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?

26. Chapter 26: The Lord of Hatred

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.

---

"AAAAARRRGGGHHH!" He then shouts to the Heavens in full insanity for all to hear, standing up with his arms out in declaration. "MASTER! MASTER, GRANT ME YOUR POWER! GRANT ME THE POWER TO TAKE SOMNUS, HIS NEPHALEM BRETHREN, AND HIS CURSED WORLD… AND DESTROY THEM ALL SO THAT NOTHING BUT ASHES REMAIN!"

After such a proclamation, a shining blue light emerges up front above Kokabiel. Everyone watches to see the light give off an aura of power, pulsating like a heartbeat with each shockwave that beats.

The light dies down to reveal some sort of blue crystal, emanating with demonic energy worthy of the Hells. But Aidan recognized it for his Sacred Gear on his left arm started to act up, causing him pain as he falls to his knees.

He then knew what that blue crystal was.

The Blue Soulstone of Hatred.

The soulstone floats in the air before it points its sharp tip to Kokabiel, smiling in joy despite his bloody state, opening himself wide open.

*PIERCE*

The soulstone pierces Kokabiel's chest yet he allows it willingly. The pain was so unbearable yet Kokabiel took it all in stride, laughing as he did maniacally as his body had begun to change. Instantly, his wings were all shredded and torn apart, blood spurting out like geysers from each wing severed. Two more hands emerged from his shoulder, bearing only three fingers on each hand. His legs were suddenly severed off as he was levitated into the air, with his flesh slowly melting to show his bones.

Kokabiel laughs and agonizes in the pain, the blue soulstone in his chest glowing and pulsating with power as it twists his body from the inside out, turning him into an abominable creature of untold prowess. A light soon emerges from the stone, becoming brighter and brighter and filled with a power of darkness. The power buildup intensifies as the gale winds were drawn in.

"Everyone, get down!" Inquisitor Tyrannus cries to the group.

*BOOM*

A massive implosion ensues as everyone takes cover behind either Rias', Sona's, or Akeno's shield barriers or had their swords pierced into the ground to brace against the gale force winds coming off of it. When the light soon dies down, only smoke remained in the area where Kokabiel once stood.

"Guys…" Rias called out. "Are you okay?"

Kiba and Koneko nodded, as did Akeno and Asia. But when Rias looked at Aidan, she saw him glaring at the smoke, wondering why he was still looking in that direction and why he did not answer her call.

When the smoke eventually clears away after about ten seconds, what everyone saw in front of them filled each individual with pure dread. In front of them was a large skeletal-like Demon, about twenty feet tall, whose entire body comprised only of bone and what flesh made up for it on the upper half. The lower half was missing and had no legs. Its spine, longer than usual, showed below. It had four arms with a chain connecting the two lower ones to a ring on its chest, the upper arms had a few bits of muscle despite the gore dripping down from it. But what was most interesting was that the lower half of the demon comprised only the large spine and pelvis. Two large horns sprouted from the head and multiple spikes emerged on its back shoulders. Though his face bore a little resemblance to Kokabiel's, it was otherwise demonic-looking with a skull-like visage. The Demon levitated above the ground yet gave off a blue mist of demonic energy surrounding its lower half as its spine twirled in circles.

Everyone, to their horror and shock, saw what became of Kokabiel. And who had taken his place thanks to that Blue Soulstone. They all knew who they were facing when the Demon gave its first mocking words.

"You're too late! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Dul'Mephistos, or Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, has awakened.

---

OP: GARNiDELiA – Ambiguous (Kill la Kill OP)

Unmei no ito wo tachikitta sono saki ni... (The universe is shown as the camera zooms in onto Sanctuary before it zooms even further to Kuoh Academy, then to Aidan, and then to the Red Soulstone from which two demonic eyes show from within the crystal)

(Title reveals itself as Highschool DxD: The Prime Evil)

Senobishiteitanda (Aidan is shown walking to the Academy in his school uniform with sakura petals blowing from the west)
Kutsuzure darake no semai sekai de (Aidan continues walking before he looks up and briefly, his form as the Dark Wanderer emerges)
RUNWAY wo aruku egao no uragawa (The ORC are shown one by one starting from Koneko who eats snacks, Asia who prays in a nearby church, Kiba who walks down the hallway with the ladies oogling over him, and Akeno on the rooftop overlooking the school)
Kakushita tsumori de (Rias is then shown by her desk in front, smiling as she looks at the camera)

Dakedo itsumo kimi ni wa (Aidan walks on one side of the road glaring at his rival Sinestra with his allies right behind him)
Minukareteshimatteite (Sinestra walks on the other side of the road glaring at Aidan with her allies right behind her)
Konna no wa hajimete de tomadou kedo (Three figures are shown on high, revealing to be Kokabiel, Freed Selzan, and Valper Galilei as the shadow of Mephisto looms behind and over them. Sinestra and Aidan come face to face, ready to battle as a tearful Rias is pulled back by Akeno and Kiba from the fight)

(The Angels of the High Heavens behind Sinestra and the Demons of the Burning Hells behind Aidan clash on Sanctuary in a fiery explosion)

Hoka no darenimo kikonasenai (The Eternal Conflict rages on as Angels and Demons clash across Sanctuary, with the Three Factions caught in the middle)
Nandaka wakaranai atsusa ga mune wo kogasu kara (Sinestra and Aidan spot each other on the battlefield as the former empowers herself with her wings whilst Aidan charges, hopping over floating stones before he clashes blades with Sinestra)
Unmei no ito taguriyoseta sono saki ni (The clash of blades delivers a massive shockwave onto the area, leaving Aidan and Sinestra alone as they activate their Balance Breaker and battle one another, each carving wounds onto each other's flesh)
Ima atarashii yoake ga kuru (Aidan and Sinestra back off briefly before they empower themselves up and fight again. As they do, the silhouetted figures of Diablo and Imperius respectfully linger above, fighting one another)

Yeah, yeah. Ay, yay (The camera zooms up on a painfully screaming Aidan chained up in black chains as the Seven Evils watch over him whilst a pained Sinestra is also held by gold chains with her arms bound upwards as the Angiris Council look down upon her)

Omoi wo kitto hitotsu (The ORC, the Student Council, the Four Great Satans alongside Michael, Azazel, Tyrael, and Deckard Kain; and Kokabiel with Mephisto right behind him are shown in flash images before it ends with Sinestra and Aidan glaring up close at one another before it turns black)

(The final scene ends with the King piece and the Red Soulstone)

---

Mephisto stood by the epicenter of the blast where Kokabiel allowed himself to be possessed. The Lord of Hatred stood tall in all of his glory, overshadowing everyone with his dark presence. He took in delight of their fears and relished in their shock. Kokabiel had served his role very well and no longer needed to be of use. Of course, with him as his host body, Mephisto could find his corpse useful for now.

"It… can't be…" Rias stutters over her words, backing off in fear.

"Dul'Mephistos…" Sona saw, remembering the name and appearance in the Devil Mythology book The Seven Evils. Indeed, his very visage was that of hatred itself.

Suddenly, a gust of wind came from behind Rias, catching her off guard before she saw who it was.

"Aidan, no!" Rias was surprised to see Aidan charge in recklessly.

Aidan immediately charges in with Silentium and Leviathan towards Mephisto but the Demon Lord unleashes a large sphere of electricity at him before he rushes to the side to dodge it, just as it explodes near his feet. Sliding to the right, he jumps over another lightning sphere and was about to counteract with his own red lightning.

Unfortunately, Mephisto utilizes his dark magic in the form of shadowy tendrils after Aidan. Warping out of the way, Aidan gets up close for a pointblank shot, only to be bashed away by Mephisto's lightning.

Aidan tumbles across the ground a mere twenty feet away and lands hard on his back. Now vulnerable, Mephisto sends a dark chain of magic at Aidan to bind him.

*SHATTER*

Only for it to be blown away by Akeno's magic.

"Everyone, charge in all at once!" Rias commanded as she takes out her sword and ushers a charge command.

"Right!" The ORC plus Xenovia join in and go after the Lord of Hatred.

"Let's go!" Sona cries to her Student Council members as they also rush in with their Sacred Gear and Devil powers coursing in.

But Mephisto chuckles. "Enjoy the gift of my pitiless ire."

And with one cast, shadowy Demons come up from below and attack everyone at once. Like large insects, they rush and grab at all before clawing at them, tearing out at their outfits and inducing pain like no other. Mephisto enjoys the screams of all before he employs a lightning nova around himself, trapping them all.

The lightning torrents through all and drops them all to the ground, lifeless and incapacitated. He takes note of the ones with great power struggling to get up, mainly Rias, Akeno, Sona, and Issei.

"How small you slaves are," Mephisto said, taking in their suffering. "You could have been useful had you not resisted. Know now, the indignity of imprisonment!"

Mephisto raises his right hand charged with thunderous lightning, ready to incinerate the incapacitated Devils.

*FAZCHIING*

Mephisto soon raises a shield to block an incoming red lightning strike to his left, coming directly from a recovered Aidan. He lowers his shield to fight the nephalem once again.

"Not on my watch," Aidan said.

Aidan soon activates his Balance Breaker armor and brandishes his axe, Leviathan, in both hands. He charges in and goes for a full-on downward cut onto the Lord of Hatred.

*CHING*

But Mephisto merely holds him back with his power from his right hand, like some sort of invisible wall protecting the Demon. Sparks and lightning fly off as Aidan tries to push through with the axe but could not.

In amusement, Mephisto merely looks at Aidan's fruitless struggle before he finds his persistence an annoyance to him.

"How I despise my daughter's misbegotten spawn!" said the Lord of Hatred.

Mephisto then pulls back a fist filled with pure power in his right hand.

*POW*

"Gaagh!" cried Aidan as he felt that one.

Landing his fist directly onto Aidan's chest that produced a loud shockwave, he punches him far back, but that was not the only thing that had happened.

*CHIING*

Shattering into a thousand pieces was Aidan's axe Leviathan. An axe belonging to the Barbarian Alrik that was filled with great power once used to defeat Kokabiel was now broken. In the process, Aidan's Balance Breaker also dissipated into red sparks.

Aidan is flung far back as it drags itself across the dirt. He tries to get up but was already wracked with too much pain, having gone over his limit and underestimating Mephisto's great power despite not being physically strong as Diablo.

"This is what you face," Mephisto said. "This is true power."

"Somnus!" A still visibly injured Rias cries as she throws her rapier, Heres Ultio, at Aidan for him to catch before falling back to the ground.

Grabbing it, Aidan is recharged with Rias' power thanks to her not using all of the transferred power from him and once again activates his Balance Breaker.

Roaring, Aidan charges once again at Mephisto, pointing Heres Ultio at the Demon before raising it in an effort to cut him down. But Mephisto, like before, simply holds Aidan back with magic easily.

*BOOM*

"AAGH!" Aidan cries at the blowback.

And once again, Aidan is thrusted back, his Balance Breaker disintegrating as he hits a couple of trees, going through them. Heres Ultio separates from him and lands near Rias, stunned that not even her power transferred to Aidan could help.

"My grand machinations already unfurl," Mephisto proclaimed. "But the Excalibur no longer serves a purpose for me now that my seeds of discord have been planted. Soon all that exists will perish within the poisonous void of my hatred. All that I loathe shall be rent asunder."

Mephisto then gazes upon the wounded Aidan. "But first…"

*SHIING*

Conjuring up spiked chains of dark magic, Mephisto quickly wraps Aidan around them, the nephalem screaming as the chains dig into his flesh.

"AAH AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Aidan screamed.

"Aidan!" Rias shrieked, seeing her beloved nephalem wrapped in dark magic and brought before the Lord of Hatred.

"My brother Diablo, at long last we stand reunited!" Mephisto proclaimed, his eyes gazing into Aidan's own as he struggles against the chains that bound him.

"Aidan!" Rias cries out as she attempts to fly over to him.

Unfortunately, Mephisto saw her coming and launches a Skull Missile, comprised of ethereal shadow and thunderous lightning, and sends it flying towards Rias.

Rias was hit badly on the right wing as she is sent descending to the ground.

"Down, mongrel!" Mephisto commanded.

Rias tries to get up but with her right wing wounded, she could only struggle, leaving her defenseless.

Mephisto examines Aidan while holding him with his magic thanks to the chains.

"Merely human," Mephisto analyzed. "Petulant mortal flesh. Cursed… the moment you were brought into this world. But now…"

*SHIING*

Aidan's left arm glows from his Sacred Gear before some sort of seal appears. Then, with the Demon's magic, Mephisto shatters the seal, replaced by the same yet smaller version by about a millimeter. Mephisto also shatters that.

And Aidan knew what those seals on his Sacred Gear were. They were implemented by the Four Great Satans to keep Diablo contained within.

And now Mephisto was breaking them, one by one.

And with each seal that broke, Aidan can feel that familiar dark influence coursing in his mind. The influence of the dark Lord of Terror awakening bit by bit as Mephisto awakens him. His aura was surrounded by a red haze of demonic energy, violent like a storm as it grows larger and larger with each seal broken.

