"" - Speech
'' - Thought
[] - Ddraig/ Dragons
{} - Sparda
{} - Masayuki
...
The next day saw everyone gathered in the spacious hall located in the basement of the Hosokawa residence. That meant that the Gremory group plus Irina, Kotake, Kotume and Keiko, Azazel, Barakiel, the Sitri group, Byakuya and Reika and lastly the Vali Team. There was an awkward tension due to the last group, even though it was only Vali, Katsu and Bikou there, and despite Rias and the others being against it Azazel and Sirzechs had talked them around. Yukio was sure it was due to them saving Asia that they were allowed into the house.
At the moment Odin and Rossweisse were contacting their homeland from another room about Loki's appearance in Japan while the others were discussing about counter measures against Loki.
"First of all, Vali. What is your reason for cooperating with us?" Azazel asked from where he stood in front of the whiteboard. Vali giving a creepy smirk as he answers "I just want to fight Loki and Fenrir. Bikou and the others have already agreed to it. Does this reason not satisfy you?"
Azazel's eyebrow twitched in suspicion at hearing that before retorting "Yeah, I'm not satisfied. But it's true that we want you as our manpower. Right now we are in a situation where each faction can't send their manpower to us because of the [Hero Faction]. There might be a connection between your team and the [Hero Faction], but... Due to your personality there is no way for you to cooperate with the [Hero Faction]."
"Yeah, we try not to get involved with each other as much as possible. I'm still planning to fight Loki and Fenrir even if we aren't able to get your cooperation. Though if you don't cooperate with us, then we will still battle them while dragging all of you into it." Vali countered amused.
{So either way you'll involve yourselves in this.} Sparda asked unhappily as he appeared, Azazel nodding as he spoke "It seemed like Sirzechs was also thinking hard about this, but he said he won't be able to turn down the offer of you who is the sole survivor of the descendants of the Old Maou. He sure is a naive Maou, but I also think that it would be better to have you cooperate with us rather then letting you roam free."
{Yes, that is probably for the best.} Sparda agreed with a sigh.
"Though there are more issues which we can't come to agree with." Rias added with a frown, Sona agreeing with her just by her expression of dissatisfaction. Yukio knew it would be an easier fight with Vali and his team on their side but he couldn't help but think there was another motive behind it beyond fighting Loki and Fenrir and aside from Asia, who was too honest and innocent, Yukio could tell that the others had some reservations about this as well.
"Though he's probably plotting something." Azazel spoke as he stared at Vali who replied mysteriously "Who knows."
"Though it won't be a problem if we make it so that we can cut down on any suspicious movements." Azazel spoke with a sigh, vali smirking as he replied "I don't have any intents to do something like that, but if you were to come at me, I won't go down doing nothing."
"If you try something, I will step in and stop you Hakuryuukou." Byakuya broke in with a calm stare at the smirking young man.
"...Well, let's put this about Vali away for now. Now, let's move on to the counter measures against Loki. I'm planning to ask a counter measure about Loki and Fenrir to a certain someone." Azazel spoke, breaking the staring contest between the two as Sparda mused {So you are going to ask him}
"Who are you going to ask about Loki and Fenrir?" Yukio asked confused, Azazel nodding to Sparda as he replied "Yeah, he'd know about those guys very well. So I will have him give information to us to help. As for who, Yukio. I'm talking about one of the [Five Dragon Kings]: 'Sleeping Dragon' Midgardsormr."
"Well, that's an obvious choice but will Midgardsormr respond to our call?" Vali asked Azazel, the governor of the fallen angels nodding as he answered "We will open the [Dragon Gate] with the two [Heavenly Dragons], the power of the [Dragon King]: Fafnir, Vritra and Tannin. We will just summon Midgardsormr's consciousness over there. His actual body is sleeping in the depths of the ocean in North Europe."
"So I'm included in this, huh?" Saji asked curiously, Azazel nodding as he replied "Well, I will have you come as one of the factor needed. Leave the most to me and the two [Heavenly Dragons]. Hold on until I get in contact with Tannin. I will go and talk to Shemhaza about the counter measure for this. You guys stay in stand-by until I come back. Barakiel, follow me."
"Roger that." Barakiel replied as he left the hall after Azazel.
"Seishinryuutei!" Bikou called as he put his hand up, Yukio turning to him as he asked "What?"
"Can I go in the indoor pool below this floor?" Bikou asked with a naughty smile.
"Hey!" Rias started, a cough from Keiko stopping any declaration that may have came from her before Bikou gulped nervously at the blonde's look at him moments after as she spoke "There is no time to fool around with Loki being the enemy."
"S-So this is the last Excalibur! So amazing." Yukio heard Irina speak as she stood with Arthur who nodded as he replied "Yes. Vali got information from his personal connections and when we compared it to the scroll passed in my family we were able to find it. Though the location of it is a secret."
Next to the pair, Kiba and Xenovia was listening in to the discussions while remaining alert.
Asia tugged at Yukio's sleeve, acting hesitant as Yukio asked her "What's wrong, Asia?"
