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.

Underneath Tristram Cathedral, all was quiet. There was no disturbance amongst its foul ruins. Yet the dark influence of Diablo remained, a legacy for all to witness upon the horrors committed.

A young adventurer wearing your typical leather armor with few bits and pieces of metal and a sword strolls down the dark corridors of the cathedral. He carried with him a torch to light the way yet it still felt so dark.

It was cold and dark. He had not heard of the most recent adventure from the Occult Research Club a few months ago. Only rumors holding that adventurers went to rescue someone from underneath. But like all adventurers such as him, they were only after a few things: treasure and glory kills.

As the lonesome adventurer walks, he hears a loud noise close to him.

*CRACK*

Stopping for a moment, his heartbeat accelerates as he brings his torch around to shed some light. All he sees though are bones. Human bones.

Skulls are piled up in one tiny hallway and sarcophagi containing human remains have opened up, revealing the dead that sleep within. These warriors of old have remained undisturbed for many millennia, time rotting away their tombs and their flesh.

As the adventurer walks through, mist surrounds him, and arms of skeletal hands attempt to grab him, yet he could not feel their grip for they dissipate so quickly. He was so scared of them that he jumped up slightly, moving ever so slowly in the dark corridors of the cathedral.

He saw shapes of men and horses. Pale banners like shreds of cloud. Spears rise like winter-thickets through a shroud of mist.

He then came across a great hall that contained some sort of sarcophagus surrounded by four pillars and two braziers already lit. Already was the tomb opened, but whether it was robbed, or the dead were resurrected from within, he did not know. His heartbeat pounds faster and faster as he frantically looks around, trying to figure out who is watching him.

But then, the adventurer hears a dark voice echoing from the room around him. Even with the torch in hand, he could barely make out what laid within.

What he did not know was that he was not following the dead. The dead were following him. And they have been summoned.

By the command of their king.

"THE WARMTH OF LIFE HAS ENTERED MY TOMB. PREPARE YOURSELF, MORTAL, TO SERVE YOUR KING FOR ETERNITY!"

All that was heard later from the solo adventurer were his screams as the skeletal monster laughs, taking delight in the slaughter that would commence.

OP: Larval Stage Planning – Triple -innocent of D- (Highschool DxD OP 1)

(Like the original OP, Rias, Akeno, Koneko, and Asia are shown before the screen is briefly covered by the title of the show before it flashes to Rias standing on top of the ORC clubhouse with her wings open, staring at the red moon, which then shifts into the Gremory magic circle)

(The title is shown as Highschool DxD: The Prime Evil)

Majiwariau sen to tooku yobikakeru sora (The Dark Wanderer trudges the wastes of Pandemonium with the wind blowing behind him as his coat flies by while the camera zooms in onto his black-veined jaw during the second half of the line, showing a red glow by his forehead)
Juuji no shita de mau senritsu no koe (Rias is shown at her desk in the ORC building looking at the Red Soulstone shard as the shadow of Diablo watches her from above and behind)

Yowasa nado kimi ni misetaku nai kara (Asia is shown by the fountain like in the original OP as she turns to the camera and smiles before it veers to the left to show a stained glass window of the Eternal Conflict)
Kaze wo ukete furikitte susume (Raynare is shown first as Fallen Angel before she turns into a Demon which follows Aidan and her in battle)

(Aidan is then seen thrusting the Red Soulstone into his forehead just as the chorus plays and screen briefly turns white)

Shoudou wo tokihanate! kakemeguri tsumoru ishi (Rias is shown firing a Power of Destruction at the screen before it switches to the Dark Wanderer turning around as his Sacred Gear, the Al'Diabolos Claws, are shown briefly)
Sono me wo wasure wa shinai (The Wanderer, revealed to be Aidan as the light shines on his face, is shown with Rias in the background staring to the east)

(Rias is shown three times just like in the original OP)

Kioku wo yurasu DrawxDelete ashita ni kaeru ima wo (Aidan and Riser battle; before Kiba, Akeno, Asia, and Koneko are shown in the ORC room like in the original OP)
Mata rinne suru tomoshibi sotto hoho wo tsutau kurenai (Aidan, with a red power aura enveloping him, screams as the soulstone in his forehead glows and his body begins to mutate, with spikes, claws, and horns protruding as Diablo assumes full control and possession. He roars and charges at the screen before slashing with three claws downwards)

(Like in the original OP, Aidan is met with other members of the ORC rallying around him outside, except Rias, who looks down from the second floor of the clubroom with a smile. The camera zooms in to Rias' left eye before the last scene shows a King piece and the Red Soulstone on a chessboard)

UNDERWORLD COURT ROOM…

The Underworld was not doing so well. Even with the truth laid out before everyone to see, there were many Devils who questioned the Four Great Satans and their leadership. Though they have brought them so far into an era of peace thanks to the end of the Great War, the truth of their real history, that being their slavery to the Demons in ages long past, was still lingering in the minds of all.

And the nobility was not faring so well either. Why one might ask? Despite learning about the dark truth of their kind, of their history that was long forgotten, there was still one matter that affected them as a whole. That matter was of Aidan and of what he had done to the Phenex Family. Having damaged their Great Hall during the engagement ceremony, incapacitated and mortally wounded Riser, killed Ravel by snapping her neck, and wounding Sirzechs during the fight; they had judged, by their standards, Aidan to be guilty of murder in the 3rd degree.