No one could help Aidan in this predicament because all were incapacitated by Mephisto.

"No!" Aidan screams. "I…will not give in! Not again!"

"Your fate is bound to demonkind whether you wish it or not," Mephisto said as he soon breaks the last seal on Aidan's Sacred Gear.

Then, everything changes.

Aidan soon screams as his eyes and mouth glow orange, his teeth turning demonic. Soon, pores began to explode around his body as blood spills out from those pores, along with his mouth, eyes and nose. Let go of by Mephisto, Aidan collapses to his knees as he begins to feel the transformation change his body.

A clear reminder of who was now taking full control of his body thanks to the Lord of Hatred.

"Now my young brother, the time has come to assume your true form!" Mephisto proclaimed.

*SHIING*

Soon, spikes made of obsidian protruded from Aidan's back and a spiky red tail also forms as well. A red glow emerges from each spike made as Aidan's entire body perversely transforms into a hideous monster reminiscent of Diablo. Though he tries to fight back mentally, he was no match against the Lord of Hatred's machinations nor against the Lord of Terror's subtle influence crawling and taking control of him.

His screams become more demonic as he falls to one knee, his hands and feet becoming more demonic with long and sharp claws. With his Balance Breaker activated, it only made the possession process more simpler for Diablo. The horns on his helmet sharpened as demonic red eyes shone through the holes of the helmet.

"SOMNUS!" Rias screams in terror for her beloved nephalem.

"Arise Diablo, Lord of Terror!" Mephisto calls out with arms wide open.

*FWBOOM*

A massive explosion of energy shot out as everyone gets to cover. Violent torrents of energy scatter and destroy the landscape, but also terraform it into one of Hell, like a battlefield littered with smoke, ash, and fire.

As soon as the smoke dies down, everyone sees through the smoke Aidan, still on one knee but a massive surge of dark and demonic energy coursing around him. With the appearance of those familiar spikes and red tail, along with the aura of terror emanating from him, it became all too clear.

"No…" Rias uttered from her mouth, fear grasping her like a gnarled root among everyone else.

Diablo, the Lord of Terror, has once again resurfaced and has possessed Aidan. All of it thanks to Mephisto.

As Aidan/Diablo stands up and growls, he slowly turns his head to his left to behold the Devil slaves and the Exorcist and her master.

He then grabs the broken blade of Silentium, and reforms it with magic to give it a more darker and demonic expression.

"Come, brother…" Aidan/Diablo points his sword towards the Devils. "Our victory awaits!"

"March forth, Diablo…" Mephisto commanded with euphoria. "And spread your terror into this world!"

Aidan/Diablo lowers his sword and takes a few steps forward to face the ORC, shocked to see that their comrade has become possessed once more.

Mephisto soon elevates himself above everyone as he takes Kokabiel's throne and takes his seat. His touch corrupted the angelic seat into something of a twisted mockery, of a throne decayed and defiled to signify his nature as a Demon.

"We'll help, Rias!" Sona cried.

*SHOOM*

But suddenly, a barrier conjured by Mephisto separates the ORC and the Student Council. For the latter, they were not only separated but also confronted by Demons and undead, summoned by Mephisto to keep them busy.

"Dammit!" Sona cursed. "We'll deal with the enemy, Rias. You get to Aidan!"

"Right!" Rias said as she and everyone else prepare to face the Lord of Terror once again.

As the corrupted Aidan faces the ORC who prepare themselves, he gives a loud ominous roar from his helmet as it briefly flashes a red and violent flame around his form before it quickly dissipates.

"Aidan!" Rias calls out to him. "I know you're in there! You must fight him! Break free from his control! You're not him!"

But her words fell on deaf ears as Aidan/Diablo roars and swings his sword around himself before he warps over and strikes at the group. The ORC split off into separate directions, with Asia staying back using An'Naresh for defense.

"He's grown more powerful than last time!" Kiba realized.

"Then I guess we're in for one hell of a fight!" Koneko said as she prepares herself.

Aidan/Diablo warps over and swings his sword in moves that equated to some sort of dance, with all the spinning and rushing. Despite his immense size, he was moving gracefully with pure speed. A speed that even Kiba could barely keep up with.

Akeno blasts her lightning behind Aidan/Diablo but it really felt more of a nudge to the Lord of Terror. Aidan/Diablo throws his sword over to Akeno like a shuriken before warping up close to the Priestess of Thunder. And while he missed her barely through the downward cut, he bashes her with the face of the blade away.

"GAAH!" Akeno is sent flying.

Koneko jumps up and lands on Aidan's shoulders, straddling him and holding on to the horns of the helmet. Like she were riding some sort of horse, Koneko uses her strength to keep Aidan at bay while Kiba moves in for the strike.

But just as Kiba moves in, Aidan/Diablo saw him coming. He reaches his right hand up to grab Koneko and use her body to slam onto Kiba, bringing the two crashing to the ground at high speed.

But even then, Kiba remains undeterred for he prepares himself for another charge into the demonic Pawn.

"I will see to it that you are set free, brother!" Kiba cried.

Aidan/Diablo swings his sword to bear down onto Kiba but the Knight dodges the downward strike easily, and then another, and then another. Turning around in a spin, Kiba stabs Aidan directly through the chest. Although it doesn't deter him, it does stun him a bit.

This gives Kiba the opportunity to pull his sword out and fuse it with power, the power he had created with his own hands when forming his Balance Breaker.

"And I will do whatever it takes – no matter the cost!" He cried.

Aidan/Diablo goes for another strike but Kiba, with his empowered Sword of Betrayer, deflects Aidan's strike and stabs him again in the same hole as before. He then pulls it out with demonic blood dripping down from Aidan's chest and from Kiba's sword. The possessed nephalem falls to one knee and clutches his bloody chest with his left hand.

But the corrupted nephalem was not done yet.

Standing up, he is empowered in a crimson red and black aura of flame as he brings his sword in front of him.

*FWOOSH*

The demonic nephalem roars as Diablo's power courses through him like a raging torrent of a hurricane. With his sword fully empowered, he then gives one horizontal swing.

*SHIING*

And a massive sword strike beam of Aidan's Silentium was met with Kiba's Sword of Betrayer as he holds it vertically against the beam. While he does eventually manage to cut it in half, Kiba notices something.

"I get the feeling Diablo is not happy," Koneko noted.

"Or right in the head. He's gone berserk!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Brace yourselves!" Rias cried as she blasts at Aidan/Diablo with her Power of Destruction.

But the demonic nephalem takes to the air and warps all over, charging his weapon before he stands in the middle of the platform. With the sword pointed down, he rams it to the floor and creates a massive explosion that sends everyone flying.

With everyone knocked away and injured, Asia rushes in and wraps Rias in her braid to heal her. But as for the other three, this was nothing compared to what they have fought through back underneath Tristram Cathedral. Though this was Diablo they were fighting, this was not him at his full strength and power and merely a tiny fraction despite his semi emergence from Aidan's body.

Diablo/Aidan was ready for one last final attack to end this all. Rias and Asia dreaded the thought though, seeing that despite holding their ground, the possessed Pawn was still going strong and that they were barely making a scratch on him.

Standing in front of Rias and Asia though were Akeno, Koneko, and Kiba. Asia stayed back for healing purposes and the fact that against someone like Diablo, even in her empowered state, she stood no chance.

Aidan/Diablo charges in and brings his sword around for one downward strike, right on top of Kiba.

"Not on my watch," Kiba cried as he brings his Sword of Betrayer up horizontally for a defensive position.

*BAM*

Sparks fly as the two swords meet. Kiba could feel the pressure from Aidan's blade and the dark power radiating off of it, explaining his superb strength thanks to Diablo. But with Diablo weakened and Aidan getting tired, Kiba pushes his sword back and makes him stumble.

"You're up, Koneko!" Kiba cried as the Rook jumps over the Knight.

"My turn!" Koneko gave a small smile as she rushes in and delivers countless punches and kicks to the corrupted Pawn, weakening him further. "Akeno!"

The Priestess of Thunder, empowered by her lightning, prepares her lightning as it envelops her form.

"Time to bring down the thunder!" Akeno uttered as Kiba rushes in to take a slice at Aidan's chest before he gets punched hard by Koneko.

Akeno comes up from above and, thanks to a boost of nephalem magic courtesy of Aidan earlier, creates a spear of lightning which she harnesses and brings down onto Aidan.

*CHIING*

The spear of lightning penetrates through Aidan's armor right through his left shoulder from above, bringing him to one knee and immobilizing him.

"Go, Rias!" Akeno gave the green light as Rias brings up her rapier Heres Ultio.

"Come back to me, Aidan!" Rias proclaimed as she charges in and strikes at Aidan first on the chest.

*CHIING*

Then she flies up and gives one last powerful strike with her sword glowing in red and white thanks to her Power of Destruction aura, Heir's Wrath.

*CHIIONG*

And with one great strike from above, Rias cuts down on Aidan's demonic form, severely wounding him.

The possessed nephalem staggers as he stood up, the last of his demonic power oozing away as blood from Rias' sword strike decorates his chest, the strike burning bright red and white like a red sun. He then drops to one knee, wounded and depleted.

Once Rias lands gently in front of Aidan, she puts away her sword via red sparks and approaches her Pawn carefully.

"Aidan…" Rias brings her right hand over to caress the left side of his helmet. "Please, don't leave me again."

As the face of Aidan looks at Rias, he growls and stares long and hard at her. They were low yet audible as Rias stood her ground, looking into the eyes of her beloved nephalem and trying to reach to him. She gently brings her forehead over to his and closes her eyes, desperate to reach through to her beloved nephalem.

But something was triggered in Aidan that compelled him to merely look at Rias in his weakened state. The dark influence and whispers of Diablo had retreated back into the Sacred Gear, yet that cloud of blackness still took root in Aidan's mind.

---

Deep within his mind, Aidan was witnessing some sort of flashback of the past. He saw a familiar place, the fountain in the park where Raynare had kidnapped Asia and had defeated Aidan. And right by Aidan's feet was his body, bleeding, broken, and poisoned by the Fallen Angel. It was lying flat down on the ground

He then heard footsteps as if someone was running. Those footsteps belonged to Rias, who ran to his body and flips Aidan over and becomes horrified of what has happened.

"Aidan!" He heard Rias cry. "Aidan, please! Please, wake up! Aidan!"

Aidan did not remember much from that day after he lost consciousness thanks to the poison Raynare had instilled through her kiss. But his look was one of pure shock and fear, seeing the one thing he never wanted to see.

Rias' tears flowing down as despair overwhelms her.

That vision soon ends as it returns to one in his bedroom. He found himself lying in his bed, yet he also saw that he was not alone.

To his left was Rias, sleeping naked while clutching his left arm to him. She held onto it tightly, as if she did not want to let go of it.

But amongst her was also Akeno, Asia, and even Koneko of all people. Aidan was confused as to why they were all in bed with him.

Then, a female voice, calm and gentle, spoke to him from within. An unfamiliar voice that he had not heard of before.

"Humans, Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels… they are your family. Protect them as I have protected you."

"Protected… me?" asked Aidan. "Woah woah wooaaahh!"

Before long he soon found himself falling. The vision in his room subsided away and all that was left was pure blackness. That is until he saw behind him a light shining like a star from the night sky. Entering into its radiance, he then found himself into some sort of alleyway. It was cold and dark, with barely any light shining through.

Once again, he heard footsteps of someone running. He turned to see a feminine figure wrapped in a black cloak, cradling something in swaddling clothes. She rushes past Aidan and then turns to her left to see what appeared to be some sort of empty boxy hidden and lying by an abandoned doorway.

She soon places what appeared to be a baby within the cardboard box. Thankfully the baby was asleep.

"No matter what happens, you mustn't find me!" She said to the baby. "I need to find your father. I promise I'll be back. I know this is hard. You must listen to me. Be a big boy... Grow into a man. If I don't return, you must run. By yourself, alone." She brings her forehead to touch the baby's sleeping head. "You must change your name. Forget your past and start a new life as someone else... A new beginning."

The woman gives a small peck on the baby's forehead before she sits up and scurries away. The baby soon cries yet the mother continues leaving in shame and in grief.

Aidan soon figured out what this was. This was where he was founded by Uncle Deckard all those years ago.

And that woman must have been Aurelia, the Elder Angel who was Grayfia's teacher.

And she left her baby alone to find Aidan's father, whoever it was.

The vision soon ends despite Aidan wanting to know more. It ends in blackness once again before he then saw a certain girl with red hair, standing in front of him with a smile. She then only spoke a few words.

"Come back to me…" Her words echoed to Aidan.

He knew then what to do.

---

The red aura surrounding Aidan's dark form slowly dissipates away until only Aidan was shown. The air intensifies because anything could happen at this point for Aidan.

But for Rias, she knew what was going on.

Slowly but surely, Aidan begins to relax as the growling stops. The red glow in his eyes go away and the corruption retreats back into his left arm. Then, beginning by his feet, his feet turn to stone, which soon spreads slowly over to the rest of his form. Aidan was soon entirely covered in a granite stone-like substance.