"U-umm..." Asia started nervously, directing her gaze onto Vali as Yukio nodded in understanding "You want to thank him, right?"
Asia silent nod answered the silvernet's words as he took her hand, knowing that she wanted to thank Vali for saving her when she was blown into the Dimensional Gap during the battle that should have been the Rating Game against Diodora Astaroth. The pair walked towards Vali who was sat on a chair with his legs crossed and a complicated book on Norse magic in his hands.
"Vali, can I have a second?" Yukio asked, Vali looked up from his book with a raised eyebrow as he asked "What is it, Hosokawa Yukio?"
Yukio smiled reassuringly to Asia, gently guiding her to stand in front of him as she started to speak "U-um... Thank you very much for saving me the other day."
"I'd like to add my own thanks as well." Yukio added, Vali looking at the pair for a moment before returning to his book as he replied "Hmm? Ah. That was right. Well, I did it out of a whim. Let's not worry about it much."
With that Yukio and Asia left Vali alone only to walk upon another pair of people: Koneko and Kuroka. The former of the two sisters were glaring at her sister who was putting on a bewitching smile.
"...Ko...Koneko-chan's sister is beautiful, but she is s-scary~" Gasper commented from where he was shaking behind Koneko's back, Yukio frowning as he wondered what was going on before he approached and spoke "What's going on here?"
He stepped in front of Koneko, who gripped onto his hand tightly while hiding behind his back. Yukio understanding that she didn't want to be around her sister as Kuroka looked astonished back at them before putting on a naughty smile as she retorted "Hee. It seems like your face became manlier since the last time I saw you -nya. Do people turn out like that when they reach [Balance Breaker]? Or is it because you 'experienced' a woman's body -nya?"
Kuroka gave a wink as Yukio's face reddened in a blush as Ddraig muttered with a perverted chuckle [Hehe, Koneko is bound to become as beautiful as her sister when she grows up.]
'That's not important now, Ddraig.' Yukio mentally retorted as he shook his head, taking a sudden step back as Kuroke licked his cheek. She kept her tongue out flirtatiously as she spoke thoughtfully "Hmm. Is this perhaps still a taste of a virgin -nya?"
"That is none of your business." Yukio retorted angrily, Kuroka unfazed by his anger as she pondered something for a few moments before asking "H~ey, can I ask you one favour -nya?"
"What is it...?" Yukio asked hesitantly, Kuroka smiling as she answered "Won't you try making a baby with me?"
[Hell yes!] Ddraig roared in Yukio's mind only to get hit by both Sparda and Masayuki as Yukio flushed bright red as he stepped back and asked "Wha...?"
"You know, I want a strong child. A child from an especially strong dragon. I also asked Vali but he turned me down. Then the only one left is you but now that I think about it a Shinigami and devil based dragon is way more valuable -nyan. And I can't ask for more if it carries the genetics of a heavenly dragon, the legendary dark knight Sparda and a powerful Shinigami. I do want to leave behind a child~. That's why I want someone who will give me their genes -nyan." Kuroka explained to a shocked Yukio who realised how similar what she was saying was to Xenovia as Kuroka gave a seductive smirk as she added "Nyahahaha, you will get a bargain if it's now. How about we have physical contact until I get pregnant -nya?"
Kuroka laughed in joy at seeing Koneko glaring at her from behind Yukio, the younger of the sister muttering in response "... I won't hand over... Sempai's *mumble mumble* ... to Nee-sama."
Kuroka gave a big smile to her sister and then waved her hands at Yukio and Koneko before moving over to where Vali was. Looking around, Yukio saw Akeno sigh in the corner of the room, wondering if she would be alright as Barakiel was here as well.
...
Once Azazel returned he took Yukio, Saji and Vali and teleported from the Hosokawa residence using the transportation magic circle. The Governor of Grigori had explained that in order to summon Midgardsormr they needed all of them and it needed to be successful to summon his consciousness. The place they arrived at was a white place which seemed similar to the Rating Game's stadiums and waiting for them was Tannin.
"Hey Oji-san." Yukio greeted, Tannin turning to them as he replied "...So this one over there is Vritra's, huh."
"N-Nice to meet you Tannin-san." Saji greeted nervously, glancing to Yukio as he added "He really is as powerful as you said, Yu. I can't believe you trained with an Ultimate-class devil."
"...Hakuryuukou. The moment you show a slight suspicious movement, I will bite you apart without hesitation." Tannin threatened Vali, getting a bitter smile in return.
Azazel activated the spell before any more could be said, drawing his personal magic circle onto the ground. A light ran through it, forming a special symbol as Tannin asked with a sigh "But, will that guy actually come? Even I only met him two or three times."
"If the two [Heavenly Dragons] are here then he will respond whether he wants to or not." Azazel replied while drawing the magic circle.
"It he a difficult dragon?" Yukio asked his former teacher, Tannin narrowing his eyes as he answered "That guy basically never moves. He is one of the creatures that makes his movement at the end of the World. He's sleeping till his role is to start. He did come up to the surface at times, but even at those times he continued to sleep. Several hundred years ago, he finally declared that he would continue to sleep until the end of the World."
