10 – After Party, Proven Innocence
DISCLAIMER
The following is a fan-based story of Fiction
Highschool DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK
Please support the official release
NOTE! This Story is recommended for those over the age of 18+ as this story involves actions such as violence, blood, nudity, etc.
NOTE! Any Original Characters (OC's) added into the story were all created by me and are owned by me
Enjoy!
A bright light filled his gaze, slowly groaning and allowing his eyes to open. His mouth felt dry as well, as he blocked the bright lights from practically blinding him. As he adjusted to the level of light in the room, he took a look around. To him, it appeared like a hospital room. He lifted the covers that were over him, revealing bandages around his waist.
He sighed, before the door to the room opened. He watched, as the entire ORC walked in, all with smiles as they sawa him awake.
"Look who's finally up." Akeno spoke, as Takeda fully sat up, a smalal smile taking place on his face.
"We won, Takeda." Rias stated, the black haired devil turning to her. "Thanks to you and Ise, we were victorious. I couldn't thank you both enough."
"I see..." His smile widened slightly, as he placed a hand agaianst his bandages.
"They hada to do a bit of surgery. They said you had broken a few ribs, and they punctured something to cause internal bleeding. If it weren't fixed quickly, you could have risked no longer being able to fight. Thankfully, they were able to fix you right up. Although..." Rias explained, spacing out a bit.
"What is it?"
"Well...they said it would take a few weeks to heal, but...you've healed in only a few days, much quicker than it should have taken." Rias stated, making Takeda smile.
'Thanks Erebus.' Takeda sighed, before his small smile returned.
"Either way, I'm good to go." Takeda said, earning a nod.
"We'll leave you be so you can get dressed. Just know that your clothes aren't what you expect them to be." Rias' words confused Takeda. "A party is being held for our victory, so you'll be expected to wear some formal attire. Hopefully I made the right choice in the clothes I picked." With another smile, Rias and the others made to leave the room.
"One more thing." The others turned back to Takeda. "Where's Issei? Is he alright?" Takeda asked.
Just his question alone made Rias smile. It showed that Takeda was becoming more and more comfortable with the group, and worried for them all, even Issei. Perhaps during their times of training helped in a small bond growing between the two of them.
"No need to worry, he's just woken up as well. You should have seen his excitement when we told he we were victorious." Akeno said with a giggle.
Takeda walked the halls of the dance hall by himself, hands in his pockets. He was impressed by the choice Rias made, as he really liked the suit she chose. He is now clothed in a dark grey buttoned up shirt, with a black long sleeved suit top over it. With the dark grey dress shirt, the top buttons are left undone. He has a matching pair of black dress pants, with dark grey dress shoes. He is also wearing a necklace, which holds a bright crimson red gem attached to it. It seemed to hold the Gremory family symbol inside.
When Takeda first saw it, he saw it had a letter next to it, with just the name 'Rias' on it. He then understood it was a gift for him, which he did appreciate.
'Thank you, Rias...' He thought to himself. Shortly, he came up to a pair of doors, a pair of guards standing on either side. One held a notepad in hand, probably for the reserved guests.
"Name?"
"Nakamura Takeda, Special Boosting Piece of Rias Gremory." Takeda said. The other guard nodded, before opening the door for him.
"Enjoy the party." Takeda nodded in thanks, before walking in.
"Woah..." Takeda muttered. He wasn't expecting this many guests would come to this party, and yet the entire floor was nearly filled with devils.
Sometime later, certain raven haired beauty walked the floor, in search for Takeda. She could be seen wearing a beautiful midnight blue dress that hugs to her form nicely, a pair of simple black heels on, her hair done in her usual ponytail. Though she now holds a nice white flower, tucked in the side of her hair.
Seeing that she had checked the entire floor, she decided to check the balconies.
She went to each one, before eventually finding him there, leaning against the railing and staring at the Underworlds night sky. A vibrant dark green color with mixtures of purple and blue flowing through it.
A slender pair of arms wrapped over his shoulders, the smell of fresh orchids and vanilla filling his nose.
"I finally found you~" He turned his head, seeing it was Akeno.
"Nice to see you too." He said, earning a giggle as she let him go, allowing him to turn to her. "You look great, Akeno." He complimented, making her place a hand to her cheek as she grew a small blush.
"Aren't you just a little charmer~?" She asked.
"Is is trying to be charming if I'm just stating a fact?" He countered, making her smile. "So, you were looking for me?"
"That's right." Akeno nodded, as she took Takeda's hand in her own. "I was wondering if you'd like to dance with me?"
"A dance?" Takeda questioned, rubbing the back of his head. "Trust me, I'm not the greatest dancer." Akeno gave a soft laugh.
"That's fine." Akeno looked him right in the eyes, a soft smile on her face. "Even then, if it's a dance with you, I'd enjoy it either way."
Seeing she wasn't going to relent, Takeda sighed before he allowed himself to follow Akeno back to the dance floor.