"…Now what?" Koneko asked but no one answered, wondering what was happening now.

*CRACK*

Soon a crack appears on Aidan, beginning on his right hip. A crack that soon spreads slowly all over his body, covering him from head to toe. Every crack made created a small chip of stone breaking off of Aidan's stone-like form.

Rias held out hope in her eyes, thinking Aidan is coming back. It was like seeing a butterfly emerge from a cocoon, or the resurrection of a dead person without the cursed enchantment in place.

The last crack soon appeared on Aidan's stone-like form, chipping the still statue.

*SHATTER*

Aidan's demonic form shatters like granite as his bloody human form, reverted back before his corruption, falls forward. Rias catches him almost immediately in her arms and slowly brings him down to the floor before he turns him over to where his head rested on her lap facing upwards.

It took a small moment for Aidan to eventually wake up from his temporary coma.

"R-Rias?" asked a still-alive Aidan, seeing a blur before it clears up to the redhead's face. "Rias… what, what happened?"

Rias only hugs him. "Thank goodness! You came back. Oh, Aidan."

Aidan did not know what was going on, but he hugs back nonetheless as he sits up, only to be wracked in pain. Yet always, the pain slowly but surely leaves him as Rias helps him up onto his knees.

A large sigh was heard as everyone turned their heads towards Mephisto. His sigh did not seem to be one of anger or of disappointment. Rather, it felt something close to the likeness of amusement and satisfaction.

"I am most impressed," Mephisto said. "You slaves have clearly evolved past what you once were long ago." Soon Mephisto empowers himself with some Skull Missiles at the ready. "Let us hope your prowess compensates for your shortcomings."

Mephisto soon launches three Skull Missiles at Aidan and Rias, who could only watch powerlessly as they rush toward them. But luckily for them, a magic barrier forms from Akeno, arrived just in time to save the two of them.

Akeno lowers her shield, standing in front of Aidan and Rias as she looks upon the Lord of Hatred, who seemed to be genuinely surprised by her sudden appearance.

"Ahh… Baraqiel's daughter," Mephisto seemed delighted to see. "How I had looked forward to seeing you in the flesh. You wear your father's wings well."

Akeno, like before, vehemently said, "Do not speak of that vile monster's name to me! I am nothing like that man!"

But Mephisto began to chuckle. That chuckle soon turned into a maniacal laugh heard all around for everyone to hear. A laughter so evil and loud as if he was mocking the Priestess of Thunder before him.

"What's so funny?!" Akeno demanded angrily, her eyes full of fury as they returned to that pupil shape. Mephisto soon halted his laughter, bearing a wicked grin on his face.

"How rude that is to speak to the one who kept watch over you when you were cast out," Mephisto explained as he mockingly apologized. "My apologies, but you've grown much than I thought you would, your hatred being your guide."

"You have nothing to say to me, Demon!" Akeno retorted. "I will not fall for whatever it is you have in store for us!"

Mephisto again chuckles. "Then how would you feel if I told you who gave the order on the day your mother had been killed and your father abandoned you?"

But when Akeno heard those words, she felt conflicted and confused, stunned even to hear that.

"…What do you mean by that?" asked Akeno in a bit of hesitation.

"Akeno, don't listen to him!" Aidan pleaded but Mephisto merely continued.

"Why, my dear…" Mephisto said as the Demon slowly approached her. "Who do you think it was that orchestrated all of these events considering your heritage? Who do you think it was that instilled the notion of hatred toward your father for his failure to protect you and your mother from my servants? Who do you think it was that began all of this in hopes to mold you into a perfect servant, a harbinger of the Lord of Hatred's wrath?"

Akeno however still bore a face of confusion, wondering what Mephisto had meant by those words. What did a Prime Evil like him have to do with her past childhood? As far as Akeno knew, there were no Demons involved and she thought of them only to be of myth. A legend whispered as a scary story to children at nighttime.

So why would someone like Mephisto say something like this? Was it just in his nature as a Demon to deceive mortals to his liking? Or did he really have to do with something of her childhood? So many questions ran through Akeno's mind, though a vast majority of her tried to deny that confusion in her heart, knowing of what Demons are capable of.

However for Mephisto, much to his glee, he would gladly explain, as flashbacks of Akeno's childhood life emerge in his mind from his perspective.

"When I corrupted the Fallen Angel race, your father Baraqiel was one of the few to resist my influence. When he met the human priestess and created a child as a result of their union, I saw an opportunity. With my servants, I began to implant the seeds of discord within the Himejima Clan, corrupting like a vile fruit born from a rotting tree. I was well aware of their hatred for your father due to his blood which gave me the advantage, but your mother sensed my influence within the clan. She was a pure mortal being who was able to find and purge corruption wherever it took root. She had tried to warn your father of my presence within the clan, but my servants dealt with her before my plans would be discovered. When your father found out the truth, he left you in the clan's care, unaware of its corrupted state, and tried to hunt me down but he was so easily subdued, his hatred feeding my strength. I dragged him back to Hell to give him eternal suffering for his defiance against me. Once you were exiled from the Himejima Clan, I influenced you to ensure you were to be molded into a perfect servant through the hatred of your father for his failure to protect his family, but the Devil slaves of the Gremory Clan intervened, setting my plans back. But it mattered not in the end for I knew you would eventually lead yourself back to me, your true benefactor."

"You…don't mean…?" Akeno hesitantly asked, her body shaken as Mephisto continues spilling the truth for her to hear.

"Indeed. The murder of your mother, the corruption of the Himejima clan, the capture of your father, and your exile from the clan had all but been key events to bring you before the architect of childhood: me."

Just like when she heard about the death of God at the hands of Malthael, a wave of revelation pours over Akeno. At first, it brought confusion, but then, as if her entire body went into shock and lost all feelings within, her eyes widened in horror. Her jaw was dropped to the ground as she beholds the one behind everything regarding her mother's death. The one who was playing with her all the time.

The one responsible for it all.

Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, the eldest of the Prime Evils, was the murderer of her mother and the very cause of her hatred to her father for his powerlessness.

"You're…you're lying," Akeno denied fearfully, not wanting to believe that the Demons had been involved in her life this entire time.

Mephisto, aware of her denial, then conjured up a crystal ball with a black mist. "Look deep into this sphere and tell me what you see."

Mephisto gently ushers forward the crystal ball as Akeno hesitantly takes it into her hands, peering into the dark mist within that swirled around with such darkness. The mist soon gave way to make clear of what her mind wished to see.

What she saw in it shook her to her core.

It was her father, Baraqiel, encased in nothing but ragged clothes of a prisoner with a scold's bridle, a type of tortured helmet except that instead of rendering him unable to speak it acted as a sort of iron maiden to the head, encased to him, covering most of his face except his eyes. He was trapped in a room that was full of mirrors, with barbed hooks and tremendous chains bound to his flesh. All ten of his black wings were being torn off one by one at a very slow rate; out of the ten, only five remained. His skin was stretched out by the hooks, his eyelids torn from his face as he is forced to gaze upon his misshapen form forever. Blood covered him entirely, even on his black wings. Every time he moved, his chains rattled loudly, and his voice echoed from the scold's bridle he wore like metal.

But it was not just physical pain that Baraqiel endured. For as he looked on, he saw visions of pure fear and terror. His eyes widened in horror, as if he was hallucinating, experiencing anguish at its finest when he beholds the terrifying vision.

It was then that Akeno heard his voice of pure despair.

"NOOOOOOO! NOOOOO!" Baraqiel cried. "SHUUURRRIIIII! AKEENOOO!"

Baraqiel's breathing quickened as he struggles to break free from his chains, lunging ever forward to the vision as if the two most valuable people in his life were being taken away. The chains rattle violently and tighten themselves on his skin, tearing it apart along with his wings that ever so slowly become more detached from the back.

Akeno, heartbroken and utterly shaken by what she had seen, steps back, then takes two more, dropping the crystal ball as it shatters into a million pieces before being blown away to the wind. Her hands shook, her eyes widened, her knees buckled, and her heart aching pounded hard and fast.

"It… It can't be…" Akeno shakily said, her voice trembling.

"Yes," Mephisto confirmed. "Your father, the very one who had failed you from the beginning, now lies trapped in Hell, forever bound to this fate much worse than death. It was…inevitable."

Akeno could not believe it as the truth of her entire childhood was dawned upon her like a waterfall.

"My mother was killed… by Demons?" Akeno asked herself as her legs gave way and dropped her to the floor, making her stare at the ground in total horror. "And my father is held prisoner in Hell? What… what have I been doing all this time, not knowing the truth?!"

Anguish and misery rage over her like a maelstrom as she slowly brings her hands to her head, cradling her face as fresh tears were produced from her eyes. Her mother's death soon flashed to her, making her recount the moment she was killed right in front of her eyes. Yet from behind the attacker's shadows and watching in the darkness, she saw Mephisto, reveling in the manslaughter with an evil grin.

Soon it flashed over to her father's tortured state of despair as he screams in horror the name of her mother before uttering out loud Akeno's name. All the while he was being tortured as the barbed hooks dug deeper into his flesh. Akeno heard his voice screaming in his head.

"No… No! NOOOOOOAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!"

Akeno screams in pure agony as the truth dawns upon her. She clenches her head, shutting her ears as her eyes close unable to shake off the image of her father's torture and her mother's untimely death.

Rias was perhaps the most stunned of the group. Fresh tears poured out as she held her hands to her mouth, shocked over the truth of Akeno's family. As Akeno's best friend and childhood friend growing up, having saved her life from the Himejima Clan who wanted to kill her due to her bloodline, she had no idea that Mephisto was behind her best friend's torment and hatred. Akeno was usually loyal and obedient, following her commands without question and on occasion being sadistic beyond her control. Throughout all their time together, they had been but inseparable. While they have had their quarrels and arguments in the past, it nonetheless brought them closer in the end.

But now, here she saw her best friend in torment, having seen the truth before her eyes. A truth that not even Rias was aware of. Though a part of her denies what Mephisto had spoken about, Rias could not help but feel like this has happened before with her family; of how the Gremory Family had kept Diablo's soulstone in their treasury vault all this time and were manipulated from the very beginning by the Demon within. If Diablo had the power to manipulate events and foreshadow scenarios meant to come to pass, then Mephisto was no different, per his confrontational nature as one of the Prime Evils.

Aidan was visually disturbed. But he did note of one thing: what Mephisto spoke about the Fallen Angels was true in regard to their corruption.

Inquisitor Tyrannus was appalled, as was Xenovia, learning that this Demon Lord was manipulating events concerning one person this entire time.

"Lord have mercy…" Xenovia whispered hesitantly. "How can this be?"

Kiba, Asia, and Koneko all had the same expression of disbelief. Their friend and comrade, Akeno Himejima, Queen to the Peerage, had now been reduced to a state of despair. Asia, for a moment, felt real despair creep onto her just like the day when Aidan became possessed by Diablo. Koneko was visually shocked, which was ironic considering she was mostly seen with an emotionless expression. But for Kiba, his Sword of Betrayer nearly slips from his hand as he saw the Queen fall into complete agony.

Everyone in the Student Council was also stunned. Even Issei, the Red Dragon Emperor and arguably, the strongest Pawn within Sona's Peerage, was also shocked to see such a great beauty like Akeno fall so easily like a dead branch from a tree.

It seemed that for everyone, time had stopped, and despair overwhelmed the entire atmosphere, giving rise to a living nightmare.

The Lord of Hatred takes note of Akeno's depressive state, reveling in her anguish.

"And lo, the seed of hatred takes root," Mephisto offers a hand, unusual for a Prime Evil. "Now, young Akeno, your hatred has now become your strength. The truth is laid before you and you cannot deny that with which you were meant for. Come, join me. And I will grant you that which your heart desires most: untold power beyond recognition to aid the nephalem."

But when Akeno heard the Demon's offer, her eyes widened. What despair first overwhelmed her was soon replaced with anger. Pure anger at the one responsible for it all. Pure anger for the one that murdered her mother and tortured her father.

Mephisto told her the truth of everything regarding her traumatic childhood life. Now he dares to have the audacity to extend an offer of servitude in exchange for power to help the one man she cared and admittedly loved?

No, she could not accept that. She never would. She was smarter than that.

All that was now set on her mind was revenge.

"You bastard…" Akeno muttered looked up with tearful eyes full of rage and hate and screams, "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Enraged, a wrathful Akeno empowers herself with electricity and charges straight for the Lord of Hatred. However…

"Akeno, NO!" Aidan cried as he warps to her and holds her back, trapping her in a bear hug right in front of her. It was taking much of his strength to hold back the furious Priestess of Thunder, wanting to make the Lord of Hatred pay for the death of her mother and of her father's torment. The lightning reacting violently off of her body was destroying the landscape around her and causing pain to Aidan, chewing away at his armor and leaving red slash marks all over.

