Authors note:-

a quick warning, this chapter is self-edited so there may be a few more mistakes than usual. The Beta'd version is a bit delayed and should be up in a few days, but I have kept you all waiting for long enough so I spent the entire day going over everything to fix any mistakes so I hope you enjoy the chapter.

*Chapter Start*

Chapter 19:

The Power of a Fist

Though it held over a hundred souls within it's walls, the waiting room was silent. Not a word was spoken as every Devil in the room stared speechlessly at the now blank monitor, which earlier had been broadcasting the examination of their fellow participant, Emiya Shirou. And although it had been a good two minutes since his examination had ended and the screen turned blank, not one a single one of them had been able to look away.

…

…

Another silent minute had passed before someone decided to speak up. It was a young man, a Knight of someone's Peerage.

"Did..." his voice broke, and he needed to pause to swallow before carrying on. "Did that really just happen?"

"...Yup." Saji confirmed when it appeared no one else would answer, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Oh." The knight mouthed, before drifting off and silence returned to the room.

...

...

"That was..." another Devil started to speak up, a brunette Bishop, but almost immediately she trialled off, unable to think of the words to properly describe what she had seen. But she didn't need to finish, they all understood what she meant.

"Yeah." A Devil next to her agreed, nodding his head dumbly.

Silence once again filled the room.

…

...

Finally someone snapped.

"Why the hell is something like that even here?" A blond haired King threw his hands up in exasperation and asked the question they were all thinking. He pointed towards the blank screen. "Wasn't the Gathering supposed to be for beginners? Then why the hell are going to have to fight a monster like that?"

"...Elders." Another solemn faced Devil answered.

"Ah," The King nodded slowly in understanding and crossed his arms over his chest. Then the young King spoke up, once again voicing what everyone was thinking, "Fucking Elders."

This time every head in the room nodded, speaking as one. "Fucking Elders."

Technology had evolved at an unbelievable rate over the last several years. There were technological wonders today that had been considered nothing more than science fiction even as little as a decade ago. Doctors could create artificial limbs with nothing more than a printer, magnetic trains that will never know the touch of the ground or a rail, and glasses that can submerse you into a digital world by beaming signals straight to your eyes.

And as technology had evolved, so too had the world evolved alongside it. Humans, like they tended to do, have adopted and adapted to this new technology. Incorporated it into their daily lives so seamlessly it felt as if it had always been there. And just like humans, so too had Devils embraced the wonders of technology.

Nothing could demonstrate this fact better than the common smart phones.

To say I was surprised by what modern phones could do wouldn't be a completely accurate statement. I had always been vaguely aware at some level of how mobile phones advanced over the years, it's just I had trouble understanding why people made such a big deal out of it. So what if you could talk to your friends while standing in line for coffee, why couldn't you just wait until you met them to have a chat? And how could some news be so important that you needed to text it right away, yet wasn't important enough for you to wait until you were face to face so you may have a proper conversation about it.

My mild distaste for modern phones had lasted until Serafall showed me an 'app' that was known as 'Allthecooks'. To think that a community could be formed where chefs all around the world could share their recipes with one another, and entirely for free too.

Phones are truly wonderful things.

"Look Shi-chan! Another thread popped up about you."

It was amazing how my new found love for smart phones quickly soured to utter loathing.

Opening my eyes, I shifted my sights downwards to where Serafall was currently using my lap as a pillow, her hair pooling around my knees. She was lying on her back, legs stretched across the sofa and her feet draped on the armrest while she held a cellphone before her face.

Her violet eyes were sparkling with barely restrained mirth as she read out from the screen, "'I was born' – possibly the greatest bad-ass boast ever."

Serafall threw her head back and cackled, "That's great! Hahahaha," She reached up to pat me on the cheek, her fingers felt warm on my skin, while giving me another of her beaming smiles, "it looks like my Shi-chan is finally becoming popular."

It had only been an hour since my fight with Rylan and if the entire population of the Underworld wasn't talking about it then it certainly felt like it was.

Just like the human world, the Underworld too had it's own version of the internet. Serafall was browsing through one of the many forums dedicated to the Rating Games and, to no ones surprise, it was currently ablaze with comments about me. There was literally thousands of threads popping up all over the place and countless of posts. So far the comments had all been overwhelmingly positive, if a little bit more enthusiastic than I was entirely comfortable with.

"Oh! Oh!" Turning my head to the source of the voice, I found myself staring at Sirzechs, who was lounging on a sofa of his own across from mine. Like Serafall he too was resting on his back with both of his legs draped over the edge of the sofa's arm. He held up his phone with one hand while pointing with the other at something on the screen. "I found another one."

He cleared his throat before reading out from the phone. "That had to be the most epic thing I had ever seen! I am so Gar for Emiya." The Demon Lord blinked in bewilderment at the phrase before turning to give Serafall a questioning look. "Serafall, what does 'Gar' mean?"

"It's a phrase made up by the fans of the show 'Unlimited Blade Works'," Serafall answered absent-mindedly, her focus mainly on her own phone, "Basically one of the fans misspelled the word 'gay' as 'gar' and instead of saying 'I'm so gay for Archer', it came out as 'I'm so gar for Archer."

My thoughts screeched to a halt as my mind tried and failed to process what I just heard. I then sighed. Alright, it looks like the next time I end up meeting Archer I'm gonna have to let him kill me on sheer principle. We both know I deserve it for doing this to him.

"Needless to say the phrase caught on and fast. After being adopted by the fans it quickly spread until it became a part of mainstream pop-culture. It's mostly used towards male characters or individuals who are so overwhelming manly that your own masculinity is absolutely buried, leaving you nothing but a swooning girl-child before them."

"Ah," Sirzechs nodded his head thoughtfully at Serafall's explanation, "so it basically means to have a man-crush on someone. Gar, I like it. In that case." With that Sirzechs returned back to his phones and began typing. "I...too…am Gar...for...Shirou, enter. There, that should do it." He turned to Serafall. "Did I use the word right?"

It was amazing how easily Sirzechs could make me want to slap him without even trying.

"Perfect!" Serafall chirped before reading from another post. "I wonder how many of those snot-nosed Pure-bloods have resigned on the spot after watching that massacre?" She lowered her phone and seemed to ponder what she had just read. "That's actually a good question. Sirzechs, how many ended up dropping from the Gathering?"

"None, though not from a lack of desire to." The redhead smiled, looking pleased. "Several of the participants have already requested that their fights be postponed until the next Gathering. Needless to say they were denied. And seeing as outright resigning is not an option for them, not without appearing as total cowards, it look like the majority plan to stick with the Gathering and just hope that they won't end up facing Shirou. Though I wouldn't be surprised to find more than a few deciding to turn tail and run if that were to happen."

Right now I was in the Maous's private viewing room and, unlike with the cramp waiting room I had been forced to sit and wait in before my examination, this place was spacious. It almost felt empty really with just Serafall, Sirzechs and me. Ajuka had been here with us earlier but had left at some point when I wasn't looking, taking his Codex with him, while Grayfia had to go off and handle some paper work that Sirzechs had left unfinished.

Glancing around the room I took in the sight of the floor-to-ceiling monitor embedded into one wall, which showed another examination taking place, and the half-dozen sofas lined up in a 'V' shaped formation so that they all faced the monitor.

"Ha-ha! Listen to this." Sirzechs exclaimed, eyes locked on his phone while his lips set in a grin. "Holy shit, our Maou beat this monster! How strong is Sirzechs?" And I swear Sirzechs was practically preening as he turned to give me a smug look.

Like I said, he doesn't even need to try.

"Oh~~, this is good. Listen." This time it was Serafall who spoke up. "It seemed that there was a lot of Devils out there that were turned on by the fight. Like this person right here. Not only does she want to sleep with Shirou, she also want to have his babies. Isn't that funny- Wait-WHAT!" Serafall sat straight up, glaring down at her phone as if she was trying to set it on fire with her eyes. "Oh, oh the bitch. Well lonelyDevil2072, we'll just see about that."

Then she began typing furiously on the phone. I deliberately looked away, making sure not to look at the screen and catch a glimpse of what she was writing. I had a feeling that whatever I saw there would end up traumatizing me for a long while.

"Guess you aren't laughing now, are ya Zekram?" Sirzechs read out another post. He stared at the screen for a couple of seconds before snorting and putting the cellphone down on the table beside him. Lifting his legs off the armrest, he swung himself upright in one smooth motion before turning to face me. "So Shirou have you figured it out yet?"

"No." I shook my head, "At first I thought that Zekram just wanted to see me fight but the more I think on it the less sense it begins to make."

After my examination was over, I hadn't wasted any time getting here and demanding some answer from Sirzechs on what the hell was going on. And instead of simply telling me, the infuriating redhead just gave me a smug little smile and told me to try and figure it out myself, as if this was some kind of lesson. And with Serafall agreeing with him I was left with no choice but to try.

But it was no use, no matter how hard I tried to put the pieces together nothing seemed to fit. Every theory I could think of had so much holes in it that I didn't even bother to voice them.

