckard soon traces his hands in the air with his Horadric magic. He begins to create runes of a foreign language unknown to the Devils to translate, most likely because it was ancient and forgotten.

After five runes were traced, they were suspended in the air before they moved outwards and surrounded Deckard and the dead Ravel. As Deckard continues chanting the ancient words in a tongue no one can comprehend, the runes start to circle clockwise. They began to rotate and spin faster and faster with each minute.

Finally, at their peak, the runes came together in the middle and disperse outwards, along with Deckard's hands that ushered them outwards to his sides. A wave of light encompassed the room, but it was mostly harmless, even as everyone shielded themselves briefly from the light before looking back again.

Soon, Deckard brings his arms back together and traces another more complicated rune, which comprised of the other five mixed together.

"What's he doing now?" Issei asked Sona but the Student Council President did not answer, too focused on the ritual.

Deckard brings to the middle with the rune and gathers Horadric energy, forming a ball of light engraved with the rune in it. Soon he brings it out towards the corpse of Ravel, the sphere of light hovering above her body.

Everyone did not recognize it yet but to Deckard, this was the magical moment. If this ritual does not work, then all of his efforts would have been in vain. All he needed to do was instill it within.

The ball of light soon enters into Ravel's chest slowly, illuminating her form up briefly, her hair rising up before it settles. The light from her body also cools away as color begins to show itself on her skin. Everyone looked closer to see if it had worked, with Lady Phenex right behind Deckard.

For the first few seconds, it seemed as if nothing happened.

"…Mnn…Egh…Ugh…" Ravel's first words spoke up for all to hear. Her eyes slowly began to flicker as they open up. A bright light of white covered her eyes briefly before they gave her clarity.

Slowly, she turns to her left to see two figures. At first she could not make who they were but as her eyes gave her clarity for a better image, she saw an elderly man with a white beard and bald head sitting right beside her.

Behind him was…her mother. She'd recognize her figure anywhere, being the one closest to her.

"…Mo…Mother?" Ravel asked weakly.

Lady Phenex slowly approached her baby daughter. Her hands shook as did her breathing as she grasped Ravel's hand that was lifted up to her. In that moment she could feel the warmth from Ravel's hand, where from before she felt only cold. But now there was a warm fire within her, one that burned like a Phoenix.

"Ravel…" Lady Phenex muttered. She could not hold her tears back any longer as she saw her daughter's face for the first time in two weeks, alive and with opened eyes. "RAVEL!"

Instantly, Lady Phenex holds her daughter and hugs her almost too tightly. Ravel was confused, wondering why her mother was sobbing. Yet still, her instincts told her to hug back tightly. Everyone was so moved at the sight that some members of Sona's Peerage, even Issei, were crying.

Deckard Kian smiles in relief, seeing that the young Ravel was alive. But as he gets up with his staff in hand, he stumbles a bit and nearly falls. Luckily for him, Kiba rushes over and catches him with his Knight speed.

"Professor, are you okay?" asked a worried Kiba.

"Ohh, sorry about that," Deckard apologized. "It's been a long time since I used magic on a scale like this. I fear I am getting a bit rustic on this."

Kiba helps adjust the old man upright as Deckard sits up straight.

Turning to Deckard Kain, who was moved by the sight, Lady Phenex said, "I will never forget what you have done here today, Sir Deckard Kain. Thank you."

"It just fills me with joy to see you with your daughter happily, my lady," Deckard bows in respect. As he sits up, he turns his attention over to Lord Phenex who approaches him.

"I was wrong to accuse you," Lord Phenex bows graciously. "I apologize for that." He then stands up. "From this day forward, the House of Phenex is forever in your debt, Mr. Kain."

"I don't suppose you could also heal, Riser?" asked Zeoticus.

"I'm afraid I cannot," Deckard sadly said. "His condition is not just physical but also psychological. And it would take more than just healing magic to help him."

"You've done more than enough, Sir Kain," Lady Phenex said, still embracing her daughter. "We can rebuild the rest from here."

"Very well. But should you ever require my assistance, I will always answer your call."

Everyone within the room felt relieved, felt such joy. They had so many questions to ask their professor of who he is. They all crowded around him, wanting to learn what he knew.

Except for Rias' Peerage who, while happy, wished for the presence of their King still at her own home in grief.

---

GREMORY ESTATE…

Rias was over by her family's graveyard, visiting someone she had not seen for a long time. Her grandfather was buried here along with his wife. But Rias could recount from her days as a child how she was held by her grandparents and played with them. They would often tell stories from their young days, about how they witnessed the rise of devil-kind and of the Great War that they fought in.

Sadly, they passed on about five years ago and were buried at the Gremory estate, behind the building. Whenever Rias felt down or lost, she would come to her grandparents' grave to seek solace and comfort.

With the most recent events though, she needed help now more than ever.

"I don't know what to do, grandfather," Rias sighed. "I don't know what to believe in… who to trust."

She grips her hands into fists as her nails pierce her skin and bleed a little.

"Aidan, a man whose courage and perseverance made me fall in love with… has now been possessed by a Prime Evil."

Her hands soon loosen, with a little bit of blood dripping, as she brings her head low with tears streaming down her face.

