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.

"Without the nephalem's sacrifice, the Red Dragon Emperor would not have been able to wield Mjolnir for only he is the only one strong enough to do so. And yet, why do I feel this heavy sense of despair? Could I have saved him?" asked Rossweise as she stares at the scene in a mix of emotions, unable to move from her spot.

"Aidan…" A sorrowful Saji sank to his knees, losing his focus on holding Loki. "No way…"

In that moment, the line that held Loki in place suddenly releases its hold as the God of Mischief blasts Saji away, freeing himself from the Pawn's grasp.

"Ragnarök will begin soon," Loki announced. "Perish in the twilight of the end."

Loki smirks as his body begins to glow with power, the world around him beginning to ripple like the surface of the water. With the greatest obstacle, the nephalem, now dead and the Red Dragon Emperor having fallen to despair because of the loss of his savior, Loki can now commence Ragnarök without delay. Soon, everything will end just as he had desired.

But for Rias, she had enough of speeches. She had enough of gods wanting to bring about Ragnarök. All that came to her mind now was vengeance. She could still feel the cold body of her beloved Aidan in his arms. His blood coated all over his body and hers.

"I will not let you die…" Rias said lowly, her front bangs covering her eyes as she cradles her nephalem. Just then, her Power of Destruction aura envelops her and the Red Soulstone shard in her chest begins to glow. Combining those two powers together gave off an aura of terror, all in the name of vengeance.

Loki took notice of it below him with a remote expression, furrowing his eyebrows

"Evil god, Loki," Rias cursed him out loud as her power violently erupts around her, destroying the surrounding boulders and shattering the ground, all the while cradling her seemingly dead nephalem. "How dare you. My Somnus. Go ahead and bring on your Ragnarok. Even if the world is destroyed… Even if the last drop of my blood vaporizes, I will never forgive you! I will take you down with me!"

Rias' power continues to build as a wave of fury and vengeance courses through her, the land trembling in the wake of her wrath. The soulstone sliver in her chest grows brighter as the shadow of Diablo looms over her.

OP: Metamorphose feat. Ishida Yoko – Over the Testament (Shinmai Maou no Testament BURST OP)

(As the music begins, a flash of white light occurs as the camera moves upwards to depict a mural showing the entire universe like a tree, first starting with the Burning Hells and their masters, the Seven Evils, as they light up in red. Aidan appears first in a blue background with a bare chest before it cuts back to the mural moving upwards to the middle showing Sanctuary/Earth and all the other realms surrounding it, including the Underworld which light up in green. Then Rias appears in a red background, a bit further back than Aidan yet also naked before it reverts back to the upper portion of the mural, showing the High Heavens and their leaders, the Angiris Council, illuminated in a white glow. Akeno is the last show further back than Aidan and Rias, also naked and with a yellow background. The last image shows the entire mural illuminated in its respective colors.)

Over the Testament (The title of the show is revealed as Highschool DxD: The Prime Evil)

sabireta kono sekai ni habikoru (Aidan is standing on top of Tristram Cathedral, looking out to the sunset over the horizon before he turns briefly to his right to face away from the camera)
gizen to jiko gisei sore ga bigaku ka? (Rias is shown in front of the ORC Clubhouse before she turns around fully and then begins to walk forward)
honne o kakushita koduku na PIERO (The camera cuts to Akeno in her miko outfit at her shrine, her eyes closed before she opens them in a serious expression)
kyou mo kimi wa Poker face (Asia is shown in a church praying before she turns around to the light. The next image shows Kiba leaning his back against a wall, head down and eyes closed, with the spirits of his dead comrades surrounding him in comfort)

kamen hazushite saa kocchi ni kite (The Gremory rune is shown before the background turns black. Rias appears amidst the flames of the Burning Hells soon afterwards with the rune still present)
arinomama no kimi shiritaikara (Aidan's left arm, from his Sacred Gear that was holding Silentium, is corrupted as he activates his Balance Breaker, making him scream into the air as the shadow of Diablo appears above and behind him)

kagayaki ni tsutsumare yasashii kaze ga fuku (Rossweisse, fires a powerful blast of lightning from on high at a group of flying Demons. Xenovia was on the ground as she slams Durandal to the ground, creating a massive quake that topples the incoming Demons in front of her)
sonna sekai o misetakute chikai o koeta (Kiba charges across the rooftops with Sword of Betrayer in hand. The camera follows him where he was charging towards the towering Belial, Lord of Lies. He jumps up to dodge a blast from the Demon Lord before spinning in the air and cutting off one of Belial's horns)

arata ni kizamareru kibou e no ayumi o (Koneko is seen next running across the rooftops as the camera follows her, charging at Azmodan, the Lord of Sin. She lands roughly on one roof before jumping upwards, dodging Azmodan's attack before she runs across the Demon's left arm and delivers a swift kick to his head)
tsugi no PEEJI ni kakishirushi (Rias fires a powerful blast from her Power of Destruction, only to be caught in a blast herself by Azmodan, sending her flying away)

ugokidashita jikan wa New age (Rias is caught by Aidan who smiles at her to which she returns. Then the two lean in for a romantic kiss as they are enveloped in a red power, their clothes also dissipating in the process)

(Aidan is shown in his Balance Breaker, Primal Terror Vengeance, starting at the back as the camera steadily turns around to show him until the last shot shows his left demonic eye. Between each frame, quick-time images appear; the first one being Venalana Gremory, Lilith, and the angel Aurelia in her mortal guise but with her back facing the camera, the second Sirzechs and Grayfia, the third being the Student Council led by Sona Sitri, the fourth being Loki and Diodora Astaroth back to back, and finally the last one showing Sinestra as the Angiris Apostle with the Angiris Council members looking over her, including Tyrael as the Archangel of Justice and Malthael as the Archangel of Wisdom)

(The final image shows Aidan looking to his right at Sinestra in the air, ready to take part in the Eternal Conflict)

Rias' power runs wild and out of control. With her beloved nephalem now dead in her arms, all that was left was despair and revenge. She could never bear to live in a world without Aidan, not even with her yet to be born child. Rage and agony overwhelmed her sense of reason. If she was going to die here, she intends for Loki to be destroyed by her own power. Out of pure desperation, she taps into the soulstone sliver's power buried in her heart. The dark mist-like shadow of Diablo rises above her, its red eyes casting a terrible gaze onto her like it was now ready to take control over her.

Loki, from above, watches with great interest as things were now getting more fun. Even though the Red Dragon Emperor, the only one who could wield Mjolnir, still lived, Loki was content enough to leave him be in his own shock and despair of seeing the noble sacrifice by the nephalem.

"What strong and passionate thought," He muttered. "I see. So this is the little sister of the Devil King, Sirzechs."

It didn't matter to him though in the end. Besides, with the nephalem dead, nothing will stand in Loki's way of enacting Ragnarök, the Twilight of the Gods.

"No, Rias…" Akeno begged, watching the uncontrollable magic escape Rias' body as it ravages the landscape. She couldn't get close to her King, not with such gale force winds holding her back.

"Somnus…" Rias whispers as she bows her head looking over Aidan's dead body. "I'm so sorry… I wanted you to..." She closed her eyes briefly before her expression changes to one full of vengeful wrath.

"Rias, there is no point in going down together!" Sona said as she ran forward to try and stop her friend, but the enormous field energy Rias produced, all of it emanating from her anger and sorrow of Aidan's dead body, kept the Sitri heir from approaching her.

Rias stared at the fallen form of Aidan. She was ready to launch everything she was and had at Loki. She was going to kill him if it was the last thing she ever did. In her mind, Loki will not be sealed; he will be destroyed. And he will pay in his own blood.

Her eyes glow red with terror, feeling that dark ringing call of Diablo course within her from the soulstone sliver in her heart. All she had to do was accept that power and she would belong to the darkness.

But then, something falls out of the inside pocket of Aidan's body. A black capsule that fell to the ground before it opened up to reveal its contents. When Rias saw this, she was beyond belief.

A Phenex Tear.

"Odin, you sly bastard," Loki noted. "Sending these young pups with Thor's hammer was a shrewd and albeit risky proposition. Fenrir, I have a new chew toy for you." Loki points towards the hammer left untouched, where Fenrir follows his father's point of the finger. "It's over there."

The Devils and Angel that were holding back Fenrir were soon disposed of as the wolf Jötunn jumps over them and starts to run after Mjolnir.

"He broke loose!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Watch out!" Rossweisse called.

Fenrir gets closer and closer to the hammer, even as he sees the Red Dragon Emperor in front of it, ready to take the hit and hold his ground. Foolish or not, he did not intend for the wolf Jötunn to destroy the hammer and he also wanted to take part in everyone's furious revenge over what it did to Aidan.

"Issei, get out of the way!" Sona called out, fearing her Pawn's life as those fangs were powerful enough to harm a Boosted Gear wielder.

Fenrir closes the gap between them but before he could even get his jaws around Issei, a familiar looking purple magic seal appeared on the ground underneath the wolf's body.

*SHIING… SNAP*

From that magic circle shot out many large, glowing white chains that wrapped around Fenrir's legs, neck, and body, pulling the wolf Jötunn down to the ground before it could chomp down on Issei.

"That sigil!" Loki shouted in shock as he watches Fenrir being subdued, seeing where the chains came from. "What is this?!"

"The magic chains and Gleipnir?!" asked a shocked Rossweisse. "What's going on?"

"I might've had a little something to do with that," A familiar voice spoke up.

Koneko turns around to see, to her shock, that it was Kuroka, sitting on top of a ledge with her unique magic circle standing behind her. Having been healed completely after her fight with Aidan, along with her kimono that was destroyed earlier.

Kuroka was giving of a smile at Koneko, one that could almost be spelled as one of proudness. "Looks like you've accepted your power, Shirone," Kuroka said. "What a relief your ears and tail have finally made an appearance."