"He sounds really lazy..." Saji muttered, Tannin letting out a chuckle as he replied "You're not wrong..."
"The base of the magic circle is completed. Now everyone, stand at the location given." Azazel spoke once he finished, Yukio and Saji getting pointed to his by the fallen angel. Once Azazel had checked that they were all on the right spots he used a small magic circle in his hand to start to proceed to do the last input.
A shallow light started to run through the magic circle and the place that Yukio stood glowed red while the one Vali was at glowed white. The one Azazel was standing on was glowing gold, Saji's was glowing black and Tannin's turned purple.
[Each of them reflect the colour of each dragon.] Ddraig explained, [They aren't here right now but blue represents Tiamat and the green represents Yu-long.]
Yukio nodded in understanding as the magic circle activated, no sign of any response happening as they stood there for several minutes. Then, a projection of something started to appear, slowly taking a shape above them and getting dropped jaws from Yukio and Saji at seeing the gigantic monster that seemed to full the whole space. The huge dragon looked larger then Great Red and had its long body in a coil like depictions of Eastern Dragons.
"This guy has the biggest body out of all dragons. It must have five of six times the mass of Great Red." Azazel explained at seeing the pair's shock.
[...GUGOGOGOOGOGOGOOOOOON...] The dragon let out a snore, Yukio sweatdropping at seeing Midgardsormr was sleeping.
"Like I thought, he's sleeping. Hey, wake up, Midgardsormr." Tannin called to him, one of the gigantic monster's eyes slowly opening before it sighed [...This is a nostalgic pulse of a dragon. Fuaaaaaaah...]
[Oh, its Tanni~. It's been a while.] Midgardsormr spoke in a laid-back manner, his gaze drifting over the rest of the assembled group as he continued [...Even Ddraig and Albion are here...Also Fafnir... and Vritra...? Is it the end of the World?]
"No, it isn't. We came here today because there are things we want to ask you so we summoned your consciousness to this place." Tannin explained, only for Midgardsormr to resume snoring [...GU...GUGOGOOGOGOGN...]
'This guy is useless...' Yukio thought with a sigh before Sparda quietly spoke up {Be patient, Yukio.}
"Don't sleep! Geez, you and Yu-long never fixed your lazy attitude so I can't stand it!" Tannin spoke angrily, Midgardsormr opening its eyes once more as he replied [...You are always angry Tannin... So what is this thing you want to ask me about?]
"I want to ask you about your brother and father." Tannin asked, Yukio looking confused as Saji asked "... His brother and father? I thought we were here to find out about counter measures against Loki and Fenrir?"
"To begin with, Midgardsormr is a dragon created by Loki. Even though it had enormous power, due to its gigantic body and its lazy attitude, even the Norse Gods didn't know how they can use him so they ordered him to sleep in the depth of the ocean. They told him to do something at least when the end of the World was to come." Azazel explained to Vritra's host, who muttered in response "S-So that's why he is called the [Sleeping Dragon]... He really is indeed a huge sleeping dragon."
[So its about 'Wanwan' and 'Daddy'. Okay~ Daddy and Wanwan are beings I don't care about anyway... Ah, but Tannin. Tell me one thing.] Midgardsormr replied to Tannin, the dragon frowning as he asked "What is it?"
[Aren't Ddraig and Albion going to fight?] Midgardsormr asked, turning his huge eyes onto both Yukio and Vali. Tannin shook his head as he answered "No, they aren't. This time they are planning to defeat Loki and Fenrir by joining forces."
Midgardsormr smiled at hearing that as he replied [Hee, interesting... I was wondering about it because both of them are standing together without fighting.]
A moment of silence passed as Yukio and Vali shot unimpressed looks back at the giant dragon before Midgardsormr continued [Wanwan is more troublesome than Daddy. You would die most of the times if you were bitten by his fangs. But he has a weakness. The magic-chain Gleipnir created by the Dwarves can capture him. You can seal his movement with that.]
'That's how to deal with Fenrir then...' Yukio thought before Azazel replied "We have already checked that. But from the reports from the North, the Gleipnir didn't work. That's why I thought about getting another method from you."
[...Hmm, maybe Daddy enhanced Wanwan. If that's the case then ask the Dark-Elves living in the certain land of the Norse World. If I remember, their elder knows a technique to power-up the magic residing withing the Dwarves items. I will transmit the location of the place where the elder is living into the Sacred Gears of Ddraig and Albion.] Midgardsormr replied, Azazel pointing to Vali as he spoke up "Send the information to the Hakuryuukou."
"So Dwarves and Elves really exist." Yukio murmured to himself, Ddraig chuckling perversely as he replied [Don't know much about Dwarves but Elves are damn sexy especially in their bikini armour. Their ears are their weakness...]
{No more out of you, perverted old man.} Masayuki interrupted with a sigh, Yukio trying to calm down his blush as Sparda explained {Majority of the two races hide themselves in the other world due to the major change in the human one. Small groups still live in secret area through the human world though.}
"I understood their locations. Azazel, activate the world map using the holographic vision." Vali spoke up, drawing Yukio's attention back to Azazel creating a holographic image of the world map from out of his mobile phone. Vali pointed at a certain spot and Azazel recorded the location and sent it to his comrades as Tannin spoke with admiration "...Hou, you actually know that much."