As they reached a good enough spot, Akeno turned back to Takeda, wrapping her arms across his neck, as he placed his hands at her hips, holding her softly.
"I'm sorry again. I'm not the greatest when it comes to things like this." He apologized.
"The big bad shadow dragon is afraid of something like this. That's fine." Akeno brought him closer, placing her head against his chest. "I'll guide you along."
And so she did, as the two slowly rocked from side to side. She closed her eyes, a warm smile on her face. She heard Takeda let out a soft chuckle, as she slowly looked up at him, but his eyes were elsewhere.
She turned and followed his line of sight, before she released a giggle.
A few ways away were Rias and Issei, also dancing before Rias had placed her lips against Issei's.
"So bold~" Akeno said with a small smirk, before she turned back to Takeda, placing her lips against his cheek. The action shocked Takeda, as his cheeks slowly turned rose red. "Thank you for dancing with me, Keda. I truly appreciate it~"
"Y-Yeah..."
Akeno turned, seeing Rias and Issei coming their way, Rias latched onto the blushing Hyoudou's arm.
"How are you enjoying the party so far, Keda?" Rias asked as they reached them.
"It's been...interesting, to say the least."
"I see, well come along. There's some people I'd like for you and Issei to meet." Rias led the three to the right side of the dance hall, before heading into one of the private booths.
Sat at one of the bigger tables was a group of people. He took notice of Grayfia, along with a woman who looked near identical to her, had it not been for the silver colored eyes, unlike Grayfia's red eyes.
As soon as they got close, one of the woman spoke, a hand to her mouth.
"My, Rias. I've never seen you so affectionate. Not even with your own family." One of the women spoke, referring to Rias' arms around Issei, making Rias blush harder before she let go.
"Keda, Ise, I'd like for you to meet my family." Rias said, gesturing to the lady who had spoken first. "This is my mother, Venelana Gremory, previously Bael." The Lady of Gremory herself stood up and walked closer to the boy.
"It's a pleasure to meet the boys who fought so hard for my daughter." She said, extending her hand. Takeda took it gently, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles.
"A pleasure, my lady." Venelana gave a small laugh at his gesture, taking her hand back slowly.
"No need for such formalities, Takeda. Feel free to just call me by my name, and if that's too much, than Lana is just as fine." She spoke. Takeda felt unsure at first, but nodded nonetheless. Next came the man who had been sat next to Venelana. The man took Takeda's hand in a strong grip, which Takeda returned with his own grip. The man nodded in respect.
"My name is Zeoticus, Takeda, a pleasure to meet you. As my wafe stated, no need for formalities with me, calling me by my name is just fine." Rias' father spoke with a smile, before his eyes turned solemn. "I also offer my condolensces for the passing of your family."
"A-Ah, thank you, Zeoticus, but I've moved onward. Also, thank you for the new house, it's really great."
"Haha, of course, anything to help."
Standing near him now was the woman who looked to be related to Grayfia. She held long silver hair, which you couldn't tell since her hair is all in a bun held by a bow, and matching silver eyes. She is wearing a white dress that holds together by the large red bow around her waist, the dress falling to the ground below.
"So nice to meet you young man. My name is Lucinda Lucifuge. Sister-in-law to Rias and older sister of Grayfia." The woman said, as Takeda gave her the same greeting he had given Venelana.
"Takeda. Issei." Rias called out to the two, making them turn to her. Standing next to her, was what Takeda would essentially call a male version of Rias. Long crimson red hair, blue-green eyes, along with a strong jaw line and milky white skin. "This is my brother and husband to Lucinda, the current holder of the title Lucifer. Sirzechs Lucifer." Rias stated, as the man walked closer and extended his hand.
"A pleasure, Takeda Nakamura. Issei Hyoudou." Sirzechs said with a friendly smile. Takeda returned it with his own small smile, grabbing Sirzechs hand with his own. Sirzechs did the same for Issei, who took Lucifer's hand sheepishly. "Being honest, I was very impressed by your performance in the Rating Game." Sirzechs stated, gesturing towards both Issei and Takeda.
"Really?" Takeda asked with a raised eyebrow, as he saw a proud smile on Rias' face from his peripheral vision.
"Truthfully, yes. To be able to defeat the supposed immortal Phenex, truly an outstanding performance. So much so, that myself and my fellow Satans have come to an agreement." Sirzechs said, as someone came bouncing closer. Takeda turned to them, seeing it was a young woman with black hair, some of it tied into two pig tails. She also held bright light blue eyes, as her skin is milky white. As for her attire, it is a pink based magical girl costume, adding on to her already childlike appearance.
"Keda-chan! So good to see you again!" She said, grabbing onto the young man who looked at her in confusion.
"U-Umm...I'm sorry, but have we met before?" He asked. She let him go with a exaggerated gasp, as she clutched onto his shirt tightly.
"Oh no! Keda-chan doesn't remember me! Why me!" She asked no one in particular as she pounded her head against his chest.