"I have nothing…" Rias choked. "…no one… left…"

"You have us, your family," Sirzechs spoke up gently behind his little sister. "You also have your friends and your peerage. Aidan included."

"Onii-sama…" Rias spoke without turning her head. "Aidan killed Ravel."

Sirzechs, keeping his caring composure, walked up to his little sister. "Aidan did nothing but follow his heart. And he's suffered for it."

But that did not convince Rias one bit as she refused to turn around to face her brother. But knowing her, he came well prepared.

Sirzechs then asks Rias, "…He's suffering even more now, isn't he?"

"…I see him…" Rias confessed. "…in my dreams."

Rias' mind flashes to an image of Aidan, impaled in chains with barbed hooks pulling his skin. His features were distorted by vile powers as Aidan is trapped in Hell within a chamber of mirrors, his eyelids torn from his face as he is forced to gaze upon his misshapen form for all eternity. He screams in pain as Demons laugh around him and Rias can only watch helplessly. Wild flames decorate the background, like Aidan was trapped in the very heart of Hell itself.

"Onii-sama…" Rias said as she looks up to the sky, tears streaming down her face. "He's screaming."

"Rias, he's calling out to you…" Sirzechs passionately said. "You must go to him."

But a hopeless Rias turned around to face her brother and responded with tears of sorrow, "It's too late for that."

Sirzechs however remained steadfast. "If you can hear his voice and not Diablo's… then it's not too late."

The Devil's leader then added a statement regarding what Rias wants most.

"I would give anything to make Grayfia better again after what she had endured. You, like me, have been given one more chance."

Sirzechs then took her little sister's hand and said, "Take it. Bring him home."

When Sirzechs releases his hand, Rias feels something in it. What she held up was Aidan's necklace. The necklace with the Horadrim symbol. Rias could only look at it with grief, for it was the only thing left of Aidan at the moment.

"Aidan's necklace…" Rias said. "How did you…?"

"Your bishop gave it to me to pass on to you. For safekeeping and saying it was a gift," Sirzechs revealed.

Rias could only stare at the necklace. She remembered holding it for the very first time and looking at it. Yet now she knows that the necklace was a symbol of the Horadrim. Rias thought of it to just be a trinket but now it was in her hands.

This necklace belonged to a man she had liked, even loved, so much. She could not help but wonder if this was Aidan's parting gift for what he was about to do.

"But what about Diablo?" asked Rias in fear and doubt to her brother. "What if we are too late and Diablo consumes Aidan? What will we—"

"We will figure it out together," Sirzechs held his little sister by the shoulders. "I will not let that hellspawn taint our family any longer. As a Maou, it is my responsibility to ensure all of devilkind be safe from the Demons. And I promise you, we will find a way to defeat Diablo once and for all."

Gripping the necklace in her hand, she wears it around her neck, fitting perfectly. Without her or Sirzechs seeing it, the amulet glowed a golden yellow before it reverted back to normal.

"Onii-sama…" Rias catches Sirzechs attention. "Have we found Aidan?"

"We are still searching for him," Sirzechs revealed as he lets go of her shoulders. "But from what Grayfia has told me, Aidan is in some forgotten nation on Earth not known to humans or Devils. A monastery whose location only he knows of."

"Then how do we find him?" asked Rias. "We only have what Grayfia said and that's it."

"Let me worry about locating him. But for now though, we are going to need all the help we can get. And on that note…"

Sirzechs stands upright with somewhat a serious expression. Rias looked to see her big brother's expression but was confused.

"Rias, did you notice how you had gained a massive amount of power that day?" asked Sirzechs.

"What do you mean?" She asked, unsure of what he had meant.

Sirzechs explains, "When you had realized that Diablo was behind everything regarding your Pawn, your emotions peaked with rage. Unconsciously, you tapped deeper into your natural powers as a Pure-Blooded Devil, along with our family's power from the Bael Clan."

"…The Power of Destruction?" Rias asked as she lifted and looked at her right hand. For her eyes only, she could definitely sense the power within her growing in the form of her veins and arteries.

"I do not know how you had managed it, but when your emotions were filled with such wrathful feelings of vengeance, your power had increased exponentially. When you learned that Diablo was behind everything that had transpired, you lost control, unlocking powers deep within that only someone as capable of myself and able to do. Normally it should not have happened until you reach the ranks of Ultimate-Devil class like I once did."

"What do you mean?" asked Rias.

"The Power of Destruction is more than just using demonic energy for explosive power to annihilate things. It also allows you to empower certain weapons or even conjure up weapons made of pure demonic energy. Or even be used as a sort of shield against powerful blasts. You were able to create swords made of pure energy against Diablo."

"So, my own thoughts and feelings of Aidan… gave me this power?" asked Rias hesitantly, almost as if she became scared.

Sirzechs nodded, but Rias felt uncomfortable hearing that. In a way, it mirrored Aidan's power whenever his Sacred Gear had sudden power influxes or when Diablo was influencing him with the black veins on his arm or even the whispers of corruption. But to Rias, there were no whispers or black veins. No, they were her own thoughts. Her own feelings and emotions that offered her this power to temporarily overwhelm Diablo despite the Demon not retaining his full strength.