Ravel's resurrection did not help convince them otherwise. They would still want justice to be served in some form of execution. A justice based on fear. One they believed will grant them peace and reprieve from their nightmares. Despite the three most powerful noble groups defending Aidan on his behalf, they could not keep control of the situation.

As for Aidan, well…he wished circumstances were better.

Aidan was already captured and held together via chains on his arms and legs by four guards. A collar was shackled around his neck for further restraint as he is forced to the knees before the judge.

How was he captured exactly? Well, details are hazy but Sirzechs told him that he is to appear in court before the nobles with them as his jurors. If he refused, he would be hunted down and the Gremory Family, along with the ORC, would be in great danger. Aidan, per his nature, could not let anyone suffer from this so he willingly turned himself in.

Rias was not happy at all. When she heard what had happened, she had immediately accused her family of such rash action, but the truth was far more alarming. They gave no such order and neither did the Phenex nor the Sitri Family. In fact, the political situation was so out of control that even the Four Great Satans had difficulty maintaining order. Their attempts to appease and convince the lower nobles of Aidan's actions and his indoctrination by Diablo was hardly effective. Rias was not just angry at them but also of Aidan, believing that he could have at least had a chance to explain his actions instead of giving in to their demands.

But Aidan did not want to argue back with the nobility. Despite being a nephalem, he was still someone of the lower hierarchy, a commoner dabbling in the affairs of nobles. And boy did he leave an impact on them in the most harshest way possible. The words he told Rias were simply this.

'I have been called. I must answer. Always.'

Those words felt like poison to Rias, but she knew in Aidan's heart he was only doing the right thing. Though she did not like this, she would stand by him and defend his honor nonetheless, as any King would do.

As Aidan is held via the chains that were pulled by the guards, he is brought to his knees before the judge, with the rest of the Devil nobility acting as his jurors. The ORC were barred to be with him, which infuriated them greatly, seeing this not as justice but prejudice.

"For many months, you have escaped the justice of the Underworld," The judge told a captive Aidan from above. "Sowed fear amongst the human populace and unleashed an unspeakable Terror unto all. Today, your judgment has come."

"If you kill him, you will only unleash Diablo unto us!" Rias defends Aidan as she is held by the guards. But the judge and jury, comprising of the nobles of lower political ranking, were not convinced.

"Lady Rias, you clearly do not understand the repercussions of your servant's actions," One noble man in what looked like American Revolution clothing said as the others cheered in agreement. Rias grits her teeth in anger. "Your family kept the soulstone in its treasury and allowed your servant to be granted access to it, nearly destroying the Phenex Family."

"That was Diablo's doing!" Rias cried. "He influenced Aidan through the Sacred Gear he possesses in a bid for freedom! Diablo is the one who is at fault, not Aidan!"

"Yet still, that Demon now lies inside of him," A noble lady spoke up as she points her fan at him. "If you keep him alive, you will doom all of us. Never again will the Underworld suffer from his influence."

"Kill him!" One other noble cried.

"Off with his head!" Another cried.

"Hang it on a pike!"

All the nobles were shouting for Aidan to be executed. So the judge called forth the execution, dressed in black and wielding a large claymore in his hand.

Judgment had now been passed, much to the chagrin of the ORC. Rias struggles against the guards.

"Let me go!" She angrily commands but the guards hold her back. Her fear climbs quickly as the executioner comes forth. "Aidan!"

The rest of the ORC scream for the executioner to stop and for the nobles to rethink this, but it was all in vain as their ears fell on their deaf pleas for mercy.

"Aidan!" Asia screamed.

"This is injustice!" Kiba cried.

"Aidan-senpai did nothing wrong!" Koneko shouted.

"Don't do this, please!" Akeno pleaded.

As for Aidan, despite the chains holding him in place even as his head was brought low for the blade to be swung at his neck, he remained calm and at peace. He had been quiet since first arriving at court. He was never one to resist anything he did, taking in the full measure of his guilt for the actions he had caused.

The executioner comes forth as the guards hold Aidan down, ready for his head to be split from his body. Soon the executioner raises up his gigantic claymore, ready to slice his head.

Aidan briefly took a look at the gigantic blade before looking back down and closing his eyes in contempt, apparently at peace with what was about to befall on him. He thought about his friends, the Student Council, Kiyome Abe, his Uncle, and his contracts. He had a good life but if this is where death will take him, then he will gladly accept it.

The only thing he regrets though is leaving behind a certain redhead whom he loves. A redhead he has yet to confess his love to.

The execution begins to swing his sword once he is given the signal to do so by the judge.

"AIDAN!" Rias cried as she tries to reach for him behind the guards. "NOOO!"

The executioner's blade moves ever so closer and closer.

Until….

*BANG*

A loud booming noise was heard as everyone looked up shocked. Instead of a severed head of what the nobles deemed a criminal, the two-handed claymore was stopped by a large white shield with a black trident like emblem. Holding that shield was a familiar knight in black armor and white robes, carrying a flail and without her helmet.

Aidan opens his eyes slowly and is surprised to see in front of him the woman he never thought to see again, easily holding her own.

"Johanna?" He was flabbergasted.

"Hey, Aidan," Johanna grunted and greeted while holding the sword at bay, looking back a little. "Need a little hand there?"

The executioner tries to bring the claymore blade down on the Crusader, but she remains steadfast before he pushes back with all of her strength. The executioner stumbles a bit, losing his two-handed claymore as it falls to the ground and then…

*BAM*

He is quickly swiped away by Johanna's flail. Luckily for Johanna, she didn't use too much to kill him, only to incapacitate him for a while.