"Hehe, Serafall, don't you want to tell him the good news?" Sirzechs asked the woman now known as Serafall, particularly Serafall Leviathan. A daughter of the Sitri Clan and current holder of the title 'Leviathan.'
"Oh right!" Serafall's supposed tears and sadness disappeared, as she stood next to Sirzechs. "Keda-chan! Ise-chan! You are both going to be promoted to Middle class! Isn't that exciting!?"
"Middle class?" Takeda asked, as Rias stepped closer.
"Since you became a Devil, you've been considered a Lower class Devil, though with your showing of contracts and your level of power already, it was already time for you to move up the ranks." Rias explained.
"Besides, the power you displayed during the Rating Game was much above that of a Lower class." Sirzechs added on. Takeda took in the info, before a small smile took place on his face.
"If you believe me ready, then I shall accept this gratefully." Takeda said, before his mind wandered to the Nekoshou that is Kuroka. Seeing that both Sirzechs and Serafall, two of the four Great Satans were here, perhaps this was the chance he needed to help Kuroka in her situation. Feeling like he wouldn't get this change again, Takeda got Sirzechs attention again.
"I'm sorry to keep you, Sirzechs, but if I could just have a few more minutes of your time?" Takeda asked, as Sirzechs gave him another smile.
"Of course, what is it I can do for you?"
"Please, before you get angry over what I'm going to tell you, please just hear me out and listen to what I have to say first." Takeda's words got the attention of the rest of them as well. Sirzechs looked confused, but nodded. "Recently, I met someone, someone who I've come to see as a dear friend who was wronged. She told me her side of this story, and I want to help show that it's the truth." Sirzechs still looked confused, before Takeda continued. "I'm sure you would recognize the name Kuroka?"
Sirzechs kept his word and kept calm, though his eyes did harden a bit.
"Of course. A Stray who had killed her master because she lost control over the power known as Senjutsu-"
"I apologize for interupting, but after hearing her side of the story, and being able to tell that she was speaking the truth, I can't help but find that false." Takeda interupted. "She stated it herself that those born as Youkai can't lose control of senjutsu or it's power, only those born of other races. After training a bit with her, I've seen the results myself, that apparently as she told me, I have some affinity with the power myself."
"Takeda, why would you keep this from me? We can't trust-"
"This is why I kept it from you, Rias. Because I knew you'd react this way. From what she said, many of her race were killed off because she killed one Devil, and I don't see it as right."
"I see..." Sirzechs sighed, calming himself down. "Tell me, what is it you wish from me?"
"I don't want much, just please...allow me some time to search Kuroka's old masters home. If I can find anything, something that would prove her innocence, than at least give me the chance." Takeda practically pleaded.
"And if you find nothing?" Sirzechs asked. What he was about to say, it hurt him, but he had to.
"Then I'll cut ties with Kuroka instantly." Takeda said. Sirzechs seemed to be thinking it over, before he looked back at Takeda.
"Three hours. That is all the time I will give you to search Naberius' old home within his territory. The minute the three hours is up, you will be instantly teleported here with whatever you find, or if you find nothing. Had this been anyone else, I would have denied their request, but...given how close you are nd how much you've helped my sister and her peerage, I'll allow it just this once." Takeda allowed himself to smile, glad that Sirzechs was willing to give him what he asked for. A chance.
"Thank you." Sirzechs nodded, turning to Grayfia.
"Could you set a teleportation circle to the location?" Grayfia nodded. As Grayfia set up the magic circle, Takeda changed his clothes via his own magic circle. The same clothes he wore during the Rating Game, he was in them again.
"Takeda." The young man turned to see Rias and Akeno were now standing next to him. "Tell me. Why go so far for someone you barely know? What is making you want to do this so badly?" Rias asked. Takeda already knew the answer, and he wasn't afraid to give it.
"Because, I've seen the look in both their eyes. Kuroka and Koneko. Though she doesn't want to admit it, Koneko misses her big sister just as much as Kuroka misses her, and I'll be damned if I don't try to help those around me. Besides, I don't want anyone else to feel that feeling, to feel lonely. Like there's no one there for you. Both Kuroka and Koneko feel like that, I can tell. I'll be the one to change that, no matter what." Takeda answered with no hesitation.
Rias' expression turned from confusion to happiness. It was like she couldn't recognize that emotionless boy she first met. With a smile, she nodded to him, showing she was wishing him luck.
"We'll be back at the party for now, we'll make sure to let the rest of the group know where you are. Good luck, Keda." Rias said, before she, Issei and Akeno left. Though, Akeno left after waving and winking his way. He sighed at her usual antics, as Issei gave him a thumbs up. Takeda returned the gesture, before Grayfia got his attention.
"The magic circle is ready." Takeda turned to see the magic circle on the floor. He turned back to Sirzechs, who was looking back at him.
"Remember, three hours and nothing more than three hours." Takeda nodded, before a question came to mind.
"If I could ask, why did you slaughter a good portion of the Nekoshou race?" He asked, making Sirzechs have a downcasted look on his face.