The thought of it filled her with such dread.

"Onii-sama, when I was incapacitated, Diablo mentioned something about his brothers and of the Power of Destruction. Did they, by any chance…create this power?"

Sirzechs confirmed, "Yes. Along with so many other spells and powerful magics."

Rias could later recall Diablo's words to her.

'To be able to wield such power that my brothers and I created and instilled upon you and your kind. That was why you were supposed to be our heralds for our return to Sanctuary.'

"Which means…" Rias' eyes suddenly widened. "The Demons had created…us?"

Sirzechs closed his eyes in reluctance, knowing Rias has figured it out. Or at least part of it. With Ajuka meeting with her Peerage and Sona's, it would be likely he will have to tell them the truth about the Devils and the Great War. Rias only knew what she knew from the textbooks, but she does not know the truth that he knows.

Sighing, knowing that it was time to reveal the truth, Sirzechs opened his eyes to look at Rias.

"Little sis, I think it's time I tell you everything."

He leads her over to a bench within their estate's gardens. Once seated side by side, Sirzechs begins his tale.

AN HOUR LATER…

It was a lot for Rias to take in. She felt as if she was reading an entire history textbook but filled with an additional two hundred pages from what she originally learned. She did not know what to say, other than being speechless of being told her entire race are the former slaves to the Dmeons.

"…Why were we not told of this before?" asked Rias.

"We were afraid, Rias," Sirzechs said. "Afraid of the Demons' imminent return. As such we took every precaution and preparation just to be ready for their return. If this leaked out to the public, there would be mass chaos within the public. It was something we could not risk given that they could have invaded at any time."

Rias could not argue against that logic, as much as she passionately wanted to. But she held her anger back, knowing that it would not bring Aidan back and that the true culprit behind all of this was not her big brother nor the rest of the Maous.

It was the Seven Evils, mainly Diablo, who had set in events to motion them forward. Even with the soulstone being traded off to each noble family every year, Rias must have believed that Diablo fed on the fears of everyone that held the soulstone, gaining power and influence to strike where they would least expect him to do so. If Diablo did make a move, the Four Great Satans would have known.

But that was their mistake. By withholding information regarding the soulstone, the Maous allowed Diablo within to slowly make cracks into his prison, freeing him enough to manipulate events to be released. Taking him and sealing him within the Underworld may have been the wrong move to make. It was an oversight that even the Horadirm had made.

Sirzechs soon stood up and was about to take his leave when he stops walking, his back facing Rias.

"I do not want you to head to our family's treasury vault," Sirzechs warned. "For your sake. The site is declared off-limits until we repair the damage."

Sirzechs then departs via a magic circle, leaving his sister to her grief as he could not bear to see her tears anymore. And he had matters to attend to regarding his wife.

Rias was soon left alone in the graveyard, in contemplation over her discussion with her big brother. He had just given her two warnings for her own sake; one to be careful of her newfound powers and the other not to enter the treasury vault undergoing cleanup. It was a lot to take in for her but it still did not relieve her of her depressed state.

In all honesty, for the past two weeks, Rias had been avoiding everyone to wallow in her own grief. For the first couple days they were acceptable, but the rest of them were not. She had also avoided her Peerage and her best friend Sona, not bothering to even eat or tend to her wellbeing. In fact, sometimes the maids had to offer her assistance to even undress her from her bed.

A part of her mind was still trapped beneath that darkness, of what she had witnessed of Aidan. In her mind, no one can understand the pain she is feeling right now of losing someone like him. Not even her own family.

Standing up from the bench, Rias teleports away via her teleportation circle.

She soon enters into her bedroom. By her desk she took notice of something laying in front of it in clear view.

"What's this?" asked Rias, seeing that it was a letter with her name on the envelope. She had recognized that hand writing though

Opening the letter up, she sees its handwriting exactly like Aidan's: neat and precise, nothing too messy. As she began to read, Aidan's voice echoed in her mind as if he was reading the letter to her.

Rias,

By the time you have received this letter, you will have already seen what I have become. The decision I made was not an easy one, but it was the right one despite its malevolent nature.

I write this to you because I have a confession to make. That this may be the last time you ever hear from me. I know it's not what you would have wanted. I know it's not something you can easily bear. But I only ask you of this one last time to please hear me out.

These past few months that you have made me your Pawn have been perhaps the best ones of my life. We walked together, slept together, ate together, and even laughed together. They have brought a joy to my heart that I could not ever describe.

But, once again, I have done something so inexcusable time and time again…

I betrayed you. I kept doing things on my own accord that you would not approve of; fighting the Fallen Angels being the most prime example.

Rias could clearly remember how Aidan was all alone fighting the Fallen Angels. Earlier she had told him not to fight alone as it would be disrespectful to the group. And yet, he kept doing it over and over again, even at the climactic battle at the church. Although Aidan did triumph in the end, he could only feel guilt that was hidden in his heart. A guilt of failure and betrayal. Rias tried to brush it off saying that it was not his fault, but perhaps words were never enough for him.

Rias felt as if that guilt was being written on this letter. She continues reading it where the second half of the letter spoke of one subject: her.

It was when you comforted me in the aftermath of Asia's death that I began to see who you truly are.