"Maybe, but I will never be like you, Onee-sama!" Koneko proclaimed, staring defiantly at her sister.

Kuroka was undeterred as she retains her small smile. "I suppose we'll have to wait and see. We are a violent species and peace isn't a big part of our genetic makeup. You'll see, one day."

A furious Loki soon raises his hands above his head and summons his power for another attack, directing It at Kuroka.

"I can't believe a lowly cat Devil would dare betray me!" He exclaimed as he launches his attack, raining down a barrage of his godly magic onto the cat.

*SHATTER*

But the attack never made it to her. Just meters away from hitting Kuroka, the magic broke apart into thousands of pieces. "What now?!" Loki demanded.

Standing behind Kuroka stood two more people. The first was a bespectacled man a bespectacled young man with blond hair with a strand of hair across his face, who is usually dressed in a business suit. In his right hand, he wielded a sword, which was pointed out to the right as he stretched out his arm. The sword had a grip long enough that appeared as a two-handed sword with a round pommel at the end, a huge cross-like shape guard, and a long blade with a gold-colored edge.

The other was Julian, garbed in a more casual clothing who carried in both of his hands two green tesseract-like cubes. They were actually soul gems, constructed in his design with a little help from a Norse goddess.

"Salutations," The first man introduced himself to everyone below him. "My name is Arthur of the Vali Team, one of the teams under the Khaos Brigade." Arthur then looked up at the God of Mischief. "Lord, Loki, we'll be taking custody of Fenrir from this point forward."

"And why would you do that?" Loki asked, sounding more annoyed that his plans for Ragnarök kept getting interrupted by everyone.

As Kuroka's magic circle lifted off the ground and consumed Fenrir, she shrugs her shoulders with an amused expression. "Apparently Vali has a hard-on for his fangs, since they can devour gods," She said, while also bringing the wolf Jötunn up onto the ledge she, Arthur, and Julian stood on. She then turns over to the latter wielding the tesseract cubes.

"Julian dear, can you get to the corpses of Sköll and Hati before they decompose?" Kuroka asked like a big sister.

"Already on it," Julian said as he uses his magic to locate the corpses of the two pups and bring them to his location. Conjuring up magic seals underneath their dead bodies, they fall through before that same seal appears below Julian's feet, procuring their forms right in front of him.

Afterwards, he uses his magic to hover the two tesseract cubes over the corpses and begin what appeared to be an extraction process as a blue mist covers their bodies before being pulled into the cubes.

Arthur held up his sword, allowing everyone to see it as he spoke in a rather calm and polite manner, much like how a gentleman would.

"The Holy Sword, Caliburn!" He exclaimed before pointing the blade at Loki, the god catching sight of the strongest Holy Sword in existence. "Even a god as powerful as you cannot scratch it."

Loki fumes with anger, realizing what Vali's goal was all along; it was to steal Fenrir. "Tell your master that he will regret this decision."

Standing to her feet, Kuroka pointed at Loki. "Suck it, the only one regretting things here is you." As she said this, Arthur conjures away Caliburn and summons out another one, stabbing it into Fenrir's head. The blade magically begins to glow the moment it touched Fenrir's skull.

"Fare thee well, everyone," Arthur said as he turns around and bows with a smile.

"Not so fast!" Loki demanded as he creates a magic circle in his hands before lifting it upwards into the sky. Soon something comes through the portal and manifests itself as Midgardsomnr. This was not the first clone who was still down, but rather another one and it was much smaller, about 50 to 100 meters in length.

The smaller clone crashes down onto the surface before rising up again, roaring at the ready.

"After them!" Loki commanded his Midgard Serpent as it hastily dashes forward towards the Vali Team. But before it could even get close…

*SLASH*

The Midgardsomnr clone was split upwards clean in half from top to bottom. It all happened so suddenly in an instant that nobody could catch who just destroyed the clone. No one except Arthur and Kuroka, who saw their last member sheathing away his ulfberht sword, his Sacred Gear called Warg Dire Ulfberht.

"Dragon meat, anyone?" asked a sarcastic Julian. He doesn't bother to turn around as the two halves of the Midgardsomnr clone fall to the ground and dissipate into dust.

Everyone except Arthur and Kuroka were stunned to see a member of the Vali Team easily take down that second clone of Midgardsomnr, splitting it easily down the middle. Just then, a giant specter of a dog, about the same size as Fenrir, appeared behind Julian, howling in victory. It looked to be a German Shepard with an obsidian black coat and patches of a bronze color on it.

Nobody knew who this was except for Loki and the rest of the Vali Team.

"The user of Garmr?" asked a stunned Loki. "How?!"

Julian looked back to the God of Mischief as if he had something to say. "Loki, your kid daughter sends her regards."

Once again was Loki stunned, knowing of that name. Hel is the goddess of the dead of the realm of Niflheim, and she is named after the realm of Helheim, the Norse underworld, itself. She was also Loki's eldest daughter born after Fenrir. He grits his teeth upon learning that one of his children had gone behind his back and was aligned with the Vali Team.

"Do you have the souls of the puppies, Julian dear?" asked Kuroka to the mysterious member of the Vali Team.

Julian in turn shows the two tesseract cubes, each containing Sköll and Hati. Though long dead, the souls of the two pups remained intact and were currently sleeping inside their makeshift prisons, at least for the time being.

"Hel is gonna love her new pets," Julian remarked as he, Kuroka, Arthur, and the captured Fenrir vanish away.

Loki fumed greatly. "Damn you White Dragon. You were after Fenrir and his sons in the first place. And Hel? You dare betray your own father!?"

[BOOST]

Turning around, Loki's eyes widened to see what he had feared. Issei Hyodou, the Red Dragon Emperor, held up Mjolnir with his hands. His face was now one filled with righteous vengeance as he glares up at the God of Mischief.

Issei held up Mjolnir with his left hand as he grips it tight. Despite being huge in size, he was able to lift it with ease despite it being a weapon of the gods. With his Boosted Gear, he charges the hammer up with power, giving off a glowing design that expanded the hammer.

"With my power and with this hammer, you're gonna pay, you bastard!" cried the Red Dragon Emperor, intent to give divine retribution to the God of Mischief.

Gritting his teeth in anger, Loki held up his hand and charged up another powerful attack at Issei. However, before he could even start, the Trickster God was blasted by a lightning strike from Akeno that knocked him back. A vengeful Akeno, despairing over the sudden passing of the nephalem she loved, let off bolt after bolt at the god. Koneko, feeling the same sentiment, joins in the attack as she throws two balls of chi at Loki, exploding on impact. Irina strikes with her halo of light as Sona blasts with her water magic. With Loki caught off guard, he was being knocked around like a rag doll.

"Damn you low lives!" Loki cried as he tries to fly away but found both of his arms being held down by the power of the Prison Dragon via two Absorption Lines.

"Not so fast, creep!" Saji yelled with that grin of confidence.

"Release me at once, boy!" Loki yelled, shaking in anger and fear, now knowing that defeat was inevitable with Mjolnir in the hands of the Red Dragon Emperor.

[TRANSFER]

Mjolnir grew several times larger as Issei transfers his awesome power into the hammer. "This is for Aidan, you son of a bitch!" He cried as he swings straight down onto Loki.

"Damn you, Red Dragon! Damn you, Odin!" Loki shouted as the inevitable happened.

*BAM*

As Mjolnir strikes at Loki, a magical seal of lightning and thunder appeared and slowly but surely, the God of Mischief had vanished.

The battle seemed to be over at long last. With Fenrir and his sons taken away, Midgardsomnr down for the count, and Loki sealed away, Ragnarök had been prevented. But not without a great cost.

Only a few minutes had passed since then.

*CRACK*

Suddenly, the seal holding Loki appeared again. And it had a large crack in it. One so large that everyone saw it. It was formed in the middle of the seal before it began spreading outwards. Soon enough, more cracks started to appear alongside the seal.

"What the?" Rossweisse saw.

"The seal is cracked?" asked Sona.

"What? Are you kidding me?!" Saji was wide eyed.

Even Issei, still wielding Mjolnir, was surprised as he gasped. He was fairly certain he landed his mark and used much of his power into the hammer. He poured all his heart and soul just to seal away Loki, all of it in Aidan's name.

*BOOM*

The seal was finally shattered as it explodes into thousands of glass particles glittering in light.

"No way…" Rossweisse despairingly said as she sunk to her knees. "It didn't work?"

"Impossible…" Akeno saw.

"All that work… for nothing?" asked Xenovia.

"Heaven help us…" Irina said.

"What is going on here?" asked Tsubaki.

As the light dies down, everyone looks to see who was floating in the air amongst the thousands of shards.

It was Loki, who had just broken free. And he seemed to be smirking, as if the act he had put on when being struck by Mjolnir was all but a lie, taunting his enemies to thinking they had won.

"How deluded you fools are!" Loki taunted. "Did you really think a replica of a weapon of some god of thunder could have any effect on me? Don't make me laugh!"

"…How?" A shocked Issei asked. "How could it—"

"I told you. The hammer will not work!" A voice soon shouted. Eyes turned to see Aidan, alive and being held up by Rias as she wraps his left arm around her shoulder.

Issei saw him, alive to his big surprise, and recalled his words before he had passed out.

'…do not… use… the hammer. It's… all… a Lie…"

"But why?" asked Issei. "Why won't it work?"

"Because… that is not Loki!" Aidan revealed as he points with his right finger to Loki. "It is all a Lie!"

This caught the attention of all, even Loki who seemed intrigued at such an accusation, keeping up with his arrogant smirk. Even Rias was surprised as she turned her face over to her revived beloved.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Sona. "How can that not be Loki if Mjolnir didn't even seal him?"