Kharazim soon jumps in out of nowhere and, with his martial arts, kicks the head of one of the guards holding Aidan away before moving to another. He palm strikes another before using a flurry of fists on another. Soon all four guards holding Aidan were knocked out.

Alrik then arrives right in front of Aidan as he leaps over right in front of him.

"This ain't the time to be held up like this, Somnus," Alrik said. He then grabs the chains that were holding Aidan with his bare hands and pulls away. After a few seconds…

*CHIING*

With his pure strength and spirit, Alrik breaks the chains and sets him free, making Kharazim catch him and hold him up.

"What the?" One noble cried. "This is unacceptable! Get them!"

More security guards rush in, with one of them jumping onto the nephalem.

*BZZSHH*

The guard that jumped is zapped away by a powerful lightning, which turns out to be none other than Li-Ming who arrived in time. Smirking even as the guards rush to her, she slams on the ground to conjure up some form of time bubble.

When the guards rushed to her, they were slowed down and watched helplessly as the Rebellious Wizard from Xiansai conjures up a powerful spell into her hands even as the guards move closer.

*BOOM*

A powerful blast disperses the time bubble and knocks out the guards, leaving a wide-open area.

Alrik, with his axes, channels a powerful spell of fury into his weapons that then makes him spin a few times, knocking some other guards back. Then he jumps up high with his axes over him.

*BAM*

Slamming his axes into the ground, he draws in the Devil guards to him like some form of black hole before it disperses away, creating a powerful shockwave that knocks the rest of them all back.

"This cannot be…!" One shocked noble cried.

The ORC join up with Sirzechs and the others, with Rias swiftly going to her nephalem Pawn, hugging him tightly alongside Asia and Akeno. The rest of the nephalem rally around Aidan to protect him as do the ORC.

"Akarat have mercy on you, for I will not!" Johanna proclaimed as she brandishes her flail, pointing and threatening at the so-called judges.

"You dare threaten us, lowly human?!" One noble cried. "This atrocity will not go unpunished! You will all die with the Gremory Pawn!"

"ENOUGH!"

A booming voice cried before a magic circle appears in the courtroom. Out of it came Sirzechs Lucifer himself. And he clearly had an upsetting look directing it towards the nobles.

"This 'trial' is a waste of time and a distraction from the true threat!" Sirzechs spoke.

"Sirzechs Lucifer!?" A shocked noble bowed.

"Onii-sama!" A relieved Rias saw.

Sirzechs then turns his attention over to the rescuers of Aidan.

"My friends," Sirzechs smiled and greeted. "Thank you. I do not know what would have happened if you had not come."

"Just doing our job, Sirzechs," Li-Ming said as Kharazim heals up Aidan's wounds from the chains and holds him up.

"Why are you here though, Sirzechs?" Aidan asked as he looked up in confusion. "I doubt it's another rescue."

"More than that, I come with urgent news that you would want to hear," Sirzechs said.

"What news could be so troubling to gain our attention?" asked Kiba.

Sirzechs then reveals what has happened as he shows a town in flames, a town eerily and dreadfully similar to the ORC and the nephalem. A town that had a certain cathedral in it that was pouring out minions from its haunted grounds and doors.

"Tristram is under attack," Sirzechs revealed. "Large hordes of undead are descending upon the town, and its militia have been severely weakened."

"What?" The ORC reacted, not including Aidan who merely glared in contempt at the situation of the town his Uncle was born in.

"How bad is it?" asked Aidan.

"Bad enough that they need help from us after being besieged for six days," Sirzechs stated. But when the nobles heard of this, that got them outraged.

"Have you lost your mind, Lord Lucifer?!" One noble cried. "You would have us aid the humans?"

"What else are you keeping from us?" Another cried.

"Matters that concern all of us," Sirzechs calmly said, trying to keep his cool. "Tristram once served as a staging ground for us during the Second Dark Exile. And I will not leave it to the fate of rabble undead who have pushed the town to this state."

"What are you even talking about, Lord Lucifer?" The judge called out. "Can you not see that we have already passed judgment onto this…this monster who has killed and incapacitated two very well-known nobles of a very well-known family?!"

"I am already aware of his crimes!" Sirzechs stated. "But killing him now will solve nothing! It will only drag us back into the past from which we had fought so hard to break out of."

"You would even go so far as to bring humans here!?" The judge had cried out.

But Sirzechs smiled as he looked at the Barbarian, the Crusader, the Wizard, and the Monk. "They are not humans. They are my friends. One of the first friends I made beyond the Underworld. And they are nephalem."

And just like that, the room was silent.

"They're what?!" Rias was the first to exclaim.

"You heard her, girl," Li-Ming stated. "We're nephalem, alright."

"Impossible!" One of the nobles cried. "The nephalem are nothing but fictitious myth! You just look like any ordinary human with magical powers!"

Li-Ming rolls her eyes, keeping up that smirk. Some would call it arrogance, but she would rather say she is just confident.

"You will let us leave with our nephalem brother in tow, unless you yourselves wish to get him back from our hands!" Kharazim threatened to the nobles above him.

But they did not take that quite well.

"You dare insult your betters, monk?!" A female noble shouted in anger.

"We don't even answer to you," Alrik said. "The nephalem bow to no one, not even to god nor to man. Not even to Devil."

The nephalem glare over at the nobles as they gritted their teeth. With their guards incapacitated and their security systems somehow compromised, they were stuck on an impasse.

"This is preposterous!"

"We cannot allow this disruption and impasse go on like this!" One noble cried out.