The most obvious guess I could think of was that Zekram wanted to see me fight. He knew nothing about my fighting style or how powerful I really was. He knew that I was strong, capable of taking down a twelve-winged Fallen and make even Sirzechs himself bleed, but that was all information he received second hand. He lacked any solid information about me. To him I was an unknown, a Devil that he had virtually no information on, not on my abilities or even my background. From his point of view it must have seemed as if I had appeared out of thin air. It only made sense that he would want to gather as much information as he could on me and by tossing me in the Gathering he'll have plenty of times to see me fight.

But when I stopped to think on it a little, the theory stopped making any sense. If it was just a matter of seeing me fight then there were other ways he could have went about it. Methods that are far simpler and lest costlier than what he did. Like waiting.

I was already planing to participate in a Rating Game after the Gathering was over, I had promised Xenovia that I would, but even if I hadn't been planing to it still was only a matter of time until I did. The Rating Games was such a big part of the Underworld's culture and Devil politics that I would have been roped into it sooner or later. And I was only nineteen, I would have still been eligible for next year's Gathering even if I had missed this one. All Zekram had to do was wait.

And Zekram was very good at waiting.

The man's patience was the stuff of legend, it made no sense at all for him to have gone through all of that trouble just to see me fight when he would have gotten the same results if he had simply sat back and done nothing. Heck, Zekram could have just approached Serafall and offered to arrange a Rating Game between me and a strong opponent. He would have probably gotten away with it if he phrased the request just the right way.

Instead what did he do? He insulted the Sitri Heir, who happened to be a Serafall's little sister, along with Reincarnated Devils and half-breeds in general and me in particular. It didn't make any sense for a political monster like him to do something so foolhardy for something he would have ended up getting anyway.

"The only thing that I am sure of is that he expects me to win." I continued. "Zekram wouldn't have allowed me to fight against Rylan Phenex unless he was sure I was capable of beating him or doing well enough to pass the exam."

This at least I was certain of, there was no way he would have went through all of that trouble of getting me to join the Gathering if he thought I'd just lose in the first fight. Even if he wasn't the one responsible for my match up with Rylan, if he thought I had a chance of losing I'm certain he would have put a stop to it.

"Correct on both counts." Sirzechs nodded at me approvingly, as if I was a student in class that had gotten a difficult question correct. "What else?"

Shutting my eyes, I began to think on it a bit more before speaking, "This is not so much a theory as it is a gut feeling but I think Zekram wants me to join this Gathering in particular."

"And what is so special about this Gathering?" Sirzechs encouraged me.

"What else?" I replied, opening my eyes. "Sairaorg is participating."

It was only a matter of time until I joined a Gathering, so why would he push so hard to make me join this one? It was a big enough mess as it was that adding me to the mix would only cause even more mayhem. The only explanation was that there was something special happening in this year's Gathering that won't occur in the others. And if you ask anyone what was special about this Gathering they'll all give you the same answer.

Sairaorg was participating.

...And well, me too but that only happened afterwards so it wasn't really relevant.

"But that's what I don't get." I continued, "If my guess is correct then Zekram should be doing everything in his power to keep me out of the Gathering, not strong-arm me into it."

That was the part where everything stopped making sense. Zekram should have wanted Sairaorg to win. Badly at that. It was no secret that Sairaorg's position of Heir was that only in name. As someone who did not inherited his Clan's Bloodline he was legally incapable of becoming the Clan Head.

The only reason why Sairaorg was ever able to become the Bael's Heir in the first place was due to the Bael Clan's tradition. It did not matter if you were a child of the Clan Head or one of the branch members, if you had the Bael blood in your veins and were of proper age then you were eligible to become the Heir. All you had to do was beat the current Heir as only the strongest of the Clan's children will have the right to succeed the Head.

That was one of the iron-clad laws that the Bael live by. Only the strongest may rule and the rest must follow. Thus by beating all of his siblings and cousins Sairaorg became the Heir under Clan law. Though it seemed that when that particular rule was made no one ever predicted the possibility of a child without the Power of Destruction winning and thus the Bael now have an Heir that can never lead it.

Which was what I couldn't understand what Zekram was doing. He should have wanted Sairaorg to win. Sairaorg had already stated his intentions of becoming a Satan, and if he succeeded then Sairaorg would be forced to abdicated his position as Clan Heir leaving it empty for one of the other children with the Power of Destruction to inherit the Clan. If that were to happen it would become a win-win situation for Zekram. He would get a Bael to become one of the four Satans and get a proper successor that carried his Bloodline.

So why the hell was he trying to muck things up by throwing me into the mix? Even if Zekram believed that Sairaorg could beat me why risk it? It would only end up stacking the odds against Sairaorg with nothing to gain for it.

"And what else?" Sirzechs prompted after giving me a moment to think.

I shook my head negative, "Nothing, that is all I was able to figure out." Which if I was being honest to myself was no surprise. Human politics had always seemed like a bunch of nonsense to me, there was no way I could ever hope to understand inhuman politics.

Sirzechs crossed his arms and leaned back into his seat, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a few seconds of holding that pose he nodded. Leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees he spoke, "Shirou, to understand what Zekram wants you need to comprehend one important fact about him." He held up a single finger. "And that is Zekram is completely satisfied with the current state of the Underworld."

I couldn't help but frown at that, "What do you mean?"

"What I meant," Sirzechs explained, "is that if politics was a game then as far as Zekram is concerned, he has already won. Think about it, the Bael are currently the most powerful Clan in the Underworld, by far. They control almost twice the amount of land and resource than the second largest Clan, and it has been that way for over two and a half centuries. The Power of Destruction, the Bloodline that he himself had created, is recognized as the most powerful of the 72. He sits at the head of the Elder Council and has the ear of all four of of the Satans. In additional Sairaorg, one of his many descendent, is considered the strongest Devil of the newest generation and then there is me, his other descendent, who is considered the Strongest Devil in history."

"That's right." I mused out loud, "I almost forgot but you're actually Zekram's grandson aren't you?"

"Great-grandson actually." Sirzechs corrected, "My mother is his granddaughter. Zekram maybe old but that doesn't mean he stopped having children."

"Isn't old Zeky's latest wife pregnant with another child?" Serafall added in, showing that she had been paying attention despite still furiously typing on the phone. I made the mistake of glancing at the screen before looking away. There was an entire wall of texts that she was posting, I did even want to think what the contents of the post was. "I think that will be his twenty-second kid now?"

"Twenty-third actually." Sirzechs corrected. "Though only a small handful of his children are still alive."

"Now that your bring up, there is something I never could understand about how the whole inheritance thing worked. Only those with the power of their Clan can become the Head of said Clan, but you and your sister have inherited the Power of Destruction." I pointed out, "So why were you ever even allowed to become the Gremory Heir when you have the Baal's Bloodline instead of the Gremory's? I would have thought that the Baels would kicked up more of a fuss if another Clan had gotten access to their Bloodline."

It might have been just my imagination, but Sirzechs looked pained for a second before it was replaced with his usual genial smile. "That's not quite accurate. Both Rias and I did inherit our Clan's Bloodline, though it is weak in both of us. It happens from time to time that a bloodline weakens for a couple of generation before re-emerging stronger than ever, so no one was too worried so long as we held some Gremory traits."

Sirzechs tugged on a strand of his Gremory red hair as if to illustrate the point, "The problem was that by law, the child's predominate Bloodline will determine which of the parents Clans will have the biggest claim on them. Had it been normal circumstances it would have been well within the Bael's rights to declared us as Bael instead of Gremory. It was only because my father predicted something like would happen and insisted that he had first claim to all of his children when he was negotiating the marriage contract. If it wasn't for that we would have never been allowed to become Gremory. We were lucky in that sense."

Serafall snorted, still typing on her phone. "Lucky my cute magical behind. It cost your old man an arm and a leg to convince old Zeky to add that clause in."

"True," Sirzechs grimaced through a smile, "but in the end it was worth it. Thanks to that clause Rias and I were able to become Gremory in full."

"But that's not how old Zeky sees it does he?" Serafall pointed out. At some point she had dropped back down into the sofa though this time she had choose to lay on her stomach, legs kicking idly in the air.

"Correct, and that's exactly why old Zeky – I mean Zekram," Sirzechs shook his head at the slip, "believes he won. While Rias and I may carry the Gremory name, as far as Zekram is concerned we are Bael. So not only has a Bael usurped Lucifer's throne but one of his descendants is in line to rule another of the 72 Pillars. And now another Bael has emerged who is recognized as the most powerful Devil born in two centuries." Sirzechs held his hands open. "Like I said, if this was all a game than Zekram has already won it."

"So that's why you trust Zekram." It was like a picture coming into focus in my mind. "He had every reason to want you to prosper."

"Exactly." Sirzechs nodded, "Why would Zekram ever want to betray us when he already has everything he wants. What can the Old Satan Faction offer that he doesn't already have? Zekram has does not want to rule from the throne, he would much rather become the power behind it. He has accumulated more influence and political power than any single Devil since the Original Satans had ever possessed. The Underworld is as much Zekram's kingdom as it is ours, which is why we know that while he play his games he will never do anything to harm it, for what King will be foolish enough to harm his own nation? No, Zekram is content and he has no desire to rock to boat so to speak."