[Yeah. When I went up to the land, the Elves and Dwarves took care of me.] Midgardsormr answered, Tannin nodding in understanding before asking "So, how do we take care of Loki?"
[Yeah~. Daddy would probably be okay if you use Mjolnir against him.] Was the answer they got, Azazel putting his hand under his chin as he thought aloud "In other words, we basically have to attack him normally, huh. But will the Thunder God Thor lend us his Mjolnir if that shitty-geezer Odin asks him..."
"I doubt Thor will let us borrow it. That is one of the weapons only Gods can use." Vali replied to Azazel, Yukio blinking as he asked "Why can't we just ask Thor to aid in the battle?"
Both looked at him in surprise before Azazel scratched his head "That would be a good idea if Thor wasn't dealing with the Frost Giants revolting."
[If that's the case, then ask the Dwarves and Dark Elves I mentioned earlier. They should have received the replica of Mjolnir from Odin.] Midgardsormr spoke up, Azazel turning his attention back to the projection as he spoke "We are saved thanks to your knowledge, Midgardsormr."
[No, no. Talking like this at times is fun. Now~, I will be going then. I will be sleeping again. Fuaaaa~.] Midgardsormr spoke with a big sigh before the vision started to turn off.
"Yeah, thanks." Tannin spoke with a smile, Midgardsormr returning one as he replied [It's okay. Wake me up again if something happens.]
After that the vision turned off completely, leaving the group with plans to make on what information they had gained.
...
The next morning saw the united groups of Gremory and Sitri in the basement, their familiars were going to disguise themselves as them so they could cover their absents at school, although Arisu was going back to the Underworld for her own safety. With the battle with Loki closing in they had to relax and rest although everyone was feeling a bit down for having to miss out school and Sona was worrying that something might happen while she was away.
A loud slap echoed in the room as Sona slapped Katsu upon seeing him, Yukio gaping at the slight unnerved look on Katsu's face as she spoke "That is for destroying Kuoh Academy."
"Tch. I don't care about some school. I was trying to retrieve my full birthright from that weakling, brat. Hit me again and I will show you your place." Katsu replied with a glare at Sona who was giving a frigid one back as Saji moved to his [King's] side as he spoke "Kaichou, let's go over here."
Saji failed to lead her away as Sona stood her ground as spat back "I'd like to see you try especially as you lost to Hosokawa-kun when you last came."
A flare of reiatsu caused the trio to turn to see Keiko standing there scarily calm as she spoke "If you wish to fight take it somewhere outside of this house and after the situation we are facing is dealt with."
Grudgingly the two turned away from the other, Katsu holding his nose in the air as he walked back to the other members of the Vali Team, who had also taken up residence in the house for now. Saji lead Sona back to the others , Tsubaki offering the latter a cup of tea in an attempt to calm her down.
Azazel entered with an unpleasant expression as he spoke "Here is the present from Odin the geezer. The replica of Mjolnir. Geez, that shitty geezer was actually hiding this thing. But that Midgardsormr, I can't believe he actually knew about this."
"Is it that amazing?" Yukio asked, Azazel chuckling as he replied "It is the replica of the legendary weapon weilded by the Norse Thunder-God, Thor. This has the lightning of God running through it."
"Yes, Odin-sama said he will lend this replica of Mjolnir to Seishinryuutei-san. Here you go." Rossweisse spoke, holding out a ornately designed normal hammer to Yukio before she added "Please send your aura through it."
Yukio nodded as he inserted his demonic power into it, a flash signalling the start of the hammer growing. He stopped the moment the hammer was about the same size as himself and let the staff portion of the weapon bang against the floor, making a loud shake to rock the room. Yukio frowned as he found himself having trouble dealing with the weight of the hammer as Azazel spoke up "You should be able to use it properly in your Balance Breaker state. Anyway, just stop for now."
Yukio nodded as he let go, watching the hammer return to its original form as Sparda aloud {You should be able to use it with your [Devil Trigger] as well but I'm not sure what other effects it could have on that form.}
"Even if it's a replica it has the power close to the real thing. Normally, it can only be used by God, but with Barakiel's help we made it so even devils can use this temporarily. Don't swing it around randomly, okay? The whole area around this place will vanish because of the high energy of thunder." Azazel explained as he picked up the small Mjolnir-replica.
"Alright..." Yukio spoke with a nod, accepting the replica weapon from Azazel once more before storing it into his pocket.
"Vali, how about you beg that geezer Odin as well. Maybe right now, he might give you something special." Azazel spoke lively towards Vali, the silvernet smiling fearlessly back as he shook his head and replied "Don't need it. I'm planning to master the power of the Heavenly Dragon's original power. I don't need extra weapons. What I want is something else."
Yukio frowned at hearing that, wondering if that was a jab at him from Vali because he used weapons with Ddraig's power.