You are kind, caring, and compassionate. You do not allow your status as an heir to overtake you. Your free will is what made you a strong and independent woman. A leader who can make decisions in the most toughest of situations. You have a quality amongst you and your peerage that I could never have: humility.

You take responsibility for your actions and learn to improve upon yourself. Although I do the same, mine bear a far heavier weight that only I can carry. You were willing to share that burden, to help lift some of that weight off of my shoulders and carry it with you. I could not understand why you would do such a thing, even if it displayed your caring side.

But that is it. It is your care for your servants and friends that I have come to realize the feeling within my chest whenever I feel comfortable around you. Why my nightmares have dispersed away whenever we sleep together. The feeling within my chest whenever I look upon your beauty. It all came down to just one simple fact that I knew I could never bring myself to tell you.

The truth is…I fell in love with you.

A tear is formed as it falls down Rias' right cheek. She brings a hand to her mouth to try to hold back her sorrow but to no avail. Her hand and mouth shook, feeling the emotions of the letter pour out and touch her heart.

I have always loved you. But I couldn't bear to bring myself to say it, knowing that in the end, my soul would be forever damned by what I am about to do. So I can only write to you of these three simple words instead of confessing to you face to face. It breaks my heart to do so, yet this is the only way it must be.

As my fate becomes more clear to me, I will no longer be bound to your life, which saddens my heart. The road ahead for you and everyone else will indeed be hard, but I know that you can face the future head-on with renewed confidence.

Yet I know that you would seek my presence in your times of grief. You would wish for me to stay at your side and hug you in the night. That is why I ask of you, to find yourself a better man than I ever was. Someone whom you can share your grief with and find comfort in, as I fade into nothing more than a dead memory.

Perhaps one day we will meet again in the afterlife. And if we do, you need not look far than the even the shorelines of the sea. I will be watching… and waiting for you there.

Love always,

Aidan Kain.

It did not take long for Rias' hands to start shaking and tears falling down from her face and hitting the paper like raindrops. Choking on her tears as they fall, Rias brings the shaky paper to her face as she sobs. Somehow, she brings herself to her bed but could not get onto it as she soon collapses to her knees as she moans and cries alone, unable to feel or imagine Aidan's comfort around her. Her back was against the bed.

"…Why did I wait so long to not tell him?" Rias asked herself. Her tears continued to fall and choke on her as she brings her knees together. "I just… I thought there would be more time. If only I…"

Soon, she heard a slithering sound to her left to see a familiar Claw Viper slither her way up to her. Rias looked o see it was Sethraliss, who had remained behind by Aidan coincidentally after he took the Soulstone.

"Sethraliss?" Rias was a bit surprised, seeing one of the last remnants of the man she loved in the form of his Familiar. Sethraliss soon adopted a form that was true to her nature; an Egyptian Queen wearing a beautiful see-through white dress, adorned with golden ornaments on her wrists, arms, neck, upper chest and head. Her ears were pierced with large jewelry and her crown had the head of a viper on it. She had black hairs and beautiful long black hair like silk. Her bosom was also pretty big, about the same size as Akeno's.

But on Sethraliss' face, she bore a saddened expression. In an attempt to comfort Rias, she slithered her tongue in some form of snake language that no one could understand.

But for Rias, who knew the language of Familiars and of Sethraliss' actions, understood. When translated, Sethraliss merely told Rias that Aidan's actions were not her fault.

"You don't understand, Sethraliss!" Rias lashed out. "If I had listened to Aidan, he would be alive. He promised me that he would defeat Riser and save me from my marriage. And he did. He saved me, and now he's gone!"

She held up the wet letter in her hands, holding it close to her chest as she poured out her tears of sorrow.

"…And it's my fault," She exclaimed to Sethraliss. "…I was the one who had broken his promise. I betrayed him and in doing so, damned his soul to Diablo."

Sethraliss soon noticed the Horadric necklace around Rias' neck, recognizing that it belonged to the Familiar's master. She asked in her snake tongue where Rias retrieved it.

"Aidan's necklace," Rias said as she held it up to her view. "Onii-sama had this, given to him by Asia to pass on to me. In the middle of everything else going on, he knew how much this meant to me. The only remnant left of Aidan in the form of a trinket."

Sethraliss soon responded in her tongue that Aidan wanted Rias to remember him not as the man she lost but rather the one she saved from death, made him her Pawn and her favored servant, and more importantly, the man she had loved most. If Aidan had any way to show his feelings to Rias, it would be through his sacrifice, no matter how unfavorable his actions were.

"…You're right," Rias said as she leans into Sethraliss' bosom, hugging her for comfort. "No one deserves that honor better than Aidan."

Hugging Aidan's familiar, Rias' body shakes and holds on tightly to Sethraliss, the Claw Viper comforting her like a big sister. Both of them missed the man they liked, and both shared their grief.

Rias' mind soon transferred the image of her family's treasury vault, the very site where the Terror was unleashed. Knowing what she must do despite her brother's warnings, she takes a cloak to drape herself over to avoid detection by security and heads over, sticking to the shadows.

Sethraliss, returning to her normal form as a snake, slithers around Rias after she gestures her to hop on and dissipates into sand, now being temporarily bound to her new master.