Mephisto watches with intrigue, taking in Akeno's dark and twisted behavior that he had expected to see from such a reaction.

"Let me go!" Akeno angrily and tearfully demanded. "He must die! HE MUST DIE!"

"Akeno, you can't!" Aidan pleads as he holds her back. "You cannot win against him like this!"

"I don't care!" She screamed. "He killed my mother, made my life as a child miserable, and now has my father! Get out of my way, Aidan!"

"Akeno, please! You don't stand a chance against him! I won't let you destroy yourself like this!""

Akeno glares at the man she loves and demandingly asks, "Then why? Why won't you let me kill him?!"

"BECAUSE THAT'S HOW HE WILL WIN!"

Akeno, upon hearing those words, suddenly stops thrashing about in Aidan's grip.

"…W-What?" She tremblingly asks.

Aidan grasps her face and looks deep into her teary eyes. "Your hatred is blinding you because of what you have been told! If you go against Mephisto like this, you will not win! He is not called the Lord of Hatred for nothing! He will use that hatred of yours, no matter what form it is, and turn it against you. That's how he wins: by turning people against one another with abhorrence and resentment! And you will only fulfill his long-term goal by making you his servant!"

Akeno gasps loudly, her expression slowly turning one of shock. Her thunder and lightning soon power down and her eyes revert back to her normal expression and color. But the look on her face remained the same as she relaxed in the nephalem's arms.

Looking at Mephisto, she saw the Demon's smirk like he knew she was going to attack him recklessly and filled with hate. That hated may have given her power, but it also fed her mortal enemy. It was a strong tool after all, perfect for the Lord of Hatred. It constantly explains how he is able to win battles in the Eternal Conflict; by sowing hatred among the angels and mortals so as to take delight and feed his hunger.

Akeno could not take it any more as her body and mind became heavy. Soon, with one last heavy sigh, she fainted and slumped in Aidan's arms.

"Akeno!" cried Aidan as he caught her. While relieved that she had fainted, she was now in no condition to fight.

And neither was he.

"Aidan…" The nephalem hears Rias' call, her head low as her front bangs cover her eyes. "You and Akeno stay back with Asia."

Aidan was hesitant to ask why yet could feel the fury emanate from the redhead. Behind her were Koneko, Xenovia, and Kiba, who also bore a similar expression. Not wanting to ask nor stop them, he complies and brings Akeno and himself over to Asia as the former nun gets to work healing the latter while he comforts the former.

Rias, Koneko, Xenovia, and Kiba meanwhile walk towards Mephisto before stopping in front of him a mere thirty feet away. All of them bore the look of revulsion to the Demon.

"You are going to pay for what you have done, monster!" Rias spitefully said with her look of anger directed at the Lord of Hatred.

However for Mephisto, he was more amused than threatened and recognized the one speaking to him.

"Ah, Rias Gremory!" Mephisto then laughs amusingly. "I look forward to seeing your wrath unleashed."

"Then by my hand you shall be the first to suffer it!" Rias proclaimed as she empowers herself with Heir's Wrath, her empowered aura of the Power of Destruction, her fury raging over at what has become of her Queen. "For my best friend, Akeno, I will never forgive you for what you have done, just like your brother!"

*HYU BON*

Rias lets off a very furious power shot over to Mephisto. But the Lord of Hatred counters with a Skull Missile that easily dispels of it.

However…

*WABAM*

Koneko came charging up front and delivered a swift kick to the Demon's head with her left leg. But Mephisto merely turned his head before turning it back before he fires a blast of magic at Koneko. The cat-like girl moves out of the way in time for Kiba to come in with the Sword of Betrayer.

*CLING*

Mephisto holds Kiba back with his magic as Kiba tries to press forward.

"Anger. Doubt. Hatred. Such darkness swirls in the pit of your soul!" commented the Lord of Hatred.

Kiba is forced back by the blast but he skids his feet and one hand on the ground as he comes to a halt.

"My fate is my own, Demon!" Kiba proclaimed as he prepares himself with the Sword of Betrayer.

"So sayeth all pawns of greater powers," Mephisto retorted, likely referring to how Kiba was nothing more than a tool used for the Excalibur Project.

Kiba charges in, alongside Xenovia and Koneko. But Mephisto soon emits a ring of lightning around himself with his hands, covering a large area with him in the middle and getting the three caught in it. They scream as the lightning torrents through them like a violent storm.

All three collapse to the ground unconscious and wounded.

"NO!" Asia cries as she utilizes An'Naresh and brings out her tendril wings to rush over to the three.

She wraps them in her braids and pulls them back behind her. She would have begun healing had she not caught the gaze of Mephisto looking at her. While she would normally be scared, she then felt another presence stir within her, as if taking control.

She knew this presence. It was Auriel, utilizing her body as her eyes glowed blue. And Mephisto knew of this presence as well.

"Auriel…" He greeted. "I heard only rumors that you took on a mortal. It is rare for you to choose someone to act as your herald."

But Auriel, through Asia, remained silent. She kept her glare onto Mephisto as she brandishes An'Naresh for potential combat.

"Hope, the only virtue with purpose," Mephisto mocks. "For without it, what meaning has suffering?"

Asia, in the voice and tone of Auriel, retorts, "Your words seep with poison and lies."

Whatever Mephisto spoke, he seemed to have some level of respect of the Archangel of Hope, having just considered her aspect to be something of purpose for him to take advantage of. There was also a rumor in the aftermath of the Sin War when the Angiris Council and Mephisto made the truce that the latter winked at Auriel. Of course, she would have shrugged that off anyway.

Mephisto soon summons dark, shadowy, demonic spirits from the ground as they all rush towards Asia.

"No!" Issei cried as he rushes to Asia and grabs her bridal style to carry her away.

Asia blushes a bit, having regained control from Auriel's sudden possession. Issei soon lands to place her on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Issei asked.

"Y-Yes…" Asia responded. "Thank you."

Mephisto was surprised at Issei's sudden arrival yet takes note of the Boosted Gear on his left arm.

"Ddraig?" Mephisto was genuinely surprised. "I didn't think you had managed to survive your encounter with Diablo the last time you fought."

[You should be more concern about my host, Mephisto.] Ddraig warned without concern. [It's him that you are also dealing with.]

Mephisto laughs as he looks at Issei, seeing him nothing more than a foolish boy playing with fire. "Have you come here to die at the hands of a Demon, boy?"

Issei responded, "No. I'm here to kick your ass! We beat Diablo, we can beat you!"

"Even if you could defeat me," Mephisto said. "Your hatred for the pain I have caused to others, will give me strength."

"Well then, you bastard…" Issei said as he starts boosting himself with power from the Boosted Gear. "I'll be sure to kick your ass to kingdom come!"

"Your threats were as a thin as the aging mouth that utters them," Mephisto said but he nonetheless remains calm as Issei charges in.

Mephisto conjures up thousands of lightning spears before they fly up and then rain thunder down onto Issei. With each lightning he dodges, Issei gets closer and closer and tries to land a blow on Mephisto. The Demon easily blocks the attack with each strike Issei gives from some sort of invisible shield conjured up simply by his hand.

Mephisto then conjures up a powerful beam to send Issei back. But luckily for the Red Dragon Emperor, he catches his feet and skids across the ground for him to stay upright.

"You would so readily throw away your life, child?" asked Mephisto.

"I have no intention of dying!" Issei retorted. He charges in again but Mephisto erupts the ground with dark energy, pushing Issei back as if trying to stay within a distance reach from him.

"He's tough," Issei said. "Any suggestions, Ddraig?"

[Try to get in close before he conjures up any spells and break through that shield.] Ddraig advised. [Use your head to work your way around him and build up your power for a Dragon Shot.]

"Break through the shield, huh?" asked Issei. "Got it!"

Issei keeps charging in and pounding at the shield Mephisto keeps raising to protect himself with. Yet as ever, Mephisto pushes him back with Skull Missiles, Lightning Nova, and other dark magics that the Demon Lord uses, feeling unthreatened by the Red Dragon Emperor's assault.

Yet little by little, Issei saw faint traces of the shield breaking, like tiny glass shards from a window breaking off.

"It's working!" Issei saw as he empowers his Boosted Gear. "That shield of yours… is done for!"

And with one last attack, Issei shatters Mephisto's invisible shield.

"DRAGON SHOT!"

The Dragon Shot fires directly at Mephisto, shattering the shield he raised up like glass. Once it did, the Demon stumbles a bit, surprised that the Red Dragon Emperor managed to break through.

"Issei!" Kiba cries out, getting the Red Dragon Emperor's attention. "Heads up!"

Kiba throws his sword of Betrayer for Issei to catch. Once he does catch it, Issei's uses his power from his boost to charge in for a horizontal slash at a speed faster than light. Despite his weakened and exhausted state, Issei took this opportunity to land first blood.

"NNNRRRAAAGGGHHH!"

With Kiba's sword, Issei strikes forth at Mephisto.

*SLING*

And cuts at the palm of the Prime Evil's right hand.

*POW*

Although Issei is clash back by the Lord of Hatred's magic, he took the fall acceptingly. His body skids the floor and drags along. Once he stops, he coughs up blood and attempts to sit up. His Boosted Gear had reached its limit. The Sword of Betrayer falls to the ground as Kiba rushes to pick it up and tend to Sona's Pawn.

"Are you okay?" asked Kiba as he helped him up.

"It's about time I landed something," Issei said proudly of himself.

Mephisto, intrigued at his perseverance, looks at the small wound on his right hand.

"Impressive, mortal," Mephisto commented. "But not enough. Though you have the power of Ddraig, true power of the Burning Hells does not course through your veins like the slaves of old. And yet, you keep trying…"

Mephisto soon felt it was time to not be on the defensive anymore and get on with this fight. However, unbeknownst to all except the Inquisitor and Aidan, Mephisto's hatred intensifies tenfold, directed at Issei.

"You will never comprehend how deeply I hate you now!" Mephisto retorted as the flame and lightning erupt from his body. He approaches Issei with the look of pure hate. "You will regret…being reincarnated as a slave whose power pales before the might of the Lord of Hatred!"

Mephisto soon looks at his small wound on his right palm as it heals. "Oblivion is a mercy… I am not merciful!"

Issei charges in again in such an exhausted state, yelling as he does.

"Issei, no!" Sona cried but it was too late.

Issei tries to create one more Dragon Shot despite barely having any power left. But Mephisto empowers a full-on lightning nova around himself and traps Issei like a fly caught in a spider's web. The Red Dragon Emperor wracks in pain, for it was not only Issei but also Ddraig being affected. The dragon's roar was pain was heard through the Sacred Gear as lightning torrents like a maelstrom inside Issei.

Then, Mephisto creates and launches one final large beam of pure energy, empowered by hatred itself and blasts Issei, tearing through the boy like plaster as he is forced far back. He crashes hard into a concrete wall before that wall cracks and gives way, covering him in rubble.

"Issei!" Sona cries as she rushes to him with Tsubaki to pull him out.

Mephisto sighs, "The strongest mortal is no more threatening than the strongest ant."

Mephisto then enhances his arms with his magic and lifts them up in the air. As he does so, skeletal demons emerge out of the ground. All of them enhanced by dark magic and wielding weapons that, though rusty, could still easily cut down even recruits. What they lacked for in strength, they made up in numbers, about fifty of them in totally surrounding the Lord of Hatred.

"My god…" Xenovia said in doubt. "We'll never be able to get through that many."

Inquisitor Tyrannus soon steps forward, no longer content to simply sit idly by while everyone fights.

But for him, it has been too long since he fought a Prime Evil.

Mephisto notices his presence and turns to him, along with the undead he had summoned.

"Bear witness to the full strength of Hell unleashed!" Mephisto proclaimed.

But Tyrannus said, "You will find that I am not easily impressed."

Mephisto directs his undead towards the Inquisitor, but Tyrannus raises up El'druin, imbues it with light, and then slams it to the ground. That holy strike travels across the undead and disintegrates them, turning them into nothing more than bone dust. Everyone was shocked that an Inquisitor like Tyrannus destroyed all fifty of the skeletons like they were nothing to him.

The strike also goes past the undead and aims for Mephisto. He blocks it initially, but that holy strike also cuts a part of his arm, making him bleed despite the shallow wound.

Mephisto seethes with anger as the light passes through him and hits a nearby tree, destroying it. He glares at the Inquisitor, knowing of who he is and what he is facing.

"Your hatred knows no bounds, Mephisto," Tyrannus said. "But it pales before the might of the Devils you once invested in."

Mephisto replies, "Hell hath no limitations. Your inflexibility is why you fail, angel."

Angel? Everyone in the vicinity heard what Mephisto had called him. But what angel was there? He certainly had no wings nor a halo. The Inquisitor looked like a powerful mortal man with strong armor and a powerful sword of angelic origin. But if he were an angel, all the Devils within would sense him to be one long before and perhaps even execute him for trespassing on their territory. Perhaps he was using some sort of spell to keep his cover low so that no one could know.