"I may have something better to defeat him!" Aidan then reveals a what appeared to be some sort of crystal in his right hand. To him and Rias, it was fashioned from the black capsule using their combined magics to create this crystal. While not exactly an exact replica of the original, it would be enough to entrap someone like the God of Mischief. Temporarily.

"A soulstone?" asked an unimpressed Loki as he saw the crystal in the nephalem's hands. "Do you honestly believe a mere trinket like that can defeat me?"

But Aidan gazes long and hard, his eyes sharply pinned onto Loki. Or so everyone thought that was who he was looking at.

"You'll get a good look when I trap your miserable soul within it, Belial!" cried a vengeful Aidan.

This caught the eyes and ears of everyone as they all looked at Aidan. While they knew of the name Belial as one of the remaining Devil Clans of the 72 Pillars and one of the lowest-ranking, they also knew that by another individual. A demon lord who stands among the Seven Evils.

"What…did you say, Aidan?" asked a stunned Sona.

"Belial, Lord of Lies," Aidan revealed. "One of the four Lesser Evils of the Burning Hells. He was the one that killed the original Loki millennia ago and inhabited his body, sowing chaos and mistrust between the Nine Realms so as to prepare Ragnarök. Or rather a demonic invasion into Midgard by the Burning Hells. Those Demons that he has, the Deceivers… they are nothing more than servants of Belial who obey only him. We have been dealing with a Lord of Hell this entire time!"

A revelation of shock and awe sweeps over the field, making everyone halt their movements. Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped upon the revelation that all this time, they were never fighting Loki. They were fighting one of the Seven Evils in disguise as a god.

"What?" Rossweisse was wide eyed.

"Impossible…" Akeno could not believe it.

"How could we not know…?" Kiba asked.

All were shocked as they looked toward the now exposed form of Loki, who had an expression of amusement as he smirks smugly.

"Clever," Loki commended to Aidan. "But know this, nephalem: Azmodan knows of your Sacred Gear and the power it contains. Even if you defeat me, he will exterminate you and every last one of your misbegotten kind."

Upon saying the last phrase of his line, Loki's voice sounded more demonic.

*FWSHISH*

And in a swirl of green magic and botflies that surround his body, the possessed Loki reveals the terrifying form of Belial himself. To describe his form would be describing deception itself. Along with four horns on his head that were pointed outwards, his face also had three mouths and six eyes. The frontal mouth was covered by some sort of faceplate. With four arms, two of outer arms were spear-like bones while his other two actual hands were spiked gauntlets. He wasn't as big and gargantuan as the other Seven Evils like Diablo or Mephisto but he was taller than the average man. Beneath him a swirling vortex of magic and botflies encompassed him as he levitates. Most of Belial's body was a mix of clothes and demon flesh, evidenced by the fact that he had possessed Loki this entire time.

Rossweisse, of everyone present, was the one most stunned once again. All this time, the Loki she knew was a Demon in disguise. Sure the God of Mischief had been called and labeled as such but never had he really been the real thing. And only in the stories had she been told about the Demons and of their domain, the Burning Hells. She only thought of them as a fairy tale meant to frighten mortals and scare children at night for them to go to sleep. Never did she think though that they truly existed.

Could Odin have known? Could the rest of the Æsir have known? Could the rest of her kin, the Valkyries, also have known? If everyone in Asgard did know, aside from her, why keep the truth hidden from her then? Did they send them on a suicide mission, knowing who it was that they were really facing?

So many questions ran through her. It was if she felt betrayed. And misused.

Belial however was in no mood to answer their many questions of how he had hidden himself from them.

"Here's a small test to keep you all company," Belial exclaimed as he snaps his fingers. Soon, Midgardsomnr rises from the ground, ready to fight again.

Or so everyone thought as the clone of the Midgard Serpent glows a white light before it disperses in a blast of dark demon magic. Then, from Midgardsomnr's body, Belial's favored demons, the Deceivers, appeared like a swarm of snakes quickly advancing throughout the battlefield.

"Demons!" cried Aidan.

As Koneko bears down onto the Deceivers, she realized that they were quick. The slithering serpentine Demons prove illusive. But with her newfound nekomata powers, they also proved no match for her.

She jumps to deliver a kick to the head of one of the Deceivers, jerking it to the side before she grabs the top of its head and spins in a circle.

"NYAAA!"

She then flings it away before firing away her chi power at it, making it explode on impact.

Kiba felt a metal chain with a weighted ball wrap around his ankle, making him pulled to the ground and dragged towards the Deceivers, feeling the hard rocky ground dragging his back. Coming to a stop, he opens his eyes and rolls to a left to dodge one of the Deceiver's spears.

*SLASH*

Then, with a slash of his Sword of Betrayer, Kiba cuts it down and the chains holding his ankle. He stands up to see another Deceiver slither towards him with two large demonic daggers with black handles. Kiba blocks the stabs and easily disarms and cuts it down, only to look up to see another Deceiver get the jump on him with its trident.

*CLANG*

Kiba would have been skewered had it not been for Xenovia who appeared out of nowhere with Durandal in hand. She glared and gritted her teeth while struggling to push back against the trident spear. The Deceiver roars menacingly at her before it was chopped in two by a white halo ring, revealing Irina in the air with her wings.

Rias, Sona, Akeno, Rossweisse, and Tsubaki were picking off their targets one by one against the Serpent Magi, the Demons that were casting magic attacks at the group. With their best fighters handling the Deceivers, all they had to do was get rid of Belial's minions in an effort to get him out onto the battlefield.

*PANG*

"GAH!" Issei was knocked out by his blind spot to his right from a Deceiver who butted him with a trident, knocking the Red Dragon Emperor down.

He was just about to be skewered next by that same Demon when suddenly…

"Issei!" Aidan warps over and blocks the Deceiver's strike with Silentium before cutting it down. He then turns around and brings an arm up for Aidan for him to grab and then pulls him up. "You okay?"

"I'm good!" Issei said as he dusts himself off and looks around to see everyone else fighting. "There's too many of these things, Aidan. I hope you got a plan."

Aidan then spots Belial up in the air, observing events. "We kill Belial, and then we can end this once and for all. But first, I am going to boost you up with power."

Issei, trusting Aidan and glad to have him back, answered, "Okay! Let's do this!"

[BOOST]

Every ten seconds, Diablo calls forth his power to empower Aidan so he could transfer it over to Issei. Though the power was demonic in nature, at this point anything will be useful against someone like Belial. As Aidan builds up his power, he and Issei stand back to back plowing down their foes.

As Issei punches and slices down the Demons with Ascalon attached to his left arm, Aidan uses his Armiger, warping and attacking the Demons head on, cutting them down so fast like they were all butter.

Though they felled easily, they were outnumbered. For what Demons like Deceivers lack in power, they make up for in numbers.

*BASH*

Issei was suddenly bashed in the face by one of the Deceivers in an illusion, sending him rocketing towards the ground and making him crash with an audible thud before he crosses Ascalon with one of the Deceiver's weapons.

*SHIINK*

A phantom sword suddenly cuts the head clean off of the Deceiver. Issei turns to his left to see that Aidan saved him, but not just to help him.

"Issei, get ready!" cried Aidan.

The two Pawns get ready as Issei heads onto the ledge overlooking the battlefield.

"I'm ready! Do it!" Issei cried.

Aidan warps over to the Red Dragon Emperor's location and touches his back with his left hand, the Al'Diabolos Terror Claws meeting the Boosted Gear Scale Mail.

[TRANSER]

Issei feels the power course through him like a raging wildfire. He knew of Aidan to be strong and powerful but not have this much power in him. Perhaps nephalem are indeed stronger than dragons as per the legends say in Devil Mythology, but perhaps to each nephalem his own. He braces himself as the raging wildfire felt like hot metal going through his blood vessels. He could feel it all the way to his fingertips yet felt no pain.

And his will was strong enough to bear the power as Aidan pours in everything he has boosted up to his rival.

Everyone was viewing the bright red lightning glow coming off of Issei and were astonished, seeing the Red Dragon Emperor being given a transfer of power from the Cursed Nephalem.

As soon as the transfer was complete, Issei was encased in a red lightning glow, courtesy of Aidan. It was frighteningly beautiful, showing what the combined powers of a dragon and a nephalem with demonic power can do.

"You ready to teach these bastards a lesson?" asked a confident Issei to his friend.

"Let's do it!" Aidan said as he takes to the air with Issei and prepares his Red Lightning Hose. Issei charges his Dragon Shot in his left arm, preparing to fire.

"Everyone! Get down!" Aidan cried.

All members of both Peerages clear away as the boys align their aim and take their shots.

"HAAAH!" cried the two Pawns as they unleash their combined blast against the remaining Deceivers and Serpent Magi.

With all the Demons caught in the middle of the blast and no where to escape from, they were all completely disintegrated, turning into ashes. The power of Issei's Dragon Shot and Aidan's Red Hose Lightning leaves a massive trench in its wake, filling it with the ashes of all the dead Demons.

"That's the appetizers finished…" Aidan said.

"Now onto the main course!" Issei finishes the phrase.

With the last of the Deceivers and Serpent Magi now dead, all eyes focused onto the Lord of Lies.

"I will not be undone!" Belial cried in frustration. "This world is mine!"

The Lord of Lies decides to take this personally and emerges on the battlefield, ready to take part personally.

The first to charge in was Xenovia with Durandal raised.

"HAAH!" She cries, swinging her sword down at Belial.

*SWIISH BZZZ*

But Belial conjures up a swarm of botflies right at Xenovia, catching her way off-guard as the bugs swarm around her body. And if that was not enough…

*BAM*

With a spiked fist conjured with power, Belial rams Xenovia into the stomach and sends her flying away, forcing Irina to catch her in the air.