"Then I propose a compromise," Sirzechs announced. "My little sister's Peerage, with the nephalem, will journey to Tristram and halt this undead invasion. He will bring back proof that he has retained his own mind by slaying the one behind the attacks and that he is no longer possessed by Diablo."

It was not a difficult proposition as the nobles became silent, debating amongst themselves as to whether this was a good deal or not. Rias had hoped it would be or she would damn them all to the Burning Hells and exterminate every last one of them if they refused and still wanted Aidan's head on a pike. Sirzechs had hoped that through this stalling, he would at least defuse the situation and buy Aidan more time to clear his crimes.

After a few minutes of debate, the noble acting-judge gives the answer on their behalf.

"…Very well," The judge begrudgingly accepted. "But know this: his crimes are still unforgivable. And until he brings proof that he is no longer possessed, we will halt the execution. You have three days."

Three days is all that they need. Rias hugs her nephalem Pawn tightly, even as he looks and glares at the judges for all of their hatred towards him. If he needed three days to bring proof that he is not possessed anymore by Diablo, then he will take three days.

TRISTRAM…

The ORC stood in front of the Cathedral, looking like it was only yesterday that they were here.

With Johanna, Kharazim, Alrik, and Li-Ming defending New Tristram from the undead invasion; it gave the ORC enough time to make their way to the Cathedral and find out the mastermind behind this invasion.

"I never thought to be back here," Aidan said. "This ruined Horadric monastery holds too many nightmares for even the bravest soul to endure."

Rias came by Aidan's side and held his left hand with her right.

"It'll be okay, Aidan," Rias reassured. "Whoever this threat is, we will deal with it together."

Aidan smiles as he turns to her. "Hearing that from you makes my heart less stressful than it already has concerning the most recent of events."

Kiba and Koneko soon gets the doors to the Cathedral and open them, that loud croaking noise of those heavy wooden doors echoing as they did. The group enters in as a wave of dreadful nostalgia comes across them, remembering that they had ventured here months ago for two different yet similar reasons.

At the front of the Cathedral, they saw a stained glass of what appeared to be an angel with a spear bearing down on the Demons that surrounded him. The angel's colors were yellow, and he had a halo over his head, his blazing fiery wings encompassing much of the stained glass window as he unleashes his wrath upon his foes.

"Is that an Elder Angel?" Asia saw.

"Not just any angel," Aidan clarified. "That is Imperius, Archangel of Valor and leader of the Angiris Council."

"You mean… the same angel who wanted Sanctuary eradicated in the first place?" asked Kiba.

"The very one," Aidan nodded. "The thing about Imperius is that despite his role as the Aspect of Valor, he hates anything that has even a small stain of demonic corruption. That includes humans, nephalem, and I suspect even Devils. They do after all possess a Demon's touch."

But that left Asia horrified, to ever think that an Elder Angel, a holy being of light, could ever think that way. "That's… That's just wrong. It's prejudice."

"In Imperius' eyes, there is only right and wrong. There are no shades of gray. He hates humans because of their free will. He hates nephalem due to their demonic heritage that he deems an abomination. And he hates Devils because they were once angels who had fallen from grace only to be turned into something perverse and filthy. If he ever saw any of them on the battlefield, he would kill them immediately, seeing them no different than Demons."

Everyone looks at the portrait of the Archangel of Valor with a mixture of feelings. They could feel the wrath emanating from this stained glass window just by staring at it. Rias had read in the book about the Angiris Council that Imperius has a fatal flaw of pride mixed with arrogance. She could only ever wonder how he became the leader of the council after Malthael had left if he is prone to brash and recklessness.

Yet she also hopes never to encounter a being like him. If what Aidan said about Imperius was true, then everyone would be killed before they would even cast so much as a single spell.

*BOOM*

Suddenly, the whole cathedral shook intensely, with the dust and a few bits of debris falling.

"What was that?" asked Akeno.

"Steady, everyone," Rias calmly commanded as they get back together.

*BOOM*

There it was again. The booming and shaking kept coming every five seconds.

"This…does not feel natural," Kiba noted.

"Agreed, Kiba," Rias nodded. "Everyone be ready."

*CRACK*

The floor suddenly starts to crack open and debris from the old cathedral started to fall down, crashing onto the floor and making those cracks worse.

Aidan then realized what was happening.

"Move…MOVE!" He cried as he urges the others to run. It turned out the floor beneath them was collapsing due to the tremors. Aidan was right behind them as they make their way to the front doors. But the cracks had caught up with them.

As did the floor that soon started to give away.

"Woah woah…" Aidan loses his footing as he stumbles forward.

And subsequently falls backwards as the rest of the ground gives way.

"WOOOOAAAAHHH!"

"Aidan!" Rias cried as she reaches out her hand to reach her nephalem, but their fingers barely touched one another. Rias could only watch as Aidan falls down into the hole beneath the cathedral.

Just like that time in the Familiar Forest, Aidan is slipped away from Rias' sight and grasp. Everyone watched as Aidan had fallen, down into the Cathedral's depths once more, in need of rescuing…again.

But it was perhaps too soon to give up now.

"Guys?" A small red seal by Rias' ear appeared as a form of earpiece. "Guys, are you okay?"

"Aidan?" Rias cried. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, I'm here," Aidan answered over the comm. "What about you?"

Everyone sighed a relief, able to hear Aidan's voice over the seal comm.

"Yeah, we're fine, where are you?" asked Kiba.

"I'm not really sure," Aidan said. "I couldn't have fallen far though. Try to get to the second level. I'll meet you there."