---

GREMORY TREASURY VAULT…

Sirzechs was alongside a middle-aged looking man with black hair and peaceful violet eyes, wearing a noble attire. He held an aura of strong dignity that exudes from him, showcasing peace and wisdom.

He was Zekram Bael, first among the House of Bael, and ancestor to both the Bael and the Gremory Families. He held greater influence than even the Four Great Satans and was a de facto leader at one time after the death of the original Four before he went into retirement. His connection to the Gremory Family stems from one of his descendants Venelana, mother to Rias and Sirzechs.

But more importantly, he was also a participant of the Second Dark Exile, having been their strategist when hunting down the Three Brothers. And he had been told earlier about Diablo's release by Aidan. Now he just had to see the site with his own eyes.

"Here," Sirzechs said as Zekram walked beside him to his right. "This is where her Pawn fell."

Zekram takes a long hard look at the devastation of the vault. All the artifacts and gold were scattered about, and the walls decorated in black soot from the destructive power of Terror when it had awoken. Various pictures that showcased the Gremory's ancestors were ripped and knocked out of their frames. At the end of the vault laid the broken-down emerald doors and the destroyed pedestal that held the Red Soulstone of Terror.

"Your sister has never known the horrors of the Burning Hells as we have," Zekram commented.

"No…" A voice from behind made the two turn around to see a female figure in a black cloak. The person takes the hood off to reveal a saddened Rias. "…I haven't."

"Rias…" Zekram calmly greeted. But Sirzechs was a bit upset.

"Rias, why are you—"

"I had to come here," Rias interrupted her big brother, trudging her feet forwards to stand in front of them. Sirzechs' expression softens as he sees the aura of sorrow within Rias.

"Little sis, you don't need to see this," Sirzechs pleaded, but Rias was undeterred.

As she walks she turns to her right and sees echoes of the past lay before her before they disappear into the wind. All the family relics and artifacts the Gremory Family had kept for generations were scattered about. What was once a shining treasure vault turned into a black and smoldering archine of ruin, displaying the effects of the power of the Lord of Terror.

She looks to see the emerald doors, or rather what remained of them, destroyed, passing through the entrance before she stops before a blackened area, looking like an explosion had gone off. Dust and black ash covered the area, yet Rias knew that on the spot she stood, it was the same one where the fate of the man she loved had been sealed. A fate she had sealed unwillingly.

"Aidan…"

As if she saw a flashback of what had happened, Rias closes her eyes and saw Aidan plunge the soulstone into his forehead. The brief vision immediately ended but not without Rias sinking to her knees in despair with a loud thud.

Soon she wipes the dirt and dust off of an artifact underneath, revealing Dawnbreaker, Aidan's former sword that he willingly discarded. The sword had cracks in it though, like it suffered from the blast or rather it was getting old and worn out.

"You never surrendered," Rias said as she stares up towards the destroyed pedestal. "Even here, at the very end."

Rias soon looks back down at Dawnbreaker, the reflection in the blade showcasing Aidan's gentle blue eyes, as if it were him in Rias' place.

"I cannot do this, Aidan," Rias confessed mournfully as tears fell. "I cannot brave my fears like you. I cannot even fight without you."

Zekram soon approaches Rias from her right side.

"Rias…" Zekram said as he kneels in front of her to her right. "Your servant's actions, despite being foolhardy, were indeed heroic. They became his challenge to us, a reminder to never let fear prevail…"

Zekram soon picks up Dawnbreaker gently in his hands, shaking the dust and ash off of it and places it in Rias' hands.

"Even at the very gates of the Burning Hells."

As Rias looks back at Zekram, her mind takes her to the school gates of Kuoh Academy, with Aidan standing right by it. Standing fact to face with one another, Rias had her back towards the school as its future and Aidan's to the school gates, as if about leaving towards the afterlife. Aidan looks at Rias with a warm and gentle smile, standing in his Kuoh Academy attire without the red soulstone in his forehead nor his corruption from his Sacred Gear on his left arm.

Rias looks down at Dawnbreaker, feeling the weight of it in her hands as she soon looks up searchingly at Aidan.

"What am I supposed to do now?" asked Rias to Aidan. She then heard Aidan's voice speak to her with firm commitment, placing a hand on her left shoulder with his right hand.

"What a King must do."

Five simple words, but they were enough to make Rias finally see the truth. As a King and as the heir of the Gremory Family, she cannot stay in this depressed state any longer. Akeno was right in that she was a coward and she treated Aidan's sacrifice like it was all for nothing. Rias longed for Aidan's presence but now that presence was gone… for now.

With resolve from the echoing words of a Pawn she loves most, Rias closes her eyes and gathers her thoughts to reconvene into the present. Zekram's eyebrows raise in surprise before they return to normal, looking upon his young descendant as Rias' renewed purpose and resolve decorate Dawnbreaker. A crimson red and white light shines across the blade in a glow that was comforting but also strong. The cracks on the blade slowly fade away as the blade repairs itself from Rias' powers.