Koneko and Kiba move in, with Koneko firing her chi that, when hit on impact and explode, stagger the Lord of Lies. Kiba moves in with his Sword of Betrayer, going for a vertical strike and missing as it hits the ground. He dodges Belial's empowered spike fist before he swings his sword horizontally from right to left, scraping his chest and leaving a bloody scratch.

Kiba then swings his sword and tries to bear down on Belial, only for the Demon Lord to hold him back with his own two hands. Kiba yells as he tries to push forward and cut the Demon. Koneko then ambushes from behind and gets on top of Belial's shoulders, wrapping her legs around his neck and grabbing his horns so that she can twist his head with all her might.

Belial struggles before he throws down Kiba's sword.

*BAM*

And headbutts him hard enough to knock him out.

Belial next conjures his botflies at Koneko on top, distracting the nekomata long enough to release her grip and allow Belial to grab her and punch her with his spiked fists far back.

*ZAP*

Akeno's lightning nearly hits Belial as she, together with Rias, Rossweisse, and Sona fire away at Belial. Outnumbered and overpowered, Belial could only shift and teleport away father away from their position, but also forcing him on the run.

That however may have been a mistake as Issei and Saji come out, along with a recently recovered Aidan. Together, Saji brings out an Absorption Line to hold Belial in place, using the Prison Dragon's flames, and let Aidan and Issei fire their Armiger and Dragon Shot together.

Both attacks hit Belial, one on the head breaking one of his horns and the other on the shoulder.

"GAAH!" Belial screams of being hit.

"We got him!" Issei said.

Despite his power, Belial had enough of nuisances and realized that his attackers just kept on coming. He was never one to fight on the battlefield as stealth and espionage were more of his thing. As the weakest of the Prime Evils, he was outmatched. If this continued further, they would kill him and his plans for Ragnarök will no doubt be ruined.

In a rage, he needed to end this battle once and for all with the one attack that he used before when he was Loki.

Using his botflies, he swarms Saji with them, making him lose focus as the bugs swarm over him and make him lose his grip on the Lord of Lies.

"Enough!" Belial said as he raises his arm up and several magical seals were placed high above the ground, shining down upon everyone on the battlefield.

Aidan, realizing that Belial was about to repeat the same attack he used as Loki who had managed to take out Kiba, Saji, and Xenovia thus using their Phenex Tears, shouts, "Get to cover!"

But it was too late, at least for the ORC.

Caught in Belial's attack, the blast of power rains down in magical beams of lights striking at them all. Not even Aidan was left unscathed as he does his best to shield Rias from the blast, only for him to be struck and flung away, separating him from Rias.

"Somnus!" Rias cried as she reaches out for his hand but was also struck by a beam of light and flung away. "GAAH!"

Kiba was hit badly as was Xenovia who desperately tried to block the attack with Durandal but it proved futile. Irina tries to escort her out, but she too was struck on her back.

Koneko is pushed to the side and hits a rock wall from a nearby beam that landed near her position. Akeno rallies to her and holds her close, trying desperately to protect the Rook from the endless rain of fire.

Sona and her four members manage to get to safety, including Rossweisse. But everyone else was left at the mercy of Belial. The Demon Lord soon ceases his attack, having cleansed the battlefield of his opponents. The dust soon settles to find Rias and her two Knights down on the ground. Akeno was left huddling Koneko was but was left bruised up trying to protect the nekomata.

As Aidan crawls on the ground in an attempt to stand up, he sees the makeshift soulstone he and Rias created and tries to reach for it.

*PZZSH*

Only for it to be blasted and destroyed by Belial as the Lord of Lies approaches the fallen nephalem.

"Miserable wretch!" Belial accused as he approaches Aidan. "If this is the best your kind has to offer, then I must say it's demonstration is lackluster at best. Not even Devils like the Satans could be compared to you in terms of power. So much to unleash and this is all you have to show?"

Aidan however takes notice of something behind the Lord of Lies. Recognizing what it was, he lets out a small smirk as he looks up to Belial in an attempt to taunt him.

"It's not me you need to fight, Belial," Aidan revealed. "But him."

Belial was left confused before he takes notice of a red glow shining behind him from far away. It added a certain ring to it, drawing the Demon's attention away from executing the nephalem.

But as Belial turns around, he saw one of his greater threats. The Red Dragon Emperor, Issei Hyodou, readying a powerful shot as he is engulfed in a red aura combined with a red lightning reminiscent of Aidan's power, most likely from the transfer. Belial knew what he was planning to do though as he notices his power building up in his left hand.

"Red Dragon!" Belial cried as he charges over to the Red Dragon Emperor.

Belial however felt two blue strands of Absorption Line wrapped around his arms, immobilizing him. He turns to see Saji holding him back, with Tsubaki providing aid as she pulls on one of them.

"Not so fast!" Saji cried as he holds his ground to restrain Belial.

To further aid him, Sona summons her Water Serpent to hold Belial in place, the creature wrapping itself around the Demon Lord.

"Now, Issei!" Sona commanded.

The Lord of Lies struggles as he watches Issei build up his power in his left hand. With Mjolnir now rendered useless and filled with a burning desire to avenge Aidan, Issei was going to pour everything he had into this one attack to destroy Belial once and for all. With a transfer of Aidan's nephalem power roaring through him, he combined it with his Dragon power to create an ultimate combination attack.

"I don't know if you heard me the first time, but I will say it again," Issei cried. "This is for Aidan, you son of a bitch!"

And then the Red Dragon Emperor unleashes his full fury at the trapped Belial.

"DRAGON SHOT!" Issei shouts as he lets out an empowered shot of his signature move.

*SHBOOM*

Belial is instantly engulfed by the powerful blast, burning his skin as it is incinerated. He screams in pain before the light finally overcomes the Demon.

"A plague on all your houses," Belial curses as he is engulfed. "A plague on your house, may you suffer greatly before death."

Once the beam dies down the charred corpse of Belial crashes into the ground with a loud thud, making a large trench before stopping. With Belial believed to be dead, everyone inspects to see if the Demon is down for good. If he is, then it will have been another blow to the Burning Hells as the first of the Lesser Evils will have been defeated.

Or so it would seem.

As everyone surrounds and surveys the corpse, with Sona, Tsubaki, Akeno, and Rias flying up top and using their powers to scan the body, a suspicious Kiba kneels to the ground and traces some of the vile Demon's blood on his fingers.

"That was too easy," Kiba remarked.

"Easy? We just took down another Lord of Hell though!" Saji expressed.

"No, Saji, he's right," Sona realized upon turning around after examining the corpse. "Belial isn't here. He suckered us."

"How can you tell?" asked Koneko.

"I can't sense his presence," Aidan explains as he examines his Sacred Gear on his left arm, the pulse no longer indicating the Demon's aura from the corpse. "If his real body were here, it would've disintegrated, leaving his soul present. But this body is a fake, just sitting here like an empty shell of a tortoise."

"Belial must've planted a double just for him to leave the battlefield during the chaos of the attack," Sona deduced. "Either that or we have been fighting a fake clone, with the real Belial hidden from our sight. I can't tell which is worse."

Issei felt defeated as anger grips him in the form of his fists as he bashes his right fist into a rock in frustration. "God dammit! And here I thought I managed to finally kill someone as powerful as him!"

"Don't worry, Issei," Aidan assures the Red Dragon Emperor. "I think from that battle, Belial knows how dangerous you are. If anything you might have scared him; hell, injured him, so you sent him on the run. But we already have a big problem with him now on the loose."

Sona walks over and assures her servant, "He's right, Issei. Even if we didn't technically kill Belial, we've at least managed to drive him off and prevent Ragnarök. That's the more important goal that we have accomplished."

Issei could not really argue with that. While it may not be the total victory everyone was looking for, it would be enough for one day.

"Somnus…" Rias' voice is heard as Aidan turns around to see the redhead swiftly approach and hug him. He hugs back almost immediately, after having caught onto her.

"You okay?" asked Aidan.

"I thought I'd lost you," She answered, burying herself in his chest.

Aidan however looked almost surprised. "You were worried?"

Rias looks up with an almost cute yet pouty expression. "You bet I was. You dying because you saved Issei from Fenrir? Think of my reputation!"

"Yeah, you were worried."

Everyone got a bit of a chuckle as they watch the two lovebirds hugging one another, relieved to still be alive after the fight. That however was short lived as Aidan's next expression after he releases his hug from Rias was one of seriousness. Unbeknownst to everyone, he was furious. And not because Belial got away but rather that someone has been holding information from everyone before the battle.

And he could only guess one person who could.

"Rossweisse…" Aidan calls out, getting the Valkyrie's attention.

"Y-Yes?" She asked in surprise.

Aidan then asked in a cold voice, "Where's Odin?"

By the time everyone had returned back to the Underworld via the same teleportation spell that Ajuka had sent them, they all appeared battered and roughed up. Despite so many dirty marks, everyone had survived the battle and had prevented Ragnarök.

The Four Great Satans, Michael, Azazel, and Odin were there to greet the return of everyone.

"You came back," Sirzechs greeted. "I assume Loki has been defeated?"

But before anybody could answer him, all eyes darted onto Aidan, who was swiftly walking up to Odin. His hands were all fisted up and every step he took was loud and fast.

And then, in that moment…

*PUNCH*

In a totally shocking turn of events that not even Azazel expected, Aidan threw a powerful left hook left into Odin's face, using his Sacred Gear. The Allfather was caught completely off-guard to the point blood immediately sprouts from his mouth, his jaw taking the full measure of the punch.

Everyone was totally shocked and completely jaw dropped, including the Four Great Satans, Michael, and Azazel. Not once in history had Odin, the Allfather and leader of the Aesir in Asgard, had ever been struck by someone. A mortal no less. There was a first time for everything but a mortal striking down a god in anger with just his fist alone was something no one had expected in their lifetime.