Yet for Aidan, he could not help but wonder if this is what he thought he was. The sword El'druin and the angelic armor that the inquisitor wore. Only an Elder Angel could wear something as strong and wield a sword as powerful as El'druin. If he had privately been following the signs, then was it really possible that this was whom he thought it was? Were they fighting alongside an Elder Angel in disguise or an Elder Angel turned mortal?

But such thoughts would have to be brushed aside after the battle is over.

"The truce does not protect you here," Mephisto taunts Tyrannus.

Mephisto soon launches three Skull Missiles at Inquisitor Tyrannus as the so-called angel charges forth. He dodges the first before slicing the second. But upon the third…

*WABAM*

He is flung far away on impact.

"Master!" Xenovia cried as she rushes to him out of desperation and concern.

*FWOOM*

Another magical barrier was soon cropped up by Mephisto, except this one separated Aidan and Rias from the rest of the ORC. And then all of a sudden...

*SHIINK*

Tight barbed webs grapple and entrap the two separately. The webs were of dark magic design and dug deep into the flesh of both the Devil and the nephalem. Thanks to Mephisto, they were held on tightly like they were caught in a spider's web.

"The demonic blood in your veins calls out to me," Mephisto said. "And your strength will serve my purposes, even if your...ideals will not. But first..."

Both Aidan and Rias scream as the chains tighten and squeeze them. Rias reaches out her hand to Aidan, desperate to hold onto him but could not due to the reach.

Mephisto laughs maniacally, taking in the delightful suffering of the two. "I will drag your corpses across the jagged wastes of eternity."

"I… can… no longer…" Rias' hand slumps to the side.

*BOOM*

The chains were suddenly cut by a white light coming from above, staggering Mephisto as he was forced to let go of the chains and releasing Aidan and Rias. The former falls to the ground on one knee to get his bearings, adjusting the choke from his neck with his right hand. But just as he does, he hears a thump coming from Rias who fell to the floor.

"Rias!" cried Aidan as he rushes to her and cradles her unconscious body.

"Who dares intervene?" Mephisto demanded as he adjusts himself and wonders who the attacker(s) was.

"We do, Odium!" A female voice spoke as she soon revealed herself from a ball of white light that dispersed in front of the moon.

When she appeared, she was embroiled in armor whose design and shape looked familiar, similar to Aidan's Balance Breaker armor but with many significant changes. For one thing, it was a lot more feminine. She bore multiple wings behind her back that were armored yet looked feathered. Her helmet, looking like a knight's helm, bore an axe-like object laying on top with the blade facing upwards. She carried with her an ordinary angelic sword that looked like it was from the High Heavens.

(Author's Note: For reference, it is The Wise from FFXV but imagine it to be more feminine-like)

Next to her was someone in white plated armor with eight wings of light growing from his back, where it gave out a divine glow in the dark night. There were blue orbs and jewels in various locations on the armor. The face was unclear to see for it was covered but the more Aidan looked at it, the more he saw the identical similarities between the armor Issei had with his Boosted Gear Scale Mail.

But for Mephisto, he knew who these people were.

"So the Vanishing Dragon and the Angiris Apostle have come here," Mephisto looked intrigued before he laughed. "I did not think that Fallen Angel Azazel would be so desperate as to send the two of you to me."

"The…Angiris Apostle?" Aidan whispered in fear, his body trembling as he looks at the feminine figure. He remembered the name being told by Johanna but did not think he would meet her this early.

*SHIING*

Suddenly, the top arms of Mephisto were sliced off from his body, making the Demon scream in pain, surprised at the speed from which both the Vanishing Dragon and the Angiris Apostle cut their opponent. Vile blood gushes out of Mephisto's arms as that blood hits the floor and melts it like acid. Aidan was so amazed that he could not catch the movement with his eyes.

"This is the Lord of Hatred?" asked the Vanishing Dragon, sounding like a young man. "I thought it would be more of a challenge to fight you. But you clearly do not exercise in strength enough."

"Come now, brother," The Angiris Apostle warned. "Never underestimate the most cunning of the Prime Evils, even if he is the weakest at his core."

Mephisto took that compliment as an insult though. "How I abhor the righteous!"

The Demon soon conjures a storm of pure lightning over himself. That storm soon multiplied into many more storms, all summoned by the Lord of Hatred and supersized.

But the Vanishing Dragon holds out his hand, and his blue jewels glow.

[DIVIDE!]

And the voice of another spoke from the Vanishing Dragon, one that seemed more mature and wise than the ruffed up Ddraig. The aura around Mephisto was reduced drastically as half of the storms surrounding him vanished.

"Albion…" Mephisto hissed, recognizing the voice. "Of all the dragons I despise the most, it was always you."

"Divine Dividing," The Vanishing Dragon said. "It halves the power of those I touch every ten seconds, making your power mine. Since you cannot defeat me quickly, you will become so weak that you cannot defeat even me."

Now it made sense to Aidan. The Boosted Gear of the Red Dragon Emperor doubles the power of the possessor and can transfer to others. But the Divine Dividing takes the power of their opponents by half and makes it theirs. Just like the legends foretold.

But there was one problem. How did Aidan obtain a power similar to the Red Dragon Emperor's before? He certainly had not fought Issei before and did not borrow his power beforehand? Perhaps it was something regarding Diablo.

But for now it was best to push the thoughts aside as Aidan watches the Angiris Apostle sweep in with her sword and do an uppercut slice at the Lord of Hatred, injuring him quite a bit. Then, summoning what appeared to be an Armiger in the form of spectral weapons but sky blue in color, the Angiris Apostle hurls them at Mephisto, with the Lord of Hatred taking on many as he became incapacitated.

"Now, Somnus!" cried the Angiris Apostle as she turns to him.

Aidan complied without hesitation as he warps and charges at Mephisto with Silentium.

Unfortunately, just as he swings his sword…

*WHIISH*

Aidan merely swung at the air as Mephisto seemed to have warped out of the way.

Summoning a lightning nova, Aidan was unaware of being stuck inside of it until he is pushed out of the way by the Vanishing Dragon and the Angiris Apostle. But in the process, the two of them were caught in the lightning surge and soon blasted away by two empowered Skull Missiles from the Lord of Hatred.

"This false reality will burn away, and Hell shall rise in its place!"

Mephisto soon swings his right arms towards him to bring out multiple barbed webs out to attack Aidan. Instantly, they appear from all sides, and Aidan had no time to warp out of the way, standing there and ready to take the hit.

But then…

*SLASH*

To the confused horror of Aidan and to the bewildered surprise of Mephisto, Rias suddenly appeared in front of Aidan, taking the full-blown hit from the webs. But in the process, she had endured multiple cuts on her body as blood is flown everywhere.

He quickly catches her in horror as she falls back to him. "Rias!"

Rias bled all over and was severely wounded. Aidan cursed in his head, wondering why Rias took the hit when he must be the one to protect her. He warps her over to a nearby tree and lays her to rest while he brings his attention back to Mephisto, still surprised of Rias' bold actions.

"To think that Rias Gremory protected you in such a way I did not anticipate," Mephisto commented. "The bond you two share is deeply and disturbingly strong. I doubt there are any words in this universe than can describe how irritating I found that to be. But the only thing left for you is death by my hand. But first, let us test that bond of yours."

Aidan prepares himself as he brandishes Silentium in his hand, ready to do battle with the Lord of Hatred, but this time on his own terms. From here on out, this was his fight alone. But just as he gets his bearing, he notices something odd with Mephisto.

Instantly, a chill was felt down his spine.

"Rias is gone," He noticed as he turns to see that she had disappeared from where he had placed her down.

*DRIP*

Drops of blood soon pour in front of him, making him look up and gasp in horror.

"Rias!" Aidan cried.

Rias was found hanging upside down and caught within the barbed webs like a fly in a spider's web. They dug into her flesh deeply and emit dark electricity through her. She screams in pain as there was nothing she could do so long as Mephisto held the strings.

"When did he—" Aidan was shocked.

"At ease, nephalem," Mephisto reassured. "That will not be enough to kill her. Only to make her bleed and suffer. It is a lesson she must always learn when it comes to how powerless she can be when it comes to you."

Aidan did not take that so well. "Let her go, you son of a bitch!"

Aidan charges into Mephisto with Silentium as the Demon launches three lightning strikes. Aidan dodges one and deflects another, but is brought to the ground by the third aiming at his knees. He falls to the ground and skids across it a bit before he is soon blasted away by Mephisto's Skull Missile and makes him crash into a nearby tree.

Aidan spews out some blood from the impact, but he had no time to recover and get up as Mephisto soon angrily bashes him out of the way with his left hand. Aidan is knocked away, but he gets right back on his feet, yet his face was bleeding consistently.

"Aidan!" Rias screamed despite the blood. "Get away from him, you bastard!"

Rias screams and struggles through the barbed webs, trying to break free like she was a cat stuck in yarn. Mephisto found her voice to be irritating.

"Perhaps you need another lesson of staying silent, my dear," Mephisto suggested as he raises his right hand over to Rias and clenches it.

In that moment, the barbed webs tighten as dark lightning pumps through Rias painfully.

*SPLURT*

More blood sprouts from Rias' body as she screams in pain like a banshee.

"No!" Aidan cried as she struggles to stay upright. He struggles to keep his emotions, and by extension Diablo's temptations for power, in check as it would be what Mephisto wants.

Soon, Rias loses consciousness as her eyes close. With so much blood loss and the lightning from the barbed webs making it worse, she could no longer stay awake.

Aidan prepares himself to charge again but Mephisto had quite enough of his charade.

"It is time to end this once and for all," Mephisto said. "I have an invasion to commence right afterwards."

With that, Mephisto conjures up a bright purple circle underneath Aidan with a demonic star in the middle. Then it releases a column of dark light, trapping the nephalem inside and making him scream in pain as the dark energy courses through him like thousands of needles. The pain was unbearable as Aidan bleeds all over and his armor slowly disintegrates from the Prime Evil's power. The column of light soon dies down as Aidan falls to the ground.

Was this it? Was this the end for him? For all of his hard work, for all of his power, he could not defeat a being like Mephisto. His friends were either overpowered or occupied otherwise by the Demons. But he was nephalem and nephalem do not give up until the end. But now, now it seemed that there was no hope.

In the end, there was only death to sing the tale of his doom.

(Author's Note: Insert soundtrack – Kimetsu no Yaiba OST: Kama Tanjirou no Uta)

As his vision suddenly turned white, he found himself floating in some sort of ethereal space.

'Wh-Where am I…?'

Then from behind him, he saw a Demon looking straight at him while standing up. Its head is surrounded by large and long ram-like horns with a second smaller set extending from the top. It is shown to have reptilian feet and four bat-like wings which are darker than the body. He wields a pair of bright red retractable spikes in his forearms. It has two pairs of wings, two on top and two on bottom. The chest and head glow with incandescent orange, and the whole body is wreathed in demonic flames. The solid parts of the body seem to be a combination of metal and black demonic stone: any areas of exposed "skin" are covered in square scales.

Aidan recognized this Demon, for it was the same one with Aurelia, his mother when they fled from the Burning Hells. The same one cut down by his elder sister.

The same one that gave him his sword and the one that called him son.

"D-Dad?" Aidan saw, recognizing and also acknowledging his demonic father. It could have been just him, but he swore that the Demon bore a smile of contempt directed towards him.

"My son…" The demon father spoke to Aidan. "Breathe. Let your natural power course through you like water."

Aidan regains his senses back to the present and then reconvenes to begin his final assault upon Mephisto. He then gathers the power within him, all it ranging from his own nephalem power, to his cursed Sacred Gear, and from his father's sword imbedded within him that he stabbed himself with months ago. Slowly but surely, he stands up and faces the Demon Lord.

Igniting his sword, a red flame ignites the blade as he then spins and cuts down the barbed webs aimed to him by Mephisto. Stunned briefly, Mephisto conjures more barbed webs so as to hold Aidan back. Aidan keeps rushing forward despite some of the webs making cuts on his body along the way, but he cared little for that.

"Don't stop, son…" Aidan's father echoed in his mind. "And keep running! For if you stop now, you will be caught in the webs of hatred. When that happens, you will be immobile for attack. Keep moving forward, and protect that which you love most!"

When Aidan's father said that last statement, the reminding image of Rias hanging and bleeding from the barbed webs flashed into Aidan's mind. But it made his conviction all the more greater.

Charged with power, Aidan keeps plowing through the webs while also dodging Mephisto's lightning strikes and Skull Missiles that the Lord of Hatred was sending. But Aidan moved so fast that he had managed to get up close, to the Lord of Hatred surprise.

Growling, Mephisto backs away and flees but Aidan keeps up the pace, cutting down the webs the Demon was conjuring up.

Just then, Aidan spotted the opening thread on Mephisto's right hand, linking to all the other threads and to Rias' prison.

'There it is. Cut that and I can take him out, even if that means getting slashed by him at the same time.'

Aidan reaches out with his sword for the swing, ready to cut down both the threat and the Demon's neck.