With that knowledge in hand, everyone heads down and proceeds through to get to the 2nd floor, hopefully to meet up with Aidan by then.

Back at Tristram, Johanna, in her dark armor, leads an assault of the townsmen militia (whatever was left of them) and a few other Devil soldiers armed to the brink against the incoming assault. Alrik was on his way to Tristram but at top speed, he would be an hour away. Li-Ming stayed behind to help with the Devils and Tristram militia archers to procure spells and arrows to let loose against the endless undead. Kharazim was working with the wounded militia, trying to heal them as best as he could with his powers.

*BAM*

With her flail, Johanna breaks the jaw of one of the ghouls before she rams her shield into a few skeletons. The Devil troops and the militia stand their ground and press forward, following her lead.

"Burn in the light!" Johanna pushes forward as she calls down a beam of pure holy energy from the sky, smiting down onto the undead.

A loud roar was then heard as Johanna looks up front. The skeletons disperse away to make room for gigantic creatures covered in spikes and flesh. A monstrosity born from the amalgamation of human flesh and warped together by some form of dark magic.

According to worldwide adventurer and scholar Abd al-Hazir, they were called the Unburied. Undead made up of bodies, soil, rocks and discontent souls, these behemoths are essentially horrendous amalgamations of human bodies which were disposed of unceremoniously. The rotting bodies join together hideously to form a large hulking creature which crawls out of its grave and is said to "feed on human suffering."

Their sickly gray skins are spotted with even sicklier human heads, or what had been human heads when they were alive, complete with fangs. Their hands, devoid of fingers, arms and their backside are laden with brutal spikes. These spikes are shards of stone ripped from the earth during the development of the creature. They stand on very disproportionally short legs, which gives them a heavy stomping gait. Their spines also feature short but wicked spikes.

The Unburied give a loud roar and slam the ground in front of them as a form of intimidation to their opponents.

"Hold your ground, men!" Johanna ordered when she looked back, trying to inspire the troops to stand their ground despite seeing the unholy sight of these Unburied.

Johanna rallies what brave men she could behind her as they charge into the Unburied. One of them tries to strike at Johanna.

*DING*

Even with those large spikes used as bludgeoning weapons, it merely deflects off of the large shield the last Crusader held up. A few sparks fly yet Johanna presses forward.

Unfortunately, the rest of the militia did not fare so well. Despite their leader encouraging them to push forward and advance, none could stand against the might of the Unburied. Many were swung away and crushed by the spikes on their arms. The militia's weapons were stuck in the flesh of the undead, hardly doing any damage.

It seemed as if the battle was going to be lost with the tide now changing.

"HAAAAHH!" A male voice shouted from above as Alrik comes down with his axe and sword, slamming onto the ground.

*BOOM*

Two of the Unburied are blasted away from the impact, their rotting corpses exploding out back and their parts scattered around, destroying a few skeletons in the process.

Alrik gets up and shouts to the militia and the Devil troops, "Rise up, soldiers! Defend this town at all costs!"

With Johanna, the militia and the Devil troops could hold their own. But with Johanna and Alrik, it seemed as if they might pull this off and drive the undead away from the town gates.

"I was wondering when you'd show up!" Johanna sarcastically said to Alrik as she catches up to him, facing him on his left side.

"I couldn't let you have ALL the fun today!" Alrik spoke back.

Alrik then takes a massive swing to three large Unburied in front of him.

"RAAAAAGHH!" He shouts like a true Barbarian as swings his axe to cut down all three of the disgusting monsters down.

*SLIING*

All three of the bloated creatures are swung away and crash into another group of skeletons and undead.

One skeleton tries to get the jump on Alrik from with its sword raised.

"FWOOSH*

The skeleton is blasted away by arcane magic, its skull taken clean off as Alrik turns around to see who fired the shot. From above in one of the wooden towers with the archers, Li-Ming teleports to the ground behind Alrik and Johanna.

"I do hope the others will have figured out who is behind this invasion," Li-Ming said as she stands back to back with her friends. "Otherwise, we can just keep killing these things all night."

"Weren't you the one who looked forward to seeing some action?" asked Johanna as she smirked when she looked briefly behind.

"Not when you're dealing with endless numbers of undead," Li-Ming said as she summons a three headed arcane hydra to act as support, blasting the skeletons away with their arcane bolts from their mouths.

"We just got to hold on longer until the attacks stop," Alrik said. "Rally the militia, Johanna. I'll push ahead."

The three soon disembark, fighting off every last one of the undead that came.

30 MINUTES LATER…

Rias and her Peerage had to tread through the first level of the Cathedral just to meet up with Aidan in the middle. It was not easy for instead of Demons infesting the Cathedral, there were skeletons and undead plaguing it, along with Carrion Bats. While they were not as tough as Demons, there was also no end to them.

But what made the journey worse were the Skeletal Summoners who would sometimes burst out of the wall in bright purple and summon more skeletons. Though they were easily weak, their best defense was the endless summoning of skeletons like there was no end to them.

But nevertheless they press on, determined to meet up with Aidan wherever he was down below the Cathedral; hopefully not too far. And hopefully they would also learn who is behind this undead invasion and stop them here.

Soon the ORC came down to another area where in front of them, they saw a large hole leading down to a deeper part of the cathedral. Next to the right and down some stairs was a large ornate door leading to somewhere. But that door was the least of their worries.

Right next to the large hole was a doorway with no door. And out of it came a familiar voice.