As Odin falls to the ground, Aidan huffs and puffs like a raging bull.

"You bastard!" Aidan growled before he grabbed Odin and lifted him up before shoving him to the wall. "You knew!"

"Ho-Ack, Agh, Ghk!" Odin struggles as Aidan's grip was so strong, choking the life out of the poor man.

"Aidan, wait!" Azazel approaches Aidan.

*SHIING*

But an Armiger is conjured by Aidan around Azazel, preventing him from approaching him. Aidan didn't even need to use his arm to hold out the phantom swords as he just used his mind to summon it.

"Don't get in my way, Azazel!" said Aidan. "Not until this bastard pays with his life!"

"Aidan, stop!" Sirzechs demanded. "Release him at once!"

But Aidan would not listen. Everyone else was calling out for Aidan to release his hold on Odin but it wasn't working. Kiba, Saji, and Issei approach Aidan swiftly to try to get him off of Odin.

"Aidan, calm down!" Kiba pleaded as he grabbed Aidan's left arm. "It's not his fault!"

Saji was grabbing Aidan's right arm and also pleaded, "Dude, calm the hell down! If you strike at Odin, you'll only destroy what we have been working hard for!"

As for Issei, he grabbed Aidan's shoulders from behind so as to pry him off of Odin. "Aidan, chill! Don't do this in front of your Peerage! In front of Rias, no less!"

But Aidan, consumed by his own rage, was annoyed by their attempts to stop him.

"Grrr… Get out of my way!" He screamed as he thrashes and headbutts Issei behind him, knocking out his vision briefly, before he kicks him away in the stomach.

For Saji and Kiba, Aidan elbows the two of them and blasts them away with a Red Hose Lightning blast, thrusting them away. After he was set free, Aidan goes back to strangling Odin, the poor god turning purple from the choke. His eyes glowed red with rage as Odin could see the soulstone chunk in his forehead glow, clouding his judgment and enflaming his anger.

"SOMNUS!" cried an upset Rias.

*HYUBON*

A low grade blast from the Power of Destruction was sent by Rias at Aidan, blasting him at his back and making him stumble as he releases his choke hold on Odin. The Allfather collapses to the ground, gasping for air. In the process of being hit by the Power of Destruction, the Armiger that surrounded Azazel dissipated away, breaking him free.

*SHIING*

In that moment, angelic chains appeared around Aidan and pull him back to the ground as they wrap around his arms, legs, and chest. Even as he sat up and tries to lunge back at the injured Allfather, he couldn't move due to the actions of Michael who tightens the chains.

"Restrain him!" Michael said to the three boys who recovered. "I can't hold him for long!"

Kiba, Saji, and Issei hold down Aidan, with the two boys back at the arms and Issei by his feet. Though the nephalem was chained up and restrained, his struggle was making Michael falter a bit as it was taking much of his strength to hold him at bay. Not only that but the dark influence of the Prime Evils in his Sacred Gear were also poisoning him, overshadowing his sense of reason.

"Odin, you son of a bitch!" Aidan cried. "You knew all along! You and everyone else knew and told us nothing, you bastard!"

"Aidan, calm down!" Rias demanded as she approached her servant. "What do you mean by all that? What has you so angry at him for this? Why did you strike him?"

"Because Odin lied to us!" Aidan revealed as he keeps his gaze on the Allfather recovering. "He knew we were not fighting Loki, but Belial! He deceived us and sent us on a suicide mission!"

"He what?" asked a stunned Saji.

Everyone looks upon Odin being attended and held up by Rossweisse. But even she bore the look of surprise for her boss, even as she helped bridge his nose to stop the rush of blood.

Azazel soon stepped forward in front of Odin.

"The deception was necessary," Azazel said in Odin's defense. "If we told you, Belial would have escaped from us."

Sona looks to Azazel and asks, "What do you mean?"

"Around the time Loki emerged and declared his allegiance to Belial, along with sending forth the Deceivers, we all had a small suspicion that we were dealing with one of the Lesser Evils in disguise as the God of Mischief. However, we couldn't find any proof that it was really him, and if the leaders confronted Belial, we would have played right into his hands of causing an all-out war between our factions."

"We would have given Belial exactly what he wanted if we went in your stead," Sirzechs interjected. "And we needed to be sure that if this really was Belial, then he had to be dealt with swiftly. Sending you foiled that plan, or at least delayed it and bought us some time to at least worm out whatever corruption he left in his path."

"That still doesn't explain why you didn't tell us impersonating as Loki," Sona said.

"Belial is not called a master of deception for nothing," Sirzechs explained. "Plus we were not too sure if it really was him acting as Loki. Even if we told you who you may be dealing with, Belial could have easily known and escape from us without being compromised of his identity. He had to be cornered and dealt with before he brings more mistrust to the realms."

It was a tough pill to swallow and a lot of information to take in. But in short, the leaders were afraid of Belial escaping their grasp. They needed Loki cornered and exposed of his real identity in the event that if this was Belial, he would not be sealed but destroyed by their hand.

"But that doesn't explain how Belial infiltrated into Asgard in the first place," Rias spoke up. "How could nobody know?"

"Because I recently found out that the real Loki had been dead for eons," Odin said as he was hoisted up.

A shock of revelation poured out onto everyone. Even Rossweisse herself was surprised, for her eyes widened and her jaw left ajar. She had known Loki to be a spoiled brat of Asgard but never did she even think that the god she had been confronting was a fake and that the real one was dead long ago.

"What?" asked the stunned Valkyrie. "You are certain of this, Lord Odin?"

Odin's bloody face bore the serious expression of confirmation. "From what I had gathered, Loki, in his desperation for Ragnarök to happen, met with and made a bargain with Belial. In exchange for Loki's service and loyalty, Belial would grant him the means to trigger Ragnarök."

Now everyone knew how Loki came to have Demons in his service. In reality, the Deceivers simply followed Belial and disguised themselves as mere ordinary people but who obeyed the Lord of Lies in disguise as the God of Mischief. Fenrir and his sons could not have known either for they were bound to Loki, regardless if he was alive or dead. Or they could have been brainwashed into Belial's service.

"But along the way, Belial betrayed Loki and killed him, catching him off-guard in the moment of the fool's arrogance. He then inhabited his body, subtly hiding away and using his powers he had effectively stolen for use."

"Why?" asked Sona. "Why betray him if Ragnarök was what they both wanted?"

"If there are one kind of person that tricksters do not trust, it is other tricksters," Odin explained. "I suspect Belial knew or feared Loki would eventually turn on him, perhaps usurp and steal his power, so he stayed three steps ahead of him. Once he killed and possessed Loki's body, Belial remained hidden from our sight, continuing to use his host as he saw fit to further his plans. Ragnarök, thanks to Belial's machinations, was really a Demon invasion into Midgard. Nobody will be prepared for it because an invasion from the Burning Hells had not been seen for many millennia. We will be overwhelmed just by the sheer endless numbers they have."

Now everything made sense. Once again, the Burning Hells had nearly played everyone for fools, just like it had with Diablo and Mephisto. Had Belial been discovered before the battle, it would have played right into his hands and he could enact a war with the Underworld without having to confront the leaders directly. He could have them and Asgard be distracted by their conflict while he gives the green light for the Demons to invade Sanctuary.

So in short, they avoided Ragnarök, a Demon invasion into Midgard, right in the nick of time. Everyone came to an understanding of it by now.

All except one person.

Having understood everything by now yet still enraged over the deception, Aidan uses his Armiger to break free from the chains that bind him, shattering them before he gets up. Everyone looks to see the still angered nephalem hold out his right hand to an open field.

*SHIING*

A blue Town Portal opens up by a visibly angered Aidan as he glares over at Azazel.

"Next time you have a problem with the Burning Hells, tell me everything beforehand," Aidan coldly said as he walks through the portal. "And I mean, everything!"

"Aidan, wait!" Issei calls out.

But the portal closes before the Red Dragon Emperor could even pursue him.

HOURS LATER…

Back at the Gremory Estate, in an open area of the living room, the ORC plus Rossweisse were waiting for Sirzechs and Azazel. A few hours after everyone returned and after Aidan departed angrily, everyone decides to remain at the Gremory Estate for the time being, now with their wounds licked. By the advice of Sirzechs, they were told to remain until they can look for any clues as to Belial's whereabouts and wait for Aidan to come back after he lets loose some steam. Their victory felt hollow, even with the Demons driven back for now. Sona and her members departed early, having some business with Serafall to discuss about Loki and what happened. As for Irina, she went to speak to Tyrael to give her report about the battle as the former Archangel of Justice needed to hear this.

Rossweisse acted as Odin's representative, with the Allfather being taken care of after being assaulted by the nephalem. And it will take a while for the Allfather to recover considering his elderly age and how brutal his injuries from Aidan were.

The doors open to reveal Sirzechs and Azazel as they enter in the room. Everyone stood up to turn to them, eager to hear what they have uncovered. Unfortunately, the news to begin with wasn't so good.

"No sign of Belial," Azazel said.

"We can't trace his presence either," Sirzechs said. "But the good news is that the Belial you fought was no clone. It was the real him."

This was hopeless. If not even they could trace where Belial ran, then they can at least deduce their current situation.

"Okay, so Belial is weakened and exposed," Akeno said. "He will need to heal himself."

"He may just go back to the Burning Hells to recuperate now that he's been compromised," Kiba thought out loud.

But Azazel denies this with arms crossed over his chest. "No. He'll stay on Earth. With Azmodan in charge of Hell now, Belial won't take the chance to go back nor will he stay here in the Underworld. He'll lurk in shadowy places where we can't find him."

"If that's true, then he'll go to Lut Gholein," Sirzechs predicted.

"He'll go to Caldeum," Rossweisse said otherwise, making everyone turn to her as she sat on the sofa in contemplation.