"That was not a decision I had made." He said, confusing Takeda. Wasn't he Lucifer, ruler of the Underworld. How could it have not been his decision? "Though myself and Serafall, along with two others hold the titles of Satans, we don't make all decision when it comes to the Devils. The Elder Council, made up of the Heads of the Devil clans, they help make decisions involving the Devil race." Sirzechs explained, as Zeoticus stepped closer.
"If they have enough votes, they can overrule the decision of a Satan. I was one of the few who didn't wish for the killing of so many Nekoshou, but the Devils are a proud race. Even I hold my pride very highly, but I wouldn't take it as far as holding a massacre of nearly an entire other race." Zeoticus said. Takeda took in the words carefully, feeling the words he spoke during the Rating Game were only true. Some of these Elders were not best for the Devil race. Perhaps those like Zeoticus were different. but as he said, only a few denied the slaughter of Nekoshou's.
"I see...thank you for answering, both of you."
"Of course. Now, you'd best be on your way." Takeda nodded, stepping onto the magic circle. He breathed in multiple times, before nodding to Grayfia. She nodded back, before activating the magic circle. The room filled with the bright light, and once it was gone, so was Takeda.
As soon as he appeared, a foul stench filled his nostrils, making him gag from the smell alone. He looked around the area, instantly taking notice of the giant mansion stood before him, covered in vines and cobwebs. He sighed, but kept the determination in his eyes. Thankfully, for him, he wouldn't need to search the entire house.
"If you do search the mansion, just head for the giant library. It's located on the first floor, the second door on the left of the main hall. Once there, head to the back of the library, far back right. There, put your magical energy within the shelf in the corner against the back wall. Do so, and the secret entrance will open for you. He knew it would be easier to find if it were some cliche pull a book type of thing. He knew no one would try to use magic in a library."
He remembered what Kuroka told him, and of course, he found it. The library was huge, showing just why the walls of the first floor went so high. There were a total of three different floors just for the library alone, as Takeda hummed to himself.
'I wonder...did no one think to ask why he had so many books? And if they did, did they look for the signs of deceit and lies. Always check everything three times if you're never one hundred percent sure.' He thought to himself as he walked towards the back of the first floor of the library.
Once there, his senses were already picking up, telling him that something was behind the shelf. Perhaps overtime, the seal over the magic behind the shelf was stronger than now, as he could feel it with no problem. The Goddess's Eye appeared, as he placed his hand in front of the shelf. A black aura surrounded his hand, as the shelf began to shake.
Slowly, it fell into the floor, revealing a dark tunnel that seemed to go down and underground. He walked a few steps back, before Takeda summoned a rather expensive camera, knowing pictures could help as evidence, as he snapped a photo of the entrance. With a heavy breathe of air, Takeda began to walk down. But...he missed a pair of blood red eyes looking at him from above on the third floor.
Due to the Goddess's Eye, his eyesight was much clearer than normal, so the darkness was no problem for him. Then...it hit him...
That same foul stench he smelt when he first appeared near the mansion. It was much stronger now, and it smelled even worse. Takeda nearly threw up, as he held his nose clamped with his fingers.
After about a 10 minute walk, he finally saw light. And once he entered that light, he immediately threw up his lunch. Blood covered nearly everything, as there were about thirty pods lined up in rows of five. All of them held bones inside, along with decaying organs. All except for one. One pad near the front was broken, nothing inside to show there was anything there, as mold was building up inside.
At the head table in the room, there was a blood covered chair, a decaying skeleton laying there. Takeda looked at it with disgust, knowing that that was the master of this mansion. He pulled out his camera once agaiin, as he took a picture of the entire room from the entrance. Just as Takeda was about to move forward, he heard...bubbles.
He looked around, before moving over every single pod. Finally, he saw it...one pod, still with a living being inside it. Wires and cords attached to her bodies.
'From what Kuroka said, she killed the man over 8 years ago...how are they still alive. And if this place was searched but they never found this...she's been here ever since. That further makes me wonder how she lived.' He thought to himself, before seeing the consoles connected to the pod.
He moved closer, looking towards the person inside. It is a woman, with large breasts and her most noticeable feature being the two large gold-looking horns protruding from the sides of her head and pointing upwards. Upon her head is a white band which separates her hair, framing her bangs from her hair below the band. Worn upon her forehead is a small circular symbol with a small dot on the inside and surrounded by several dots around the top. Tied around her neck is a small white-colored strap. Meanwhile, her attire consists of a very revealing blue-colored leopard-printed kimono, bearing the decorative marks on her shoulders. The kimono is wrapped around her torso with a thick, decorative yellow ribbon that ties behind her back, and her outfit is complemented by thigh-high socks that reveal her heels and toes
Takeda took a quick picture of the two for more reference, before moving towards the console of the first woman. He looked over it, and took notice of how easy it was to use. With a simple press of a button, the wires and cords fell off of the woman, as the pod opened. The water that was inside fell out quickly, getting parts of Takeda's clothes wet. He did quickly catch her, before laying her down gently.