"Bikou, good timing. I received a message directed to you." Azazel spoke as he spotted Bikou, who looked bewildered as he pointed to himself and asked "Huh? To me? From who?"
"It goes 'Fool. I will punish you as soon as I find you'. It was from the Shodai. It seemed like he was looking for you with Yu-long." Azazel replied, making Bikou turn pale and starting to sweat as he blurted out "T-That shitty geezer is... So, he found out about me being a terrorist. On top of that Yu-long too!"
"Bikou, should we go to your homeland once? It might be interesting to meet Yu-long and the First Generation Sun Wukong." Vali spoke up, Yukio looking surprised as Bikou turning on his ally and retort "... Don't do that, Vali. Putting aside Yu-long who seems to be retired, the first generation geezer is a real monster. He can still be considered as active. That geezer, has mastered Senjutsu and Youjutsu completely so he is really strong..."
'The First Generation Sun Wukong must be scary strong to make Bikou scared when he was fine against Tannin-ojisan.' Yukio thought amazed before recalling that Tannin was waiting in the Underworld for the fight and would be joining in.
"Ah~, I will be reconfirming our strategy. First, we will wait for him to show up at the place of the meeting being held, then the Sitri-group will use their powers to transfer you guys to a different location along with Loki and Fenrir. The location of the place you guys will be transferred to is a demolished stone pitting site. The ones taking on Loki will be Yukio and Vali. We will counter him with the Two Heavenly Dragons. THe ones taking on Fenrir would be the other members of the Gremory Team and Vali Team who will use the chain to capture it. I will have you guys eliminate it after that. We definitely can't let Fenrir get to Odin. The fangs of that wolf can crush a God. Even if it is the Chief-God Odin, he will die if bitten with those fangs. We have to stop that from happening at any cost." Azazel reminded everyone of the plan, getting nods from the group before he turned to Saji.
"Now, since we left the chain to the elder from the Dark Elves, we just have to wait for it to be completed, so what is left is Saji." Azazel continued, Saji turning as he asked "Yeah, Sensei?"
"You are also important for this strategy. You do have the Vritra Sacred Gear after all." Azazel explained, Saji looking confused as he asked "Yeah, what's so special about that? I don't have the power that Yu or the Hakuryuukou has to do more then assist in the transfer. Unless..."
"That's right... I won't say things like to fight in the front line to you. But I will have you support your allies with Vritra's power. Especially Yukio and Vali who are fighting i nthe front line need your support." Azazel spoke with a nod, Saji glancing to Yukio and then Sona before nodding "Alright."
"That's the spirit. Sona, I'm going to borrow this guy for a bit." Azazel spoke with a grin as he looked to Sona, who gave him a frown as she asked "That is okay, but where?"
"I'm taking him to the fallen angels territory in the Underworld. Grigori's institute." Azazel answered with a cheerful face.
"Good luck, Gen. I know you can pull this off." Yukio spoke with a reassuring nod as Saji smirked back before Azazel lead him off into a magic circle.
[To think that dusty old crow is going to reawaken Vritra.] Ddraig mused, Yukio nodding in agreement as he wondered if Vritra would be able to help Saji.
{It does help our odd more if Genshirou can manage it.} Sparda added before Yukio asked "By the way Ddraig. Aren't you going to talk to Albion?"
[No, there isn't anything to talk about... Right, white-one?] Ddraig retorted so everyone can hear, Albion responding harshly [...Don't talk to me. I don't have a rival as perverted as you.]
[Please... You're just as perverted as I am, Albion, or are you forgetting the previous host of mine you couldn't keep your eyes of her ass.] Ddraig shot back, Albion retorting too quickly in denial [I didn't stare at Elsha-chan's ass, its just that she preferred using kicks during our fight.]
Yukio and Vali sighed as the two dragons continued to bicker, the latter turning to his rival as he asked "I'm sorry, Hosokawa Yukio. At times like this, how should I cope with him?"
"I just tend to ignore Ddraig once he goes all perverted but usually Tou-san or Sparda shuts him up." Yukio answered with a sigh.
...
While the preparations were in progress, Yukio, Rias and Georgia were trying to confirm how the Mjolnir replica worked. They were interrupted by a magic circle appearing and Grayfia stepping out of it, carrying some documents as she spoke "Ojou-sama. Here are the documents regarding the magical chain Gleipnir. On the day of the battle, it is scheduled for the chain to be sent directly to the battlefield."
"Thank you, Grayfia." Rias replied as she accepted the documents from her sister-in-law and started to leaf through them with Georgia's help.
"U-Umm..." Yukio started, unsure how to word it as he asked "Since Rias-sama and Grayfia-san are here, there is something I want to ask about Akeno-san. Why isn't she getting along with her father?"
The trio shared a look between them before Rias finally spoke "...It's a sad past. Akeno's mother was a miko from a famous temple. Her name was Himejima Shuri. One day, Barakiel flew near the temple Akeno's mother was present at after being heavily wounded in a battle against enemy forces. She saved the wounded leader and nursed him ."