This surprises everyone. Caldeum was the capital of the desert region of Kehjistan. The Jewel of the East, they called it. What many people did not know was that being a hidden city in the Middle East, Caldeum was the trading center that connected to various parts of the world, including North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

"Why go there?" asked Xenovia. "What could be so important in Caldeum for Belial?"

"The emperor, Hakan II," Sirzechs revealed. "After his father died, the boy became emperor at a young age of 10. But that's when the city fell into decline."

"How so?"

"Poverty worsened, tensions between the Zakarum, Mage Clans, and the Trade Consortium Council rose. And there is nothing the boy emperor can do to stop it."

"Belial would take advantage of that then," Kiba predicted. "And to keep such tensions high—"

"He has to possess the emperor," Rossweisse concluded. "The boy's body will be easy for him to inhabit and hide."

This bode ill news to all. If Belial was heading into the hidden city of Caldeum which was located somewhere unseen in Saudia Arabia, then the entire Middle East could be subjugated under his elusive control. While the boy emperor Hakan II may have little power, that power could build up with powerful connections to other leaders and Belial can worm his dark influence into them to wage war.

And already was time running out for everyone. Now the hunt for Belial was on before Sanctuary suffers yet another demonic invasion not seen in eons.

"One thing I am not clear on," Akeno said. "The Belial Clan are one of the 72 Pillars and one of the lowest-ranking nobles among the aristocracy. So how can a family of Devils be named after the Lord of Lies himself?"

Azazel could answer that. "That's a secret only the family in question knows of, as part of their personal history not to reveal to the other Devil families. As you all know, like all other Devils, they were enslaved long ago to the Seven Evils, Belial included."

"Meaning?" asked Kiba.

"Belial named his particular slaves after himself, like the fool he is. He even bestowed on them a small echo of his powers, hence the Worthless power that the family possesses. An oversight though as it was used against him during Lucifer's Revolution. After the rebellion, the family holding the name Belial were stuck with it, so they were forced to adopt the name while keeping a straight face."

Everyone took time to absorb that kind of knowledge, gathering their own thoughts about it.

"Somehow, I am not surprised at that," Xenovia remarked.

While everyone was in deep talks regarding Belial, Sirzechs noticed that only one person was not in on the conversation. He spots Rias looking out the window, staring out to the horizon. Worried for her yet knowing what was on her mind, he approaches his little sister's side and shares in her view. Even without looking at her face from the side, he can tell the expression she was having.

"Concerned for him?" Sirzechs asks his little sister. Rias doesn't respond except with a nod. But this makes Sirzechs smile in relaxation. "Not to worry. He's at Entsteig, letting off some steam. He just needs a bit of time."

But Rias was not entirely convinced. "Every minute I'm so far from him, Onii-sama, is like a minute of agony. I didn't think he'd just abruptly leave after assaulting Odin."

"Yes," Sirzechs nods in agreement. "Striking at Odin might have been too far, but I can at least understand his anger. I don't think this will be enough for him to be away from you like last time. Still, I sent a couple people to Entsteig to talk to him."

"You wouldn't go?" asked Rias as she turned her head to him.

"Not with the revelation of Belial on the loose," Sirzechs said. "The other leaders and I are going to investigate Caldeum with Tyrael and his Horadrim and look for him there. And perhaps fix the city from its impoverished decline. In the meantime, I'd suggest you wait for Somnus to come back. I doubt he'll stay away for long."

Rias silently acknowledges her brother's plan. As much as it pained her, there wasn't anything she can do for Aidan. He needed to vent his anger out privately and get some things out of his system. All she can do is wait. But her feeling of concern was replaced with hope. She knew Aidan inside and out, so she knows he will come back. She'll trust her brother's judgment and carry on.

Let's just hope Aidan does not take too long.

MEANWHILE…

In Entsteig, Aidan was busy chopping up some wood with an axe. Back on the old farm home of Uncle Deckard's had given Aidan a peace of mind. It allowed him to get away from the noise and troubles of society and just simply enjoy the peaceful view of the farm, mother nature surrounding him without any sign of other people.

After chopping up a fair amount of wood as a way to relieve of stress, Aidan stops to catch his breath. But today's events have still left him visibly disappointed and angered with those he trusted in. It was all directed to Odin and Azazel for hiding such valuable information from everyone regarding Loki. Had they been told; it would have made their job much easier.

The thought of being kept in the dark about it really irritated him so much that he soon spots a Romanian steel metal helmet on the ground by his feetk.

*PANG*

And he kicks a helmet in the process, sending it flying and breaking two of his toes.

"DEEEEEAAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!" Aidan's fury was heard as he screams and falls to his knees. But it was not because he had just broken two toes from that kick. Rather it was because of Odin, Azazel, and their deception on everyone.

The realization that Loki was Belial, the Lord of Lies, still rang heavily in his mind. His emotions clouded him to the point where, after connecting all the dots, they all pointed back to Odin. The Allfather had intentionally lied to everyone regarding Loki's real identity. And Aidan certainly did not like being lied to, nor being kept in the dark of such vital information even when it was necessary.

If he was told in secret and asked to withhold it until the time was right, then maybe that would have been okay. But being lied like that was not acceptable in his book.

Two pairs of footsteps were soon heard by Aidan as he gazes his eyes over to his left.

"Ahh. There you are," Tyrael said. "I was wondering where you disappeared to."

Aidan did not bother to look back nor greet the mortal Elder Angel. "Let me guess: Sirzechs told you where I was?"

"I did, Aidan," Another voice spoke to reveal Deckard Kain, much to Aidan's surprise as he turned to him.

His eyes widened to see someone he had not seen for a long time. Not since he was placed under the Gremory Family's protection. "Uncle?"

Deckard merely smiled at his adoptive nephew. "Hello, Aidan."

LATER…

Some time later, the three were inside the house as Aidan prepares some tea.

"I had heard about what you did to Odin," Tyrael said, getting straight to the point. "I do not blame your anger for that, but it was uncalled for you to strangle him."

Aidan, knowing why the two came, did not want to get into an argument with them but he nonetheless replied, "He lied to us, Tyrael. He knew we were not facing a god but a Lesser Evil. He practically sent us to die. All of his kind are the same: manipulative and untrustworthy since they do not care for other lives except their own. "

"That was not his intention nor the intention of the other leaders," Tyrael replied back. "But they needed to be sure that if this really was Belial, then he needed to be dealt with swiftly."

"And not all of the Aesir gods are like that, Aidan," Deckard reassured calmly. "If they were, they would already be an enemy to us all. I know this has already made you mistrust them, but if you do not trust them, then trust in your friends who know what they are doing in regards to them. Or are you so consumed by your anger that your sudden departure has left them feeling lonely without you?"

Aidan did not want to admit it, but his Uncle was right. His mind turned over to his friends whom he had abruptly left. He had made a promise to Asia and Gasper that he would come back, and he had broken it. He had just forged a powerful bond with Koneko after helping her against her sister. He and Kiba were honored brothers, sword to look after one another man to man.

His next image turned to Rias. Soon afterwards, the feeling of regret swelled within him. In assaulting Odin, he also dishonored Rias' reputation again and perhaps sundered the one alliance meant for Asgard and the Underworld. As her servant and boyfriend, he felt great shame. He look at his left fist as he could remember the punch he delivered onto Odin. And he could remember how Rias blasted him just so that he could be pulled back and restrained from further harming the Allfather.

"What do you want me to do, Uncle?" asked Aidan. "What would you do if someone deceived you?"

"I do not know," Deckard answered honestly. "It depends on the situation, of which I believe that what Odin did was the correct one."

"Even though I would not have done it myself, this was still the right strategy," Tyrael concurred. "Against someone like Belial, we had to turn his own power against him. Belial advocates the notion that perception is reality, and it is his sole purpose to dominate reality. All of his schemes lead to this, and so to defeat him, we had to devise a plan that would entrap him within the intricate webs of his own machinations. You may not have liked it, Aidan, but it was the right call."

"You will need to apologize to your friends about your outburst, Aidan, before we lose this chance to make a permanent alliance with Asgard," Deckard said. "Otherwise, we will be doing what Belial wants: create schisms so as to divide us further."

Logically, Tyrael's explanation was sound. But logic is often cold and hurting despite being right. And his uncle was right as well once again. The purpose of the Underworld and Asgard forming an alliance is to counter the growing threat of the Burning Hells and promote peace throughout all the realms for the betterment of all. Aidan's outburst may have cracked the bridge enough for it to be ready to fall, so he must fix it quickly before all is lost.

Then there was one burning question that Aidan had to ask Tyrael.

"Have you ever fought Belial before, Tyrael?" asked Aidan.

Tyrael shook his head. "Not openly. He was never one to lead an army. Always in the shadows, much like his mentor Mephisto. He wields intrigue and artifice as proficiently as you wield your weapons."

Well that explains much. If Belial was not one to fight on the front lines, then it could explain how he was subtle that not even the Aesir or Vanir gods could detect him inside Loki's body.

"Aidan, if I may, how did you know Loki was Belial?" Uncle Deckard asked.

"A fair question," Tyrael concurred.

Aidan takes a moment to gather his thoughts, putting the pieces of events in the correct order before he has them all aligned up.

"The Deceivers…" Aidan said. "They were the key. They were the only Demons that could answer to Belial and no one else. Not even a god like Loki could command such creatures to his biding even if he was aligned with Hell. Not only that but Loki breaking out of Mjolnir's seal added to the fact that who we were fighting was someone else. Loki, or any other Aesir god, would normally be sealed away, but with him dead, the replica hammer became useless."

"Then it is just as I had feared," Tyrael said. "What I had long feared."

This brought Aidan's attention over to the mortal Elder Angel. "What do you mean? Do you know something I do not?"