His main priority was Kuroka when he came here, but he didn't expect to see a living being here. Now, she also became his priority. Takeda checked for pulse, and suprisingly enough, she was breathing. He sighed, before gently shaking her.
The woman began to groan in discomfort, as her eyes slowly opened, revealing deep darp purple eyes.
"W-What...happened?" She sked, as she slowly sat up. Her black locks did become bit dmp due to being in the pod. She looked around, before her eyes fell on Takeda.
"Are you okay?" He asked, reaching out a hand for her. She slowly took it, but as she stood, she immediately fell over had it not been for Takeda catching her.
"I-I think so..." The woman muttered, getting her bearings slowly. "Who are you? I don't recognize you at all." She asked him, as Takeda sighed. He looked down to his watch, seeing he still had 2 and a half hours.
"You my wanna sit down again, it's a long story." Takeda said. The black haired woman tilted her head, but did as he asked. Takeda began to explain everything to her. From Kuroka killing Naberius, to her being left in the pods she was held in, to Takeda coming to help prove Kuroka's innocence. He didn't leave out a single thing.
"I see...so it really has been eight years. I suppose that explains my aging, and the changes of my body." The black haired beauty muttered, rubbing her head.
"My question is, now what are you both going to do?" Takeda asked.
"You freed me from this pods, did you not?" The black haired woman asked, recieving a nod from Takeda. She stood up, staring him in his eyes. "Then I shall stay with you. To repay the deed you have done for me."
Takeda wasn't expecting that. He expected her to just want him to help her find somewhere she could stay before she got her bearings together.
"I-I see...then I suppose you wouldn't mind helping me find some more evidence?" The woman nodded in agreement, as they continued to search the lab. Takeda himself was at the desk near the front of the room. He had roughly pushed the skeleton to the floor, holding no respect for the man responsible for all of this.
'Just how many had to endure your experiments, you bastard...?' He thought to himself, before opening the bottom drawer of the desk. In it was a journal, along with mulitple folders with names on them.
He took to looking through the folders first. He found it, Kuroka's information. Then came young Koneko's, or Shirone as she was called before. There were plenty more that he saw, which Takeda would have prayed for in the afterlife had he not been a Devil. Then he came to the last one.
It held a picture of the black haired woman but about 10 years younger. He looked at the name specifically.
"Seilah..." The woman herself turned to him, coming closer and seeing the folder. "That's your name..." Takeda muttered again. He looked through the info with Seilah herself, seeing that for her species, she was called...an etherious. "Do you know of this 'etherius'?" Takeda asked her.
"I do. The etherius are essentially those who were once born as humans, but had demon souls placed within them. I was one of those people. Placed inside my soul is the demon who could control others, and make them do their bidding for the demon. An ability known as Macro." Seilah explained.
"I see..." Takeda growled out. This madman had turned normal humans into demons, for his own gains. Takeda was going to smash the table in half, had he not calmed himself down as quick as possible. 'He's dead...he's dead...'
"If I could ask, do you know how you're still alive?" Takeda asked. Seilah put a finger to her chin, but ended up shrugging in the end.
Just as Takeda was about to speak, the ground began to shake. Seilah latched onto Takeda for support, given her body wasn't completely fine, her limbs still stiff and sore from the years of rest. Though, this only resorted in Takeda's arm being surrounded by her chest.
"Back up, Seilah." Takeda said quickly, feeling the energy coming closer from where he came from. The black haired woman listened, as the Goddess's Eye appeared, the vein like substance taking over the right side of his face like usual.
Then...it began to walk through the large doorway. Takeda felt himself wanting to throw up again, just from seeing it.
It's body was large, with a heavily disfigured head with two horns coming out from it's forehead. The jaw was nearly falling all, holding on by what looked like goo. It's bottom half held eight legs, with a giant mouth on it's chest, covered in rows upon rows of teeth. It's right arm is heavaily disfigured, shaped as a spike. As for the left, the only fingers there are the thumb, pointer and middle fingers.
'Just what in the hell is that thing..?' Then Takeda remembered it. He turned, looking at the broken pod he saw earlier. This had to be what it was. 'One of the experiments. It was able to escape, and yet it stayed in the mansion...'
"I assume we must eliminate this before we can leave?" Seilah asked, her gaze as neutral as ever.
"That's right. Tell me, can you use your powers right now? I highly doubt it, considering you were just awoken half an hour ago."
"It is faint, but I can feel my powers already returning to me. Perhaps the demons soul within me is speeding of the recovery of my magic." Seilah answering, shocking Takeda.
'Just how strong would these two be at full strength...?' He asked himself. "Think you can fight now?"
"Not much, but I should be able to help." She answered. Takeda nodded, as the disfigured devil mutant screeched at them. It made the walls themselves shake, as rocks fell to the ground.
'Erebus?'
[I always got your back, you brat. Kick this things ass.]