"Himejima Akeno's Okaa-sama got into a close relationship with Barakiel-dono during then and she had a new life inside her." Grayfia added before Rias continued "Barakiel couldn't leave Akeno's Okaa-sama and Akeno, so he stayed there while fulfilling the role of the fallen angels leader. Even though they had a quiet lifestyle, they still had a peaceful life... But."
"Their peace didn't last long." Georgia spoke up to continue the story, "Her mother's family got a misunderstanding that she was brainwashed by Barakiel-dono, so they sent out a famous practitioner. Amongst them were those who had a grudge against Barakiel-dono after being defeated by him."
"Those practitioners told the location of Barakiel-dono's house to the ones who are in conflict with the fallen angels." Grayfia added, Rias looking sadly as she replied "He must have been unlucky. On that day, Barakiel was away from his home by chance. The enemy attacked the house where Akeno and her Okaa-sama lived in without any hesitation. By the time when Barakiel sensed their danger and arrived... Akeno was saved because her mother protected her with her life. But Akeno's Okaa-sama was..."
Yukio understood what Rias had meant while trailing off, Georgia deciding to pick things up as she explained "Akeno-san was fold about how her father, and fallen angels, had many grudges from lots of people from the enemy forces. Then she was shown the truth of the world she lived in by having her mother killed right in front of her eyes."
"Since that day, Himejima Akeno didn't hold any good views towards the fallen angels. She then had regrets of her mother being killed and closed her heart to Barakiel-dono." Grayfia finished, leaving Yukio speechless as Rias spoke "But you know, Yukio. When Akeno became my servant and started her new life as a devil, she became brighter compared to before I found her while she was wandering about. Most of all, her view towards fallen angels lightened after meeting you... The thing about her Okaa-sama passing away is something no one can fix, and Akeno should also know that deep in her heart. But Akeno isn't strong enough to accept that yet."
Yukio nodded in understanding, recalling how distraught he had been with the death of his own parents and if it wasn't for Keiko, he would have closed off completely.
...
"...It was all my fault." Azazel spoke in response to hearing what Yukio had heard about Akeno. The pair was sitting in the VIP room on their own.
"That day, the one who called him out was me. There was a mission which could only be accomplished by him. That's why I called him out recklessly. During that short time... I was the one who took away his wife and her mother from Barakiel and Akeno."
"...Sensei... You couldn't have know that they would have struck then. Hell, they might have been waiting for Barakiel-san to leave before striking." Yukio started, Azazel only focusing on his work as the silvernet added "Is your guilt why you tried to look after Akeno-san in place of Barakiel-san."
"..." Azazel still didn't say anything in response before Vali entered the room as he spoke "Azazel, I have returned."
"Ah, so it's you. How is it?" Azazel asked, Vali putting his hand forwards and activated a small magic circle in the air. The emblem carved on it resembled the ones used by the Norse Gods as Vali spoke "I learnt quite a bit of Norse magic. I should be able to withstand Loki's attack for a bit."
Yukio stared as he noticed the book Vali was carrying, which was the same one he had been reading earlier, amazed that his rival had learn such a thing in such a short amount of time.
"Understood... Okay, since I finished quite a bit of work I will rest for a bit." Azazel spoke with a nod, moving to leave the room and leaving the two rivals in the room. A weird tension passed in the room, Vali moving to sat on the sofa and started to read his book while Yukio moved to a chair on the other side of the room and summoned Rebellion and a cleaning kit so he could do something calming.
"...You know, even if he is an 'Evil God'. I still didn't expect to fight a God." Yukio started, not expecting an answer from Vali who surprised him by replying "You should remember this. If there are good Gods, then there are also evil Gods. Well, there are situations when even good Gods can be seen as evil from different perspectives..."
"Evil God, huh... Why does he hate peace? I'm part devil, but I feel satisfied just by enjoying my days with Rias-sama and everyone." Yukio asked with a sigh, Vali stopping his reading and looking directly at him as he spoke "It means there are people who feel it as a painful situation about your so called peace."
"Pain, huh? Does that mean the current world we live in is a pain to you?" Yukio asked, Vali turning his gaze to the ceiling as he answered "I just find it boring. That's why I can't feel anything but joy for this joint-battle."
"I suppose you would enjoy the Rating Games then..." Yukio replied, Vali shrugging as he added "It sure does make me hate it. Since there are many strong guys... But, because of that, this world is interesting. I will become stronger than everyone."
'That's Vali's dream, huh.' Yukio thought, deciding to voice his own dream "I... I will become the Ultimate [Pawn] and I will be alright if I can become a high class devil and maybe enjoy playing in my band. But, a peaceful life with those I love will be enough for me."
"It certainly sounds like you." Vali replied with a smile, Yukio smirking back as he added "Ah, I still have one more aim. I will definitely surpass you."
Vali smiled happily at hearing that, "Yeah, you should come up to the place where I am standing as soon as you've recovered. It makes me happy as you get stronger. I was worried that your injury would make you wary but you are trying to grow in a different way from all the Sekiryuutei until now. You must be the first one to try and master the power of Sekiryuutei while communicating with Ddraig."