---

Deep within Rias' mind as she laid unconscious, she felt as if she was in a dream. Still suspended and bleeding, she felt her mind wander into the black abyss, as if she was lost in the dark.

"Rias…" The unconscious redhead soon heard a voice. But she was unable to see who exactly it was.

It was an Elder Angel, whose description matched that of whom Aidan described as his mother. She wore a white dress that looked as if she was from a royal society. Her coat, made of fur, was of a gold color and had two strands of blue cloth attached around it. It only hid her arms which then showed her hands. Like all other Elder Angels, she wore a white hood of which there was no face. However, there were blue eyes, like balls of light, that could show her expression that changed whether she was happy or sad. As for her wings, as usual they were tendrils of blue and white light like all others of her kind.

Aurelia, the teacher to Grayfia and Aidan's angelic mother.

"Rias…" Aurelia raises her gentle hands to Rias' face. "Wake up, Rias. You have to save my son, the one whom you love. I know you can do it, Rias, just like your brother. Protect my boy just as you have always done."

Rias remained unconscious though, unable to respond to the pleading cries of the Elder Angel. It was as if she posed as nothing more than a corpse hanging by the threads, even if she struggled to awaken.

Tears soon fell from Aurelia's visage. Despite being an Elder Angel with no face to feature, the tears were so evident, like drops of heavenly rain falling from the sky.

"Please, Rias…" Aurelia pleaded. "Or you will forever lose the one whom you love most!"

---

Rias soon opens her eyes when she wakes up. They were red in color and held something of a demonic visage, the pupils slit like a cat. Her body is enveloped by demonic energy as the soulstone shard in her chest glows, granting her tremendous power. Soon, her right hand stretched out before her was glowing in red.

"Heir's Wrath…" Rias enchanted with her new Power of Destruction power that she had unlocked long ago. "BLOOD BURST!"

Rias grasps her right hand into a fist and all the blood on the barbed webs ignite into a crimson flame fueled by the Power of Destruction.

The flames travel fast toward the unsuspecting Mephisto, caught by surprised by the flame. They narrowly miss him, but it gives Aidan the opportunity to get up close to finish the job.

*BAM*

Aidan's sword Silentium makes contact with Mephisto's neck. Mephisto holds a face of pure hatred, directed at Aidan and to Rias. But at this point, he knew that the moment he felt the nephalem's sword, it was all over for the Lord of Hatred.

"The bond between Rias and I…" Aidan proclaimed as his sword glows red with pure demonic energy. "Will overcome even your hatred, Mephisto!"

And with one final swing, Aidan's cuts at the neck of Mephisto. Though he did not sever the Lord of Hatred's head, it was enough to create a fatal wound. Crimson flames form a ring around Aidan as he cuts his sword through thanks to Rias' empowerment. Mephisto's demonic blood flies everywhere, ignited by the sparks and flames, as he lets out a demonic scream, enough for everyone to cover their ears and destroy the barrier separating between the ORC and the Student Council.

Time seemed to have stopped as Aidan was just barely passed Mephisto, the Demon Lord having some final words to say before he dissipated into ashes.

"Never forget…" Mephisto utters his last words. "Maintain the illusion of our discord, Diablo."

And with that, Mephisto dissipates into demonic ashes glowing red like hot coals as his form disintegrates. That form soon gave way to Kokabiel, unconscious and deprived of power.

Mephisto's essence leaves Kokabiel as a blue swirling soul before it is drawn back into the Blue Soulstone of Hatred, which falls off of Kokabiel's chest and onto the ground, clinking as it does before it stops.

"The waves from the magic square are disappearing," said Tsubaki in astonishment.

"If that is true, Tsubaki…" Sona asked. "Then have we won? Against another Prime Evil?"

Aidan, exhausted and bloodied, impales his sword to the ground to keep himself from falling to the ground. He pants hard and fast, trying to catch his breath like he ran a marathon. He stood up in time to look behind him to see the unconscious and barely alive Kokabiel in the center of the crater. He grits his teeth a bit, wishing that the Fallen Angel had died alongside his master that had possessed him.

But despite Aidan's weakened state, he knew of one thing.

The battle was at last over.

---

When the dust had cleared, both the Vanishing Dragon and the Angiris Apostle were left standing near the center of the crater where Kokabiel was. The former held up the barely conscious Kokabiel in his right hand roughly.

"Sister…" The Vanishing Dragon asked to the Angiris Apostle. "Is Freed still alive?"

The Angiris Apostle didn't need to fly over to check on the mad priest. Instead, she looks over to where the mad priest was and telekinetically pulls him over to her. Despite missing both arms, Freed was still alive as he had a pulse, barely.

"Why do you need him?" asked the Apostle as she hands over the crazed priest to her brother, who catches it in his other hand.

"I have many questions for him. After that, you can decide how to deal with him."

The Apostle nods slightly.

[Ignoring me, white one?] asked Ddraig all of a sudden from Issei's Boosted Gear as the green jewel in the gauntlet glowed.

Everyone heard the dragon speak.

"The dragon hand talked?" Rias asked as the Vanishing Dragon turned towards Issei after getting his attention.

[So you're alive as well, red one?] asked the white dragon as the wings glowed white whenever it spoke.

[This wasn't exactly the best time nor place to see each other again.] Ddraig noted.

[Indeed. It is our destiny to fight one day. As always.]

That statement though gave Issei the shock as he looks confused both at his Boosted Gear and at the Vanishing Dragon, his rival.

[Strange you say that, white one. I do not feel any hostility from you like before.]

[I must concur for you as well.]

[Seems like both of us have got our work cut out for us.] Ddraig remarked. [I just wished the Demons were not involved.]

[That is how it is. By the way, how is your wound? Last I heard, you were on the cusp of death.] asked the White Dragon, who had apparently asked something in peculiar.

[Healed but I'm still traumatized. I still owe you for rescuing me that dreadful day.]

[I suppose our rivalry will have to come to an end soon enough given the circumstances. Let us meet again, Ddraig.]

[Yeah. See you soon, Albion.]

Both of them gave their farewell as the White Dragon Emperor looks at the Angiris Apostle. "It's time to go."

But before they could leave, the Angiris Apostle locks eyes to Aidan. For some reason for Aidan, he felt a chill down his spine. Along with that chill came a sense of foreboding as he clenches his left fist.

"Brother…" called the Apostle to Aidan. Her voice echoed from her helmet like it was speaking to some sort of microphone echoing with metal.

Aidan was left confused by her calling him that. As was everyone else.

"Who are you?" asked Aidan suspiciously.

The Apostle merely looked at him for a moment and then said, "My name is Sinestra, the Angiris Apostle. That which you were warned of."

Aidan then realized who this was, the one Johanna had warned him about. The champion of the Angiris Council. Strangely enough, she looked like an Elder Angel so why would she call Aidan her brother? They were certainly not related by blood or by essence.

"While I would like to stay and chat, I must leave," Sinestra said. "Heal your wounds, brother. For we will meet again. After that, we will begin our inevitable war."

And with that, both the White Dragon Emperor and Sinestra vanish in white light and fly up, taking their prisoners with them. Everyone became speechless at their sudden arrival and departure.

Aidan gives a small sigh as his armor dissipates away into red sparks. Mephisto was defeated and all that remained was his soulstone left on the ground. Aidan walks over and kneels on his right knee before he picks it up with his left hand and stares at it, feeling the power of hatred emanating from it. The Prime Evil's malevolent soul lingered within, yet all Aidan felt was silence.

That silence however filled him with fear.

---

As Sona and Rias spoke about the outcome of the battle, Tsubaki turns her head towards where Kiba was standing. She saw how deep in thought the Knight was before a strange feeling entered into her heart that told her to go to him. Whether it was sympathy or pity she did not know yet she walked towards him, nonetheless.

"Kiba?" Tsubaki grabbed the Knight's attention as he turns his head to her. "Are you alright?" She asked in a stoic voice.

Kiba was silent for one moment before he looked at his Sword of Betrayer.

"I think…it is finally over," He said. "Despite the interference and the emergence of a Prime Evil, this town is now safe once again. And yet, despite my personal quest having been fulfilled, I cannot help but wonder if the Demons were behind the Project. If Valper or whoever took over his research is now enthralled to Mephisto's influence. How many corrupted priests would I have to cut down with this Holy Demonic sword? I still do not know…"

Just then a hand was placed on his shoulder by none other than Tsubaki, making him gasp a bit.

But what was surprising was that she was smiling at him as a means of comfort. "Let's not worry about the complicated stuff for now," She advised. "What matters is that another Lord of Hell has fallen. And if you ever cross a bridge towards destiny once again, you will have your friends with you."

Tsubaki then takes her leave to join up with Sona yet Kiba was left there to stare at her with widened eyes. Truth be told Kiba had a certain fondness for Tsubaki, but he would never admit it out loud. And if her smile gave him some measure of comfort, it was enough for him to smile in return.

"…Um, Kiba?" Kiba turns his head towards Asia, who had regained consciousness. "We can do club activities together again, right?" Asia asked with a worried face.

Kiba was amazed about Asia that for all that she learned about God being killed by Malthael, she still retained her kindness. Her smile that filled him with hope. Kiba had then understood why an Elder Angel like Auriel chose Asia as her chosen pupil for hope.

Before Kiba could respond to her question, Rias had called out his name.

"Kiba…" Rias called out as the Knight turns to see her smile. "I am so happy that you decided to return to us and that you were able to reach your Balance Breaker. As your master, I am most proud of you."

Kiba then kneels on one knee with his head low. "…Rias. I… To everyone, I am truly sorry. Most of all to you, Rias, who had saved my life once… I cannot find the words to express my apology."

Rias goes to him and kneels down to his level before patting his cheek with her hand and comforting him like she always did. "The important thing is that you have returned. Alive. That is more than enough for me. Do not waste the feelings of those whom you have lost."

"President… I will promise you once again. I, Kiba Yuuto, will protect you and my comrades for the rest of my life as the Knight of Rias Gremory's Peerage."

"Thank you," Rias smiled.

Aidan's footsteps were then heard as Kiba stands up and looks at him before trotting over. He felt a bit hesitant to speak with him as he still remembered their scuttle long ago after the duel with the Exorcists and the Inquisitor.

"Brother… I…" Kiba was about to say something but Aidan cuts him off as he sighs humbly.

"My old friend…" Aidan said as he places a right hand on Kiba's left shoulder. "You…and I…"

Kiba did not even need to think of the next words to finish up Aidan's statement. "We don't get to hide."

The two blood/honorable brothers smile as their bond as comrades and fellow soldiers becomes a brighter flame. Rias, Asia, and Koneko smile at the close brotherly bond the two boys now share. Even Issei and Saji could not help but smile as well.

Kiba then looks at the Inquisitor, humbled as he approaches him. "You were right. There was more to justice than just simple murder and vengeance. But I must ask you something, Inquisitor. Something that has been bothering me since we first met."

"Speak your mind, Isaiah," Tyrannus encouraged, curious to know what his question was. Kiba was not even bothered by the name he had previously discarded.

"You told me that you have faced far worse things than Kokabiel, even Darkness Incarnate," Kiba began. "You told me that my hatred for Excalibur failed to compare and that I had ensured my doom from the start. You were not easily impressed with my power the first time we fought. Yet during the battle with Kokabiel, you told him you were Justice itself and that you had battled for an eternity on end against Demons, seeing you cut them down with ease. And against Mephisto, he called you an angel. Yet you don't seem to be one in the flesh despite your armor and weapon being very angelic-like."

"And?" asked Inquisitor Tyrannus.

Kiba then asks, "Who or what are you really? Who is the being underneath the disguise of an Inquisitor of the Church?"

The Inquisitor's expression was remote and inscrutable to tell when Kiba asked him that question. No one could decipher his look as they all turned their faces towards him. They thought the Inquisitor was going to lie to give some sort of riddle to explain who he is for them to solve. Or perhaps he would just never reveal his identity at all, making him more mysterious if not suspicious of who he is.

But he felt that he could no longer hide it away, especially since Aidan, a nephalem, could tell just by his sword and armor of who he really was.

Inquisitor Tyrannus thus begins his tale.

"Once, long ago, I was born to uphold the value and virtue of Justice. Alongside me were the aspects of Hope, Valor, Fate, and Wisdom. Together, we made the Angiris Council and forever fought with our counterpart, the Seven Evils, in a perpetual war that burned countless worlds across the stars. For eons this war had continued over the Worldstone within Pandemonium before it was stolen by a group of renegades from both Heaven and Hell. When I learned of where it was located, and of the world of Sanctuary created alongside its inhabitants, the nephalem, I saw it as nothing more than an abomination that should not exist. I had intended to purge it clean in fire, not intending to see humanity as allies of Heaven due to their inherent powers. As such, I was among the Heavenly Host who descended upon the world, meeting in battle with the nephalem and the Demonic Hordes themselves. But through witnessing the power of one nephalem, realizing that his growing power risked the destruction of the world, who had sacrificed himself to end the battle, saving Sanctuary, all those he loved, and perhaps most importantly of all, his own humanity."