"Now!" Takeda yelled out, as he rushed the beast. It did the same, it's spike shaped arm outstretched. The black substance around Takeda's right arm moved around, making itself into the shape of a scythe. He swung diagnolly, but the beast actually dodged it, swiping it's arm upward, but Takeda flipped back. Though it did graze his top, cutting a bit into his chest. He didn't mind the blood, as the wound was barely even there.
'So it does have a brain somewhere in there...' Takeda thought, as the creature jumped into the air. As it prepared to lunged downwards, it suddenly just landed, standing still.
Takeda looked back, seeing Seilah with her hand outstretched. A blue aura surrounded her hand. She didn't say anything, but the creature placed its own arm in the giant mouth it held and began chewing. It roared in pain, but wasn't able to stop itself.
'Just how powerful is this power of hers?' Takeda asked himself in shock.
"Now's your chance." Seilah called to Takeda. He nodded, summoning hellfire in his right palm and lightning in the other, before pushing them together. They combined, as Takeda rushed the beast. It finally stopped chewing off it's own arm, before Takeda threw the lightning covered hellfire in it's mouth. He flipped a few ways back, before snapping his fingers. The flame bursted, pushing the creature back against the wall.
'So, it may have some brains, but not enough. However...this is far from over...'
Takeda thought, as he saw it's disfigured body coming back together.
Back in the dance hall, the ORC all came to the booth Rias' family were in, Sirzechs returning as the time limit was slowly running out. Only a minute or two left.
Out of the entire group, Koneko was the one mostly away in her own thoughts. Iruku himself had said it, and then when she began to work on senjutsu, she saw it for herself how easily she could control it. Now, Takeda was off trying to prove her elder sisters innocence.
As she continued to think to herself, a magic circle appeared before them all.
"Sirzechs, can you hear me!?" The voice of Takeda called out, as Sirzechs stood up.
"I'm here, Takeda. What is it?"
"Things are getting hectic, and I know the time limit's almost up. So, I need you to get all the guests out of the hall, now."
"Why? What's happening Takeda!?" Sirzechs rushed out, a worried look on his face.
"I don't have time to explai-" Takeda's voice was overtaken by a loud roar, as the magic circle disappeared.
"Takeda!? Shit...!" Sirzechs cursed under his breath, before turning to his wife. "Lucinda. Get the hall cleared."
"Of course, dear." Lucinda nodded, leaving the booth.
"Grayfia, you and I need to get a barrier made. Whatever that roar came from, we don't know what it is or what it'll do." Grayfia nodded as everyone followed Sirzechs out of the booth area.
Grayfia stood on one end of the hall, while Sirzechs was on the other. The ORC, along with Rias' family, were all stationed at the far end of the hall, near the front doors.
"3...2...1!" Sirzechs called out, just as a magic circle appeared at the back end of the hall. Nothing came out at first, before a body came flying out.
The figure came skidding to a halt, revealing it to be Takeda, Seilah held in his arms before he let her down. His top had been destroyed, his breathing heavy. He seemed to be bruising, along with a few cuts across his body.
Sirzechs went to close the magic circle, but a hand came out of it, before another hand came out on the other end. Eventually, the creatures front body came out of the magic circle.
"What the hell is that!?" Issei yelled out in disgust, seeing the creature for himself.
"A loose experiment I'd say." Takeda responded. "Seilah, back away for now. Your bodies still weak." Takeda looked her dead in the eyes, as she slowly nodded.
Sirzechs continued to try to close the barrier, but the beast appeared stronger than it looked, holding the barrier in place with just it's body.
Slowly, it's jaw opened up, acting as a door it seemed, as low growls could slowly be heard.
"Now what?" Takeda asked with a heated glare. This thing was starting to piss him off. His eyes widened however, as bodies ran out from the creatures mouth. "Great...it acts as a damn mother..."
From Takeda's own shadow came out a spear, as he gripped it tightly.
The bodies came out in swarms, a never ending cycle as Takeda himself charged into the mess, swinging and dodging in every direction.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm not just sitting here." Issei spoke up. "You up for it, Ddraig?" The boosted gear manifested.
[Let's do it, partner!]
Issei charged in, determined to help Takeda. Rias looked towards her peerage, before nodding.
"Let's not have them do it all themselves. Let's go!" The rest of the ORC nodded, determined to help their group members.
With Takeda, he could be seen manuevering around the creatures, slicing away at anything that came to close. He could see the rest of the ORC coming in to help. He smirked, before he increased his aura.
Slowly, the aura formed into a miniature dragon, which released a roar before in clashed against the creatures.
[This won't end anytime soon unless you take out the main body, Takeda.]
Erebus spoke up from the manifested aura.
"Well...I suppose there is that technique." Takeda responded, still weaving through the creatures effortlessly.
Rias' family could only stare in wonder, seeing the skill the two possessed. Takeda and Issei, who had also manifested his own aura into a miniature red dragon.
'The power of a dragon...it truly is a terrifying thing to see upclose.' Zeoticus thought to himself.
Venelana's eyes had stayed on Takeda since he had came flying out of the magic circle. It was obvious to anyone who looked his to see how hard of a worker he was, and just how motivated he could be.
