The Last Saiyan

by David101Australia

The Tournament of Power ends with a selfish wish. Zeno maintains his resolve. Everything is erased. A blank slate to start again. Millennia later this has a profound effect on the life of one boy, Issei Hyoudou, when he discovers that he isn't the normal boy that he always wanted to be. His life is changed irreversibly but for better or worse is yet to be known.

17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen - Ancient Foes

* Team Akeno, Mansion le Barton, France *

"Hello," the word seemed soft, so very soft, as it came from Akeno's lips. This was the girl she loved, no, Rias was more then that, she was a beautiful young woman, so why should she be feeling so awkward now.

"Babe, I need to talk to you."

Emotion was overflowing from each word that Rias spoke, it filled her voice and Akeno knew why. She had just watched the reason and it was tearing her up inside. She still wanted to know why it took her girlfriend so long to reach out to her but knew that it had something to do with the actions or reactions of Kiba's team. Akeno wouldn't let her girlfriend fret though and spoke up to let it be easier on her.

"I know what happened. I've seen the footage. Please just tell me he's alive." Akeno tried to keep her voice from becoming an outright plea. She wasn't fully successful though.

Rias let out a sigh that was full of held back worries, anxiety and carried a modicum of relief.

"He's stable, recovering. Everything that can done, has been done." The words took a massive weight away from Akeno's stomach. Nerves and concern still remained however it was greatly reduced by knowing that the head strong Saiyan boy had survived the ordeal so far.

"Rias," Akeno began, using her name, a subtle way of letting her girlfriend know that something was a bit off and she couldn't speak completely freely, "I am currently in the presence of Duc Jaune le Barton and his retinue. He wishes to speak with you as well, are you happy for me to switch to loudspeaker."

Immediately Akeno could tell the change in her girlfriend's voice, Rias wanted to speak with her, lover to lover however the present situation didn't allow that and so she had to let her know what the situation on her end had become. Akeno loathed the idea of not supporting Rias fully but she also couldn't create a scenario that was rude to the proud noble who had so far gone out of his way to help them.

As she placed the phone down and shifted the audio to loud, Rias' voice changed. Years of grooming and practice allowed the Heiress to shift in these formal situations fluidly.

"Greetings Duc le Barton, I do very much hope that you are well." Rias voice entirely diplomatic, authoritative and yet open. The exact tone expected when dealing with foreign nobility.

"I am, thank you Lady Gremory. I understand part of the situation that you re currently undertaking, know that my house agrees with the assessment of Lord Sirzechs. We will provide any and all assistance that we can to your agents in our domain." Duc le Barton's voice as well suited to the intricacies of court politics, which considering his age and experience over the past centuries was to be expected.

"It is within our knowledge that your agents abroad have engaged the enemy, is there any more information that you could provide to advice why the enemy may have come to our realm." The Duc's request was more then reasonable and Akeno hoped that Rias wouldn't see reason to withhold information. While Akeno was understandably worried for Issei, she was still committed to her task and would do what was required.

Over the next hour Rias relayed the full report of the actions of Kiba's team, the nature of the dark crystals peaking the interest of the Duc. Sebastian, Marie and Akeno remained silent throughout the exchange. The le Barton devils providing research assistance to the Duc throughout the conversation by scouring the internet of both the mortal and supernatural domains for any mentions of activities occurring within France. With the two overt actions of Moscow and Peru, it was clear that their enemy was willing to discard the guise of secrecy. Although Akeno pondered, perhaps Moscow was more the will of Saiyans then the enemy.

Rias and Jaune discussed the possible attributes and nature of the dark crystals, the reports of Ravel's initial witness at Riser's murder of his peerage and Kiba's forming the large basis. Their information being supplemented with a constant string of updates being brought to Rias by servants of Ajuka, the inventive Satan agreeing to share each discovery as he found it. As best to help those in the field being his reasoning. It was clear that the spell Riser used to become the massive phoenix against Issei in the rating game was a weaker version of the one he used to sacrifice his peerage and in turn that spell was what or a variation of which, was being used to, for lack of a better word, 'harvest' the citizens in Peru.

Akeno found it sickening as she listened to the description of what had occurred. Sure devils were selfish, it was ultimately what separated them from angels. There was an absolute litany of little surface issues but at the very core of it the initial split was over one issue. Angels saw the ultimate purpose of themselves being to work for others while devils saw the ultimate purpose of their being as to work for themselves. Many took this drive for the self to mean evil but that was a naive approach, Akeno could see the full picture, anyone with their eyes open could. What humans called capitalism was them working for their own needs and through that they had lifted millions out of poverty and developed rapidly over a single century. Devils were the same as that, they didn't want mindless carnage and destruction like demons or to try and hold high minded ideals like angels.

But what the fallen angels had done, that Akeno considered evil, they believed that they fought for others and had all the altruism of the angels of heaven and yet their barbarism and brutality made them different. Twisted in nature they became selfish yet saw all others as a threat, mortals as mere cattle and all other factions of the supernatural as their enemy. If anyone was evil, then Akeno was certain that it was them.

Akeno came out of her thoughts and was lucky to find that the conversation was reaching the crux of the issue. Where would the agents of Kokabiel and Riser be in France and to what primary purpose. The Duc was certain that they wouldn't be in Paris. It was far too risky and anything of value to them would have been destroyed during the Middle Ages. Paris was at one point in time very close to being the absolute centre of Christendom for Western Europe. Not exactly somewhere that ancient magic thrived or even had a chance to remain.

Akeno checked the time on her phone, close to four in the morning, little could be confirmed as the news cycle was just repeating the footage it had and building upon speculation and conjecture. The conversation between the two nobles came to an end and Akeno switched the loudspeaker off as she went to farewell Rias.

"Be safe my love," the red haired Gremory heiress stated in a voice that sounded concerned, tired and clearly missing her.

"I will, you too." As much of a response as Akeno could give at this time.

The Duc appeared in deep thought whilst both Sebastian and Marie continued to work around the table.

"It seems that Lady Gremory's peerage has weathered quite the horrendous storm in this venture. Not the outcome that Lord Sirzechs would have been hoping for." His voice filled with concern.

Akeno simply nodded as she couldn't find any words for the state of the peerage that she felt heavily attached to. Issei in a critical conditions, Kiba heavily wounded, Asia exhausted and one of their holy allies dead. It was then that the Duc mentioned something a bit more personal.

"You care deeply for the Saiyan don't you?" Akeno looked up to him before nodding.

"He is an amazing guy. There is no other like him." Her words sincere and heartfelt, devils often accepted unconventional relationships but Akeno wanted to avoid the trio of her romance becoming public. That might have been a bridge too far. It seemed that the Duc had only noticed her affections for Issei and that would be fine.

"I believe that we all have a full picture of the situation now. You should return to resting Mademoiselle, we will put out more feelers and track down any information that we can."

"Thank you, your Lordship." Akeno responded with a genuine smile. When she agreed to the plan of making contact with local devils, she never expected the Duc to be so approachable and helpful. It was a surprisingly pleasant turn of events.

Departing the parlour, Akeno moved slowly back through the finely decorated halls toward the Poitiers wing. Her mind struggled to move on from the state of Issei and how much she wanted to be with him and Rias. However another thought, one that had been constantly there since before they departed Japan continued to float around her head. Kokabiel was here. That thought made her clench her fist as she entered her bedroom. Releasing a breath and the tight fist, she stripped off and slipped back into her night clothes before sliding back into bed.

Sunlight drifted lightly across her soft features and irritated the closed eyes of Ravel Phenex, rousing her from her blissful slumber. Sitting up in the comfortable bed, the blonde noble rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms out. The bed that was provided to her proved to be one of the most satisfying and refreshing that she had slept in over the last week, comparable to her own before the incident with her brother. She showered, having been too tired the night before and feeling rather foul for it, spent the following half an hour preparing herself and departed the room that had been given to her. Ravel took pride in always presenting a flawless image, an example of what a noble devil should be and she wouldn't allow being sent around the world with the Gremory devils to detract from that.

The hallways of the Poitiers wing proved to be completely silent. Ravel found it odd. In the Phenex mansion, a steady supply of servants and house staff moved around constantly however here it appeared that no one was even awake. A cultural nuance of Europe that she was unaware of perhaps. Some cultures were far more relaxed, moved with a different urgency or priorities lay differently. It didn't matter, this wasn't her domain and so what happened here was none of her concern. She considered knocking on Akeno's door opposite her but chose better. She didn't want to bother their leader and would rather fill her time in on her own accord.