Rias soon looks up and opens her eyes, her expression as if a reflection of Aidan. She soon felt comfortable, like the weight was lifted off of her chest. If there was still hope for Aidan, then it is still possible to save him. However slim the chance is, if Aidan can be saved, then they must find him quickly before Diablo fully takes control over him.

With Dawnbreaker now hers to wield, she forms a brown leather scabbard on her back, with a gold ornament with her family's crest, and sheaths it away.

---

PHENEX ESTATE…

Rias' Peerage stood outside by the Phenex Estate. They did not know what to feel regarding Ravel's resurrection by Deckard Kain, the last Horadrim. On one hand, they were all relieved to hear Ravel alive but on the other, they wonder if Ravel has maintained her original personality of being snobbish like Riser.

Of course her memory of her deathful event was erased by Deckard to ensure she does not remember it, unlike her brother Riser who can clearly recount it. It was for the best for her and that everyone in her family must keep it a secret. A secret shared amongst the Student Council and Rias' Peerage.

From what they learned from the Phenex Family, they merely told her that she was asleep, and that Aidan defeated Riser fair and square in a duel that resulted in Rias and Riser's marriage canceled between the two families. Ravel was at first shocked yet also disheartened when she learned the extent of the damage done to her brother.

But then again, they were not sure what to make of it. They knew it was for the best, but they wonder how long it will last since no memory can remain locked away forever, no matter how many seals placed on it or whatever is erased.

They soon heard footsteps over to the side and saw Rias, walking alone and with Aidan's sword strapped onto her back.

"Buchou?" asked Asia.

Rias however continued to walk, with resolve in her eyes. Everyone could see that she has changed. She was no longer in the depressed state that she was but it also felt as if she was not the same person as before the Rating Game. There was a new fire built within her, one that was both beautiful yet also a bit frightening.

"Are you alright?" asked Asia again.

"I'm good, Asia," Rias answered with a small smile to the young nun. "What did I miss?"

"…Ravel Phenex was brought back to life," Koneko revealed.

"Ravel?" asked a confused and surprised Rias. "By whom?"

"Professor Kain," Asia revealed. "He also said he is the last Horadrim."

Rias' eyes widened a bit in wonder. "The last Horadrim?"

"Yeah," Koneko nodded blankly. "He revealed to us that the Horadrim are not dead, but he is also the last. He used his powers to bring back Ravel. The Phenex Family are currently celebrating the news of this privately."

Rias sighed in relief. "That's good. At least their family is starting to recover bit by bit. It seems Professor Kain left out more than we initially thought."

Everyone else agreed. Asia, Koneko, and Kiba felt relieved to have Rias back in their presence, thanking fate for seeing her.

But as Rias and Akeno faced one another, they turned away, both of them still bitter about their argument. For two weeks these two had not spoken to one another. Nobody knew what to do as the silence ran through the air, with everyone in the rest of the Peerage unable to do anything.

Yet for Kiba, he simply had enough.

"A moment?" asked Kiba to the group.

Akeno turns around, "Is everything alright, Kiba?"

Kiba, after a short moment, answers honestly, "Honestly, it sure as hell isn't. And I won't suffer this pointless bickering in silence any longer."

Everyone in the room was stunned. Kiba just answered in a tone that was both firm and in disappointment. And that disappointment was pointed over to both Rias and Akeno and for one very good reason.

"Let's be frank," Kiba said. "Our morale hasn't improved since Aidan was gone, and probably won't unless we get him back. Yet in spite of this…" Kiba turns to both Akeno and Rias. "I want all of us to remain together to the end."

While everyone would normally agree on that sort of thing, that was not the problem. The problem Kiba was attempting to address was of Rias and Akeno. Their friendship had cracks in it that only they could repair, thus Kiba needed to give them a bit of a push.

"Kiba, do you even understand what you are asking?" Akeno asked. "Sure we have faced the Demons but not on a scale like this. And it may be possible, however unlikely, that we cannot save Aidan. And with Rias still not out of the loop-"

"She can be better!" Asia disagreed, as she put her hands to her heart. "There is still hope, for all of us."

"And how long can we hold onto that hope in the face of such evil?" asked Akeno. "How long until she has to remain in a stupor like this?"

"It's her own decision to make," Koneko argued. "Only she can lead us."

"And lead us all into disaster again!?" Akeno vehemently asked. "There's more to it than just what she wants!"

"I know full well!" Kiba shouted, getting everyone's attention back, if not startling them a bit. "I didn't ask you two to reconcile right away after your fight, but after two weeks of you two avoiding each other, I have become sick of it. If you cannot mend your wounds like this, then I will not bother to bow out."

He then turned his attention over to Akeno to look directly into her eyes.

"Akeno, you knew as well as I that Rias had not been herself as of late. The only comfort she had found in was Aidan. And now Aidan is gone, which is why we must retrieve him back. I don't object to you accusing Rias of her cowardice and slapping her as a result of it, but what I do object is you brushing her aside like she is nothing, leaving her to wallow in her own misery when you, her best friend, should have been helping her in the first place!"

Akeno was surprised. To think that Kiba, a Knight and a Devil younger than her, would accuse and criticize her of something so befoul. Kiba may have been right in what he had said, but to Akeno, she didn't think he had a right to accuse her in such a manner. Still, she could not deny the facts he had laid out before her.