Those same traits, Venelana knew them well, from someone she once knew. It didn't help that Takeda looked almost identical to him. the same black hair, the same facial structure. Had he possessed light blue eyes, she wouldn't have been able to tell the two apart. Almost as if he were a reincarnation.
"Issei!" Takeda called out, as the two jumped into the air, landing back to back right at the center of the hall. "Listen, I have a technique that can end this all, but it'll take time to power up. I'll need you and the others to protect me until then. Can you do that?"
"If you're sure it'll end them all in one sweep, then of course! We got your back!" Issei said with a grin, as Takeda gave out a smirk.
"Thank you." The two jumped again, as lightning crackled around Takeda. "Shock Treatment!" Takeda yelled out, slamming his fist against the ground, blasting and destroying a large portion of the stray creatures. And yet more took their place from the host.
Sirzechs could only watch in awe at the power these two new devils showed. Had he not had to keep the barrier up to keep the building from being destroyed, he would have destroyed them all himself. Seeing what was before him now though, it showed he had nothing to worry about. For the dragon had the power to destroy them all himself.
'Erebus, focus on charging up power, I'll stick to martial arts for now." The Elder Dragon hummed in agreement, as Takeda did just as he said he would.
Just from his raw strength alone, Takeda could punch and kick through these creatures with ease.
It took about another 10 minutes of just martial arts, but Takeda could feel his power.
[You're ready, Takeda.]
With a nod, Takeda jumped away, right to the point the creatures didn't go past. It was as if they couldn't go too far away from the host, or they'd fall apart.
"Issei, now!" He called out, as Issei called out, as the ORC all jumped far behind Takeda.
He began to perform a few hand signs, before his cheeks began to inflate, before Erebus called out the attack.
[Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!]
From Takeda's mouth spewed black hellfire that grew in size the farther it got. The flames danced over the stray creatures, before it reached the host itself. It roared as the flames overtook its body.
The smell of burning flesh slowly filled the air, as the hellfire eventually stopped coming from Takeda's mouth.
The smoke from the flames slowly stopped and dropped to the ground, revealing nothing to be left of the creatures, nor the main stray itself. It was completely gone, as the magic circle it came from slowly closed.
"incredible..." Venelana muttered in awe. With just one attack, Takeda had destroyed them all.
Takeda breathed heavily, wiping away sweat.
[You did well. All we need to work on is the time it takes. Eventually, you'll be able to use the technique in a matter of seconds.]
"Y-Yeah..."
After releasing the barrier and assuring the guests everything was alright, the party continued, as the group returned to the private booth.
"So, did you find anything?" Sirzechs got right to business. He got a nod from Takeda, who pulled out a scroll. He rolled it out on the floor, before putting his hands together.
'Thank Iruku for teaching me this. Makes carrying things around easier.' Takeda thouht, as a puff of smoke rose from the scroll.
"Aside from fighting that mutant experiment, I'm fine. It may not look like much, but this is more than enough." Takeda stated, handing the items over. "My own camera, pictures of the lab that was hidden away and where it was, and the personal journal of Naberius himself. Also, a few files on some of the people he experimented on." Takeda stated.
Sirzechs took the items, before using a magic circle to project the images Takeda had taken to everyone present. To say they were shocked was an understatement. They were mortified. Then, it came upon the image of Seilah sleeping within the pod.
"So, you found her there?" Sirzechs asked, his eyes turning to Seilah.
"Yeah. I'm not sure, nor is she, how she lived through eight years of being in that pod with no help, but I'm glad I could do some good for her." Takeda said, gesturing to the young woman. "Everyone meet Seilah." Seilah bowed her head, her face with its usual neutral gaze.
"Hmmm...Takeda."
"Yes?"
"Kuroka, she is living with you, isn't she?"
"That's right. She first came to me as a cat, before I helped her. Apparently she had been attacked when she made it to Kuoh while searching for me."
"Why would she be searching for you?" Rias asked. Takeda didn't want to lie about it, and he knew doing so would only be bad. Besides, what harm would it do.
"...She was sent to find me...by my birth mother..." The knews shocked the ORC. "She told me that my mother helped her after she escaped Naberius and entered Fallen Angel territory. My mother wanted her to find me and help protect me, and so she did. Though, she told me that I'd learn who my birth mother is when I'm ready. What she means by that, I have no clue." Takeda explained.
Sirzechs took in all the words he spoke, before he handed the camera back to Takeda and quickly skimmed through the journal. The others could see the more he read, the more anger he began to feel. His power almost leaked out, but Lucinda stepped next to him. She placed her hand on his chest, which instantly made him calm down.
"Takeda, summon Kuroka for me. I have someone who needs to be apologized to..." He muttered. Takeda nodded slowly, as he walked to the corner of the room. As he was doing as he was asked, Sirzechs turned to Koneko. "You may want to read it, Koneko. Know it yourself before Kuroka arrives."