At that she decided to follow the hall around to where Sara and Koneko's rooms were situated. As she did, she found the youngest devil sitting against the door looking at her phone. The white haired nekomata not present but considering her injuries that night before it was perfectly reasonable and sensible that she would not yet have risen. If she was being smart then she would rest and allow her body to heal and recuperate properly before trying to move around. But with the stubbornness of these Gremory devils, who knew what she would do.

"Good morning, what are you watching?" Ravel asked in a friendly tone as she moved next to the smaller girl, she was aware that she hadn't endeared herself so well to the Pawn and Rook of Rias Gremory. She planned to remedy that as best as possible. Team dynamics were important.

The young girl didn't respond or even acknowledge Ravel, instead continuing to stare at her screen while the soft volume of the audio played from it. Instantly Ravel felt the pang of annoyance at the rudeness of the girl toward her. Here she was trying to build bridges and the girl wouldn't even give her the time of day.

"I said Hello," Ravel stated once more, her tone more forceful while also nudging the young girl with her foot as she stood beside her.

Sara's head turned toward her but went back to the screen as she pointed to the screen. The look on her face a mix of shock, horror and befuddlement. Ravel was taken aback. It was in no way a reaction she had expected. Dropping down beside her, Ravel looked onto the screen and was not prepared for what she saw. Issei wrapped in a red aura that she took to be that of his Kaio Ken form, an easy guess from the multiple descriptions she had been informed of, battling another figure adorned in a golden aura that Ravel could only describe as majestic. This was on YouTube and Ravel found that distressing but not as much as what she was witnessing. She had not had much to do with the Gremory Saiyan but she was well aware that he was immensely powerful, maybe more so then the Satan's and yet now he was being beaten and battered around like a rag doll. Sara's reaction now made perfect sense. Her shock at this was just as high. Both girl's watched as Issei unleashed a galick gun the size of which they had never witnessed before only for it to do very little to his opponent and then his struggle become absolutely nothing as his power appeared to vanish utterly and he plummeted from the sky, collapsing to the ground. The last minute was even more distressing as they saw Rias protect the Saiyan who was clearly on death's door before their assailants left and she teleported away. All viewed by humans.

The video finished and Sara just let the next video auto play without any thought as she turned to Ravel.

"Did you say something Ravel?" the younger girl clearly unaware of what had been said to her, having been so absorbed in the video.

"Don't worry about that. What the hell is going on with that video?" Ravel asked in genuine concern. She didn't have very firm personal relationships with the Gremory devils yet but two things concerned her. Many millennia of supernatural secrecy seemed to have been undone. What did that mean for all of them? The underworld would be in absolute turmoil and secondly, Issei had been so utterly thrashed. She found the Saiyan cocky, arrogant and rude but he was also kind, caring and beyond powerful. With out a doubt the most powerful of their group and he had been handled so easily by the golden warrior. A golden warrior who had a tail as well.

"I don't know," Sara responded.

"Can you put the end of the video on again?" Ravel asked as she wanted to confirm her suspicion. Sara did without complaint and instantly Ravel felt uncomfortable.

"Oh no." She sighed as it instantly clicked.

"What Ravel?" Sara asked, genuinely curious and Ravel realized that the young girl wouldn't have been analyzing the content or its implications.

"His tail," Ravel replied pointing at the golden warrior's rear appendage as he fought across the screen, "He is the Saiyan that Issei was tracking. The one with Vali."

Sara let the video finish before putting her phone away and standing up. It was clear that the young devil wasn't sure of what exactly she should be doing.

Feeling mercy for the younger girl, Ravel took charge and moved over to Koneko's room. Sara followed her, happy to be doing something with the older girl. Koneko's door was unlocked but after opening it as quietly as possible they found the shades drawn and the room very dark. Tiptoeing in, the pair found the white haired nekomata still very much asleep. Her bed was heavily disheveled and it showed that she had found sleep quite difficult to attain. Ravel wasn't surprised. The pink tinge gracing the bandages around her wounds showed that unfortunately at some point during the night the wound had seeped or possibly torn slightly. Bringing the sheets up lightly to keep her warm the two devils then backed out quietly.

Once returned to the hallway and away from the wounded Nekomata's room, Ravel turned to Sara, "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Sara looked up at her with a slight smile while shaking her head in the negative. Ravel led the way forward to explore the estate and find the dining room or if there wasn't food already available then the kitchen.

"Let's go get something then." Sara's smile widened as she happily followed the senior devil.

It took the pair almost twenty minutes to find the dining room. They found bedrooms, ridiculously large storage closets, an extremely messy study, a library that was so neat that the only explanation could be magic, rooms full of varied antiques collected through the centuries, an indoor gym that Sara commented would probably be able satisfy Issei for only a few minutes, and then even more formal rooms including a billiard and darts room before they came to the dining room in the Lyons wing.

The dining room featured an elaborate, well crafted and beautiful stained wooden table that could easily seat twenty with room to spare. Currently it only had one occupant. Sebastian sat at the far end of the table, two laptops and a tablet along with his phone and hundreds of printed sheets of collected information and tidbits spread out in front of him. He appeared to be engrossed in work with a slightly stiff and rough appearance that told Ravel that he hadn't slept during the previous night. As the girls entered he looked up and Ravel felt a pang of guilt for interrupting him.

"Oh I am so sorry. We didn't mean to intrude." Ravel offered quickly.

"Not at all," his smile genuine across his handsome face, "I had been curious as to when you would all awaken. I imagine that you are both hungry."

Ravel went to answer diplomatically but found her efforts undercut by Sara who nodded emphatically, "Very." The younger girl replied earnestly.

Sebastian rose to his feet indicating for them to sit at the table wherever they pleased as he made his way to an adjacent doorway. Opening it briefly he spoke with someone whom the girls couldn't see before turning around to address them.

"The cook will have food brought out for you shortly."

As he returned to his work both girls sat in silence after thanking him. Ravel was content to sit in silence. She was in another noble family's home and wished to cause as minimum intrusion as possible. Her associate however felt differently and as Sara began to speak, Ravel groaned inside, the casual nature of the Gremory family and their compassion with peerage members was well known in the underworld, yet at this time Ravel wished that Sara had been taught a bit more decorum.

"What are you working on there?" the young girl asked toward the engrossed Frenchman.

Ravel had to bite her tongue to avoid scolding Sara directly and only hoped that she would be able to apologies to Sebastian before the younger girl became too much of an annoyance. However the look that Sebastian gave the youthful devil wasn't what Ravel had expected. Instead of anger or annoyance, he looked at her in mild surprise before smiling and patting the chair beside him. An invitation to move closer. Ravel watched as Sara picked up from her spot opposite from herself and moved to sit beside the busy man.

"I am searching through all the known magical sites in northern France, cross referencing them with rumoured sightings of Riser Phenex or Grigori and then trying to narrow down our search pool for where the most relevant sites for your team to conduct a ground operation would be." He explained effortlessly while pointing to various pieces of paper and opening windows on the devices for Sara to see. The young girl remained quiet, simply nodding as he went. The girl was absorbing everything he said.

"What about that?" she stated as he finished, pointing at something Ravel couldn't see on one of the laptops.

"It's the draft of my report so far to the Duc and Lady Akeno. My analysis of the sites, potential for relevance to the enemy and finally, my recommendation on where I think your team should go first."

His answer piqued Ravel's interest. She really wanted to know where he thought that they should be exploring or targeting first but she also didn't want to pry. She wasn't sure if she was more annoyed or thankful that Sara didn't hold such reservations.

"Where should we go then?" Sara asking the logical question without any thought of protocol or formalities.

Sebastian took a quick drink from the glass of water beside himself before responding,

"Ah I think I should wait for his Lordship and lady Akeno before we discuss this further. They were both up late and Lady Akeno had quite a stressful event."

Sara again responded before Ravel could intervene, "Yeah, Issei got pretty beat up huh."

Ravel wanted nothing more then to face plant at the blasé nature of Sara. However Sebastian merely chuckled in a manner that showed he found he attitude endearing.

"You could say that, but I do not know the man so I would rather not comment."

Ravel couldn't take any more of not being involved, she just had to know what the le Barton devil had been researching. Standing up abruptly,the motion of which caused her chair to tilt and fall, promptly gained both other devil's attention as she stood awkwardly rigid.