[He's right there. You're the first host to talk to me the most in the whole history. And you don't drown too much in my power, you don't rely too much on my power due to your other ones and you are trying to master the Sekiryuutei's power.] Ddraig replied with a smile, Vali continuing afterwards "They were all hosts who used that very powerful and dangerous power as they wished. At the end, they drowned in Ddraig's power, and perished in the battle."
[You are the Sekiryuutei with the highest talent in history. You have power is strong but.] Ddraig started only for Vali to continue "You are the first Sekiryuutei who is trying to master the power of Sekiryuutei."
[Users like that are the most troublesome. When we oppose them, they don't show much openings.] Albion piped up, Vali nodding in agreement as he added "You are right. And just now I had a thought... In the future it might be interesting to have a match similar to a Rating Game with my team and your team."
Yukio smirked at hearing that, wondering what that sort of match would be like as he replied "Heh. That seems good. I'm going to get stronger and get the best allies there is, you know?"
"Fufufu, then I shall be looking forward to that time to come and wait. Though it will seem like I would have to fight against the Gremory team first. One day, let's battle each other." Vali spoke with a smirk, Yukio smiling back as he retorted "Rias Gremory's group also won't lose to you guys. But don't come at us like how a terrorist does."
"Fufufu, I can't promise that." Vali replied, both jumping as another voice spoke up "Yes, yes. It certainly is wonderful. I can feel the youth from you two."
Both turned to see Odin had appeared out of nowhere, he sighed as he continued "The red and white of this generation are unique. The ones in the past were all wild horses. They rampaged in every location, they started the battle between the red and white selfishly while destroying their surroundings, and then died. They activated [Juggernaut Drive] as they felt like. Just think how many mountains and islands were blown away."
"Certainly one of them is a troublesome dragon and the other one is a terrorist which makes a very dangerous pairing, but you two are calmer than I thought. I thought fighting each other immediately is the way of the Sekiryuutei and Hakuryuukou." Rossweisse added, Yukio shooting a glare at the Valkyrie at how she was referring to him.
"By the way, Hakuryuukou. Which part... do you like?" Odin asked with perverted eyes, Vali tilting his head as he asked "What are you talking about?"
Odin then started to point at Rossweisse's breasts, but and then her thighs as he explained "The women's body part that you like?"
[Breasts!] Ddraig shouted to answer, Albion not to be outdone by shouting [Butts!]
Yukio spluttered at hearing that, shaking his head as he countered "I'm not a pervert like Ddraig, Odin-dono."
"...I don't take interest in those kinds of thing that much." Vali answered with a glare directed behind him at where his wings would be as Odin chuckled "I suppose what I heard about the White One being a Ketsuryuukou were right then, just like the Red One is a Chichiryuutei."
"Odin-dono, please stop." Yukio groaned, Odin letting out a coughing laugh as he retorted "Like I thought, young ones are good."
Yukio frowned at seeing the leader of the Norse Faction was walking like an old man as he asked "What do you mean?"
"Nothing much. Until this age, this geezer right in front of you believed that he can solve anything with his wisdom. But you know, that was just the pride of this old man. What is truly important is the possibility of the young ones. Hohoho, I started to realise that right now, so how foolish was I... My pride gave birth to Loki. And now, because of my pride, the young ones are going through hardships." Odin explained with sorrowful eyes. Yukio looked at him sadly for a moment before replying "I can understand a little since what my Tou-san's family did with regards to me, but taking it one step at a time to undo what happened would be a good choice to make."
"... Being young is good. They stimulate the old ones. Yeah, you are right. That is very true. You have a good descendant here, Dark Knight." Odin spoke with a laugh of amusement, Sparda appearing behind Yukio to Rossweisse's surprise as he spoke with a smile {Yes, I am already aware of that Odin.}
...
Yukio frowned as he stood in his inner world, looking at a giant set of crimson red doors that lead to the [Boosted Gear's] space. He had spent the last half an hour inside but had no luck after travelling through the darkness sea inside that had lead to a white space with a lot of tables and chairs and the people that were the past hosts. Each of them had hollow expressions on their faces.
[The past hosts only regain their consciousness during the [Juggernaut Drive] and they continue to say the cursed chant to encourage you to go berserk.] Ddraig explained seriously, Yukio frowning as he recalled trying to talk to each past host and didn't get any sort of response from them.
{It's probably best we leave this for now... The mental burden is not something to shrug off, son.} Masayuki spoke reassuringly, Yukio sighing as he saw Sparda nod in agreement before he closed his eyes so he would wake up in the real world, sitting in his empty room. Releasing a sigh, Yukio wondered if he would be able to persuade or even talk to the past hosts while he was still injured.
Turning as he heard the door open, Yukio blinked at seeing Akeno enter wearing a familiar white robe. It was the same thing she wore to suck out the dragon power from Yukio's arm and he was sure the limb wasn't in need of draining at the moment. Akeno locked the door behind her, drawing Yukio's attention to the fact she had her hair down from its usual ponytail.
"Yukio-kun..." Akeno asked in a low tone, once she came to a stop in front of the silvernet who replied "Yes?"