"Then why did he?" I questioned, "If Zekram is happy with how things are then why did he rock the boat?"

"It's because he knows that the times are changing Shirou." Sirzechs answered. "And as much as he would like things to stay the same, Zekram is wise enough to understand that change will happen irrespective of his desires. He knows only to well the fate of those foolish enough to resist the tides of time, he had witnessed with his own eyes as two generations of Satans refused to accept that the world had changed around them. He watched how they fought against it only to crumbled and fell for their error. Zekram had learned from their folly and will never allow himself to make those same mistakes.

"And that is precisely what makes Zekram truly frighting, his almost human-like ability to adapt. To you Shirou such a skill may be nothing out of the ordinary, but for my kind who are slow to accept the need for change even in the best of times and are even slower to actually change, such behaviour is all but unheard of. I do not believe Devil-kind had ever seen any Devil like Zekram and perhaps that is precisely why he lived when all others have died. And once again Zekram recognized that time for change is fast approaching and is already beginning preparations for it's arrival."

"Change." I parroted. "Your talking about the Reincarnated Devils aren't you?"

"I am." Sirzechs confirmed, "How the Underworld will adapt to the arrival of this new kind of Devil will become the most defining issue of this era. Currently Reincarnated Devils are treated as second-class citizens at best but that cannot last. The population of Reincarnated Devils is ballooning, with every passing decade more of them come flooding into the Underworld and it is only a matter of time until they, along with the other half-breeds, eventually outnumber the Pure-Bloods. And when that happens the Underworld will be faced with a choice. Either accept this new breed of Devils as their equals and usher on a new age of peace, or deny them that right and watch as their hate build, their resentment festers until it sparks another civil war."

"Then can't you do something about it?" I asked. "You're the Maou, the Satan in charge of Internal Affairs. If it's just a matter of legal rights then you should have more than enough authority to create laws to protect the Reincarnated Devils."

"That I can." Sirzechs nodded in agreement. "But the laws are the only things I could change, public opinion is a completely different matter and something well beyond even my considerable reach. Hate cannot be erased by laws. I can create a thousands and one new laws on how Reincarnated Devils should be treated as equal but in the end it won't make one lick of difference if the every Pure-Blood Devil still looks down on them as lesser beings. And with the amount of money, territory and power the Pure-Bloods have under their control they can easily make the lives of Reincarnated Devil miserable if they wished so."

"So no," The redhead shook his head, "the solution is not to change the laws but to change public perception. Right now half-breeds are considered an inferior race and that stigma must be removed. Not many know this but there was a time that Devils breeding with humans was considered a good thing."

The scepticism must have been obvious on my face because Sirzechs gave me a wry smile. "And no I'm not lying. It was thousands of years ago to be sure, and that belief only existed for a scant few years but back then having human blood mixed with a Devil's was believed to help create superior breed of Devils. This was at the time when Devils had first breached the human realm and discovered your original race. And to say that the Devils were fascinated with them would be putting it lightly.

"In that era the Devil race was a stagnating society, with hardly any change in technology or culture even after a millennium of time passing. So to find a race that could change so fast, filled with so much creativity that they almost appeared to make or discovered something new every day, it mesmerized them. And then there was the speed they multiplied. Devils always suffered from a population problem, even back then, so to find a race capable of breeding more than a hundred-fold faster than any Devil had them even more spellbound. So when the idea of cross-breeding with humans was first proposed by one of the Original Satans it was greeted with enthusiasm. To the Devils back then they believed they would strength their children by mixing their blood with humans. Alas that was proven false when Devils found out that only Pure-Blooded Devils could inherit the power of their Bloodline that the stigma against half-breeds were born. And soon after that the purge occurred."

"Purge?" I frowned, not liking the way that sounded.

"They were slaughtered." The distaste clear in Sirzechs's voice. "To the last, every half-breed born during that time period were killed by their own families. If the records weren't exaggerated then the majority of the Clan Heads had ordered that their own parents do the deed and the parents were only too happy to comply, ashamed of what they had spawned. Many of the children ended up being strangled by their own mothers."

"...They committed Genocide." I breathed, not even trying to keep the shock off my voice.

"Devils had always coveted strength above anything else, almost obsessively so. It has been a part of Devil culture long before we had even began calling ourselves Devils. Power is everything and the strong must rule over the weak, this is the instinctive nature of our race." Though he tried to keep it off his face Sirzechs's disgust was obvious. "To find out that they had 'corrupted' their bloodline with weakness, well it must have been unacceptable to them. So they chose to cull the herd before that weakness could spread to others. Though thankfully such barbaric behaviour is no longer practised any more. Instead half-breeds are only treated as dirt and often exiled from their own families." Sirzechs gave me an obviously fake smile. "Isn't progress wonderful?"

There was a long minute where no one talked as I tried to digest what I had learned, the only sound filling the room was Serafall's furious typing.

"But," Sirzechs finally picking up the conversation again, "it is that very catastrophe that gives us a ray of hope now. The origin of the modern Devil's distaste of half-breeds, Reincarnated or otherwise, does not stem from the mixing of blood or even blood-purity. Rather it comes from weakness that a mix heritage would generate. If that is the case then the solution is a simple one. All we must do is prove that even half-breed Devils can become as strong as their Pure-Blooded counterpart. That even without the power of a Bloodline or a Sacred Gear a Devil can still be strong.

"Zekram should know this better than anyone. He was there there when Devils had first began cross-breeding with humans and seen how the stigma against half-breeds had came about. He understands that if nothing is done to remove that stigma then another civil war is only a matter of time. And the Underworld is not ready for a second civil war Shirou, not so soon after the first one. It will break us. Which is why Zekram's trying everything in his might to stop it from happening."

"How, by insulting every Reincarnated Devil in public television?" I snorted. "How is that supposed to stop a civil war from brewing. If anything Zekram just added fuel to the fire by pissing off every half-breed out there."

"That he did, but at the same time he had also given them a way to vent their anger, a method to prove him wrong." Sirzechs countered. "You said it yourself, he insulted not just you but every Reincarnated and half-breed Devil in the Underworld. On live television. Now this fight is no longer just about you or about proving your strength. This had become about the entire half-breed race and whether or not they could really stand up to the strength of the Pure-Bloods. And he set the whole thing up so you, the only Reincarnate Devil with the power to bring down a Satan, ended up as representative of the whole Reincarnated Race."

"Already it is happening." Sirzechs picked up his phone and waved it in front of him, "On every site, they gather. The half-breeds, Reincarnated, all of them want their voices to be heard so they gather together and yell out their desires as one: Crush them! Teach them of our might, let them taste our power. Prove that they are not beyond our reach, that our fist can reach them, our blades can cut them, that our strength shall not be eclipsed by theirs. Let them learn,the Demons and Devils alike, let all of them learn that we too are strong."

"And you will become the instrument of their will." Sirzechs dropped the phone back onto the sofa and rose up from his seat, making his way to the large floor to ceiling monitor, "You who are the strongest among the Reincarnated Devils and yet have attained that power through your own effort. A human born with neither a Sacred Gear nor the blood of a famous Clan, you are the perfect representative to others who are also without. This is the Young Devil's Gathering, a place where the strongest of the Pure-Blooded children have gathered together to fight for supremacy. And it will be here that the entire Underworld shall witness as those very youths are brought down by the power of a single Devil, a Reincarnated one every bit as young as them, thus proving the might of his race."

"Is that why it's so important for me to join this Gathering?" I asked, "Because so many Pure-Bloods are joining it?"

"In part." He admitted, stopping only a few paces before the giant monitor. The monitor was currently displaying an empty room, completely barren except for the large Magical Circle engraved on the middle of the floor. It was the same room I was taken to before my match. "It is true that this Gathering will become the most fierce in history and winning will leave a bigger impact compared to other ones, but that is not the true reason." On the screen the door to the room had open and in stepped a dark haired Devil that I recognized instantly, his Peerage trailing shortly behind him. "He is."

"Sairaorg Bael," I spoke up, "So I was right, he is involved in this."

"Of course he is." Sirzechs turned to face me with a smile, his frame was back-dropped by the screen so even when I was looking at him I could still keep my eye on Sairaorg and his Peerage. "There are more than just Reincarnated Devils who are dissatisfied with how the Underworld is run and they too will need a voice to speak out for them. That will be Sairaorg's role. Where you will represent the Reincarnated Devils, he will represent the other minorities of Devil-kind. The natural half-breeds, the children of Devils and humans, and all the other Devils that are scorned and looked down upon, he will stand up for them all."

"But Sairaorg is a Pure-Blood." Pointing out the obvious hole in his logic. "So how is he supposed to represent them?"