"Can, can I also see what you have done, only if you don't mind." She forced out, the final string of words racing from her lips.

Both seated devils stared at her blankly for a moment before looking to each other. In unison they both broke into fits of laughter and Ravel felt her cheeks begin to burn red with pangs of annoyance building within herself. Were they mocking her?

Flames materialized on her hand as she pointed her right hand at Sara, "Don't mock me. Why can't I know too?" She demanded of them with the words directed toward Sara.

The reaction wasn't what she expected with Sebastian going mildly wide eyed and stopping his laughter as he tried to begin an apology however Sara continued to laugh if possibly even harder. Words did escape her lips though, words that irritated and yet paused Ravel, "I'm... we... we aren't mocking you."

Ravel extinguished the fire and stared at the younger girl who finally gained enough control of her outburst to sit upright and open both arms toward Ravel while indicating to her. "You are so rigid. All formal and stuff. Just relax and come look at it with me. Sebastian doesn't mind right." Sara stated plainly with the final question toward the man beside her.

He was uncertain as he replied. 'Of course not, if lady Phenex wishes to see, then I have no problem at all."

Sara gave the older girl a large smile, "See its fine. You need to chill. You know like Issei and all of us. You are far too formal. It is probably why Issei said you have a stick up your butt or whatever that means. But maybe not as relaxed as he is, because you know, he does stuff like regularly trying to challenge Lord Sirzechs."

"What?" Ravel and Sebastian both replied. Unbeknownst to Ravel, Sara's demeanour and change in conversation had caused her to relax and stand casually. At first she was grated by the Saiyan's choice in expression when describing her but that went out the window at the thought that he actually openly challenged a ruler of hell.

"Yeah they often try to outmatch each other. I also overhead Lady Grayfia tell Akeno that when Issei found out about how Rias was being forced marry your brother, Lord Sirzechs accidentally used the word 'sacrificed' and Issei smacked him so hard that he couldn't speak." Sara then smirked before quickly adding a caveat to her comment, "But don't tell Issei, Lady Grayfia says his head is big enough already without knowing he can probably go toe to toe with Lord Sirzechs."

Ravel wasn't sure how to respond, the Saiyans attitude was just so foreign to her, and it was only when Sebastian decided to change the conversation that she realized she had walked around and sat beside him to the other side of where Sara was.

"So as I was saying to Miss Sara, these are the locations I am checking." He began and Ravel found herself smiling through his description and not even noticing the plate of food that was placed down in front of her. His eyes holding her attention far better then the food ever could.

* Gremory Mansion, Hell *

Rias was restless. It had been over three hours since she finished her call with Akeno and Duc le Barton. Kiba, Asia and Irina were all resting. Their injuries treated and then put to bed. Asia had tried to insist on using her magic to help Issei but Rias hadn't allowed it. Her magic was so depleted that Rias wasn't going to risk another member reaching the level of exhaustion that Issei had. Granted he drained all three aspects of Ki as he fought against Bikou, where as devil magic only lowered a person's store of Shoki but that was beyond the point. She wouldn't risk it. Now that they were all asleep though she had little to do other than sit in his room and watch his body heal.

What she wanted more than anything was to speak with Ddraig or enter her boyfriend's mindscape. To have the opportunity to find out exactly what was happening but she couldn't as she had so far been unable to make contact regardless of how many times she tried.

In response to her frustration she wandered the estate. She roamed aimlessly all over the gardens and the lower levels but everywhere brought up images of Issei or Akeno. She didn't have either at the moment and it caused her to be infuriatingly lonesome. The garden where he first transformed in the giant ape. The room where Akeno and her first spent time together after she became her Queen. Her bedroom where, well where they all became so much more.

She couldn't just go speak with her brother or parents either. They had the fallout of this mess to deal with. Heck, they had to devise a way to either cover up what had happened, which was a lost cause by this point or to make contact with humanity. Governments, important organisations, societies. It was a monstrous job and one that Rias knew she couldn't interrupt right now. What a great time to shit the bed so to speak, right when they were going into a potential shadow war against Kokabiel.

Her restlessness brought her back to the main entrance way to the great mansion, what she didn't expect to see though was Grayfia moving down into the west wing. Weren't they all in the upper east wing but then again Grayfia had been with Ajuka. Rias followed after her with the hopes of catching up and speaking with her sister-in-law. Grayfia entered a storage room toward the entrance of the west wing and Rias opened the doorway behind her to address her. Her brother's queen and wife was busily rummaging around the shelves, digging into boxes and crates.

"Hey, what are you looking for?" Rias announced her arrival trying to keep her voice as relaxed as possible. More to convince herself than Grayfia.

"Oh Rias," Grayfia replied in a voice that was clearly distracted. "Just looking for some Malatone quartz."

Rias rested herself up against the door frame, "Why? What's it for?"

"Ajuka's new device. The one to assess the threat of someone. He needs it to build the lens." Grayfia responded in short sentences as she continued to rummage through even more of the clutter that packed the overfilled storage room.

Moving over and beginning her own search Rias began to systematically help with the two settling into a simple silence. Rias really wished that Grayfia would start a conversation about something, anything to end her own thoughts from being the only thing going through her head. Normally Rias could talk to the older woman about anything and often confided in her but right now she was simply at a loss. She just couldn't bring herself to start idle chit chat.

Papers, stationary, a pair of dusty old lamps. Six romance novels that Rias remembered her mother reading when she was younger and a spare light bulb. Nothing of any interest. Rias was about to ask Grayfia if she was sure that the crystals were kept here when the older woman spoke up.

"Aha gotcha." She cheered holding up an eight inch box filled with discs of quartz all roughly five inches in diameter and close to wafer thin.

"Thanks Rias," Grayfia offered with a smile, "I'm going to get these over to Ajuka.

"Can I come?" Rias quickly shot out. Grayfia seemed to ponder for a moment before smiling at her in a sympathetic way.

"Sure, I'm certain that Ajuka won't mind. Maybe you can help."

Bechard greeted Rias with a warm smile as he held the door open for her to enter the elegant automobile. She responded with a smile of her own, although not as warm as she would usually display and they chat about nothing of any importance for the length of the drive to the Beezelbub residence. It was generally a forty minute drive and although Rias wasn't sure how long it had taken, she was glad that her family's faithful retainer continued to be able to keep pressing events from her mind.

The Beezelbub residence remained as strange as it always had. It would have looked suited to being a carnival fun house or outlandish themed circus ground. All thanks to some of the more eccentric inventions of the inventor Satan. Ajuka was always willing to devise new ways to achieve what he desired. A tower floated in front of the house, the house itself four stories high but with solid stone walls and no entrance on the first or second story. The floating tower acting as a cable car would for a human lodge and ferried guests to the entrance at the centre of the open court style home on the third floor. Rias had always enjoyed marveling at the absurdity of the building when she visited as a child. While standing in the small tower with Grayfia, she allowed these happy thoughts to play through her mind as the unusual construct drifted over the high walls and down into the courtyard within the centre of the home.

A very excited and energetic Ajuka awaited the pair as they stepped from the floating entry tower. Without batting an eyelid at the younger Gremory's arrival he spoke to Grayfia. "Did you get it? I just know that I have got this design right if I can use the Malatone quartz. Oh hey Rias."

The words came out just as excited as a young child, with him almost bouncing up and down, just like he was about to receive a Christmas present. He really never did change when he was close to a breakthrough. Grayfia handed him the container and he pivoted sharply before leading the way into his estate. Rias trailed as the older pair discussed the design. She wasn't entirely sure what either were talking about but she understood that when he referenced lenses and scanning the potential of someone that they were referencing to the new device to track dangerous foes. It appeared they intended to make it some form of glasses or similar device. Once inside the home, it was no less different then the outside. Staircases that moved around with a mind of their own. Doors that led to different rooms if you said different passwords while moving through. It was a mixture of well designed security and eccentricity.

The group proceeded through a few rooms and halls before arriving at Ajuka's laboratory. Calling it a laboratory might not have been right though. The room also featured as a foundry, manufacturing presses for small products or machines that began mass producing other items. The sales of these items were one of the driving factors behind the Beezelbub wealth. The industrious nature of Ajuka was something that rubbed a lot of other devil nobility the wrong way. Many traditionalists looked down upon the 'lower acts' of trade and manufacturing but the wealth that it had brought the Beezelbub family along with Ajuka's personal strength meant that there was very little they could do. He could out buy them and show them up rather easily in a personal duel.