"Foul minions!" Aidan cried as he moves forward with Silentium in his right hand. "Stay back! Back!" Aidan soon came upon a very unstable ledge. "I hope this ledge holds."

As Aidan dashes across, three black armored skeletons were in pursuit before the ledge fell due to their weight, plummeting them deeper into the cathedral. Aidan stumbles a bit and gets his beatings. But that was the least of his concern. As he turns around, he sees a figure across the chasm, a ghost figure of a king in black armor and wearing his crown, but there was no flesh. Only bone.

"The Skeleton King?" asked Aidan as he backs off a bit in shock, realizing who it was.

"THE POWER OF YOUR REVIVAL AWAKENED ME," The ghost of the Skeleton King revealed."AND SOON, ALL WILL SUFFER AS I HAVE SUFFERED. GUARDS, BRING ME HIS BONES."

With that said, the Skeleton King summons his dead skeletal guards who come in as blue foggy wisps from above, enter into the ground, and hideous skeletons rise up from beneath, equipped with their armor and weapons. They surround Aidan, who was both outnumbered and outgunned. Luckily for him, help arrives in the nick of time.

"Aidan, hang on!" Rias cried as she flies down to Aidan's position and blasts away a few of the skeletons.

*HYU BON*

Rias and Akeno blast away at the skeletons as more and more sprout up from the ground. While they were easily disposed of, there were so many to deal with and they had just kept on coming.

Aidan and Kiba stood side by side with their swords drawn, parrying and cutting down the skeletons. Although they were simple and sluggish, they did pack a lot of force behind their swings.

With Koneko as the Rook plowing through with her punches and kicks and Asia acting as healing support, the skeletons were eventually defeated.

The ORC then look to see Aidan gaze at the Skeleton King, the figure that was chasing him and was after his life.

"IT MATTERS NOT. WHEN THIS IS OVER, WE HAVE MUCH TO SETTLE, FIEND," The Skeleton King proclaimed before he disappeared via phasing underground.

"I look forward to it, Mad King," Aidan responded.

Rias then runs up to her nephalem. "Aidan!"

She jumps into his arms as he manages to catch her, almost caught off-guard by her sudden lunge. Seems as if he was going to get use to this and needed to prepare for it in the future.

And for some odd reason, he also heard a Boing! sound coming off from her breasts that sandwiched his face.

"Aidan!" Kiba called out. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Aidan reassured. "Turns out I didn't fall that far. Although I had to run a lot from the skeletons that lurked within this damn place."

"We should at least get out of here," Akeno suggested. "We now know who is behind this invasion."

"Agreed," Aidan said as Rias lets go of him despite wanting to hug him more. Aidan then comes over to a bookshelf before he pulls on a lever. And what do you know, a secret door opens up. "I learned of this secret passage through old maps my Uncle found." He then turns to the rest of the ORC. "This will take us to the Cathedral Gardens where we can use a waypoint to return to town. Hopefully the attacks will have ceased by now."

Everyone nodded their heads. With having known the threat behind it all, they need to rest and regroup and figure out their next plan if they are to stop this invasion.

Yet as they exit the Cathedral, Aidan could not help but look back, as if he heard the maddening laughter of the Skeleton King buried somewhere within, along with a threatening message.

"I WILL FIND YOU…"

TRISTRAM…

Back at the Slaughtered Calf Inn, Aidan sat in their rooms to assess the situation. Already they had some questions for Aidan. With the attacks on Tristram thwarted for now, it gave everyone time to catch up and repair in preparation for the final assault now that mastermind behind the threat has been recognized.

"Aidan…" Asia was the first. "Who was that ghost?"

"None other than King Leoric," Aidan answered. "The Mad King of Khanduras."

"I remember," Kiba said. "The Mayor told us a bit about him. How he went mad to kill all of his subjects thanks to Archbishop Lazarus."

"The Mayor wasn't wrong," Aidan said. "But that was just half the truth."

"What do you mean?" asked Koneko.

Instead of telling the answer, Aidan decided to show it. Pulling out one of his Uncle's books about Khanduras from his bag that he took with him, Aidan begins to read off the journal entries.

We have just arrived in Tristram, and I must say I'm a bit dismayed. This place is a backwater filled with serfs and an ancient, broken-down monastery, hardly fit for the king of Khanduras! I cannot fathom why Lazarus was so intent on this becoming our new seat of power.

"What is this?" asked Akeno.

"Leoric's journal," Aidan revealed. "Or at least of what my Uncle and I compiled during his days as king. Leoric was a man from Kehjistan who was devouted to the Zakarum faith. He took his family, his knights, and his priests over to Khanduras and established himself as king, using the Cathedral as his seat of power. But what Leoric didn't know was the reason why Lazarus chose the Cathedral in the first place."

"What do you mean?" asked Asia.

Instead of telling, Aidan flips to the next journal entry of the Mad King.

A fetid, pallid malaise has fallen over the manor we now call home. Young Albrecht seems to be enjoying himself in our new home, however. Perhaps I am simply suffering from an imbalance of humors brought on by the recent change of clime.

The image showed of Leoric in his prime, alongside his queen seeing their youngest son Albrecht play in the hunting fields by Leoric's manor, which was situated higher up than the Cathedral or even Tristram.

"They sure look like a happy family," Asia said.

But then the images turned to Leoric in his studies, his face turning to discomfort. Like he felt something, or someone was watching him from the shadows.

And it was, for in the image behind the king, Diablo's shadow lurked.