"After much investigating with the Horadrim, my suspicions have now been confirmed, as have your Uncle's predictions. Belial had been exiled to Hell and now Azmodan reigns over it."

A heavy weight now weighed down on the atmosphere of the room. Azmodan was the Lord of Sin and one of the four Lesser Evils. He is regarded as the best battlefield commander of the Demons, having won many battles against the Elder Angels in the Eternal Conflict and against the Prime Evils during the demon civil war before the first Dark Exile. If the Lord of Sin ever assault Sanctuary, then mankind ill have much to fear.

Azmodan is a clever manipulator who traded in vice and corruption. Passionate and plotting, he is by far the most charismatic and seductive of the Great Evils. He loves vice in all its forms, but the truest gratification he derives is that from the failure of others. He is a master of temptation, of causing those who held steadfastly to principles and beliefs to ultimately betray them. He exists only to shred morality, and to bring all within his sphere of pleasure to the point of breaking, believing that all beings find their truest identity by embracing the far limits of perversion and depravity. No stranger to opulence or grandeur, greed and pride were among Azmodan's favorite sins. And mankind is full on both of them.

"But what about Duriel and Andariel?" asked Aidan regarding the other two Lesser Evils. "Surely even they will not bow so easily to someone like Azmodan if he reigns over them."

"Normally, yes, but Azmodan conquered their realms easily and brought them into his service," Deckard reveals. "I suspect that they follow him simply based on the assumption that they follow his lead, not out of servitude."

"But why would Belial be exiled?" asked Aidan. "It doesn't make sense unless…"

"Unless Belial lost in the civil war and was forced into exile," Tyrael speculates.

This made Aidan groan in confirmation of his thoughts. With Belial exiled and Azmodan in charge of Hell, it eliminated one possibility that Belial will not go back there. If anything, Azmodan may have block all paths back to Hell for Belial to take.

"Uncle, you believe all of this?" asked Aidan to Uncle Deckard.

"Without a doubt," The Last Horadrim stroke his beard. "The Prime Evils may be banished, with two of them sealed and the other one still missing. But the four Lesser Evils are still to be wary of. If they ever united, then they could launch an invasion we are not prepared for."

This bode ill news. Dealing with the Prime Evils in the Second Dark Exile was tough enough for the Three Factions. However, they now must contend to the Lesser Evils. And the trouble is that no one knew just how capable nor cunning they were. Though vastly and significantly less powerful than their Prime Evil counterparts, they were not to be underestimated. For many times have they brought victory over the Elder Angels in the Eternal Conflict and even amongst each other during their many civil wars. Unfortunately, the only memories of Devils encountering them was during their slavery and during Lucifer's Revolution. Since then, unlike the Prime Evils, they have remained quiet.

Speaking of the Prime Evils, there was still the fact that only one Prime Evil remained. Ever since killing Kokabiel and destroying Cocytus, Baal, the Lord of Destruction, has been missing for quite some time. Nobody knows where he is as all of his tracks have been covered. Last time he was even mentioned was when he sent Katarea Leviathan to attempt to disrupt the peace summit in Kuoh. Whether he was aware the mission failed or not and Katarea killed is unknown.

"So what do we do now?" asked Aidan.

"I will continue to track down Belial with the Horadrim," said Tyrael. "From what Odin's Valkyrie servant Lady Rossweisse told me, Belial was headed to Caldeum. So we will start there."

"I will provide what information I know of the Lesser Evils to the other leaders," Deckard Kain said. "They do not know much about them and with Belial being the start, I fear the others will follow right behind him. In the meantime, Aidan, I'd suggest you return to the others as soon as possible and offer your apology to Odin."

"We cannot allow an established alliance between the Underworld and Asgard to suddenly fracture because of a misunderstanding," Tyrael furthered the point. "It's best you make up to them quickly before word reaches out to the nobles and Rias Gremory's reputation gets hit hard."

Aidan then knew what he had to do. Tyrael was right. If Aidan was going to have any chance of salvaging this mess, he needed to do it quickly. While time was not necessarily of the essence, he will need to apologize to Asgard for assaulting the Allfather.

He just hopes the Aesir are not prideful enough to not accept his apology.

Back at the Gremory Estate, everyone including Rossweisse was in the living room, including Gasper and Asia. The two had been informed of the events of the battle, including its aftermath of Aidan striking at Odin and of him leaving abruptly afterwards. The two felt deflated, like the whole fight ended in a hollow victory. And they were also sad. Of the fact that Aidan had broken his promise to come back.

It had already been a few hours since Aidan abruptly left. Everyone a little on edge, for it felt like the room they were in was missing someone. The waiting game was just killing everyone, especially Rias. She was on the sofa drinking tea with Akeno. Xenovia and Asia were discussing their summer homework, Aidan stood by the window looking out for any sign of movement, and Koneko merely sat on the floor reading a book.

Sona and her Peerage were at the Sitri Estate resting and training. Having learned from her sister of where Aidan disappeared to and how Sirzechs was handling the situation by sending Deckard Kain and Tyrael, she could only send her sympathies over to Rias and assure her that Aidan just needs time to vent. Waiting was about the only thing everyone could do at this moment.

Luckily, they did not have to wait for too long.

*SHOOM*

A blue Town Portal suddenly appears in the clubroom, which could only mean one thing as everyone looks to see Aidan soon step out. The portal immediately closes afterwards.

"Aidan…" Kiba saw. "Welcome back."

But Aidan did not greet back, and the answer was clear as to why. His face showed guilt and regret as he kept his head low while approaching Rias. Though the redhead was relieved to have her beloved back, she needed to show her authoritative role for her Peerage. That didn't mean she had to close her heart and be cold, but she needed to be sure her servants, even her boyfriend, can learn the feeling of regret. She had her arms crossed and kept a remote expression as she looks at Aidan who approached her.

Aidan did not need to stay still and look at her for he already knew what to do next. In an instant, he slumps to the ground on his knees and prostrates before her, surprising everyone in the room except Rias who maintained her remote look.

"I'm so sorry, Rias…" Aidan said to Rias. "My actions today were…immature. And in assaulting Odin due to my uncontrollable anger, I put a bad strain on your status and made everyone worry when I suddenly left again. I won't ask for your forgiveness but-"

But Aidan's head was grasped by Rias' gentle hands, surprising him as he looked up. What he found further shocked him as Rias didn't hold any contempt for him. Rather, she was smiling. It was almost like she had forgotten about his rash act altogether.

"That doesn't matter, Aidan," Rias said comfortably. "I'm just glad to have you back. And besides, I've already forgiven you. Your actions may have been uncalled for, but your anger was justified, so I understand."

"You do?" asked a surprised Aidan.

That surprised look however made Rias chuckle a bit. "There you go again with that speechless look. Of course I do. I am not one to dwell so much on the past anymore. And neither is everyone else here, who have dearly missed you."

Aidan then turns to see everyone else with the same expression as Rias: relief that Aidan had returned home and accepting of his apology for the actions he committed. Asia was the first to speak up and run to him.

"Aidan…" Asia hugs him. "I'm so glad you're back."

"M-Me too…" Gasper said as he pokes his head out of his box.

"Good to see you again, Aidan," Xenovia said behind the former nun.

"Ara ara," Akeno smiles with her eyes closed. "If Rias forgives you, then I might as well. Although I did want to try inflicting punishment on you for leaving like that. Ufufufu~"

Aidan for some reason got a chill down his spine of hearing that, his expression one of pure comical worry.

"I should punch you for leaving again," Koneko said. "But I'll let this one slide… because you weren't gone for long."

Everyone seems to be in good spirits. Aidan was relieved that all was forgiven. Though a part of him cannot forgive himself for leaving them all again, a small part of him also held no regret of striking at Odin. Either way though, he has to find some way to apologize to the Allfather and Odin vice versa if relations between Asgard and the Underworld were to improve.

"Well, looks like the gang is back together," Azazel suddenly appears in the room, unannounced. Everyone got surprised to see him by the door, leaning onto the side.

While Aidan wanted to deploy his Armiger again at Azazel like he usually does, now probably wasn't the time given of the happy reunion and how everyone was now in a good mood.

"Azazel," Aidan greets cordially. "Figures you'd come after learning I am back."

"A couple other people wanted to see you actually," Azazel said. "So I told them you were here."

From behind Azazel, Sona and Issei showed up.

"Sona?" asked a surprised Aidan. "You're here?"

"I was about to come greet you myself on behalf of everyone else who missed you but Issei here insisted to come along," Sona said. "He says he has something to say to you."

This was curious for Aidan. And yet he could not help but have a small gut wrenching feeling of what to expect. Looking at Sona, she had her normal look on, unaware of this bad feeling Aidan was having. Her Pawn would normally be ecstatic and thankful that Aidan came back after just up and leaving like that in front of everyone after punching Odin. Despite their differences and rivalry, they were still good friends and acquaintances.

Issei however had his intense gaze fixed upon Aidan. Everyone, even Sona, watch as he approaches Aidan alone, his expression hidden by the frontal bangs of his hair.

"Issei…" Aidan greeted as he approaches him. But then out of nowhere…

*BAM*

A wild right punch was delivered to Aidan by the Red Dragon Emperor himself. Aidan's face immediately turns to the right, blood immediately showing from his left nostril. Everyone was so shocked to see Issei deliver an unexpected right hook towards the nephalem, even Rias was left speechless of seeing her nephalem struck out of nowhere by her childhood friend's Pawn.

"Oof! Dragons…" Azazel winced before he mumbled about Issei's action.

"Issei!" A shocked Sona cried out as she approached her Pawn. "What are you doing?"

"Sona, wait!" Aidan held out a hand to cease her advance as he adjusts his vision and his bleeding nostril. "It's alright… I think I can guess the reason why I deserved that."