Ajuka took the container to a workbench that contained welding and cutting devices. A powerful cutting laser being his implement of choice for this activity. He immediately began setting to work with Grayfia's assistance. Making and drawing out the general shape to be cut in the quartz. Rias considered moving over to watch but favoured wandering the room. It was of a massive size and contained so many half built and theorized designs that she would be able to distract herself thoroughly. Furthermore she didn't want to end up under foot and getting in the way.

Time began to pass while the elder devils worked upon the quartz. Taking their time to ensure that all sizes were lined up meticulously before any cutting took place. Rias found herself playing with a device that was a small oval shaped pill. At the top sat a button. She went to push it and Ajuka called over to her as if he could somehow tell exactly what she was doing without looking at her.

"Make sure you throw it the moment you press that."

With her curiosity piqued further now, she pressed the button and tossed the pill out. A small puff of smoke obscured the landing location of the pill and when it had cleared, a Harley Davidson motorbike lay on the floor. Aware of the outcome Ajuka called over to her again as he remeasured a length to be cut.

"Those capsules are close to ready. Currently able to store items up to a factor of five hundred times their volume with no consideration for weight at all. The only issue is that when released the contents land haphazardly. It gets a bit messy. Once fixed we think they will be a massive seller." He explained eagerly. Rias was once again truly impressed by his genius.

Rias moved over to the bike and examined it thoroughly, attempting to work out how to revert it back to the capsule or how to put it back in but Ajuka offered no advice and she couldn't find any indicator. She would have simply asked but he now seemed even more engrossed in his project if the progressive rise in excitement in both his and Grayfia's words were anything to go by. Lifting the bike up, she put its stand out before leaving it and continuing her exploration of the wonders that Ajuka had conjured up. The sound of the laser cutting filled the air as Rias came upon a small vial. A minuet amount of a glistening translucent powder filling the bottom. It had both a silver and white glow to it, almost as if the product couldn't decide which shade it wanted to shine. A small label was spread across the face of the finger length vial. Carefully lifting it into her hands she rolled the vial to read the contents. Genki. Shoki. Yuki. The three elements of Ki.

It took Rias a moment before the implications of what she was holding dawned on her. She was holding pure essence of Ki. The product that Ajuka had utilized to make her Ki pieces. The raw elements of the power that flowed through all them in differing degrees but more importantly the exact formula of what Issei drew upon. An idea sprang to life in her mind. It may not have been possible but she had to explore it.

Moving over to Ajuka and Grayfia, Rias waited patiently until the laser stopped cutting through the quartz sheets.

"Ajuka," she began, her voice more upbeat then it had been since she had returned to hell. She wanted to keep a hold of herself but hope was building in her and she couldn't stop it from infecting her spirit. The Satan looked at her as she held out the vial, "is this pure Ki?"

It took the devil scientist but a mere glance before he replied happily, "Sure is. It's the remainder of what I extracted and infused into your Ki pieces. I have been meaning to manufacture more but it is a very long, tiring and costly process."

Rias nodded at his response. This was going to be a big request and she was uncertain if she had anything to offer in return, but she couldn't help but ask. "Could this help Issei?" She desperately wanted the answer to be yes.

Ajuka paused his measurement confirmation for the next cut as he assumed an expression that was a clear indication of him concentrating on a less than tangible concept.

"He is in his current state as a result of the severe injuries and draining all the aspects of his Ki to such ridiculously critical levels." His statement a form of clarification and Rias nodded earnestly that he was correct.

"Well I suppose that receiving a boost of Ki would definitely help. That is the same Ki as was in all the pieces that supplemented him so it should definitely be compatible. The issue would be delivery. You can't just feed it to him or inject it. His skin is too hard for a needle to pierce and his body would just metabolize it without absorbing it properly." Ajuka muttered his thoughts as he ticked them off before his eyes widened with that look that said he had a breakthrough.

"But we could use your king Ki piece. Sirzechs told me that you are able to enter Issei's mind and speak with Ddraig within him." Again Rias acknowledged with a nod. She wouldn't risk speaking lest it caused him to lose his train of thought. It was for this reason that Rias figured that Grayfia was also staying silent.

"Well this is just a theorisation but if you absorbed the remaining pure Ki into yourself, storing it in the essence of your King Ki piece then you may be able to push it through yourself into Issei. I'm not really sure but go ahead and try. I wasn't going to use such a small amount of Ki essence without synthesizing more."

Rias understood what he intended at the conceptual level but how exactly should she absorb the powdery substance. Mix it with water and drink it or rub it into her skin.

As if he could read the blank expression on her face Ajuka continued.

"Pour it into your hands and concentrate on the repository that is your king Ki piece. The rest should take care of itself." With that said he returned to working on his quartz lenses.

Rias moved away to the furthest corner and sat cross legged. Similar to how she often saw Issei sit when he meditated. Carefully she poured the precious powder into her left hand, while ensuring ever so diligently that every single iota was accounted for. Finally she closed her hands together, let her eyelids droop shut and then focused in on herself. She focused much like trying to find the entrance into Issei's mindscape but into herself this time. The sounds of Ajuka and Grayfia's voices slightly annoyed her as she tried to concentrate. It was distracting her even though she knew that she was the intruder here so to speak however as the minutes ticked by she realized that she couldn't hear them any more.

Opening her eyes, Rias found herself in a black nothingness that was very similar to Issei's mindscape however less warm. She looked around and found two figures standing before her. One close and one far. Each the same and yet coloured differently. Giant, twenty foot tall chess king pieces. Her evil king piece stood closest, a deep crimson red. From it emanated the blackness. It wasn't a cold aura but not a warm one either. It was just an aura. The Ki king piece was much further away, far enough that Rias had to walk a few minutes through an almost disconcerting space of empty blackness to reach it. It stood in a deep royal purple and emanated a warmth that she realized was far more similar to the comforting heat that existed within Issei's mindscape. She also found that as she approached the surroundings became lighter. Not white like Issei's but far lighter.

Reaching the king piece Rias reached out her hands to touch it. Pleasant, soothing, comforting. Those were how she would describe touching it. The object hummed slightly at her touch and she knew what to do. The thought barely forming to concentrate on the king before it took effect. A great rush of energy and a pulse that threw her back close to the evil king piece. She landed on her buttocks and sprawled out. Looking all around herself. It was clear that her mindscape had changed. The Ki piece pulsed out far more energy that swirled and mingled with the surrounding blackness. No shades of grey, simply a white aura emanating from the Ki piece that shuffled and swirled with the black aura of the evil piece. The air felt moderately warmer, even when away from the Ki king piece. But the biggest difference was the rush of energy that Rias felt. She felt more powerful than she ever had. Was this how Issei always felt? Was this what he was developing? No wonder her boyfriend was so obsessed with training and growing stronger. This feeling could easily be addictive.

Rias was concerned with the possibility of her body taking the power and using it. How long could the Ki piece hold it for within her? Would she be able to use it? Would it harm her? Best course of action now was getting to Issei as soon as possible. To that goal she once again focused before opening her eyes back in Ajuka's mansion.

The first thing she noticed was Grayfia and Ajuka standing close to her. Her sister-in-law held a worried expression across her face while the devil scientist had an expression of keen interest.

"What's wrong?" she said, curiosity and slight worry filling her words. She noted quickly that she still felt the rush of the flowing Ki.

Grayfia seemed to ponder words but Ajuka spoke immediately.

"An aura much like Issei's white Ki aura flickered around you briefly. How do you feel?"

It was touching to note that concern was still present in his voice. His only interest wasn't simply in the scientific. Although Rias suspected that it largely was.

"I feel great. The Ki is like an incredible rush of energy and I feel invincible." She stated while Ajuka noted down what she said whilst muttering to himself.

Rias turned to Grayfia. "Don't worry, I am keen to get this Ki to Issei as quick as I can. I won't do anything reckless. I do know exactly why he is so obsessed with growing his Ki and strength though. This feeling could be so very addictive."