I am convinced that some malevolent being is attempting to wrest control of my thoughts away from me. Voices direct me to horrendous acts, and there are times when I seem unable to control my body. Lazarus knows; this is certain. He looks at me strangely when he thinks me otherwise disposed.

"It sounded like Leoric knew what was going on against him," Akeno commented.

"I like to believe that as well," Aidan agreed. "I think he had a feeling there was something underneath the Cathedral that was of demonic origin. But I don't think he knew it would be Diablo. By the time he did, it was all too late."

Once the page turns, the words and paper start to become black like ash. And it only got worse with each page turned until it stops to a specific entry.

Though my council begs me to reconsider, I will continue with the executions of those I find guilty of plotting against the kingdom. Perhaps they fear my eye will fall on them and discover their heinous, treasonous plans as well. Lazarus is the only one I can still trust.

"He executed people?" Kiba asked, seeing this injustice. "How could he?"

"Leoric resisted Diablo's attempts to possess him but the experience left him with madness. He knew what the Lord of Terror was doing, yet Leoric kept his condition a secret from those close to him, believing that his piety and Zakarum faith would be enough to exorcise the demon's corruption. In this he was sorely mistaken, and Diablo stripped away the core of Leoric's being, burning all honor and virtue from his soul. Lazarus, now also under Diablo's sway, kept close to his lord at all times, and sought to keep Leoric's condition a secret."

The next image showed of Lazarus by his king's side, whispering dark thoughts into the once proud and honorable king as his hair, once noble and brown, became white as snow filled with insanity.

"Despite this, Leoric's change in demeanor became known to his subjects. His once proud visage became ravaged and deformed while his sanity slipped away. Becoming increasingly deranged, Leoric began ordering summary executions of any who questioned his decisions or authority, while he sent his knights to the outlying towns to force them into submission. He even went so far as to execute his own wife."

"He what?" A shocked Rias asked.

The next image showed of Queen Asylla in chains and hung up, ready for execution by Leoric with his axe. Archbishop Lazarus was right beside him overseeing it.

"At the height of his madness, Leoric would evince his displeasure by pummeling courtiers, servants, and even foreign dignitaries. Horrified by his actions, Leoric's subjects began calling him The Black King."

The pages of the journal turn towards the last entry, now etched in pure blackness.

I have finally rid myself of the dark influence seeking to subdue me, and now I see things as they truly are. This conspiracy among the insolent townsfolk to weaken me by stealing Albrecht away will not stand! Perhaps the heads of their women and children on pikes will bring them clarity...

The book closes as the last journal entry of the Black King was concluded.

"How could a king so noble do this to his own people?" asked Asia in fear.

"When the king's youngest son, Prince Albrecht, was kidnapped, Leoric finally snapped." Aidan shows the Mad King in his insane state, his hair turned white as snow and his face burning with madness. "He began to accuse everyone around him, thus he was dubbed the Mad King and only heeded the corrupted Archbishop and his counsel. Finally, it was all too much and soon, Leoric was put down by his own men and given a proper burial beneath the cathedral in his own armor. But that was not the end for him."

"What do you mean?" asked Akeno.

"Diablo was not content to let Leoric rest for he still found use for him. And so, in a twisted act of desecration, Diablo raised Leoric from the dead as a powerful undead warlord called the Skeleton King."

"Yet another title for him," Kiba commented.

As the others were left to think, Rias felt something by her right side, and she pulled it out of the bag.

"Aidan…" Rias called out as she pulled out what appeared to be another journal. "What is this?"

"Those contain the writings of Lachdanan, captain of the Order of Light, the same group of Zakarum priests and knights who followed Leoric in the first place."

"Lachdanan? I remember reading about him. Wasn't he also the one that also murdered the king?" asked Kiba.

Rias opens up the book as it is turned to the first journal entry, its writings lit up in yellow as they shined brightly. Lachdanan's face was shown as a man in his fifties with white hair, beard, and mustache but his face showed someone with a virtue of loyalty and faith to his own nation despite its downfall.

My name is Lachdanan, and I am cursed. Once the captain of King Leoric's army, I lived only to honor my land and my king. No man has a greater love for his king than I had for mine, even as I drove my blade through his dark and corrupted heart.

"He's the one that performed the kingslaying?" asked Koneko.

"Indeed," Aidan confirmed. "Of all of Leoric's knights, Lachdanan was the one most loyal to his king and nation. He loved the nation of Khanduras dearly yet these dark and tragic events drove him to do things no ordinary knight would have ever done."

The journal turns over to the second entry, of Lachdanan spotting Leoric speaking to Archbishop Lazarus by a table.

It was Lazarus - of that I am certain. He alone had the king's ear and whispered dark and evil magics into it, instilling the notion of an imminent attack by Westmarch. Afraid to speak against the archbishop, the councilors nodded their empty heads in agreement and sent us off to die.

"Khanduras went to war?" asked Koneko, making Aidan nod his head in confirmation.

"When Leoric entered the throes of madness, Lachdanan tried to discern the cause of his deteriorating spirit. However, Archbishop Lazarus waylaid him at every turn and admonished him for questioning the actions of his king. Lazarus, seeking to contain the eroding situation, manipulated Leoric into declaring war on Westmarch. Lazarus declared that Lachdanan would lead the Royal Army of Khanduras into the neighboring kingdom. Lachdanan protested against the necessity of such a conflict, and correctly suspected that Lazarus had given Leoric the false idea that Westmarch was planning to invade Khanduras. But the war did not go so well."

The next journal entry turns over to the third section.