Kiba soon turned to Rias.

"Rias, you are our King, our leader. One cannot lead by standing still. A King pushes onward always, accepting the consequences and never looking back. That King may fall and trip every now and then, and she may reach out for assistance, but she must learn how to rise up on her own two feet and continue to walk." Kiba soon turned his attention back to Akeno. "Akeno, Rias will accept what has happened to Aidan and the circumstances surrounding it, but only once she's ready."

Rias soon recalled the five words that Aidan, in her mind, told her to do.

'What am I supposed to do now?'

'What a King must do.'

The two best friends soon looked at one another before Akeno walked slowly up to Rias. Both were having a bit of a hard time looking at one another in the eye after cutting off contact from reach other but this wound needed to be mended by them.

"Rias…" Akeno began. "Are you sure you're ready for this? Are you sure you have what it takes?"

"…To do what?" Rias asked in a bit of a bitter tone. It was not directed to Akeno per se, but rather on her own cowardice and of what Akeno gave her as a result of it.

"To find and rescue Aidan from the clutches of the Lord of Terror," Akeno answered. "The road we are taking may be one where no one will return from." She then crosses her arms and asks seriously. "Can you see this through? To the end?"

It was not a difficult question to answer but at the same time, it was not easy to answer either. Anyone else in Rias' position of doubt and uncertainty would have second guessed and think about what to do, trying to figure out the best possible solution for all parties to be satisfied with. The fact that they are the leader of a Peerage means that everyone looks up to them, seeking guidance and trusting their lead in whatever they do. The crown is indeed heavy but even more so when properly worn.

But Rias finally had her answer to give to her best friend.

"Can and will," She said. "Whether I like it or not, I've got a duty to fulfill-as King of my Peerage and as heir to the Gremory House. I made a mistake of leaving Aidan behind and I am not going to make it again. Not now. Not ever."

Akeno soon smiled calmly, a breath of relief taking over her to see her best friend's resolve return to her.

"Now that is the Rias I remember," Akeno said. Then, in a surprising move for her King, she hugged her. Rias was caught off at first but soon hugged back, feeling her best friend's arms wrapped around her tightly.

"You were right, Akeno," Rias said. "I was a coward, and in my fear, I betrayed Aidan's trust and broke his promise because I wanted to save him from himself. You were right to hit me to open my eyes to the truth."

"And now?" asked Akeno as the two Great Ladies let go of their hug.

Rias answered immediately. "Now I want Aidan back. More than ever. I am going to rescue him from Diablo, and I need your help. I need all of your guys' help. Aidan had helped us before in the past and now it is our turn to help him."

"Buchou…" Asia felt mesmerized, seeing Rias' conviction.

"…Good to have you back," Koneko praised. Kiba merely smiled in satisfaction, thankful that the gang is now back together.

Akeno and Rias smiled at one another with their friendship now restored. The bridge between them may have cracked but it is not broken.

"If you're going after him, then take these three," Lady Phenex suddenly appeared from her magic circle, alongside Karlamine, Yubelluna, and Xuelan.

Rias, having regained her morale and normal composure, confronted the head of the Phenex Family.

"And why should I, may I ask, my lady?" Rias asked calmly, though she was skeptical when looking at her former fiancé's Queen, Knight, and Rook.

"These three are the only ones' of my son Riser's Peerage to have encountered the Demons," Lady Phenex explains. "They owe your servant a life debt and wish to see it fulfilled, for they do not wish to be bound by Riser any longer."

"Is this true?" asked Rias as she turns her attention to them.

"It is," Karlamine answered on Xuelan and Yubelluna's behalf. "I think we owe you an explanation for this."

Soon the three recounted their tale of how they met Aidan, how their mission was to assassinate him on Riser's orders, and how they had encountered the Siegebreaker Assault Beast in the mountains and barely survived. It was a lot to take in regarding such an existence of a Demon, but in their time from Uncle Deckard, they had learned about the various Demons that come in all shapes and sizes, including the Siegebreaker Assault Beast. But the question of who had summoned it still remains a mystery to this day.

"And that is why we wish to aid you," Karlamine said. "To not only save Aidan but enact vengeance upon the Phenex Family's name. More specifically to Lady Ravel who was murdered."

Rias, understanding the transpiring the events, sighed and accepted, "Very well. You may help us. But if any of you dare to threaten to stab us in the back, I will not hesitate to send you back in ashes."

Rias' threatful warning was enough for them to nod their heads in agreement.

"If I may ask…." Rias took a deep breath to calm herself as she turned her attention to Lady Phenex. "How is Riser doing?"

Everyone was a bit surprised Rias would ask that question. To ask the status of her former fiancé and his condition. Then again, it's just her nature as a Gremory. And luckily for her, Lady Phenex did not bother withholding information.

"Riser's condition is…not good," She fearfully said. "Physically his wounds have healed, except for the hole in his stomach of which he will have multiple surgeries. But I cannot say the same for his mind. Even after I told and showed him his resurrected sister, he still refuses to see anyone."