Yukio was surprised as he watched Akeno untie her obi before dropping the robe to the floor, his face turning bright red at seeing all of her body as Ddraig roared [Hell yeah! Time to lose your V-card!]
"..." Yukio tried to speak up as Akeno put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, further hindering his mind from her soft body being pressed against him before it was restarted by her next words "Make love to me."
"Wha-?" Yukio started as he leaned back from Akeno so he could see her face, his eyes widening at seeing the lifeless expression on her face. Akeno lean up to try and kiss Yukio, only for him to manage to bring a finger up to stop her lips as he spoke softly "Akeno-san... This isn't right."
"...Why? Is my body not attractive...?" Akeno asked with a shaking voice, Yukio shaking his head as he replied "It's not that... Its just that when you normally do ecchi things you always look like your having fun. But right now, it seems like you are doing this to forget about a painful memory and that's not the right way to deal with it."
"...That's right. What would you do if I say that? I'm trying to feel relieved by making love with you and head towards the battle. I also want to give my body to you and I thought that I can get rid of this feeling if I make love with you." Akeno replied sombrely, Yukio moving to pick up the robe and place it over her shoulders before hugging her back as he spoke "Let's just stay like this and hug. We won't do anything ecchi because I don't want to make love with you with these kind of feelings."
"...Yukio-kun..." Akeno spoke surprised as the pair continued to hug, Yukio pressing a light kiss to her forehead before whispering to her "I will stay by your side. I will always stay by your side whenever you feel sad. I will hug you like this anytime as well. So, please, please cheer up."
"...Such an idiot. Both me... and you..." Akeno replied gently, Yukio smiling as he replied "Even if I am an idiot, I will protect you, Akeno-san."
"...Yukio... Thank you... I love you." Akeno spoke with a voice that was mixed between crying sounds and a feeling of security. The pair stayed like that till Akeno decided to leave, leaving Yukio alone as Masayuki finally spoke up {You did a good job, son.}
...
That night saw Yukio, Rias and Asia lying on their bed, the two young women already asleep while Yukio was thinking over what had happened with Akeno earlier as well as the battle that was coming up. Yukio's body trembled and he knew that he was feeling nervous about the fight with Loki, more so due to not being at full strength to fight a God.
'To protect my comrades and the girls I care for, I need to overcome this.' Yukio thought as he took a calming breathe.
"Can't sleep?" Rias asked softly, Yukio turning to see her smiling as he nodded before she added "... Akeno had a bright expression. You did something to her right?"
"I just reassured her..." Yukio answered, Rias' smile growing before she pressed her lips against his for a brief moment before replying "Good..."
Rias' smile turned naughty as she took his hand and pressed it to her breast as she spoke "My heart is beating fast right? Of course it is. We are going to fight against a God. I also feel nervous."
"I feel the same way as well, Rias. But why-?" Yukio replied, feeling her heartbeat through her chest. Rias' smile grew as lips met once more in a tender manner before she spoke "I thought that this was the best way to make you relax... But it seems to be doing wonders for me as well."
"You will be fighting in the front line, Yukio. You have a crucial role, a fight against a God, so you are worried if you can accomplish that while weakened. You can't go to sleep because you are worried about them, right?" Rias added, Yukio feeling as if she was reading his mind as he nodded "Yeah... These roles are scary. It's an honour but I feel uneasy because I don't know if I can fulfil these roles and especially so given my state. Also I'm worried about what could happen to everyone else tomorrow if we fail."
This time when Rias' lips met Yukio's, the latter felt the small surge of demonic magic being put into his body before she spoke "It's okay. You can say those things in front of me. I love Yukio even including those parts about you."
"I...I love Rias too and I don't want to see you drain yourself when you'll need this power yourself tomorrow." Yukio admitted bashfully, Rias smiling beautifully before hugging him tightly as she spoke reassuringly "I'll be better by tomorrow. I would feel awful if I lost you tomorrow so this is the best way to ensure you will survive."
...
Author's Notes
Hey, here's the next chapter of this fic. The version of Mjolnir I'm using is the one from the anime although it starts off like the Marvel version as in hand sized in this. I will admit it had slipped my mind about the confrontation between Sona and Katsu so I've added rushed bit in to this chapter before preparing to start posting this chapter. Also the love admission between Yukio and Rias just sort of happened as I wrote that part and I couldn't really see much of a reason to take it out due to the fact that I think they are closer then Ise and Rias are at this point in canon and Yukio doesn't have the same issues Ise has.
As for the Guest asking about the next arc, I was thinking that the Kyoto Arc would come first as I had figured that by the end of that Yukio's Soul Chain would be repaired and its a good space for the Arrancar arc (although I may have to watch Bleach to work out how it happens as the most knowledge of Bleach comes from watching chapter reviewers and some of the fights like Ichigo vs Ulquiorra - the one where Ichigo goes Vasto Lorde - and the fight with Grimmjow.) but there is something appealing about combining the two somehow. Also I'd like to thank them for the ideas and I'll see what I can do to incorporate the bits I think will work into it.
Hope you enjoy this chapter.