When we returned from our horrific defeat in Westmarch, my beloved king lost all pretense of sanity. He seethed with rage, spitting curses upon us as traitors. With great sorrow, I ran him through.

The image shows of Lachdanan sorrowfully driving his sword into the heart of the Black King, the latter in shock of such treason despite his madness.

"Leoric, in his dying breath, cursed his knights and called them traitors, casting a terrible spell on them that would transform them into Hell Knights."

The fourth journal entry is then turned in the book.

I will forever live in anguish for my last attempt to honor my king. As we lay him to rest in his burial chamber, he manifested as a hideous skeletal demon. Gorash and my other knights were overcome at once, but I fought on.

The image showed of the Skeleton King confronting Lachdanan and his party. Every single one of them except for the good captain were cut down and blown away by Leoric's heavy mace.

"As I have said before, Diablo resurrected Leoric for he still found some use in him. Yet as Lachdanan and his survivors fled, the curse reached its fruition and every single one of them were now enslaved to Diablo. All except Lachdanan."

"What do you mean?" asked Kiba.

"Lachdanan was able to retain his free will. Fleeing from the burial chamber, he sought to find a way to free himself from Leoric's curse but failed. He could feel the effects of Leoric's curse, and dared not return to Tristram lest he succumbs to it. As such, he ventured down into the depths of the cathedral to die alone."

Speaking of those last few sentences, the journal reaches its end to the last entry.

And now I wander, cursed by my once-beloved king. Evil gnaws at my bones, and I cannot risk putting my beloved Tristram in danger should I fail to contain that which tears at me. I must venture down into the labyrinth to die alone.

Lachdanan's journal then closes before it levitates back down to Aidan's hands. Thus ends the final testament of the most loyal follower of Khanduras and of the light.

"Is Lachdanan even alive?" asked Asia. "If he is, then he could help us—"

"Lachdanan is already dead," Aidan revealed, interrupting Asia. "He was freed from his curse by one of Leoric's sons centuries ago."

That option was now flown out of the window.

"As much as we liked hearing that bedtime story, how do we kill the Skeleton King?" asked Koneko.

"In his current state as a ghost, we can't," Aidan said, surprising everyone as they all looked at him. "But there is one way: his crown."

"His crown?" asked Akeno.

"According to Johanna, one of the blacksmiths said that the crown is buried with Leoric's chancellor, Chancellor Eamon, in a tomb in a cemetery in the Weeping Hollow. Shouldn't be too hard to look for but we should all get some rest for tonight."

"Agreed," Rias said. "We'll investigate the Weeping Hollow tomorrow to look for the crown. For now, everyone, get some rest."

Everyone soon gets to bed as the lights go out. Wolves howl and crows cawk at night yet while everyone sleeps, the nephalem start to repair the defenses and organize the militia.

Rias was about to tuck herself into bed with Aidan once she put on her pink cute pajamas, but she then saw him by the window, looking out to the Cathedral looming right above the town.

"Somnus…" Rias called out.

"Hm?" Aidan responded. "What is it?"

"Why does Leoric hold so much hate against you?" asked Rias.

"It isn't me he hates," Aidan said. "Leoric doesn't care about the living so long as they feel the full extent of his suffering. What he hates though is Diablo."

"Because Diablo caused his kingdom to collapse," Rias suggested, making Aidan nod.

"Since Diablo now lives in me, Leoric will direct his full rage in an effort to kill me by any means necessary. He needs to be killed at the place he was laid to rest. Only then will Tristram be safe again."

But Rias could not help but worry. Sure, she had faced worse things before but facing a ghostly king of the past in a cursed land was yet going to be another challenge. For too long though have she and the ORC been on these gruesome adventures and had not been focused on their Devil duties, mainly their contracts. Once this was over though, she intends to get everyone back on track. No more adventures, no more missing Pawns, no revelations of the Eternal Conflict.

Just a normal every day life is all she wants. With Aidan by her side permanently.

"I suspect Leoric was resurrected when I ventured down into the Cathedral," Aidan believed. "The Lord of Terror's power must have woken up the vengeful dead slain unjustly during his reign of terror centuries ago."

An ill omen to believe yet a safe and logical assumption to make of. It could explain the attacks on Tristram as of late.

"Come on," Aidan snaps her out of it as he turns around and makes his way to the bed. "Let's get some shut eye."

Aidan gets in first before Rias does, laying on his left side and wrapping her arms around him while her head laid on his chest. The two then sleep tight, their hearts and minds at ease in each other's company.

Not much to say other than this is the start of a two-part story of the Skeleton King OVA.

Aidan on trial? Well this was to be expected. After all, no criminal gets away scotch free of crime he committed, even when under the influence to do so. Luckily though our nephalem friends can arrive in time. And now Tristram is under attack again (this town has really suffered enough for two lifetimes) by skeletons and undead. As for how Leoric was resurrected, well let's just say Diablo's presence and the most recent epic adventure of the ORC battling the Lord of Terror woke up the Mad King.

For those curious, Leoric is the equivalent to Aerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. Both are dubbed the Mad King but Aerys fell to madness due to Targaryen blood lineage while Leoric's was caused by Diablo. Both started well in their rules yet both ended in death except Leoric was brought back to life as the Skeleton King.

Someone asked me about the Phenex servants Karlamine, Xuelan, and Yubelluna and whether they will return or not. Rest assured they will at the start of season 2.

I intend to get the next chapter out before August ends. Some may say I am rushing it but after working so long on the previous chapter, I feel like I needed to tone the word count down under 10k.

Like, favorite, follow, and review at your leisure! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.