The white haired neko slowly nodded, taking the book and turning to the pages marked as 'Kuroka.' She read through it, as tears slowly fell down her face. Sirzechs turned to Seilah, looking at her with a solemn expression.
"I can only offer an apology for what you have suffered through. If there is anything I can do to make up for my mistakes, name them."
"There's no need, King Lucifer. Naberius was a crafty man, who held too much intelligence then he should have. There's no reason to apologize." Seilah stated.
"I see...your kindness is appreciated. Then, what shall you be doing for living?"
"I have already decided to stay along Takeda." Seilah stated. "Had he wanted to, he could have left me in that lab to die out. But he did what he could and helped me. The only thing I can do is try and repay such deeds." Seilah explained, before the sound of a magic circle was heard.
They all turned to see Takeda standing next to one, which is purple in color.
"I swear, Takeda...if you're playing with me, I will increase your training regiment when we get home." The voice of Kuroka spoke, as the light of the magic circle disappeared. She was turned to Takeda, who was smirking. "What's got you smirking, huh? You want to be punished?" She asked, but Takeda simply pointed to their right.
Kuroka looked over, her eyes widening at seeing the people in the room. Sirzechs slowly walked over, shocking them all as he had actually kneeled in front of Kuroka, the same solemn look on his face from before.
"Kuroka, had Takeda not brought this to my attention, I would have never had learned of the acts of Naberius. It has shown me the wrong of the Evil Piece System. Just as it has its positives, it will always hold it's negatives. Please, I ask of you to accept my sincerest apologies. You were wronged and payed for crimes that you did for family. Should there be anything I can do to make up for my ignorance, name it now and I shall see it done." Sirzechs spoke with such conviction, it nearly made Kuroka fall over.
She turned to Takeda, who only gave her a smile. She smiled back, before turning back to Sirzechs.
"Please, King Lucifer, do not kneel to me." She said, as Sirzechs slowly raised back to his feet. "I never wanted anything other than to protect my little sister. If it meant I would be labeled a stray, just to stop her from going through the experiments I saw others go through, then I would do it. All I want still, is to keep her safe. Other than that, I couldn't ask for anything at all." Kuroka stated. Sirzechs nodded his head with his own smile.
"It may take a week or so, but I'll see to it that you are no longer labeled a stray, and that the acts of Naberius will be revealed to the entire Underworld." Sirzechs spoke, before he walked back to his family. Just as Kuroka was about to turn to Takeda, Koneko had suddenly rushed to her, hugging onto her older sister tightly.
"Sh-Shirone..."
"...I-I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I hated you for nothing...I'm sorry...please forgive me..." Koneko muttered. Kuroka let out a happy sounding sigh, bending down and hugging her sister tightly.
"There's nothing to apologize for, little sister, because big sister will always love you." Kuroka said. She pulled her head back, smiling at Koneko, who could only allow her tears to fall as she buried her head back on her sisters shoulder.
Takeda watched with his own smile. He had kept his promise, he reunited Kuroka and Koneko, and it made him feel overwhelmed with joy. As he thought to himself, he caught Kuroka looking towards him, the most grateful smile on her face.
He then turned to see Rias at the door, motioning for him to follow her. He nodded, walking closer and whispering to Mirajane and Seilah.
"Go ahead and get to know everyone since you'll be seeing them a lot more often. I'll be back shortly." Both nodded, as he left the room, transferring back to his suit from earlier.
He walked across the hall room slowly behind Rias, who seemed to be headed for the balcony. She stood against the stone wall, looking out at the city below, as Takeda took to stand next to her, also leaning on the wall of the balcony.
"I'm sorry for not trusting you." Rias said, turning to look at him. "I just...it's hard, thinking you can do more for those you care for, and you don't do it." She stated.
"What do you mean?"
"You've helped the people of this peerage more than I ever could. I doubt it'll be long before you help Akeno and Kiba as well. You helped Koneko overcome her fear of senjutsu and brought her and Kuroka back together. You may not realize it, but you drive Issei to become stronger. He sees you as a rival of sorts. You have even helped me, more than just with the engagement. You've made me realize I still have a plenty of time before I'm a good leader."
"That's not true." Takeda said, making Rias look back towards him. "The things I've done to help, only happened because me and this group were brought together by you. I may drive Issei, but you help drive the others just as much. You command respect yes, but what leader doesn't? Even then, you still have what some leaders didn't have. Compassion, trust, and knowing when to be gentle. You have all those traits. Perhaps you just need to refine them and you'll be the greatest leader this peerage could ask for." Takeda explained.
Rias smiled at the words he spoke.
"Thank you, Keda. You know just what to say to make me feel better." Rias said, before turning her body fully towards him. "That young woman, Seilah. Given she'll be staying with you, anything involved with her will involve you as well."
"I understand." Rias nodded, before heading back inside. Takeda turned back to the night sky, a small smile on his face.
'Erebus...I still have a long way to go, but...it may just be me, but the future looks bright...'
Stay Safe...
Stay Healthy...
Have a good one!