"He may be a Pure-Blood but he is also a cripple, one that was had been discarded by his own Clan. The only true difference between a Pure-Blood and half-breed is their ability to use a Bloodline, something that Sairaorg lacks. He did not inherit the Power of Destruction and even the bloodline of his mother's Clan, the Vapula, is so weak in him that it's hardly even there. And then there is his Peerage." Sirzechs pointed at the screen behind him. "Tell me Shirou, do you know what kind of Devils make up Sairaorg's Peerage?"

I took a moment to search through my memories before I found the answer. "Extra Demons."

"Correct. With the exception of his Pawn, every member of his Peerage is an Extra Demon. His Knight Liban Crocell," Sirzechs pointed to a blond haired man with a sword wrapped up in a white cloth in his hand, "and his Bishop Misteeta Sabnock," A bespectacled man with braided brown hair falling to his waist, "are both natural half-breeds, born from a union of man and Devil. While his other Bishop Coriana Andrealphus," a women dressed up in a business suit with wavy blonde hair, "is someone like Sairaorg, a Devil born without her Clan's Bloodline and had become an outcast because of it. And finally there is his Queen Kuisha Abaddon, his other Knight Beruka Furcas, and both of his Rooks Gandoma Balam and Ladora Bune, all four of them are members of the Discarded Pillars."

"Discarded Pillars?" I looked at the four with renewed interest. "I'd never thought I'd see a member of those Clans ever set foot in the Underworld by their own free will, let alone become a part of a Peerage."

There were three ways for a Clan to be removed from the 72 Pillars. The first was for all of the Clan's members to perish and these were known as the extinct Pillars. The second was for the Clan to lose it's Bloodline. It was rare but there have been times when an entire generation or more failed to develop the power of their Bloodline. That was not a problem if there was even a single living member that can use the power but if they had all perished and the only remaining members were incapable of using their Clan's power then the Clan's status as a Pillar would be suspended until their Bloodline re-emerged in later generations. Fortunately it was not uncommon for lost Bloodlines to re-emerge late on down the line even after not appearing for several generations.

The final and most extreme method was for an entire Clan to have their status as a Pillar stripped from them. This had only ever happened once and that was during the aftermath of the Civil War. It happened to four Clans and it was them that earned the title of Discarded Pillars.

Even after the Civil War had finally ended and the New Satan Faction emerged victorious it did not mean that everyone was willing to accept their authority. The Abaddon, Furcas, Balam and Bune, Clans that had fought on the side of the Old Satan Faction until the final days of the war and only surrendered when their leaders along with the majority of their Clan had been killed. Still even after surrendering they refused to acknowledge Sirzechs and the other new Satan's authority, disregarding any commands from them.

Unwilling to execute them and lose their Bloodline forever but neither were they willing to allow such behaviour go unpunished, the four new Satans and the newly established Elder Council were left with no choice but to strip those Clans of their status as Pillars, taking away the majority of their lands and privileges. In retaliation ever member of the four Clans left, secluding themselves from the rest of Devil society and living in self-exile alongside the other Extra Demons.

"Though I tried, I could not convince even a single one of their members to stay. If one, only one had remained and accepted my authority then I would have made them the Head of their Clan and allowed them to remain as a member of the 72 Pillars. But even with such a prize dangled before them they all refused, to the last not a single one of them willing to stay or acknowledge me as their leader." Sirzechs voice turned forlorn as he spoke but as soon he threw his head back and laughed. "But now look at them."

He pointed to where the four along with the rest of Sairaorg's Peerage had gathered in the Magic Circle, looking as happy as I had ever seen him. "Not just one but all four had gathered together, one from every Clan, all united under the banner of a single Devil." The redhead gave the dark haired youth a fond smile. "Truly you are impressive little cousin, to have succeeded where even I had failed."

On the screen the Magic Circle began to glow as it was activated and a second later there was a flash of light and Sairaorg along with his Peerage disappeared. The screen switched, this time showing an overview of where Sairaorg's examination will commence.

"Random my ass," I said as I looked over the battlefield. "There is no way this was selected by chance. This place is the worst possible match up for Sairaorg."

"Hmm," Sirzechs hummed, though I couldn't tell if it was in agreement or not. Like me his eyes were scanning the field, expression thoughtful, "Not that it will make much of difference in the end though. Sairaorg will pass."

"You sound confident." Though despite my words I too agreed with his opinion.

"Of course I am. Sairaorg's strength is the real deal, if something like this was enough to stop him he wouldn't have made it this far."

Like every exam so far the territories of both sides were castles, the difference this time is where it the castles were located. They were both built right in the middle of a canyon.

The terrain for this exam was a desert, an empty one where nothing grew or lived with only rocks dotting it's landscape. The only defining feature about the terrain was the gigantic canyon, splitting the desert in two. Even with a single glance it was easy to tell that the canyon was artificially made. It's sides was too straight, running perfectly parallel to one another as they stretched to the horizon to have been formed naturally. It was as if the ground had been cleaved in two by a giant's blade.

It was deep too, a good five miles to the bottom with walls so steep it was almost a straight drop down and at least three miles wide. The bottom of the canyon was flat, free of obstruction or cover, giving a clear view to anyone watching. And it was there, built directly into the canyon's walls, that castle was located.

They were on different sides so that both castle sat directly opposite the other in a perfect symmetry. They were set at the mid point of the walls, over two miles above the canyon floor and the same distance beneath it's peak. As for the castle themselves, there were ever bit as unusual as the location they were built in.

Half of their structure was embedded into the canyon wall, so that you could only see the half that was jutting out. That half sat on a tiny ledge that was barely large enough to hold it. Hundreds of windows dotted the castle's surface. They were narrow, barely wide enough for a person to fire an arrow through or cast a spell but far too small for even the thinnest of Devils to fit through. It meant that there was only one entrance to the castle, and that was through the main gate.

The gate itself was huge, over two dozen feet tall and made from thick wood. And if the runes that were branded into it's surface was any indication, the gate was enchanted and was probably harder to break down than the walls themselves. Jutting out directly beneath the gate was what appeared to be a large balcony. It had no railing, probably meant to be nothing more than a platform for Devils to land on or take off from. It was large enough to hold an entire Peerage easy, with room to spare.

"That isn't a castle, it's a fortress." I eyed the unusually thick walls of the structure. Even looking at it from the outside it was clear that they were far thicker than any of the other castle walls used in the exam so far. And consequently they will be much harder to break through. "This really is the worst match up for Sairaorg."

"Why do you say that?" Sirzechs asked, though I was sure he had seen the same thing I had.

"Because there is no place for him to attack from." I scanned the battlefield once more as I gave my explanation. "Every report I've ever read on Sairaorg all agree that he is an extreme close range fighter, using nothing but his own two fists to fight with. He refuses to use any kind of weapons or even spells, fighting only with his own body. But this is not a battlefield where you can get up close and personal to an enemy."

I nodded to the wide chasm of space separating the castles. "This entire battlefield is designed to be one large aerial battle. There is no way to approach the other castle by land. Even if you managed to climb the canyon walls, you'd be bombarded by enemy spells. There is no cover to hide under so anyway you try to approach will leave you open to long range attacks. That leaves flying as the only method of travel but even that won't be enough to get you in. There are windows overlooking the platform in front of the main gate, the moment you set foot on it you would be overwhelmed by the spells of the defenders manning the gate. Trying to break through their would be suicidal, you'd be under enemy fire every second you stand there. Both castles are practically implementable unless one side is will to suffer heavy losses trying to break through. This means that the only place the battle can occur will be outside of the castle. If that's the case then unless the examiner is a complete idiot then he can completely avoid close quarter combat."

It was illegal for a side to do nothing but defend in a Rating Game, so unless the examiner was willing to risk disqualification he'd have to leave the castle. But the entire field was designed to be an aerial battle, it meant that he could completely avoid fighting Sairaorg in this match.

Aerial combat was a completely different breed of fighting compared to land based combat. In the air it was almost impossible to get in close to an enemy unless they wanted you to or if you were overwhelmingly faster than them. There was simply too many direction in the air that you can take to avoid an enemy. Which is why most aerial battles end up as a series of hit and run fights.

You can't hit a flying enemy from far away, they can easily see an attack coming and dodge. Which is why you had get in close before firing a spell, but by getting close you are putting yourself in the range of your enemy's attack in turn. So what often happens is that aerial fights turn into a kind of dance as both sides tries to sneak in close, fire a spell off before darting away only to repeat the entire process again. When done right it was almost beautiful to watch.

While it was possible to fight a flying enemy from the ground you needed cover to do that. Devils are naturally faster in the air than on ground and they had more room to manoeuvre with there so without anything to hide behind a flying enemy can bombard you with spells while easily avoiding return fire. And this battlefield is completely empty of anything that resembled cover, natural or otherwise.

"This entire terrain is a long range specialist's wet dream and a close range fighter's nightmare. While his Peerage might be able to pick up the slack Sairaorg himself will be almost worthless in this type of fight." I finished. "And why do I have the strangest feeling that whoever the examiner is, he has a Peerage that is filled with long range spell casters and fast fliers."

"It doesn't matter." Sirzechs turned away from the screen while he waved a hand before him as if he was pushing everything away. He began returning to his seat, "I have absolute confidence that my cousin will overcome thi-"

[Sairaorg's Queen has retired.]