Grayfia gave her an understanding smile as Rias excused herself before rushing out to leave the estate. Within minutes she was in front of Bechard, the chauffeur more then happy to take her back to the Gremory Mansion. The ride back to Gremory home was swift and silent with Rias finding herself feeling restless with the pure Ki moving through her veins. Multiple times she felt tempted to tap into the power, Devil power only utilized the Shoki. To be able to harness the Genki and Yuki would be a first for a devil. It could lead to amazing breakthroughs. But Issei needed this. That single thought was all that kept her from succumbing to the temptation.

Bounding through the grand mansion, she arrived at Issei's bedside as fast as she was possibly able to achieve. She almost threw herself into the seat pulled up beside him in her hurry before calming herself with a series of deep breaths. She raised her hands and lay one on his head and the other just below his ribs. The same point where he had first been injured by Raynare. She didn't need to even think, instantly the whitish silver flowed from her finger tips and into the incapacitated Saiyan. As it did his aura raged up around him, first like small wisps and then growing with the flow of Ki until it burst forth in a size close to the that of his first flight. As fast as it had come, was just how fast it contracted away. It was then that she felt a pull against her mind. Instincts flared and she began to resist the pull throwing up mental barriers however she paused as she felt the familiarity of it. "Ddraig?" she asked tentatively.

"It is truly good to speak with you young Rias." The great dragon replied.

Before Rias could respond he continued. "Focus and I will bring you in."

With that she closed her eyes to enter Issei's mindscape once again.

* Team Akeno, Mansion le Barton, France *

Akeno awoke feeling a strange mix of rested and anxious. She had slept well, her phone indicating that it was almost noon and yet she was filled with worries for Issei, Rias and the situation that had been unfolding which meant that mentally she didn't feel as if much had changed. The burden of succeeding still weighed down upon her in a manner that felt all too heavy.

Exiting the bedroom she found the halls to be washed in the warm light of the day and the smell of delicious food carried through the estate on the light breeze. Following her nose Akeno soon found herself at the dining hall. The remainder of her team already present. Sara and Ravel sat beside Sebastian. Koneko across from them beside Marie with the French noble assisting the injured nekomata much to the stoic smaller girl's embarrassment. The Duc sat at the head of the table currently enjoying a light lunch. Grilled duck breast and a garden salad. Taking a seat to the far side of Koneko, a plate was instantly presented to her by a staff member. Akeno thanked the man before turning to the Duc. Reading her intent before she could even open her mouth he spoke up.

"Have something to eat first. You need to keep your strength up and we may not have much time later. We can discuss everything after you've done that much."

Akeno couldn't argue. She was eager to get to the task that had been assigned to her team but at the moment she was hungry, didn't want to offend or argue with the Duc and could see his logic easily.

Despite her hunger Akeno took her time to eat. A lady always ate correctly and she was cognizant of appearing as her boyfriend did while consuming any meal, not that she thought she was even capable of ever eating that fast, but still didn't want to create the image. The idea of the Duc seeing Issei eat was something she didn't want to ever imagine happening.

With all the meals consumed and the inevitable mess cleared away, Sebastian flourished a small portion of magic to generate a holographic screen in the centre of the table. The various electronics used to conduct his reconnaissance and surveillance gone from the room to places unknown. He cleared his throat before beginning his presentation.

"Good morning all. Or shortly to be afternoon. As we all are aware, it was suspected by Gremory house intelligence that Riser Phenex and operatives of this shadow organisation that he is working with are operating within French sovereign territory. I have scoured over the past night to confirm as much detail as possible as well as conduct my own initial analysis of possible targets and motives." His words confident and well presented. It was instantly apparent to Akeno that Sebastian had extensive knowledge and experience in this form of delivery. Potentially in the form of military training or service.

"We have confirmed the sightings of Riser Phenex as well as Grigori elements within our region. This confirmation has also solidified their relation in working together. So far eleven sightings have been fully confirmed with close to another dozen still unverified. All the locations have been those of cultural importance and link to old Latin culture. Specifically around the fall of the Roman Empire."

With this statement, the holographic monitor displayed images of Riser and a group of five individuals moving through various ruins over French and Belgian territory. All ruins that bore the signs of being of either ancient Roman construct or influenced by Latin design. The group of individuals included a blonde woman, two men with olive skin who appeared to be twins. Both sporting dark hair and almost black eyes. The final two had managed to avoid easy identification through the combination of the angle within the images presenting only their backs and the use of cloaks or hoods.

Sebastian continued his report as the images rotated around in the air above the table.

"The exact reason for the focus on Roman cultural sites can only be speculated at this time however I assess that it is in relation to the despicable act he conducted in the murder of his own peerage and the production of the mystery crystals that was intercepted and undermined by the team of Lady Gremory's knight. Both occurrences appear to be based around the use of an ancient magic that was prohibited even in the time of Roman devils. The exact working of the spell is unknown however what I have been able to decipher is that it draws out the pure life of the victim to directly bolster the assailant. Other mentions include regenerative or resurrective properties. The relation to Kokabiel and his group are unknown but this spell is the most tantamount lead that we have so far. With that in mind, these are the locations where any reference to the spell can be located."

With that, nine locations showed on a world map. Four in Italy. Two in Germany and three in France. A single extra point then began to flash, highlighted in northern France.

"I believe that this is the target that our foes will be aiming for, the Batterie D'Azeville. A fortification built by the Nazi regime as part of their Atlantic wall defenses. The site was built atop an ancient Roman fort. Many strange occurrences have been reported through the centuries by locals and the German forces posted their in the Second World War. It was always suspected that the Roman fort contained arcane items and imagery I attained from an associate last night showed signs of recent tampering despite all tourism and exploration being shut down by the local authorities."

Images of the location floated through the air. Concrete and reinforced walls. Dug in weapons positions and reinforced overhead coverings. It was easy for all present to see that it was an old military structure. Akeno simply sat and listened as the Duc as he discussed with Marie and Sebastian about the implications of such a position. She was more interested in what such a location could offer to Kokabiel and his group. She was unable to connect the dots in her head of how he would utilise this magic. Clearly Riser planned to use it to attain more power. It was plain to see that he was hungry for the ability to defeat Issei. But she just couldn't work out what Kokabiel was after. The connection to his supposed true god was something that would need to be found out later.

"We will head there then." Akeno declared. The room looked at her and she continued, "We have a lead. We will pursue it. If it is nothing then we scratch it off the list. If it is something then we catch them as soon as we can. We will leave as soon as possible."

The Duc's face remained neutral before he spoke. "I understand, a bias to take action can be a valuable advantage. However young Koneko here is injured. May I suggest she remains behind in our care and Sebastian accompanies your party in her place?"

Koneko began to argue that she was able to still perform her duties however the pained strain on her face as she attempted to sit forward to make her point rather undercut herself and Akeno overruled her immediately. "Thank you Duc le Barton. I truly appreciate the help and care that you have offered to us."

At this Sebastian rose, excusing himself to prepare while Marie escorted a stubborn Koneko back to her room for further rest.

The look the nekomata gave Akeno as she passed would have appeared almost hostile to most others however Akeno knew Koneko too well. She could see that the girl understood why she had been replaced and was simply defending her pride as a warrior for being forced to tap this one out. It was a sense of pride that had been enhanced by association with Issei.

Twenty minutes later the group gathered at the entry foyer of the le Barton estate to begin their travel across France to the site in Northern Normandy. They would be taking the train for the same reasons that they took human air travel to reach the country Avoiding obvious detection on approaching the site. Sebastian wore a dark set of pants, sturdy boots, a royal blue collared shirt and dark jacket. Akeno briefly caught sight of what she believed to be a hilt or handle on the left side of his hip under the jacket. He was prepared to engage in combat.

The local station, Gare de Corbiel Essones, was less than a ten minute walk so the group moved by foot. Human pedestrians looked at the group, not because they were odd, the group fit in quite well, but rather as Akeno was aware due to herself and Ravel. The two girl's had chosen to wear clothes that were intended for travelling yet still stylish and clearly flattering on their very attractive figures. Despite herself Akeno couldn't help but shake her hips a little as she walked to accentuate her appeal. Sara was too young to garner such attention or understand it and so found the repeated glances by those they passed, mostly men, to be odd.

"A lot of people keep looking at us." She stated in a flat voice that announced her annoyance at the occurrence.

'That's because of Akeno." Ravel replied bluntly. The offending beauty simply smirked as she softly spoke back with a little tease.

"Guilty but I can't help who I am. Anyway I'm not the only one who they are looking at." Being herself was making her feel more normal and less concerned for Issei as well as dulling the intense pain of missing both him and Rias.