Rias looked down in pity. For sure she still hated Riser for his cockiness but now that pride had utterly been shattered and replaced with fear. In a way, according to her, Aidan did teach him a lesson on fear and did made him suffer, but the method he went by was by all means extreme. So extreme that she would vehemently disapprove of it. Had Diablo not manipulated events, perhaps Aidan would've settled it in a more honorable way.

In a surprising move, Rias bows her head, "Lady Phenex, as heir to the Gremory Household and former fiancé to your son, I am truly sorry for the actions my servant had caused unto you and your family. I know this may come as too late for you but I sincerely hope in the near future, that these past two weeks will not cause further separation of friendship between our families."

But Lady Phenex seemed content and reassured, "Please, raise your head, young Rias." Rias does so, in a surprising expression considering how Lady Phenex accepted her apology so swiftly. "Deckard Kain has told me of everything, and I have my Ravel back. I am more concerned with your servant once he has been saved. Just to warn you, he may not be the same person you remembered."

"I know," Rias sighed humbly, aware of the situation. "Which is why I will never leave him again. None of us will."

"Then you are going to need additional training if you wish to pursue him," Sirzechs spoke up as he arrived, alongside Venelana surprisingly of all people.

"Onii-sama? Mother?" A surprised Rias saw. "What are you all doing here?"

"To bring you news and to prepare you for what is to come," Venelana explained. "Simply put, you will need training."

"Training?" asked Akeno.

"We have located where Aidan is at," Sirzechs revealed. "When Grayfia told me about an ancient monastery only Aidan knew of, and given that Deckard Kain is the last Horadrim, it was almost easy enough for me to locate where he was heading to."

"Where, Onii-sama?" asked Rias.

Sirzechs then took a deep breath.

"Tristram, the former capital of the ancient human kingdom of Khanduras. And where Diablo was previously sealed by the Horadrim many eons ago."

Nobody knew of the town of Tristram, save for Uncle Deckard. It must have been a small town that was unnoticeable to human eyes. Or rather that there was not much information to go on, at least to the public.

"Since you are going to Tristram, you will need to be additionally prepared," Sirzechs said. "Which is why, Rias, you will be training with me and mother to have better control over the Power of Destruction."

"I understand," Rias accepted, given of what had happened weeks ago at the Phenex Estate. "But why is mother involved in this as well?"

"You inherit a power belonging to the Bael Clan, Rias," Venelana explained as she approached her youngest child. "The clan I was born in. You will mostly be learning form me with your brother providing advice. If you really are going after Aidan, then I want you to be well-equipped along with the rest of your Peerage."

"So what are we supposed to do?" asked Kiba.

"I have brought two people here who will aid you in your journey," Sirzechs revealed, revealing someone in black armor with white tabards and a man in orange clothing with large prayer beads on his neck.

"Master," Koneko and Xuelan exclaimed as they went over to Kharazim, the Monk of Ivgorod.

"Koneko. Xuelan." Kharazim greeted with a bow, with one fist over the palm of his hand in front of him. Koneko and Xuelan do the same in reverence to their master.

Everyone in Rias' Peerage that Kharazim was Koneko's master in the form of senjutsu and among many other martial arts. But what they did not know was that he was a Monk of Ivgorod.

"Why are you here, Master?" asked Xuelan.

"I am well aware of what you two are about to do," Kharazim explained. "If you are heading to Tristram, then you will need additional training to prepare for the horrors that await you."

"…Teach us then, Master," Koneko pleaded. "Teach us so that we can save Aidan from Diablo."

"Patience, Koneko," Kharazim calmly reminded. "Saving a life is more than just offering a helping hand. It is only through hardship that you come to know your limits, and only through knowing your limits that you learn to shatter them."

As Kharazim speaks to his two students, the female Crusader walks over to the rest and takes off her helmet, revealing herself. Everyone though was surprised to see who it was.

"You're…Kuoh's Blacksmith?" asked Akeno.

"My name is Johanna. I am a Crusader of the Zakarum," Johanna introduced. "I heard you needed some training?"

---

WHEW! This chapter was a lot to write. Perhaps one of my more difficult ones and I had written a lot more than I intended to. But I really wanted to capture the emotion within, especially about Rias and her role as a King in her Peerage. After all, no King is ever perfect and they have to make sacrifices, even if it hurts them more than anything.

So...the Devils were once slaves to the Burning Hells? Kinda makes sense if you decide to mash two universes together and manipulate some history. Plus in Highschool DxD, we do not exactly know how the Underworld was formed. So what better way than to reveal that it's just a portion of Hell severed form the main body and modeled to be the home of the Devils? And now we know who has been pulling the strings all this time that began so long ago even before the Great War. After all, the Prime Evils are cunning in their deception.

The Second Dark Exile? Well let's just say it plays similar to the first but replace the Horadrim with the Three Factions. And no there is no Zoltun Kulle nor is there going to be one or a Black Soulstone.

And now everyone is getting ready to head out to Tristram. But before that happens, they are all going to need some training and guidance to get there. After all, you cannot go into a place like Tristram without being prepared.

Just a heads up though; Aidan/Diablo is going to be the main antagonist of this arc. Rias and the others will be the main protagonists, given that their mission is to rescue Aidan and slay Diablo underneath Tristram.

Stay tune for next chapter. All I got are two words to describe the next one coming up: Fresh Meat!

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