"Wha-" Stumbling mid-step, Sirzechs eyes widened in surprised and he whirled back around to look at the screen.

[Sairaorg's two Bishops have retired.]

Even I was caught completely off guard by the announcement. I rose up from my seat and walked towards the monitor, trying to get a better glimpse of what was happening.

[Sairaorg's two Knights have retired.]

My eyes quickly scanned the battlefield, attempting to take everything in at once. But no matter how hard I looked I couldn't spot anything. The field was empty and neither side have left their castle. There was no way an attack was happening, and yet-

[Sairaorg's two Rooks and his final Pawn have all retired]

Yet Sairaorg's peerage kept falling.

And now he stood all alone.

"What the hell is going on?" I wondered out loud.

"I..." Sirzechs looked as bewildered as I had ever seen him. "...I don't know."

Then as if to answer our question, the gates to Sairaorg's castle began to swing open.

The gates creaked and groaned as the ancient wooden doors were forced open, granting passage for the one inside.

The groans faded away once the doors had slowed to a halt, only to be replaced by thudding of black boots on the stone floor. He walked on unhurried feet as he strolled out of the castle, lifting his gloved hands off the gate as he did so.

The breeze buffeted his frame once he stepped out in the open air of the platform, sending his dark hair dancing and tugging on the thick and fur lined green cloak that rested on his powerful shoulders. The youth continued forward, his steps light despite the muscular bulk they carried, stopping only once he reached the heart of the platform.

Placing both his hands on his hips the youth raised his head upward, his lavender eyes searching the skies, jumping from cloud to cloud. A moment later he took a deep breath before releasing it in a long exhale, his lips curving in satisfaction.

"It is a find day," Sairaorg hair was ruffled by the breeze as he looked around himself, calmly taking in the view of scenery, before returning his sights towards his enemy's territory, "And an even finer castle." He nodded thoughtfully to himself, "Yes, a fine place indeed."

The lavender's eyes moved away from the castle, returning once again to the skies above. "So, it finally begins." He contemplated out loud, eyes losing their focus as he remembered that day that set him down this path. "It's been fifteen years, hasn't it father?"

"Wait." A raven-haired child desperately yelled out to the back of the departing figure, "Please father, wait!"

And to the young child's surprise, his father did indeed stop. Though he did not turn around Lord Vaal Bael halted his steps, "What?" Not bothering to glance back as he spoke.

To the young Sairaorg his father's back appeared so distant back then. Though it was only a dozen feet it felt as if a gulf of space separated the two. This was something that have never existed between them, never had his father appeared as far away from him as he did then.

But that day had changed things. For not a minute earlier his father had informed him that he was removed as his Heir. That he, along with his ailing mother, were to be sent away.

"What..." The child started only to pause once he heard the weakness in his own voice. Even back then he knew that weakness was never tolerated, not by his father or anyone in his Clan. So sucking a breath he tried again, this time in as clear a voice he could managed, even if he could do nothing about the tears that filled his eyes or how his face scrunched up in fear. "What am I supposed to do?"

Till this day Sairaorg could never understand why his father chose to do what he did. Was it meant to be as a warning, a way to dissuade his abandoned child from hoping for something more, something he can never have. Or perhaps it was nothing more than an uncharacteristic moment of pity that possessed Vaal as he heard the anguished words of the crippled child that had once been his son.

He did not know, and Sairaorg suspected that he never would. But nevertheless, whatever the Lord Bael's reasons, what he would say next changed the life of the young child.

The Devil glanced over his shoulder, his hard lavender eyes observing the frightened crippled child. Turning, eyes never leaving the boy's, he slowly approached the child before lowering himself down to a single knee.

"Hold out your hand." He commanded.

"Huh?" The young Bael squeaked out, startled by the request.

"I told you to hold out your hand." The Lord Bael repeated gruffly, "Do not make me repeat myself for a third time boy."

Obediently, Sairaorg held out his hand before him, too afraid to do anything else.

Taking the child's tiny hand into his own Vaal Bael began to curl the boy's fingers one by one into his palm, his actions oddly gentle.

"You have no power," Vaal began as he went about his task, "the gift of both your Clans' Bloodline could not be found in you, and you were abandoned by magic itself.With reserves as small as yours, any great acts of magic will be well beyond you.Nor do you posses any unusual talent with the blade. For you, all you have is a healthy body and this."

Vaal had finally finished curling the final finger and taking hold of the boy's thump, he folded it over his curled fingers. His task completed, Vaal released his hold on the boy's hand and allowed him to see the shape he had guided it into.

A fist.

"This is the only thing you can use." He told the child. "It is a power obtainable by anyone, even you. The only option that remaining for one that has been abandoned by both blood and magic is this one, the power that can be found in a fist."

"...a fist." Sairaorg repeated, his eyes riveted onto his own hand.

"Listen Sairaorg." The Lord Bael released his the hand and rose to his feet. "I do not hate you, but this world it is a harsh one, equally cruel as it is unforgiving. It is not a place that the weak can survive in, this is a place made for the strong alone. And you can never be strong."

Vaal Bael looked down at the child that had once been his son one final time before turning away, abandoning him. "So runaway from here," He told him as he walked away, "run and stay far away. Go some place kinder than here and live. Live an ordinary life, accomplish ordinary goals and attain an ordinary happiness. For the this place is not meant for the likes of you, it is only for the strong."

Sairaorg Bael's eyes regained their focus as returned to the present. Lowering his sights from the sky he turned to look at what stood before him. The canyon wall, an unending barrier of rock that filled his entire vision, stretching form his left to right without an end in sight. And upon that wall, straight across from him, sat his enemy's castle.

"Father," a hand rose up to the clasp of his cloak, unbuckling it, "You said I only had my fist."

Pulling the it free from his shoulders, Sairaorg held the cloak before him with one hand. It fluttered in the air, pulled to one side by the wind as at tried to rip it from his grasp. Loosening his hold on it, Sairaorg allowed the cloak to slip through his fingers, permitting the wind to claim it. The cloak immediately flew off to one side, disappearing from view in the vastness of the canyon.

And by removing his cloak, Sairaorg finally permitted the watching audience their first proper glimpse of his body.

He wore no armour, no plated steel or hardened leather, carried no weapon by his side. He walked onto the battlefield with hands held empty, nothing but his own body to fight with. And to him, that was enough. He needed nothing else but his own flesh to gain victory.

What use was armour when he had his muscles. Hardened like tempered steel, strengthened by endless hours of training, they wrapped around his frame, covering every inch of him. It was they that would guard his flesh from harm, protect his life from those that wished to take it.

As for weapons, he had his fists.

They were enough.

It was a body crafted with a single purpose and nothing else. To fight. A body forged for battle, an instrument of war. It radiated a strength, one that had nothing to do with magic.

"You were right." Sairaorg admitted, his eyes locked onto the fortress before him. "but father-"

His hand rose up from his side,

"Even if the only thing I can do is punch,"

And like that day long ago, his hand clenched into a fist.

"that does not make me weak."

Power emerged.

Recommended OST- Play

(TYPE-MOON Orchestral/Vocal) WAVE - Aionion Hetairoi

In the arena, every monitor viewing him began to flicker, trying and failing to compensate for the sudden influx of power. It poured it out of his body like a torrent, only to condense around his form, wrapping around his frame like a second skin. It was an energy that was neither magic nor demonic, and the screens painted it a forest green.

Touki. A power attainable by anyone, regardless of race or heritage. It is to clad ones own body with their life-force, armour ones form with their spirit and imbue it with it's very strength. It is something that all that have life can attain, from the smallest of creatures to the mightiest of titans, it is a power within all their grasp. Yet, only few ever attain it.

Through endless training he had obtained it. Through suffering, through hardship, with nothing to guide him but a spirit that would not be broken, a will that refused to be conquered, he had obtained it. And it from that very indomitable spirit that this power was born, thus is has become his greatest weapon.

From the seat of his soul it came, answering his call, gushing from his very being all so that he may don it. It wrapped around his form, cloaking his flesh and armouring his very body with that very indomitable spirit – that is the power that he, who had nothing but his own two fists, had obtained.

Sairaorg pulled his arm back, cocking it, as his determined eyes remained locked onto the fortress.

"RAAAAA-," He roared as stepped forward, his foot burying itself deep into the hard stone floor, shattering the surface of the entire platform with it's force, "-AAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

He threw his punch-

And space distorted with it's passing.

The canyon was drowned out with the sound of howling wind as the air before his punch rippled, sending a shock waved of invisible force hurling forward. It leapt through the space that divided them, bridging the gap in an instant to reach the opposing fortress.

Then they clashed.

The sound was deafening as the castle wall met distorted space. Hardened stone, reinforced and strengthened by the strongest magic known to Devil-Kind fought against the might born from a single fist and-

-stone gave way.