"But you keep them looking back with the way you move." Ravel retorted and Sebastian couldn't help the snort of amusement he stifled to suppress.

"I believe you are right Mademoiselle. Lady Akeno does enjoy letting her charms be known." His voice light and clearly non-accusatory.

Akeno replied with a broad smile and pushed forward to lead the way of the group with Sara bounding up beside her before reaching out to take her hand. Akeno looked down to her left and smiled at the young girl as their fingers intertwined and the two walked along ahead. Instantly her flirtatious movement ended and Akeno moved more in a manner that would be associated with a big sister strolling with her young sibling as the younger girl began a conversation about shopping that they would do on return to Japan.

Sebastian noted this instant change being a half dozen paces behind, beside Ravel and let his thoughts be known to the blonde daughter of house Phenex.

"Lady Akeno cares deeply for Miss Sara." His voice softer so as to try and avoid the forward pair hearing his comment.

Ravel kept looked toward him and saw his eyes on her as she replied with a light blush taking to her cheeks whilst under his gaze.

"Yeah, it seems so. I haven't really been with them for very long but Sara is pretty attached to Akeno and Koneko." Ravel replied while constantly willing her blush to leave her face despite the lack of success in doing so.

"I see." He replied as his smile took on a slightly cheeky nature, "And are you also attached Lady Phenex?"

Ravel almost choked at the reply, the double meaning plain for her to read. The soft blush becoming far more pronounced as rosy cheeks with her voice suddenly refusing to comply under her response, "Nuh. No." She mumbled out, turning her face away from his. Instantly feeling very self conscious.

Ravel kept her gaze firmly planted on all the buildings across the road from them as they approached the station and allowed the sound of the conversation ahead of their pair to keep herself in silence until she arrived at the train station.

Once upon the train, Sebastian having paid for the tickets for the women, despite their having money he insisted once again against French honour, the group moved through to the second to last carriage to find it empty of other travelers. Sara plopped herself down in a four seat booth against the window with Akeno sitting beside her. This left the opposite for Ravel and Sebastian. Offering her the window seat, Sebastian waited for Ravel to sit before taking the last himself. Akeno watched as Ravel seemed almost a mixture of reluctance and happy to sit by the French devil even if the first thing she did was stare out the window at the buildings passing by as the train began to move. The soft red glow to Ravel's cheeks told Akeno all that she needed to know and the mischievous girl began to form a plot in her mind. She had four hours to pass until they arrived near Caen.

Leaning over she nudged Sara to gain the younger girl's attention. Before Sara could turn to her and give the game away before it began though, she leant in and whispered softly in her ear.

"Ravel's blushing. She's got a crush on Sebastian."

As Sara turned to her, the grin on her face said that she would follow with any lead that Akeno chose to take. This however hadn't gone totally unnoticed by Ravel who had pulled her vision over to the pair while half heartedly ignoring the man beside her. Sebastian himself was busily checking for any updates via his phone to what could change their tactical objective. As always Akeno believed in pushing things to begin with.

Feigning a stretch and yawn she pushed her chest out as she addressed the man beside Ravel.

"So Sebastian, you look like you work out a lot. Looks good. Nice and firm." She spoke with seductive tones and a flirtatious smile. The reaction from the pair almost had her break into laughter. If she wasn't so skilled at strategically flirting with others then she just might. Sebastian had looked up at her and visibly been forced to swallow before coughing out a respond about how he often enjoyed keeping up his strength. All the while trying to find anywhere to look other then the tight front of Akeno's top being pushed out toward him through her protracted stretching. Ravel however had whipped her head almost as if under tension toward the Gremory queen and was now glaring pure daggers at her. Exactly the response that Akeno had been hoping for. The girl was so uptight that she would never make a move unless she was forced into it.

Akeno reached forward and ran her fingers along the man's arm. "It definitely shows," she continued in a smooth seductive tone while walking her fingers up and down his arm. She was pleasantly surprised to see that he had regained the majority of his composure and was now looking at her a bit skeptically although still caught off guard. "Girls like that. Say, are you single?" He never got the chance to respond though as that was apparently all it took to cause Ravel to let herself be known.

"Have you no shame? You are already in a committed relationship and yet you are trying with another. Can't other people like someone without you trying to grab them for yourself?" Ravel snapped the words and then a moment later realized that her tactical mind had failed her. Usually she was so analytical. Never being spontaneous and acting when all of the variables had been accounted for. But with her prim and proper upbringing she had never encountered someone like Akeno before. Now she had gone and said too much, the victorious grins on both Gremory devils opposite her told her as much.

"Oh Ravel. Jealous are we? Someone you like huh?" Akeno began to tease much to Ravel's misfortune.

Meanwhile Sebastian felt rather confused by Akeno's abrupt shifts in behavior. He knew from her reaction the previous night that she loved the Saiyan and yet here she was acting very flirtatious with him while Ravel became more and more defensive. It was then that the cogs slipped into place and he realized what the leading lady had done. Not what he expected but at the same time he couldn't say he wasn't interested in Ravel.

It was Sara that broke the situation though in a fashion that only she could by suddenly standing up and causing everyone's attention to turn to her.

"Oh oh oh. I get it now." She exclaimed, continuing before either older girl could stop her. "Ravel likes Mister Sebastian but she is too uptight and snooty to say it so you acted all flirty to him to make her jealous and say the wrong thing."

Sara looked incredibly proud of her figuring the situation out while the other three all had different reactions. Sebastian was once again blown away by the bluntness of the girl and had to remind himself that she had spent essentially no time in noble company. Akeno was similarly dumbfounded as even she hadn't been willing to go so far as to blurt it out quite like that, possibly that was a side effect of her first real upbringing in Noble society being influenced by the brazen nature of Issei. She could only imagine the embarrassment that Ravel had to be feeling.

The embarrassed girl in question looked about ready to erupt in flames. Her left eye twitched continuously in an almost violent manner as she rose to her feet. The expression causing Sara to begin attempting to back away over the rows of coach chairs so as to put distance between herself and the murderous devil before her. Akeno began thinking as fast as she could to regain control and prevent the train becoming a battlefield but it was Sebastian who seized the initiative by reaching out his hand and taking Ravel's right into his. At the light touch, she stopped stock still and turned to face him in a state of renewed embarrassment and shock.

"Lady Phenex, It would be my absolute pleasure if you would accompany me to dinner after this is all put to rest." A charming smile on his face with the slight blush that Akeno knew to come from a guy who meant the request that he had asked.

Ravel almost seemed immobilized. She simply stared at the man with a blank expression before nodding toward him and sitting down just as abruptly as she had stood up. Her voice finally returning to her. "Yes, I would like that."

Akeno could have laughed at how well that had turned out but decided instead to give the two some space and remove Sara from Ravel's potential wrath should she deem it still warranted. "Well hehe, I think Sara and I will go find another seat then." She said before standing up, turning and grabbing a hold of the young girl to bring her along. The pair sat in a booth in the next carriage. This carriage contained close to a half dozen other passengers however if Akeno reached over she could observe what the two were doing even if she couldn't hear what they said. Just because she was with Issei and Rias didn't mean she couldn't watch. In fact she considered her committed relationship all the more reason to eavesdrop and collect some juicy gossip.

"So that went well." Sara commented as they sat down before Akeno turned to look at her with a half smirk.

"I think you need to apologies to Ravel some time. It might have worked but I think she is till considering killing you."

Sara simply grinned back her own broad cheeky smile and rested her head on Akeno's shoulder before closing her eyes for a nap.

Over the next few hours Akeno was pleasantly excited to see the other pair talking in depth and for Sebastian to still have Ravel's hand in his. She almost gave a giddy hurray and clap when she saw Ravel's fingers interlock with his, sliding slightly and gingerly playing together after close to an hour of their holding hands. She knew that it was too much to hope for the proud yet sheltered Phenex noble to kiss the Frenchman.

The train pulled into the outskirts station near Caen and the group disembarked. The sun was already beginning to dip as dusk approached. Moving as one the group traveled toward their goal with Sebastian leading the way. He had been unable to discover anything new during the train ride. That is to say he had learnt plenty about Ravel but nothing of the target they approached. It was almost dark when the series of eight year old German concrete bunkers appeared in their view. They approached from the south-east toward what had previously been a platform for artillery to fire onto the beaches on D-Day. Now it was roped off so that tourists couldn't enter.