Tyrannus seemed to have recalled something as his expression looked as if he was moved by an event that had changed him for the better.

"It was an act that touched and swayed my heart—I had called these beings abominations. Yet no abomination would have made such a sacrifice as this one had had. When the Angiris Council convened to discuss Sanctuary's fate, Valor opted to eradicate the progeny while Hope and Fate voted in favor of humanity, believing that humanity's potential to serve the Light could surpass even their roles and that the Eternal Conflict might be ended for good. Wisdom abstained. Thus, the deciding vote would be left to me, the aspect of Justice—were I to side with Valor, Sanctuary would be destroyed, as a tie would still result in their original goal being carried out. However, I sided with humanity, for they would be left to their own devices, free to choose between Light and Dark."

He then spoke of the same words that he told Irina and Xenovia long ago, and the same words he had spoken before.

(Author's Note: Insert Soundtrack: Diablo III OST - I Am Justice)

"I did call them abominations...and I was wrong! My vote is for them...For I would see what they might become...and marvel in it."

Aidan recognized those words, wondering if it was really true. But just for confirmation, he had asked the question.

"So then…" Aidan asked. "Are you…"

Tyrannus then believed it was time.

"I was an archangel of the High Heavens! I was the embodiment of Justice! I was…"

A bright light then shines from Inquisitor Tyrannus as he brings his sword in front of him. It was a light that for everyone, while it didn't burn them, they had to cover their eyes from its brightness. The light continued to shine for ten seconds before tendrils of light emerged from the light. It soon died down to reveal what appeared to be an Elder Angel wearing golden armor, the same armor worn by the Inquisitor, and El'druin in his right hand as he brings it down. However, he wore a white hood that covered his face now black and featureless. A white sash decorated the front part of his form, held up by two sun emblems and laced with golden angelic designs on the cloth. Wings decorated his back in a design that everyone imagined them to be, like feathers from a bird but encased in metal. Two more were worn on the back of his ankle armor and back knees.

The Elder Angel levitated slightly above the ground as he faces the Devils before him who saw his form with awe and astonishment.

"I am… Tyrael!"

Once again, another shockwave of revelation sweeps over all present. All this time, the person they fought alongside with was an archangel of the High Heavens. Unlike Auriel who only appeared here and there, Tyrael was with them the entire time. To their knowledge, Tyrael was a member of the Angiris Council and the aspect of Justice. It was by his vote at the end of the Sin War that Sanctuary and humanity would be spared from destruction.

There were also rumors that Tyrael had intervened solely on Sanctuary's behalf to help out with mortals and protect them from demonic incursions. Against the edicts of his fellow council members and against the ancient law of non-interference, Tyrael slowly over time became something of a maverick. Yet always, he still carried with him the ideals of justice; wherever injustice took rook, Tyrael would be there to disperse of it. Of all the archangels of the High Heavens, he was a light that shone the brightest and, while at first harboring nothing but revulsion for humanity, slowly changed his outlook towards them and saw them for who they are.

"Tyrael…?" Aidan muttered. "I knew it."

"The Archangel of Justice?" asked a very surprised Rias. "With us this whole time?"

Asia fell to her knees as if she had experienced a vision from Heaven. Her Twilight Healing rings and An'Naresh glowed blue in the presence of Tyrael. And she knew why for both Auriel and Tyrael are members of the Angiris Council. She felt as if she had experienced another vision sent from Heaven, in the form of justice itself.

Even just by looking at him, he truly did represent what he was in the beginning: justice incarnate.

Tyrael then takes note of Kiba and looks at him.

"Hold out your blade, Isaiah," Tyrael urged. Kiba was initially hesitant but he wasted no time summoning his Holy Demonic sword. "Kneel to me and present the weapon."

Kiba does as commanded, though it felt awkward. He was not kneeling before any deity, but an Archangel of the High Heavens.

Tyrael, with El'druin in hand, soon lifts up his sword and gently brings it low until the tip of the blade touches the Sword of Betrayer. Then, El'druin glows with a blue pixelated light aura before some sort of power echoes with a ringing tune, traveling over to Kiba's sword.

"Let the wicked fall before the might of this blade, blessed through the virtuous power of Justice itself."

*SHIING*

Just then, the Holy Demonic sword lights up brightly, almost like that of a star before it dies down. Tyrael takes El'druin's tip off of the Sword of Betrayer before Kiba examines it. He notices that his sword has gain a massive boost of power.

"What just happened?" asked Kiba.

"Your sword now holds the power of El'druin, a sword tied to my being as an extension of my will," Tyrael explained. "Merely a faint echo, but enough to overcome even Holy Sword users themselves. It is my gift unto you."

"Why?" Kiba was astonished.

If Tyrael had a face, he would be smiling.

"Just as the young nun, Asia Argento, harnesses the power of hope from Auriel, so too do you represent the embodiment of justice. I watched the discrimination done unto you in your youth and learned tonight of why the Excalibur was created in the first place, of why it was desired to be replicated. I wish only to make amends with you, as you have no doubt learned the same lesson I did millennia ago when I cast the final vote that spared this world from annihilation."

"And, that lesson is…?" asked Kiba.

"That there is no justice in simple murder lest we become that which we hate more. Justice can indeed lead one to blindness unless tampered with wisdom."

To Kiba, it made sense to him. But a part of him felt he didn't deserve this power nor this lesson from the Archangel of Justice himself. Sure, he was filled with rage and the need for vengeance against Valper for the murder of his comrades. But even then, he learned from his dead comrades that they didn't want him to have justice nor vengeance for their needless deaths. But rather freedom from his past so that he would live on and honor their legacy.

It was a lesson that humiliated him, much like how Uldyssian's sacrifice humiliated Tyrael to destroy Sanctuary and instead spare it from the Heavenly Host as there was no justice in murdering a world and its inhabitants for their ancient heritage.

"M…Mas…ter…?" A stuttering and immobile Xenovia spoke, unable to comprehend that all this time, her master and teacher was an archangel of the High Heavens. The Archangel of Justice no less. She was so tempted to get down on her knees and pray before a being of pure light, like she was seeing the Light in the flesh.

Tyrael looks over to his student and approaches her. If he had a face, he would be smiling at the moment.

"What…is the meaning of this?" Xenovia asked in shock.

"I was not always the Inquisitor you knew from your childhood, Xenovia," Tyrael explained. "Once, long ago in the very beginning, I sat alongside my fellow archangels on the Angiris Council as advisors to Anu, or God, in the High Heavens. I took command of the Heavenly Host and waged an endless war against the Burning Hells, even after Anu left."

Xenovia then asked, "Then… the legends you told us are true? About a Heaven higher than the one the Church knows of?"

"It was a piece of history that only the pope and very few cardinals knew of," Tyrael revealed. "If knowledge such of this was told, then the faithful would have been lost forever. Fear of the Sin War would have come back and humanity would be torn from within."

"But Master…" Xenovia then asked. "If the High Heavens could not interfere due to the treaty, why did you do so anyway?"

"Because I have come to the realization that the Angels were meant more than just fighting the Demons," Tyrael explained. "That we are also meant to protect the innocent from harm, to aid them against the Demons who still seek to control and use them for their twisted nefarious purposes. Would that my brethren saw the same thing, they would rather much exterminate it in fear of humanity's power."

It made sense to Xenovia now. If the High Heavens were alerted, they could very well bring the Heavenly Host down upon Sanctuary and destroy it, accomplishing their original goal millennia ago. Not even the Devils, Fallen Angels, or even the Angels of the Lower Heavens would ever stand a chance against something as powerful as them, even united in an alliance.

Tyrael soon dispersed his angelic form and returns to his mortal, more acquainted form of Inquisitor Tyrannus.

"So…" asked Aidan. "With your mission complete, what now?"

"With the Excalibur destroyed, Valper dead, Freed and Kokabiel in the hands of Fallen Angels, and Mephisto's soulstone now secured in your care, nothing went as we thought it would have," Tyrannus said. "Xenovia, Irina, and I will stay at a nearby inn for tonight and tomorrow before we depart back home with the fragments."

Inquisitor Tyrannus then turns around and begins walking away, but stops to look back at the nephalem and smiles.

"Until we meet again, my friend," Tyrannus said.

Aidan looked at him with a smile of acknowledgement before his attention was caught by Xenovia a few meters away. She was standing over the four remaining fragments of the four Excalibur swords before she looked at the nephalem. She then turned her head away, with a red face before she departed back with the Inquisitor.

It only left Aidan confused by her remark.

---

A few days have passed since the incident with Mephisto and boy everyone needed a break. Rias had to compile a long report regarding everything to her brother, including Mephisto and his involvement with Akeno's childhood life. She had spent days having meetings with her family and the Four Great Satans in regard to these incidents. She had not had a lot of time to relax considering how everything turned into a mess. Given that it was another Prime Evil that had emerged, Rias' report left the Four Great Satans troubled.

As for Akeno, she fell into something similar of a depression, still trying to get over the fact that throughout her entire life, she had been manipulated by the Lord of Hatred. Her mother was killed by Demons in disguise as humans and her father was now captured and held prisoner in the bowels of Hell itself. All this time, her hatred was misguided to the point where she was effectively blinded by it. Though a part of her still loved her father despite his weakness, her hatred for him was based on the fact that she needed to vent her anger out on someone lest she lose her mind.

Now it seemed that was wrong the entire time as Mephisto formulated it as a means to control her and make her his servant. Yet even with the Demon Lord defeated, Akeno considered this victory a hollow one for her. And who could blame her?

Aidan had wanted to help her but did not want to overstep his bounds. Nevertheless, all he did was hug the crying Akeno comfortably, struggling to wrap her head around all of this. She had not been heard nor seen for days, apparently getting some comfort with Sona and Tsubaki at the former's home. It pained him for not being able to be there for her most.

As for Kiba, now that his personal quest is over, he had remained all the same yet changed much. He reverted back to his normal self as he continues to train and examine his new weapon, the Sword of Betrayer, now blessed with an echo of El'druin's power. He and Aidan's bond as honor/blood brothers seemed to have become closer in that they had fought beside and saved each other's lives. They had even rescued one another from their inner darkness and struggles.

After all, for the both of them, they don't get to hide.

Once school was over, Asia and Aidan entered into the clubroom, only to be shocked by what they had found.

"Hey there, nephalem."

Standing before them was Xenovia Quartet, wearing a Kuoh Academy girl's uniform. Everyone else minus Akeno were also present.

"Xenovia?" asked a surprised Aidan. "What brings you here?"

Rias greeted the two and Xenovia from her desk. "Ah good, you're all here. I'd like to introduce to you our newest Knight."

"A Knight?" asked Aidan as he looked at Xenovia in disbelief.

Then suddenly, a pair of black Devil wings sprang up from Xenovia's back, catching the nephalem off-guard.

"What the hell?" Aidan exclaimed in surprise. "How did you…?"

"Once I had found out the truth that God was killed and of the truth regarding the existence of the Burning Hells by my Master, I felt lost in my faith. So I begged for Rias to take me in."

"Having a wielder of Durandal on our side would be a nice addition. With this, you two and Kiba will be the sword fighters of this group," Rias said with much enjoyment.

"And I transferred over to this school as a 2nd year student and a member of the Occult Research Club. Let's get along, okay, Aidan?" Xenovia said, trying to sound cute at the end.

Aidan however bluntly said, "Please don't make a cute sound with a serious face. Doesn't suit you."

"I tried to copy Irina, but it doesn't look that easy."

Aidan then asked, "So why become a Devil then, Xenovia?"

"Like I said, when I learned God had died, I became lost in my faith," Xenovia stated, with a hand on her chin to show she was thinking. "I went to Tyrael for guidance and he simply said to follow my heart. Although I am not so sure if becoming something I had fought for so long was the right decision. But…for the little sister of one of the Satans, she's ben shockingly kind. Oh, I hope I made the right decision. I feel like I have, but there is so much doubt." She then places her hands together in prayer. "Please, help me, oh Lord!"

*ZING*

Her head gets a headache from the painful ache as she holds her head.

Aidan sighed exasperatedly, before he then asked, "By the way, where are Irina and Tyrael?"

Xenovia's face changed to one of reluctance, much to the nephalem's surprise. "They have returned home."

---

FLASHBACK…

At the airport, Xenovia was facing both Inquisitor Tyrannus and Irina. The Archangel of Justice, in his mortal disguise and wearing a simple cloak without the armor, looked at her with a small smile yet had a slight concern for her, while Irina was the polar opposite, looking at her former partner in contempt and disappointment.

"Master, what will happen to the remaining pieces of the Excalibur swords?" Xenovia asked.

"The Church will do what they can with them," Inquisitor Tyrannus told her. "Since the fragments we had retrieved are the cores of the swords, the mission was a success. But I know of some friends outside the Church who can safely secure them away from the corruption growing within the religion. I don't want them to fall into the wrong hands again."

"I understand," Xenovia nodded in agreement, surprising Irina a bit.

"If they can make the cores functional again, they can use alchemy to make the Holy Swords again. But this time, in the hands of those more worthy."