Those mighty walls met the force and buckled beneath it's might. The walls seemed to almost bend and strain against it even as the entire castle was pushed deeper into the canyon wall, sinking into it's surface. The canyon wall fractured under the pressure, fissures spreading like a spider's web at an alarming rate and only seemed to grow worse with time. Crevices the size of roads emerged on the canyon's surface, starting from the castle before spread for miles, as if the entire canyon itself was about to shatter.

And through it all the castle fought, straining against against the seemingly unrelenting force, trying to stay whole until the attack ended.

And by some miracle it did.

The force had finally relented, fading away as it was never there and castle had survived standing strong and proud as ever. Though damaged and battered the castle's mighty wall held, managing to withstand the assault that threatened to bring it down-

-but not the canyon.

The once pristine surface now stood like shattered glass. The canyon had splinted, fractured into more pieces than could be counted. And now these fragmented pieces began to come loose, erupting clouds of orange dust as they slide out of their proper place in giant blocks and tumbled down to the valley floor, crumbling to dust upon impact.

It spread for miles, as if the entire surface of the canyon was a curtain that was being dropped, the entire canyon wall came tumbling down-

And with it the castle.

Among the giant blocks of rock it fell, sailing to the distant floor. It's occupants once protected from invaders by its narrow windows were now caged in by it, trapped and imprisoned. For two miles it fell, gaining speed with each passing second so that when it finally hit the ground it travelled with all the speed of train.

The castle shattered.

Those walls that could hold out armies fell, enchanted stone crumbled to dust as the once mighty castle, a fortress in all but name, finally surrendered.

Then it was buried as endless boulders the size of towers followed after it to the ground, pouring on top of it like the rain until it was covered completely. And still more fell, kicking up clouds of dust so large that the it blocked the entire canyon floor from view.

By the time the announcer finally spoke up, the results of the exam was already a forgone conclusion.

[A-All opponents eliminated. Match over. Total time: 00:00:42. Winner by elimination, Sairaorg Bael.]

"Father," dropping his hand back to his side as he straightened up, Sairaorg turned away and walked back into his castle, not even glancing behind as billowing clouds of dust continued to be kicked up and filled the canyon air behind him, born from the destruction he had caused.

"...I have become strong."

No one in the room spoke as we all watched Sairaorg return to his castle.

"That," breaking the silence I turned to Sirzechs, still a little shell-shocked at what I had just seen. "...That wasn't magic, was it?"

"...No." Eyes wide, Sirzechs appeared almost dumbfounded as he stared at the screen where the shattered face of the canyon continued to tumble down. "That was nothing but raw physical strength. This... this is unexpected. Sairaorg has evolved beyond even what I imagined."

Turning back to the screen, I added, "I didn't know it was possible for a Devil to cause so much damage just by punching."

"Neither was I," Sirzechs shook his head as if he too couldn't believe what had happened. "With this there can be no doubt, Sairaorg has finally stepped into the realm of Ultimate-Class." Brows furrowing in thought, Sirzechs corrected himself. "No... in pure physical strength alone it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he's borderline Maou-Class."

"...Maou." I repeated, tasting the word. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, you did say he was the strongest Devil born since Ajuka and yourself."

"That I did," The redhead acknowledged with a smile, his composure quickly returning as the shock began to wear off. "Though I admit, that even I was caught by surprised by how much Sairaorg had grown. I had seen him fight three years ago and while he was strong even then, he is in an entirely different league now. I wonder if Zekram knew about this."

"Does this change anything?" I asked.

"No," Sirzechs tuned away from the screen and made his way back to his sofa. "this changes nothing. In fact, I have a feeling Zekram is rather pleased with how eager Sairaorg is to fight you."

"He wants to fight me?" I asked, mildly surprised. As far as I know I've had almost no contact with Bael Heir, he should not have known anything about me beyond reputation.

"Of course he does, I thought it was obvious with the way he sent that challenge." Sirzechs dropped into his seat. "Or did you think that he ordered his Peerage to resign on a mere whim? No Shirou, he did that to challenge you. Just as you managed to win by fighting alone, he wanted to prove he could do the same. He even made sure to bring down his opponent's castle in a single strike just like you did. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise when you remember what Sairaorg's dream is. He wants to become the strongest and as it stands you are the only remaining Devil in his generation that has a chance of beating him."

"So he wants to bring me down to prove he's the strongest?"

"That's right. I'm sure that after your fight many in the Underworld are wondering if it is Sairaorg or you who deserves the title of the 'Strongest Youth'. Which of the two of you is this generation's strongest. And I'm sure Sairaorg is all too eager to prove that title belongs to him. So be prepared when the finals comes about because there is no doubt in my mind that my little cousin will be gunning for you."

"Finals?" I raised a brow. "What happens if we end up fighting each other before then?"

"That will not happen, I promise you." Sirzechs stated with confidence from his seat. "Zekram has invested too much into this to leave it to chance and risk you two eliminating each other early in the game. He will make sure that you two are slotted into entirely separate brackets so that it will only be possible for you fight at the finals. That way even if something unexpected occurs it will guarantee that at least one of you win this Gathering."

"I see," I looked to the screen where the canyon was now blanketed by the cloud of dust. It almost looked like a river of dust had flooded it. "I have three days left until the start of the Gathering, right?

"That's correct." Sirzechs replied, "You are free to do whatever you want until then, but once the Gathering starts you and the other competitors won't be allowed to leave the Arena until the you are either eliminated or the Gathering ends. So if you have anything you need to do Shirou, I suggest you deal with it now because it looks like you'll be stuck here for a good two weeks."

"In that case, I need to get back to the human realm for a quick trip. There was some unfinished business that I wanted to complete later but if I'm going to be stuck here for that long, I might as get it over and done with now." I turned away from Sirzechs to Serafall, who still hasn't finished typing, "Sera, I need a favour."

"Hmm?" she hummed, eyes still locked onto the cellphone's screen, "Sure, what do you need?"

"I need a Bounded Field set up over Kuoh, the same type that used in a Rating Game."

Serafall actually paused typing to look up at my words, "Expecting a fight?" she asked.

"A big one." I nodded. "My opponent is not at a level that I'd have trouble taking her down but if possible I want to avoid killing her. And unless I've completely misread the girl then she wants to fight me, badly." Just thinking about the sheer yearning she had her eyes as she looked me over, the one that bordered on hunger, made me want to shiver. "I don't think she'd be willing to talk to me until I give her what she wants."

"And you'll need a Bounded Field that large just for a fight."

"She's dangerous," explained, "not enough to take me down in straight on fight but she's strong enough to cause a lot of damage to her surroundings. If the fight gets out of hand than there is a high change of us wrecking the city. If that happens than I would have to take her down, and I don't want to kill her or cripple her if I can help it. So it would be better to arrange the fight in a Bounded Field and avoid the risk."

Serafall narrowed her eyes in thought before nodding, "Alright, if you need it I guess I can you ask the Arena staff to set one up for you. They've already finished preparing all the battlefields for the Gathering so I'm sure their free, just tell them I sent you and they'll help. Luckily, I already told them make a copy of Kuoh City a while ago so you can have that one."

That brought me up short. "Why do you even need a replica of Kuoh City?"

"Because then I can have a copy of So-tan's house."

"...and?" I promoted when it didn't look like she was about to say any more, disregarding the part of my mind that was warning me that I really didn't want to know.

"Don't you see Shi-chan, if I have a copy of So-tan's house then I have a copy of So-tan's room. This way whenever I get lonely and miss her, I can sleep in it. If I do that I can fall asleep knowing that somewhere out there, my little So-tan is falling asleep in the very same bed as me."

"...I'm going to go know." I finally answered after a long awkward silence. I did not know if this was another one of her pranks or not but I was too scared to find out for sure, so instead I just hurried out of the room as fast as my feet could take me.

The last thing I heard as the door shut behind me was the furious typing as Serafall returned to her phone.

"You lied."

Sirzechs turned away from the door that his fellow redhead had just departed from to glance at the other occupant in the room. Serafall was lounging on the opposite sofa from him, lying on her stomach, feet kicking in the air while her tongue was sticking out from the side of her mouth as she focused on her typing.

"What are you really planning?" She asked, eyes locked onto the phone.

Sirzechs shot Serafall a confuse look, "What do you mean?"

Finally finished with her typing, Sirzechs watched as Serafall deliberately pressed the send button before dropping the phone onto the couch.

"Oh come on Sirzechs," Serafall stretched like a cat, hands placed before her as she arched her back, before throwing her legs off the side of the couch and rose to her feet, "you might be a wonderful liar but I've know you for what, two hundred years now. After all that time even I can figure out when your lying."

"Hahaha, that maybe true." Sirzechs freely admitted, "But I'm honestly not lying about anything."

Serafall gave her friend an amused grin in reply, "Well forgive me then if I don't believe you Lord Lucifer, father of lies." She snickered as she began to pace, slowly circling around the couch Sirzechs was sitting on. "What are you and Zekram really planning?"

Sirzechs looked genuinely taken aback by that, "Planning? Serafall I'm not planning anything, at least not with Zekram."