Except someone recently had. In the low light all the devils could see the foot prints through the dusty ground. Too fresh to be more then a day or two old. Multiple pairs. Slipping under the rope the group ventured forward. Sebastian knew the layout of the buildings roughly due to his research. Unable to find a specific layout he knew that there was five individual above ground structures and a simple series of underground tunnels that connected them. A command bunker in the centre predominantly underground. Forearmed with this rudimentary guide the French retainer lead the way.

Minutes ticked by in silence as the group crept through the weathered fortification. Shadows played around the corners from the moonlight and shapes flickered in the dark yet nothing was encountered. The group however kept their guard up. Every member was fully aware that in both other groups' circumstance they had engaged their respective enemies. Chances were that they could well do the same tonight. Yet without incident they reached the command room and began searching around the larger space. Much of the old wartime infrastructure had been preserved. Items of military use scrapped by the allies during the fighting but tables, chairs, installation stations and the like all kept as part of the historical site by the local authorities. Akeno pondered if this was a dead end. It seemed unlikely, the Duc was a skilled strategist and Sebastian a potent tactician. Both agreed on the assessment of this site.

As she looked around the room she felt a tug at her sleeve from Sara. Following the girl's silent indication she looked over to a heavily damaged, twisted and warped steel door. The group moved over to see that it was a heavily fortified bunker door. The burn marks around it seemed excessively old and Akeno figured they were from weapons during the war. What caught their interest though was that the heavy door seemed to have been prised open and closed recently. Sebastian stepped forward to move the door and yet despite his strength he was unable. All three girls stepped beside him and grasped around the side to help drag it open. Expecting a loud scrape, Akeno was surprised to find that while it made noise, the sound of it being pulled against the floor was far less then she expected.

Moving into the space Akeno found a less then pleasant sight. Heavily decomposed bodies and skeletons in Wehrmacht uniforms of varying degrees of damage or burn. The tunnel seemed to house them along its length further then she could see. Suddenly it made sense. The withdrawing Germans had made a last stand here and the Allies had utilized flame weapons, in the process the door became wedged shut. Humans had been unable to open it without damaging the site and so left it closed. Which all but confirmed that something of supernatural origin had been the culprit to opening it up recently. Akeno turned to her team and told them to follow yet leave the door open. An ability to escape was worth the risk of detection. As they entered Sebastian pointed forward and shrugged to indicate that he had no idea what lay ahead. This tunnel hadn't been mentioned in any of the information that he had found.

Even more cautious and on edge than before, Akeno led the way forward. Before meeting Issei she had been bold but not one to lead from the front. Again his influence had rubbed off and now she felt it was her place to lead the way when in an unknown situation. Just like he would.

The tunnel seemed to lead further into the ground and soon forked into multiple paths. Taking a guess Akeno chose the right and followed it through to another fork where she also took the right. She was careful with where she put her feet so as to avoid the dead bodies that became a far too frequent feature of the floor. Less seemed burned and more had bullet wounds. Still not something she wanted to focus on. Coming to a third junction she was about to choose to go right again when a noise caught her attention. A shuffling scraping noise along with a rattling sort of shudder. It came from behind her and Akeno turned around just as her team did the same. All four having heard the sound from behind them. The source was not something that she wanted to see. Before them stood a series of forms slowly rising up and taking a disfigured humanoid shape. Battered decaying bodies. Torn, burnt and stained Wehrmacht uniforms. Dull red eyes. A dozen decaying zombies. Nazi zombies.

Despite everything that Akeno ever faced, she never found the prospect of the undead comfortable. The creatures revolted her. On instinct she shot her left hand forward and unleashed a spike of lightning that arced forward and toward the closest zombie as it stretched up fully. The electricity coursed through the beast, she expected some form of verbal response. A growl or scream but all it produced was a gurgling sound as it collapsed back to the ground in a smoldering wreck.

The collapse of the first acted as an instant trigger for the rest. Mouths hanging open in inhumanely spectacles, they unleashed a horrifying wail before lurching forward. Those with more sinew and structure sprinted while those with less dragged and shuffled at the small group. Sebastian stepped forward to meet them flicking the side of his jacket aside as he did. In a flash of light a long sword of elegant design pointed toward the foes. Ethereal energy coated the blade and dripped from it in arcs and crackles. Slicing the blade through the air, energy waves of the same as his blade cut through the air toward the charging zombies. The razor sharp blades carved through the flesh of the beasts much like a hot knife through butter. Yet despite the ease to which Sebastian's attacks slew them, more streamed down the twisting corridor toward the group. The sound of further roars mixing and echoing together toward them.

Ravel stood beside Sebastian. The pair filling in the width of the corridor and preventing the zombies rushing past and into their group. With hands raised she unleashed torrents of flames that incinerated the closest foes while setting the clothing and flesh of those further back a flame.

"We can't stay here." Akeno stated plainly. "You both hold the rear and prevent them reaching us. Sara, we will lead and clear the path forward. Let's go."

No one argued and the two Gremory devils led the way. Continuing with the right hand fork the group moved forward. Now at an awkward speed of attempting to maintain forward momentum but also allowing for the rear pair to regularly turn around and unleash attacks upon their constant pursuers. Immediately red eyes stared from before them and more vile zombies approached from their front. Sara projected volley after volley of green energy darts, her long red claws replacing her hands in case of melee combat. Akeno utilized a mixture of wind and lightning to prevent the horde closing in on them and slaying those before them.

Fortunately, regardless of the speed of the dead, they still moved predictably and lacked any endurance against attacks. At the end of the day, the simple undead made a fantastic meat shield or horde to block a gap but their lack of intelligence removed any form of versatility. This allowed the team to push through and clear the corridors they entered. In a matter of minutes they had pushed through a series of twists and turns before hitting what Akeno had hoped to avoid. A dead end. Spinning around she overlapped her attacks through Sebastian and Ravel's in an attempt to assist their efforts.

It now became a slow grind to try and push their way back through the length of tunnel they had just cleared. Over a hundred zombies had fallen already before them and yet still more flocked to them like an army of moths to a bright flame.

"How many of these damn things are there?" Akeno yelled out while continuously unleashing barrage after barrage of wind gusts that served to feed and amplify the embers of Ravel's cones of flame.

"I read over eight hundred Germans died around here so I suppose we have that to look forward to." Sebastian replied as he shot forward and sliced through a particularly bulky zombie that had made it through the maelstrom of magic.

A disgusted sigh was all Akeno responded with. She was concerned at the prospect of exhaustion. These creatures didn't take a lot to kill but magic was a finite resource without resting. Each small spell took Shoki and each devil only had so much that they could use. That was where a mass like this could overwhelm more potent adversaries. She suddenly wished she had Koneko, the girl could just strike her way through them and with the gravity training she had been putting herself though, would easily be too fast for them to catch or harm. Hopefully Sebastian could substitute well in the close quarters department if need be.

Moving slower but still forward the group pushed back to the last split they had last encountered. Where the enemy had began this encounter, the route they had taken back was so heavily packed with the dead that Akeno pushed forward into the left hand fork. Once again the team formed the forward pair and rear guard. A large zombie lurched in a stumbling and jerky motion around a corner close into them. Akeno poured lightning and gusts of cyclonic wind into it. The wind however was unable to move the fiend, even as the lightning caused its muscles to spasm while it was roasted through.

Sara darted around the collapsing carcass of the larger zombie and produced a rapid succession of explosive green needles that she promptly fired toward the mass of moving bodies behind it. As the needles embedded themselves in the flesh of the creatures, her aim true with the majority hitting necks and the cranium. Less than a second after burying in the needle would explode in a small burst of green energy. The zombies instantly decapitated or their heads simply evaporated before the corpse would collapse to the ground.

Akeno was genuinely impressed by Sara's action and ruffled the girl's hair as the remainder of the team moved around the overgrown corpse of the large bulbous zombie. Their tactic shifted to Sara leading with her explosive needles and Akeno supporting. This allowed her to conserve a portion of energy and allow the trickle of Shoki to re-energize slightly as they moved. Sara would need to switch out but if they were smart then this rotation could allow them to continue until their goal was complete.