Xenovia sighs in relief. "Good. It's a relief to hear that."

"Oh sure, that's delightful," Irina said, continuing to look at Xenovia in a negative way. "If only you accompanied with us back."

Xenovia once again sighs, accepting what has become of the situation. "I know."

Irina could not take it anymore and finally snapped.

"Then why?! Why would you just do this to us? To me?! I was your best friend, Xenovia, and you decide to just toss away everything?"

Xenovia did not answer and merely stared at the ground, taking in all of her friend's anger. Irina then turns towards her master who didn't bother to look back.

"Master, why are you letting this happen?" She angrily asked. "She's letting herself be turned into a Devil, and the Church is just letting it happen! She's betraying us all and you're just going to let her walk out like this!?"

Inquisitor Tyrannus then turns towards his remaining pupil. But instead of an angered look of disappointment, he only bore sympathy and pity for the chestnut girl. Irina was confused if not shocked by his sudden expression, seeing that he had never acted that way before.

"Irina…" He spoke gently. "When we get back home, there is something we need to talk about. Go wait on the plane for me."

Irina did not like that answer, giving that she was being kept in the dark by her master. With tears of anger and sorrow, she turns and walks away to the plane, unable to take in the situation at hand.

Inquisitor Tyrannus turns around to look back at Xenovia. Bearing a smile of contempt, he places a hand on her right shoulder.

"Xenovia…" He said, catching the blue-haired woman's attention. "Despite your misfortunes, despite your initial attitude earlier… you have always made me proud."

"Master…" Xenovia said, surprised to hear him say that.

"Know this; whether you are Devil or not, you will always be my student. If ever you should need my help, do not hesitate to contact me. Always remember: justice, though righteous, must always be tampered with wisdom."

And with that, Inquisitor Tyrannus walks away to his airplane, leaving Xenovia to watch her former master walk off.

"Thank you, Tyrael…" Xenovia whispered. "And goodbye."

FLASHBACK ENDS…

---

"Irina was lucky," Xenovia noted. "Even if she wasn't in the battle because of her wounds, she ended up not knowing the truth. Her faith is stronger than mine, yet it would break easily like glass fi she found out that God was killed by the archangel Malthael. I fear if she ever did, her condition would have been…irreversible."

Aidan, for once, felt pity and sympathy for both Xenovia and Irina. The latter was a cheerful girl for much of her life as far as he could remember. Her belief was strong but perhaps too strong to the point of zealotry. There was no telling how she would react if she learned that an Elder Angel had killed God on the deity's command.

"The Church just let you go?" asked Aidan. "Zakarum people do not take kindly to this."

"When I had mentioned the murder of God by Malthael, they became silent. I became something of an outsider for knowing the truth that they all knew. When I told them of Mephisto's corruption, they too were silent on it. Even for someone who can wield Durandal, they just let me go on the persuasion of Inquisitor Tyrannus."

"So that's why you became a Devil," Asia said. "And you joined us to help fight the Demons."

Xenovia turns her head towards Asia. "Yes. I had eventually learned by my Master how the Devils were created by the Demons in the first place and now I see the truth that the Church never wanted me to see. Tyrael told me the real story of the world; how it was created and how humanity was born from the nephalem. And now I finally understand what my master was trying to teach me a lesson in humility, the same lesson he learned millennia ago."

She then turns her head towards Asia and bowed. "Asia, I am so sorry for my initial impression of you. What I said back then was unforgivable. My faith in my religion blinded me and I have already received a harsh punishment by my master and the rest of the Church."

She then turns her head towards Aidan and bows. "And I am incredible sorry to you too, Aidan. To have accused you of things that were beyond your control and not knowing the truth of what became of you. How you were manipulated by Diablo to become his unwilling host. And I feel so awful. Like a monster…"

Xenovia stopped talking when a hand was placed on her head, making her look up to Aida, surprised to see this handsome man smile.

"It's alright, Xenovia," He told her. "You had every right to be afraid and antagonistic towards me. Anyone else would have done the same. But now you want to make up for it and I think joining us is a start."

"He's right, Xenovia," Asia smiles as she forgave the Durandal wielder. "I'm enjoying my current lifestyle despite being a Devil. I've met good people here who became my friends. I am happy because of the place I live in now and the people I have met. And most importantly, I have hope because of them."

Xenovia was indeed surprised to learn that these two have forgiven her. Despite her initial impressions of the two, she had expected to be severely criticized by them but not the opposite. Still, she smiled gracefully.

"Thank you," She responded. "Both of you."

Xenovia tries to leave the room until Asia stops her. "U…umm! Next weekend, I'm going out to play with everyone. Would you also like to join, Xenovia?" Asia asked with a smile, making the blue-haired girl widen her eyes in shock before smiling.

"Another time, maybe? I still have to get adjusted to my new life. Except…"

"Except?" asked Asia.

Xenovia then asks in a smile, "Can you take me around the school next time?"

"Yes!" Asia answers with a big smile.

Xenovia then turns towards Kiba. "I also would like to have a battle with Durandal against your Sword of Betrayer as well, Kiba. They were both blessed with an echo of El'druin's power after all."

"Then I'll be more than happy to have a duel with you," Kiba replies with a smile.

Aidan smiles and nods in satisfaction, seeing that the ORC was now back to its happy days. At least for the moment.

Rias came by his side and claps her hands. "Now then, since everyone has returned once again, let's start club activities again! Also, all weekend activities are canceled."

"Canceled?" asked a surprised Aidan. "Why is that?"

"Have you forgotten, Somnus?" asked Rias before winking at him and clinging to his left arm. "I'd love to go on that date you asked me to."

That left everyone in the room shocked.

---

COCYTUS…

In the dark shadows of Cocytus, within the icy tomb where the worst criminals are punished, a lone figure wrapped in black clothing walks within. There was no light that could reach this far within the realm, except from a large pillar of ice in various hues and shades of purple. Inside of it was Kokabiel, frozen in the ice with a look of anger, despair, and agony. His face was left largely unfrozen yet struggled to even talk given of how icy cold his frozen tomb was. His hands were cold to the touch, but he was still able to move and twitch them, albeit slowly. He however was unable to conjure any spells from them given that his prison magically chained and locked his power away.

All was silent in the dark area, with only the footsteps of the figure approaching him from the darkness. The figure was dressed in a dark cloak, walking loudly with his footsteps as he takes a seat on a chair made of pure ice from Cocytus and faced his prisoner.

"So, Kokabiel… at last I find you," The figure greeted.

To Kokabiel's eyes, he could not make out the figure exactly that sat in front of him, but he did see something of a familiar face to him. Of someone he knew from long ago, during the Second Dark Exile.

"Raphael…" Kokabiel saw with his blurry eyes. "Yes. Yes, now I…now I recognize you. I should have known you'd travel in disguise. They're… they're always watching."

"I've been searching for you for a long time, Kokabiel," "Raphael" said. "I was rather beginning to think you didn't want to be found."

Kokabiel however spits back at him. "Spare me your insistent mockery of pity! I have no need of it, not since the Exile. And it was not my fault that everything had failed!"

"Not your fault?" asked "Raphael." "Tell me, Kokabiel, how was it 'not your fault'?"

Kokabiels' eyes widen, realizing who was the one that messed everything up in his plans. "The nephalem… Yes, it was… it was the nephalem."

Kokabiel soon recounts everything about his plans from the Excalibur sword thievery to the climatic final battle taking place at Kuoh Academy between him and Aidan. He also recounts how Mephisto had possessed him to take care of the problem himself that Kokabiel could not finish.

AN HOUR LATER…

The tale ended with Kokabiel defeated, his masters' soulstone taken from him, and his imprisonment in Cocytus.

"And that is the end of that tale," Kokabiel said. "When I get out of here though, I will make him suffer for it all! He will pay for every inch of his life when I break free!"

"Raphael" soon stood up from his icy seat and walked over towards Kokabiel, still enshrouded in his cloak, his face invisible to see.

"Kokabiel…" "Raphael" said. "Give me the stone and all is forgiven."

Kokabiel knew what "Raphael" was talking about. It was something he had kept with him for a long time, something only he had known. He reaches into his breast pocket within his robe to pull out some sort of yellow soulstone shard.

"Give it to me, Kokabiel," "Raphael" urged.

Kokabiel complies, handing out his near frozen right hand to the angel in disguise. "Take it. Take it, take it! I may not get out of here today, Raphael, but when I do, the nephalem and those Devil bastards will pay for everything!"

"Raphael" then takes the yellow soulstone shard from Kokabiel's hands. It glows as soon as "Raphael" touches it, like it was connected to him somehow.

"You haven't failed, old man…" The figure shakes his head and looks at the yellow shard briefly. "You've done exactly as you were meant to do. However…" The figure then brings the stone's light up to his face."I am not the archangel Raphael…"

In that moment when the stone's light illuminated his face, it showed Raphael's face, but more mummified and demonic looking visage illuminated, giving off a rasping echo of dread and evil. It then reverted back to the normal face of Raphael.

To Kokabiel's horror, he saw who it was. An enemy all too well and the one Demon he had despised more than anything despite his current allegiance to his master Mephisto. It was also the one Kokabiel had trouble with in the Second Dark Exile many centuries ago.

"Baal!" He realized, in the presence of Tor'Baalos, the Lord of Destruction and the middle brother of the Prime Evils.

To his horror, he had forgotten that Raphael was sacrificed as a living vessel to contain Baal when the Lord of Destruction was captured centuries ago.

And Kokabiel realized why Baal had come to Cocytus in the first place. It was not just to retrieve back his soulstone shard but also for giving Kokabiel his reward for serving the Demons: his death.

In despair, Kokabiel mutters, "No… No, no no! No!"

Baal laughs sadistically as Kokabiel is swallowed in his mistake of anguish. "You have done well, Kokabiel. Now I think you should have your reward."

Soon Baal reaches out with his left hand and from it, flesh devouring tendrils emerged and killed Kokabiel almost instantly. Left with a face of despair in his final moments as blood pours out of his corpse, Kokabiel soon departed from the mortal world a tormented spirit.

His task now complete, Baal casually walks away from Kokabiel's corpse. He kicks away a chunk of ice that is somehow set on fire. Yet as Baal walks away, all of Cocytus is soon enraptured in flames, fires that could not be extinguished by even powerful water or ice magics. All of the remaining prisoners in Cocytus were freed from their icy prison thanks to the fire that spread wildly and rapidly, only to meet their demise as they could not escape from it, not even by magic.

For Baal, he had no intention to leave any survivors but him from Cocytus' destruction that he had wrought.

"I have walked the earth, always searching for that which will make me whole. In the slaves' territory of Kuoh, deep within the Gremory's walls lies the nephalem. I shall have him. My brothers will not have died in vain...and I shall rule unchallenged."

All that remained as Baal walks out were the screams of prisoners consumed by Baal's flames as he departs with his soulstone shard. The Lord of Destruction took in delight the screams of the dying prisoners and the fires that melted the icy realm, turning it into a wasteland filled with only burnt corpses.

Baal comes…and destruction follows him like a storm.

---

Whew! This chapter was perhaps the hardest to make. While not my best in terms of fighting style, I did what I could. But Mephisto was more of a spellcaster than a full on melee fighter unlike his younger brother Diablo. And I took most of his fighting style and spells from Heroes of the Storm instead of Diablo II just because there was not much to explain on Mephisto's fighting style in the latter. Everyone now got a chance to fight another Lord of Hell but against one who is considered the leader of all demonkind.

Perhaps the most impactful one of all is Akeno. Having just been told a shocking truth over the truth behind her mother's death would take her out of commission to fight. Not to mention of her father being captured and tortured in Hell just like Inarius. Akeno will recover in time and only Aidan can provide that but for now, she will have to deal with a bit of depression and mask herself from the pain. All she needs now is confirmation from one of the Fallen Angels who lived through the experience. And there is only one who can confirm it.

The Angiris Apostle and the Vanishing Dragon will make their return soon. But now we got a look of who they are and what they are capable of. Along with who they are the rivals to.

That last part of the battle for Aidan and Rias against Mephisto was inspired by Kimetsu no Yaiba where Nezuko and Tanjiro fight Rui. Great anime by the way and I recommend checking it out!

Inquisitor Tyrannus being Tyrael in disguise this entire time? Well, I am sure many of you who are fans of Diablo will have recognized it earlier on but sooner or later, everyone's favorite archangel would have to show himself sooner or later.

And now Xenovia is the newest addition to the peerage. Welcome aboard!

We also learn that Baal, the middle brother of the Prime Evils, is on the loose with his soulstone. And he has burned Cocytus to the ground, literally melting it and killing all the prisoners within including Kokabiel. And I know people are gonna complain but come on! This is Baal, the Lord of Destruction! And he can destroy anything, even frozen hell itself!

Next chapter will be relaxing one. Gone are the days of fighting and warmongering against Demons. Now we can all just take a day off and spend time as friends.

Also fair warning next chapter: There WILL be Lemon!

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