"Oh, sure your not." Serafall nodded mockingly. "And I'm sure you expect me to believe that load of bull you fed Shirou. Old Zeky is the most self-serving creature I had ever met. You expect me to believe that he would sacrifice himself for others? That he would paint a target on himself, make himself an enemy of ever Reincarnated Devil in existence. Not to mention my old Clan."

Serafall snorted as she continued her steady pace as she circled him, her expression a happy one. "As if that old bat would willingly give up anything free. Old Zeky would surrender something of value only when he expects to gain sometime more valuable in return."

"I doubt that Zekram had sacrificed anything." Sirzechs pointed out, turning his head so that he could keep track of Serafall as she circled around him. "Knowing him, he probably has this all planned out so things will play out in his favour. More likely than not, by the end of this he would manage to come out of this mess smelling like roses."

"Undoubtedly," Serafall agreed with a tiny smile on her lips, "but this entire plan of is too unlike him. Giving them Reincarnate Devils an enemy to fight against? Someone to represent them? Changing the opinion on Reincarnated Devils for the better? That doesn't sound like Zeky at all, it's too direct and simply isn't his style. The old coot loves playing the ghost, he prefers plans when no one can tell for sure whether he had a hand in it or not. For him to step out in the open like this and act so bluntly, it's nothing like him at all. It's too heavy handed, almost completely out of character for him. No," Serafall shook her head, "this sounds like something you would come up with."

"And why would I do that?" Sirzechs asked, sounding slightly exasperated. "Serafall I know you've been overprotective of Shirou after the Kokabiel incident, but now you're acting just plain paranoid. Shirou is safe and no one is out to get him. And if I wanted Shirou to join the Gathering then I wouldn't have went through such a convoluted plot, not when I could have just asked you directly. You'd have approved my request, so why would I go through all of this trouble instead of just asking?"

"Good question. Why didn't you?" Serafall began to tap her chin in thought. "If it was just over the Gathering that I wouldn't have minded. Shirou wouldn't have been in any really danger and I so love watching him kicking everyone butts and taking names."

The former Sitri looked up in remembrance and sighed a little wistfully. "He really does look hot when he acts all bad ass like that. Is this what they call 'gap-moe'" Serafall shook her head and looked back at her friend, "But you didn't."

And this time there was something lurking in her eyes as she watched her fellow Satan.

"You didn't ask so that make me think that there is something else being planned here, something other than the Gathering. Something bigger and far more dangerous, something that I wouldn't approve of sending my Shirou into." And her smile grew, gaining a little more teeth than it should have had, while her eyes appeared to flash with hell-fire.

"It makes sense, if the entire Reincarnate Devil issue was a problem that could really be fixed so easily than we would have dealt with it years ago. Shirou winning the Gathering may help only a little, nothing more than a drop in the bucket. I find it hard to believe that Zekram would go through all that trouble for such a small reward. No, there is something bigger at play here. One that involves my Shirou."

She gave Sirzechs a toothy smile, her lips still widening. "The only thing I can't seem to figure out is if it was old Zeky that approached you with this plan or if it was you who approached him. But I'm certain you two are working together. After all, you and old Zeky had always been rather close, what with you being his favourite grandson and all."

"For the last time Serafall," Sirzechs interrupted, sounding half amused and half exasperated with his friend's insistence, "I am not plotting anything with Zekram."

"You working with old Zeky would explain why you didn't do anything to stop the other old coots in the Council when they began to attack my Sona." Serafall continued, disregarding Sirzechs's words completely. "I couldn't step in, not without insulting her and making her look even more weak. But you, you could have. You were neutral in this and could have ended it in an instant if you'd only step in," Serafall disappeared from Sirzechs's sights she stepped behind his couch. "but you didn't."

This time Serafall's voice seemed to come from directly behind him, whispering into his ear. "So I will ask you again Sirzechs. What are you and Zekram really planning?"

A tail, wire thin and colder than ice, shot out from the shadows behind him to wrap around his neck, constricting it like a snake. The tail's edge was like a razor, so sharp that it's mere kiss upon skin would split it, like a knife through water. Had he been a lesser Devil, Sirzechs throat would have already been shredded to strips as the tail effortless parted his flesh.

"And this time," A voice hissed beside his ear with all the warmth an Arctic winter, "do not lie to me."

"If it is Shirou's safety you are so concerned about then you not need be." Careful not to move his throat least he cut himself, Sirzechs replied calmly, his breath misting in the air from how cold the room had become. Despite his life was being threaten, Sirzechs seemed to show no fear. In fact he seemed to be enjoying the experience if the amused smile he was sporting at Serafall's over-protectiveness over her Queen. "Any plans I have concerning him all ends up with him living a long and happy life. And neither do I have any intention of taking him away from you. Ever. This I swear."

There was a long silence as the creature behind him considered his words.

"I believe you." And when Serafall finally spoke it was with her usual voice, cheerful and carefree as he had ever heard it.

Yet still the tail did not loosen it's hold on him.

"But Sirzechs, I just want you to know that Shirou is mine and if you ever do anything to harm so much as a hair on his head-"

The end of the tail came up and pushed on his cheek, nudging his head to the side so that he could look behind himself. He complied, not fighting the action even as he felt hoarfrost build on his skin where it met the cold touch of the tail, and he finally caught sight of stood behind him.

It was terrifying.

Mist filled his vision, a curtain of white so dense that it appeared to be almost solid. It was there that it lurked, hidden from his sight. The mist would dance in the air, wavering at times and teasing with the secrets it held, affording brief glimpses of what lay hidden in it's depth before concealing it again.

A flash of a bone white teeth, razor sharp and as long as his arm. Distorted light reflecting off skin like the rippling surface of a frozen lake. An impression of a being so massively large that it's bulk was scarcely contained in the spacious room, so big that he felt certain it could gobble him whole with but a single bite.

Burst of newly made white mist would pour out of the curtain as the thing exhaled, it's breath so cold the mist would form when it mixed with the warm air, like puffs of smoke from an ancient dragon. The little glimpse he caught resembled nothing he had ever seen before, this was not a creature that could have been made naturally, for mother nature would have never birthed such a twisted thing.

The pair of violet eyes that shone clearly even through the thick mist was the only thing that remained him of his friend.

Then it spoke, somehow managing to hiss out the words through it's lipless mouth.

"I'll Kill You."

In reply, Sirzechs just smiled happily at the creature hidden in the mist. "Alright."

"Good," An equally cheerful voice replied in turn.

Sirzechs felt a ring of wetness splash around his throat as the tail constructing him immediately melted. The violet eyes withdrew deeper into the mist and soon after, he heard something fall, tumbling and crashing into the ground before shattering like glass. Not a minute later Serafall stepped out of the swiftly fading mist, looking as cheerful and childlike as ever.

"Well I'm glad we have that all sorted out," She chirped with a quick glance towards the monitor. "and just in the nick of time too. It looks likes the last of the exams are winding down so I'm gonna go and congratulate So-tan for passing."

Humming a tune, Serafall made her way out of the room, almost bouncing with every step. She made sure to wave happily over shoulder as she shut the door behind her, "See ya later Sirzechs."

"Goodbye." Sirzechs waved back as he watched her go, with nothing but amusement dancing in his eyes.

Silence returned as Sirzechs was left alone in the room. He watched the door for a time, lost in his own thoughts before finally, he pushed himself off his seat and onto his feet. Making his way around the couch, Sirzechs paused at the edge of the last remnants of the mist. Only thin wisps remained now and even they were fading, so there was nothing left to block his view.

"Really," He began as he took in the state of the room, "I wonder what he would say if he saw this?"

It was in ruins.

The entire room was crafted from the finest magic resistant stone the Underworld had to offer, reinforced and enhanced so that nothing but the most powerful of attacks could even scratch it. Nothing less was to be expected for a room that would house the Underworld's leaders. But for all that it seemed that it could do nothing in the face of the beast that stood here not a minute earlier.

Ice coated every concealable surface. On the floor, the wall and even ceiling, it was everywhere as if to mock the magic resistant properties the stone they were made from claimed to hold. The only place where ice did not grow was where claw marks gouged deeply into the surface of the stone.

"Shirou had only learned to hate me after he saw my true form. Till this day he despises me, never forgiving me for revealing what I truly am. And I cannot blame him for it." Sirzechs crouched down, taking in the claw marks. "But I wonder Serafall, what would happen when he gazes upon yours?"

Sirzechs stood up and turned to look at the door she had just departed through, "You love him, with every fibre of your being I know that you do, but I wonder, if he were to discover what you truly are would he ever learn to love you in turn?

"You cannot hope to hide it from him forever you know. There will come a time when he will see it. The day will come to pass when you will strip yourself of you false shell, discard the façade of humanity that you wear and show him what you really are. And on that day, when you stand in your true form before him and say 'I love you' through the lips of a monster, would anyone ever be able to say 'I love you' back?"

Sirzechs tilted his head to the side in thought. "Or will he come to hate you as he had come to hate me? When he sees your blood soaked hands and sins you have committed, when he knows of the darkness that stains your heart and soul, will that potential for loving you wither to disgust? And if so what then? Will you wait for an eternity, loving someone who will never love you back, hoping and praying for a miracle that will never arrive?"