"Oh you deserve a lot more than that, you asshole!" Issei angrily said as he came up close and personal to the nephalem. "What the hell were you thinking, pushing me away and getting killed like that?!"

"And have you be the one killed instead?" Aidan retorted back. "Without you to hold the hammer, Loki…Belial would've triggered Ragnarök! Or rather a demonic invasion into Earth and we will be completely caught off-guard and unprepared!"

Issei wanted to say more, but he was smarter than he looked. He knew that Aidan was right in that had the nephalem not protected him from Fenrir, the Red Dragon Emperor would not be able to wield Mjolnir to imprison Loki. If he were taken out of commission, it would have been a crippling blow to everyone, and Loki would have triggered Ragnarök. As suggested by Odin, only the Red Dragon Emperor could have wielded the hammer to seal Loki away, no matter the sacrifice or the lives lost.

But such sacrifice, no matter the cost, was unacceptable to Issei. He was never one to use the lives of others to achieve goals, no matter how noble they are. That was not the kind of man he was. He didn't have the burdens of responsibility like Aidan, who was a nephalem whose duty was to Sanctuary itself. Issei was to live a normal life as a human, and continue that normal life as a Devil, as the new incarnation of the Red Dragon Emperor. He'll admit that he wished he were stronger or just as strong as Aidan in both power and will.

As it is, his stubborn nature always held the better of Issei as he kept his glare on his rival Pawn and friend. Things were getting a bit tense between the two as Dragon and nephalem stare down at one another.

"If the Red Dragon Emperor were to fall to someone like Fenrir, then Loki would have won," Aidan justified. "You may not be as powerful as me, Issei, but you are the most powerful among Sona's Peerage. Without you in that battle, we would have never defeated Loki nor expose his real identity as Belial."

"But we didn't defeat him, on both accounts!" Issei said angrily. "As you said, the hammer would not work. And Belial got away before I could kill him!"

Aidan takes a brief sigh to calm himself. "At the time, we didn't know we were facing Belial until I realized it," Aidan replied coolly. "Even then, that hammer that was given to us was just a replica of the original. If Thor came in with the real hammer, then even a demon lord like Belial would not survive such a blow."

But Issei was still not convinced. He didn't like to see other people die, even those who put themselves in harm's way just to protect him. It just didn't sit right with him. Of course, for someone like him who has yet to understand the real meaning of sacrifice and of being a hero, he has yet to experience just what it means to fight to protect the ones he cares for and how deep those wounds can be when they are cut into him. Wounds that Aidan himself has experienced firsthand before.

Aidan, perhaps feeling sympathy, places a right hand on Issei's left shoulder.

"It was my choice to put myself between you and Fenrir, my friend," Aidan gives comfort. "My uncle always said that to be Horadrim means putting the lives of others before your own. So don't blame others for actions you could not control. I made that decision at that moment, Issei. The responsibility for it is mine and I will gladly bear all of it, no matter what others may think."

"How do you live with that though?" Issei asked. "How can you live with the simple fact that the next battle could be your last? Haven't you ever thought of the people whom you'd leave behind if you just died?"

An easy question for Aidan to answer. If it were any other, they would have given themselves a brief moment to think.

"Plenty of times, Issei. I did that before, after I ruined Riser Phenex's engagement party. And I see that now as a mistake." Aidan looks briefly behind at Rias to see her reflecting, in that moment, one of her most awful days. The days when she suffered nightmares from Aidan's possession for two weeks despite being saved from Riser's engagement. It was a feeling she never wanted to experience ever again, as she has stated before.

Aidan turns his gaze back onto Issei. "In forgoing myself to save Rias from something she did not want in her life, I gave her what she desired most. But in the process, I also gave her the cost of it which backfired on me, as I had made her cry. And I do not intend to make that mistake ever again."

Nobody in the room, except for Xenovia, Azazel, and Rossweisse, could ever forget how horrible the Terror Unleashed event was. It was deemed as one of the most horrible incidents in the Underworld itself. Officially, it was said to the public that a Demon was summoned and severely harmed the Gremory and Phenex Families and that the nephalem Aidan saved the day, thus the Phenex Family called off the engagement, but the nobles know the much bigger truth, having been told. Yet the one thing in common to all is the knowledge of the Burning Hells' existence and how it is very much real.

Sighing in understanding defeat, Issei relents. "Alright. I understand."

Aidan smiles in relief. "Thank you, Issei."

"However, in exchange for that, you need to help me with something," Issei then said after gaining back his original upbeat personality.

"What's that?" asked a curious Aidan.

Issei then asked in a somewhat passionate voice. "How do you get girls like them into your harem?" He was pointing over at Rias and Akeno, whom the latter felt amused as she smiles with her eyes closed giggling, but the former was shocked at such a direct question asked.

Everyone in the room was either shocked, blushing hard, or just sighing and groaning. Sona was perhaps the one most prevalent, clearly having been at the forefront of Issei's perverted nature as she sighs and facepalms herself. She is fully aware of how much he likes breasts and has clearly stated his desire to touch Rias', something which Sona would never ever allow lest her Pawn incur Rias' Pawn's wrath.

Aidan, following Sona's reaction, also sighs and facepalms. He should have expected this from the Red Dragon Emperor. And with a good friend asking him such a question, Aidan had to admit it is a pretty good question.

To him, the only way he had obtained it was just dumb luck.

Meanwhile, lurking within some sort of shadowy realm of unknown origins, Belial emerges from the dark. Wounded and angered as he grips his side, the Demon grits his teeth.

"Damn the nephalem!" Belial retorted. "Damn those slaves! I could've executed my plan had they not intervene! So many years impersonating as some false god, only for it to fall! When I find the nephalem, I will make him suffer!"

Belial's blood oozes as he lurks forward. But the Lord of Lies soon smirks. His plans may be exposed, and he may be compromised, but he is a master of deception. The Realm of Lies was his domain where he advocated the notion that perception is reality, and it was his sole purpose to dominate reality. He did not lie simply for the sake of lying, but rather to deceive with the intent of controlling others' perception of what is real. He relished the moment his victim realized they'd been deceived, that moment of nakedness and betrayal. Belial as desiring power above all other things and that his thousand schemes are designed toward his ends.

If Belial had a weakness however, it was that he was often trapped within the intricate webs of his own machinations.

"Fools…" Belial chuckles in light of his failed plans. "Azmodan will be their doom… Huh?!"

*FWOOM*

Suddenly, Belial found himself in the dark. Yet he saw that he was not alone as he saw two glowing eyes before him. One was grey and the other was blue. Both of them glared at the Lord of Lies yet the face of the one who bore them was unseen, covered from the background of darkness.

"Belial, you stupid beast…" The female voice said, her heterochromia eyes glowing in the dark with a mist emanating off of them, glaring at the Lord of Lies whose expression looked like she was disappointed in him. Her voice was almost smooth like a calm river yet very sharp than the sharpest of blades. "Your incredible failure may yet serve me, but… it must be punished all the same. Endlessly."

The female voice begins to cackle and laugh, as Belial realizes who it was he was speaking to. Her presence and aura was similar to that of his rival and elderly demon lord, Mephisto.

"C-Curse you…deceiver!" Belial angrily wailed before he was swallowed by the darkness.

What fate awaited now that the Lord of Lies was in the Daughter of Hatred's hands is unknown.

So, I got to wonder, for those who know of the Diablo universe, if they knew that Loki was in fact Belial, the Lord of Lies and one of the four Lesser Evils. I also wanted this to be the start of introduction to the Lesser Evils and have them get involved. I also want to make it clear that though they are part of the Seven Evils, they rank lower than their Prime Evil brethren and are considered "weaker" by them but not to be underestimated. After all, they are fully aware of the Devils and their powers and have not forgotten their goals of reclaiming or eliminating the slaves they created so long ago.

As for Odin being punched by Aidan, well I kinda figured he deserved it and I know many of you may complain about it in your reviews for when you post them but I do not care. This is my story and I will write it however I want to. And besides, Aidan gets a taste of his own medicine by Issei for dying in front of the Red Dragon Emperor's eyes like that, practically saving his ass from Fenrir. Plus I figured that someone like Uncle Deckard should be shown again as he had not been heard for quite some time since he left for the Underworld.

I know the fight with Belial was not impressive (I will admit, it is not my best fight scene to write) but neither was the fight in Diablo III. For those that played the game before, when fighting Belial, it felt too easy (then again so was the whole game). I used only the first two stages of the fight as the third will be left alone for later. As for the reason why Belial escaped and lived to fight another day, I also wanted to show Belial the reason why he is also called the Lord of Lies and the Master of Deception and just go into the extent of his nature as a Lesser Evil whose best weapon yet also greatest weakness is his power of deception.

Now, with Belial now taken away, his trail is once again left cold thanks to Lilith. What she has plans for is unknown but what she also planned prior to this is also unknown. Mark my words though, Belial WILL return.

I will most likely take a long break from this story to get my life sorted out as I am planning to move forward with my life. This story WILL NOT be abandoned. But I do need one hell of a break.

For those curious of Aidan's harem, here is the list in this approximate order of who stands where in the harem:

Rias (main girl), Akeno, Asia, Koneko, Xenovia, Rossweisse, Kuroka, Xuelan, Yubelluna, Yasaka

Irina and Karlamine will not be part of the harem. The former will belong to Issei as she is his proper childhood friend and knows him more than Aidan who was just passing by in Rome. The latter will be the bodyguard, a knight if you will, to him while also being an apprentice Crusader to Johanna. And speaking of the three nephalem that stayed behind to cover the retreat during Baraqiel's rescue, they will appear again.

Next chapter: a date with a certain Priestess of Thunder Queen that leads to yet another Lemon.

Shout out to drakin6345 for the creation of his OC Julian. All rights and credits go to him for being given permission to create this new OC in my story.

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