The horde behind them continued relentlessly, Ravel and Sebastian forming in swiftly into a cohesive pair. Efficiently thinning the flow behind them yet it refilled immediately and constantly pressured the group as they moved forward. The zombies to their front began to lessen as they pushed down the corridor that dipped further into the earth and before long they were moving faster as only one or two would shuffle before them to immediately receive a bolt of lightning or explosive dart that would erase it from existence. The concrete of the structure around them ended and shifted to dirt with hewn cut and decaying wooden sleepers keeping the tunnel from collapsing.

This dirt continued for less then a hundred metres more before Akeno could see the expanse of an open area beyond. The darkness of the tunnel becoming such that even with her enhanced vision she struggled to see what lay in the distance. Bursting into the area multiple things happened simultaneously. First light flared as a series of Wyrdflame lanterns around the exterior of the room burst to life casting an ominous glow of blue light over the large area. This presented the situation to Akeno.

Close to a hundred zombies formed around her group in the large area. The space roughly the size of a rugby oval in both width and diameter. The group instantly stopping in their tracks. The zombies in the tunnel continued to flood into the space however instead of rushing the four devils, chose to split to either side and fill in the edge of the area, completing a full circle. They were now surrounded in an open area with an earthen roof too low to allow flight. Only eight or nine feet high. Forty or so feet of free space around their team as the zombies shuffled about. The walls of the area showed ancient stonework that had been reclaimed by the earth over the centuries. Akeno cursed internally as she began mentally preparing herself to unleash a tirade of spells,yet before she could the zombies before her began to part. Three figures moved through the group and Akeno was forced to grab Ravel's shoulder at the sight of the lead figure.

Riser led the three toward them with a malicious smirk that said clearly he believed he had won. To his right stood one of the twin men with olive skin and dark features. To his left was one of the robed figures that they hadn't been able to identify. As they entered the space the zombies closed up the gap and Riser opened his arms as if in greeting.

"Welcome, welcome, so good of you to come just as we predicted you would. This is such a wonderful occasion and you all stand on truly special ground." His voice full of his overflowing cockiness. It was clear that he planned to give his self imposing diatribe.

Akeno's mind whirled as she worked to form a plan of action for this situation. If need be she would play into his ego and keep him talking, stalling for time to allow everyone to think.

"This is where we have uncovered more of the ancient power that Lord Kokabiel has granted ever so graciously to us." Riser continued, clearly enjoying his feeling of importance. "The Nazi regime sought out supernatural power and they uncovered this ruin. With it we have gained so much more, it will be such a fitting tomb for you all but alas your actions have caused us harm and so now your precious Duc must die." His final words directed toward Sebastian.

"What?" Sebastian spat out, "You will never be able to match my liege."

Akeno was confused as she listened. If Riser knew they had come into contact with the Duc, then that could only mean one thing. Someone had told their enemy.

Riser shook his head before replying, 'That is true. Duc le Barton is a formidable warrior. But while I will join this assault on his estate it will be Master Kokabiel who will slay and claim his life force."

"You bastard." Sebastian retorted with barely concealed anger before darting forward, his blade cutting energy blades through the air. At this the olive skin man raised his arms upward, producing a barrier of dark orange energy between Sebastian's attacks and Riser that held up to the blows. The Phenex sigil appeared beneath Riser and he spoke before vanishing.

"Bring my sister's body when they are dead. I still want to absorb her life essence." With that statement made he vanished in a flash of yellow light.

His departure was clearly the order to attack and the zombies surged forward. As one the group began unleashing spells however Akeno kept her eyes firmly planted on the two figures behind the magical barrier. The olive skinned man continued to provide power to the barrier, an action that seemed to take his full concentration and effort, while the other threw their cloak aside to present themselves. What stood before Akeno was a male figure wearing a rough set of purple pants held by an orange sash and black boots. The figures skin was alabaster white and completely hairless. Purple tattoos covered the majority of the visible skin and the eyes of the figure a total red orb. The tattoos themselves caused Akeno to groan in disgust. Necromantic tattoos. Of course they had a necromancer.

The figure immediately began to chant and although none of the group understood what it was chanting, that didn't matter. It was obvious that the outcome would be more dead things attacking them.

Akeno shouted over the group as she fired off great arcs of lightning toward converging mobs of Zombies. "We have to kill the tattooed freak."

Nothing more needed to be said and Ravel turned her flames toward the energy shield that the olive skinned man was producing. The flames crashed against the vibrant, pulsing walls yet they refused to crack, falter or fall. After a minute of directing her energy against them, Ravel was forced to redirect her attack towards a pocket of Zombies that attempted to break into the right side of their position where Sara's darts were not quite numerous enough to stem the tide.

Inch by inch the zombies were gaining ground and it became evident that they would need to take to the offensive if they were going to survive.

The necromancer raised his arms upward, the fingers of his hands splaying and seeming to play an invisible keyboard in time with the pitch of his chanting reaching an eerie crescendo. Skeletal hands began pushing through the dirt dragging decomposed leather and metal armour with them. This was just what Akeno needed, even more undead.

The skeletal creatures stood, a mixture of feudal warriors and Roman legionaries who'd died up to two thousand years ago. No decaying flesh remained. Simply bone and armour. However these fiends wielded weapons. Spears, short and bastard swords respectively. Some with round shields of the Middle Ages and others with the Roman scutum tower shield. Magic was less effective against these foes who raised their shields and advanced.

Sebastian shot forward to meet them, engaging the closest group with a flurry of strikes, parries and blows. His blade sliced through their bone, instantly destroying those it struck and yet still others swung at him. It was evident that he was a formidable swordsman but with him now engaged in melee combat the group was at a disadvantage of less firepower to stem the zombies who continued to rise up and flow down the tunnel.

Driving his sword through a shield into the skull behind it while simultaneously pivoting away from a wild sword swing and subsequently lashing out to the side to decapitate a dozen skeletons, Sebastian yelled to Akeno. "If you can hold them all for a minute. I can end this."

Akeno wasn't sure if they could hold back the undying horde for a minute, but she would be damned if she was going to deny a plan if he had one.

"Do it." Was all she yelled and Sebastian disengaged from his foes before dashing into the relatively protected centre of their group.

He chanted a few long Latin words before cutting his sword painstakingly slow through the air from the ground to above his head. As his sword cut the ethereal energy seemed to carve through the very fabric of reality, a rift appearing.

The exertion of constantly barraging the space around them was beginning to show on all three girls as Sebastian became close to finishing his cut. The heat from the various spells building up as well as the oxygen beginning to lower. All compounding to make continued exertion harder and harder. After close to the minute that he asked for, Sebastian's rift was complete just as shuffling skeletons in what appeared to be Norse or Saxon garb began striking at Sara.

The smallest girl was fast enough to dodge their attacks but was unable to continue unleashing her darts, now being forced to weave through their blows to slash at them with her razor sharp red claws. The claws splintered shields and deflected axes and swords alike but close quarter fighting still wasn't her specialty. Akeno launched lightning over her with one hand, determined to help alleviate her while holding her side as well.

Sebastian took a breath, ignoring his urge to help the young girl and plunged his blade through the rift while focusing on the area behind the energy shield. Obey it's masters will, the sword and then followed by his arm moved through the rift and protruded out of a similar rift behind the two sentient targets. Allowing his momentum and the power to pull him, Sebastian fell through the rift and came out the other side. The olive skinned man turned with wide eyes and attempted to raise another spell but it was too late. In a flick of his arm, Sebastian's blade cut cleanly through both foes necks. As their heads left the security of their shoulders, the magical barrier collapsed and chanting from the necromancer stopped in favour of the gurgling sound his bloody open neck made. Before his body could even hit the ground a pulse of energy released that flowed harmlessly through the living yet disintegrated the dead.

The only sound was one of deep panting as the four took in as much air as their lungs could get. The flames and lightning of Ravel and Akeno's spells extinguished as soon as the pair were certain that the threat was over. Sara lay on her back, sprawled out. Clearly the young girl was exhausted. Fatigue affected them all but now unfortunately wasn't a time to rest.

"Good work." Akeno offered to Sebastian before looking up at him and continuing, "But that was so much longer than a minute you know."

"My apologies." The only words he said as he rested against the wall. It was then that Riser's final comment came to his mind and his exhausted expression was replaced with one of stoic duty.

"The Duc. We have to go to the manor."

Despite their fatigue, the three girls all looked toward him and nodded in acknowledgement with Sara picking herself up from the ground.

Sebastian wasted no time and formed the fleur de lis sigil of house le Barton. When all four had entered, he activated the magic and took them to assist his home.

---

edited on 26 August 2021