Walking back to the front of the couch, Sirzechs continued to speak, "Or will the Hero see the monster that stands before him as it truly is? An evil to be slain. Will the Hero fulfil his sacred duty and call upon his blades to cut the monster down? If that were to happen will you fight back or just stand and watch as the Hero that you've come to loved strikes you down? Or perhaps a miracle will really occur, and a happy ending to this tale can be found."

Sirzechs dropped back into his seat, eyes still watching the door. "Like all things this tale will eventually come to a close. All that is left is to determine how it will end. Will this be a tragedy, and the Demon Lord dies on the edge of the blade of the very Hero she loves? Or is this to be a romance, shall love bloom between the Hero and the monster, will the Demon Lord finally be saved from her loneliness? Or shall she be abandoned and thus the monster will continue to howl in misery, alone for all eternity?"

"I wonder how this story will end," Sirzechs smiled, eyes sparking in amusement, "this tale of a Demon Lord and her Hero?"

Sirzechs shook his head and fell into a contemplative moment of silence before glancing over the back of the sofa, taking in the destruction behind him. "Truly, they are frightening...

"...those Devil's who indulgence in the sin of Wrath."

Even as I squinted, my eyes continued to burn as it took in the world around me. It was the morning rush hour and the street was crowded with people rushing to either work or school, or even getting their morning shopping done.

I had only been away for a few short days but already I found it hard to get used to the human world again. It wasn't just due to the sunlight, though it certainly wasn't helping. It was a clear and sunny day so my eyes had trouble adapting to the sheer brightness of place after the unending night of the Underworld.

No, it wasn't just the sunlight that was the problem but the air as well. I once heard a Devil call the air of the human world so dirty and full of filth that he refused to breathe it. At the time I had thought that he was being melodramatic, just another spoiled brat but now that I had experience the purity of the Underworld's air I had to admit he may have had a point.

There was no cars in the Underworld. Why would Devils need them when they could fly or even teleport? There was no power plants that produced smoke either, no factories either, not when magic was readily available as an alternative source of energy. This was why the air in even the largest Devil cities was comparable to that of a rainforest on earth.

Sidestepping to the right to avoid a particularly frazzled looking man in a suit as he ploughed through the crowd, I continued making my way to my destination. Then there was the crowds. The population of the Underworld was so much smaller than crowds were rarely a problem, not when even biggest cities barely held more than a million souls living in it. Even cities in the traditional sense of the word were rather unusual in the Underworld. Why live in a crowded city when you can live in the countryside and simply teleport to any location around the world whenever you wanted to?

Still, I had to admit a part of me really missed this place. Good or bad, there was something about the human realm that just felt like home in way the Underworld never would.

Looking around as I took a turn onto a side street, a short-cut to the house that I was heading towards, I tried and failed to spot where my Fallen-ninjas where hiding. I could sense them nearby but beyond that nothing, as again they proved to be beyond my skill to find them.

It had been only a few short hours since I left Serafall, the trip back to earth far faster this time thanks to teleporting back instead of using the trains, with Ramiel and other three tagging along with me to help set up the preparations for the fight. The Arena staff had been more than happy to help me with my request, almost eager to please really, and they offered to set the replica of Kuoh city themselves. It was already prepared and ready, now all I had to do was teleport there when the time came.

We had already managed to set up a teleportation circle in a large park not more than a couple of miles away from the Hyoudou residence, one that was linked to the replica of the city. Now all I had to do was convince my opponent to enter it and fight me there, instead of here where thousands could potentially get caught up in out fight.

I had decided to leave both Asia and Xenovia behind. There was no point in bringing them along when I planned to keep this strictly a one-on-one fight, my Pawns only here with me to help set up the teleportation circle and maintain it until we were done. And while Asia was fine with that Xenovia… was less than pleased.

I resisted the urge to wince. To say that Xenovia was depressed from missing out on the examination fight was putting it lightly, I had found the girl all but sulking when I returned to the Sitri Manor. It was only when I pointed out that I still had six more rounds left to fight in the Gathering and promised that I would leave the bulk of the next few fights to her and the others that I managed to cheer her up again.

As for my upcoming fight with Karasuba, she had readily agreed not to come when she learned it was meant to be a one on one fight. Instead she had decided to redouble her training to prepare for the upcoming matches.

Speaking of our resident dragon, it seemed I was right to leave her alone. Looking around the city it was clear that nothing happened while I was away, the reports from the guards station here confirmed that impression. It had overall been a peaceful week.

See? I knew nothing would go wrong if I left her alo-

As if fate was mocking me, I felt a wave of magic pass over me before I even had a chance to complete the thought.

The sensation was something I recognized instantly, a Bounded Field had just been created. It originated from a few miles ahead of me, right in the direction I had been walking towards. And since my destination was the Hyoudou residence, I didn't need to think twice on who was involved in this.

I rushed to Karasuba as fast as my feet would take me, praying that I got there before someone ended up getting killed.

Grey hair drifted in the air as the youth halted in her tracks in the middle of an abandoned lot. She glanced over her shoulder, eyes narrowed into thin slits as they focused on empty space.

"Are you going to come out now?" She asked, apparently to no one. Her lips curved in a polite smile when she received no response. "Or are you going to keep hiding like scared rabbits?"

There was a long wait where nothing happened but Karasuba persisted, never taking her eyes off the empty spot of air even as the seconds ticked by. Until at last a booming laughter echoed in the abandoned lot.

"Hahahahaha! See I told you she would sense us. This is why hiding is pointless Georg, you should just charge straight ahead."

The empty space wavered like a desert mirage as three figures appeared to stepped out of thin air.

"We are not here to fight you stupid brute." An unusually beautiful blond girl with a blade attached to her belt chided her companion before turning to wave cheerfully towards Karasuba, giving her a welcoming smile. "We are trying to make a new friend here."

"Bah!" A giant of man, half again the girl's height with a body that appeared to be made completely from muscles, waved the reprimand away as if swatting away a fly. He nodded to their target, "Just look at her, she's so eager for a fight she's already bearing her fangs. This one's just like Vali, there is no way she's going to let us go without a fight." And going by the pleased smile on the giant's face as he cracked the knuckles of his hands, he was just fine with that.

And his words were true, for at some point the grey haired girl had acquired a weapon and now the hilt of an unsheathed nodachi sat snugly in her hands. The polite smile still remained on her lips while her eyelids opened ever so slightly from their slits, revealing a glimpse of the grey orbs she used to watch them with.

"Now, now." A spectacled young man with black hair stepped forward, his hands held open before him in a placating manner. He was a tall and slim teen, dressed in dark coloured robes. "There is no need to get defensive. I understand how this may appear and I apologise for spying on you and I fear we may have given you a false impression of our intentions. We do not wish to fight, quite the opposite. But before we begin please allow me the opportunity to introduce ourselves."

The spectacled boy bowed deeply, "My name is Georg and I am the descendent of the alchemist Johann Georg Faust." Rising up from his bow, Georg continued to introduce the rest of his party. "And these are my companions. The lady on my left is Jeanne, the inheritor to the spirit of the French hero Joan D'arc." Jeanne gave Karasuba another cheerful wave while chirping a brief 'Hiya', "While the gentleman on my right is Heracles, the direct descendent of the greatest Greek hero Heracles." Heracles just continued to crack his knuckles while sporting an eager smile.

Georg pushed his frames up his nose as he spoke, "And we are members belonging to the Hero Faction of the Khaos Brigade, a group of human champions who band together to fight to free humanity from it's Supernatural oppressors. We aim to usher in a new age of humanity, one where we can live free from Gods and Devils alike. Which is why we have come to you."

"Hyoudou Karasuba," Georg held his arms wide open in welcome, "Would you like to join the Hero Fraction and embark on a war to slaughter all of the Supernatural?"

Karasuba smile widened ever so slightly in reply.

*Chapter End*

Author's Notes:

And that's it for the chapter and at long last the Khaos Brigade makes an appearance. And Shirou, there is no way I could have allowed you to get away with tempting fate twice and get away with it now could I?

We have finally caught our first glimpse of Sairaorg in action and I hope you liked him (quick note, Sairaorg was 18 in the light novel and here he is 21. He had three years to grow stronger). And let me say that there are going to be different kinds of fights in this arc, from curb stomps to fights filled with mind games and strategy to massive multi chapters epics of fights, so be sure look forward to it.

The next chapter may take me longer than usual to write because it's going to be a dozy, it is a key chapter. So far I plan to release it as one big chapter but if I take too long with it I may release it as two mid-sized ones.

And one more thing, I plan to post some stats of characters in my profile page (Serafall's should be up in a few hours) because I fear that they may take up too much space if I put it in the chapter. I will post stats from the codex in-story if they have a direct relevance to the plot (and some of them will be) but most of them will be on my profile page.

So that's it. I'm really exhausted right now after working to get this chapter out so I really hope you enjoyed it. Please be sure to tell me what you think.

Thanks for reading.