Akane sat on the airplane. Her flight had been delayed by bad weather and now she was currently on hour 17 of her 19-hour flight back to Japan. Jingwei sat in the chair next to her, absentmindedly looking out the window. A movie played before her yet she paid it no mind.

She closed her eyes and stretched her senses.

An angelic energy signature, multiple demonic signatures, and… what? This one feels odd… She opened her orange-red eyes and sighed.

"Why did we take the plane again?" Jingwei asked, not even bothering to look at her Contractor. She had her hand on her chin.

"Because me teleporting into Japan would disturb the entire pantheon. I don't need that kind of mess right now. I got on the earliest flight to Japan. Besides, it's only a one-day trip back home. If Lord Brahma didn't hold us back when we were about to leave, we wouldn't be in this mess," Akane said. She closed her eyes again. A sudden spike in the unknown power brought her back to reality and she opened her eyes.

"Eh? What's wrong?" Jingwei asked.

"Go."

"Huh?"

"Go to Japan now! Shin… he's in… Jingwei! I need you to go there now!"

"Wha…? What's going on?"

"No time to explain! Go now! Please… I can't…" Akane had a hollow look in her eyes.

Jingwei nodded. In a flash of blue flames, she vanished from her seat.

"Shin-chan… not again. Please, don't."

"!?"

Shin reconstructed Clarent and stabbed it into the ground. Winds that could push over hoops and pick up trash cans surged through the area. His hair whipped back from the immense amount of divine power emanating from Yuuma. His eyes narrowed, trying to see through the buffeting gales. She had an expressionless look on her face. Her violet eyes merely glowed softly in the middle of the cyclone.

"Shin! Are you okay?" Sophia asked, using her scythe to maintain her balance.

"Yeah, I haven't felt this much divine power since…" he trailed off. An image of that white-haired woman appeared in his head. A pain shot through his skull and he gripped the side of his head. What… What was that just now?

"Shin, are you alright?" Sophia asked, seeing her friend keel over in pain.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," Shin said, blinking his eyes rapidly.

Sophia narrowed her eyes. What… was that… she shook her head.

"Come on," Shin said, "We can't let her get into town."

She nodded.

Shin closed his eyes and held his hand out. "Ran. I need you for this."

Ran nodded and jumped out of his hoodie. She hovered in mid-air, completely unaffected by the winds and Yuuma's divine power. Shin transformed Clarent into a regular katana and he held up a black talisman.

"O' Great Power of the Sun. May you grant me strength for my blade… Taiyogenpu: Hirume! Come forth at once!"

Ran's body glowed and she turned into black fire. The fire latched onto Shin's sword, consuming it in flames. The flames died down after a few seconds, revealing a pristine silver katana with a wispy black aura.

"Let's go," Shin said, creating Failnacht with his other hand.

Sophia summoned her scythe.

Shin shot forward, circling around the glowing Fallen Angel. He fired several shots at her. The bolts flew at high speeds and bounced off the sheer holy aura she gave off. Shin ducked when a wave of light passed over him, nearly taking his head off with it.

"Holy fucking-"

He jumped back when a spear of light impaled the ground. Shin raised his sword and blocked a strike from Yuuma. He winced, feeling the sheer weight behind her blow.

She's stronger than I thought she'd be. But even with all that raw power, there's something missing! Shin parried her sword, knocking her back.

He watched carefully as Yuuma tilted her head curiously, loosening her grip on her light swords before tightening them again. She slapped the swords together and transformed them into a massive battle-ax made of pure light. Without warning, she rushed towards Shin in a burst of speed that would have made Kiba jealous.

"Onigari Ryuu: Mumyou no Mai!"

Her blows rained down like bombs, each one with more strength poured into it like the last.

But the blows did not connect with Shin. They surged like a violent wave against a steel wall that absorbed and redirected their kinetic energy in a different direction. A graceful dance that Shin had started to deflect all of Yuuma's attacks.

He swiped the katana, sending her battle ax off to the side.

"Onigari-Ryuu: Gun Kata: Colt," Shin spun Failnacht and pointed it point-blank at her torso. He fired six shots, sending her stumbling back.

Yuuma stood straight before falling to one knee. She coughed, splattering blood all over the grass. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when she sensed impending danger behind her. Yuuma rolled out of the way, narrowly dodging a black scythe.

Fear coursed through her body when she saw the scythe slowly withering away the dirt and the grass.

She got back up, wounds slowly regenerating. Steam rose from her torso and she looked at both of them with emotionless eyes.

"What's your game here, Raynare? Did Kokabiel promise you something?" Sophia asked.

"Kokabiel?" she shook her head like an innocent child. "I don't work for Kokabiel. My father sent me here. He gave me a new life. He gave me a chance to see… Issei. Issei. Issei. Issei. Isseiii~" A warped smile twisted her serene deathly pale features. Her body began to quiver and shake as she repeated Issei's name over and over again.

"Whatever your plans are for Issei, they're not going to happen today!" Shin said, pointing his sword at her.

Her giggles stopped. The silence she created was nothing short of suffocating. Her holy aura began to pour out in waves. No, not waves. They were literal tsunamis. Shin began to slide back from the sheer amount of divine power she was radiating from her body.

"You want to keep Issei from me? But… I was born for him… he promised me if I was good, I can have Issei all to myself… and you," Yuuma muttered.

Shin widened his stance and raised his sword just in the nick of time. Her strength had doubled. The amount of force she was exerting was far greater than before. He gritted his teeth and pushed back.

"Shin!" Sophia jumped up and swung her scythe at Yuuma's unprotected back. Yuuma turned her head and rapidly extended her wings, releasing a buffeting gale of shredding wind.

Sophia's eyes widened and she threw up a last-minute barrier, being forced to slide back. She winced, feeling some of the wind cut through her shoulder. "Tch, she's gotten stronger! Did you really have to piss her off!?" she yelled.

"Not the time!" Shin pushed back, throwing Yuuma off. He threw Failnacht into the air and held the sword at his side in a draw position. "Onigari-Ryuu: Setsudan!" He slashed her with the katana at rapid speeds, far faster than others could see.

Yuuma was assaulted with a flurry of slashes across her body. She screamed in pain, releasing a burst of unstable holy power. Shin was blasted back across the fence and crashed into a tree. Sophia was launched into the air where she caught herself with her wings. Below her, Yuuma stood in a crater with partially tattered clothing and a smoldering crater that leveled the old generator.

Shin got up, gripping his side. The impact damaged him far more than he expected. His ribs ached. All of a sudden, his fight or flight instincts went haywire. Without thinking, he cast Perfect Cube, barely blocking a light spear that nearly impaled his skull.

"Tch!"

"Master, we might have to use Matoi Kajiri for this fight. This woman is beyond u-"

"No, she's not. She's barely grown into it. She has no control over her own abilities. This… Yuuma person might outclass me and Sophia in raw power but when it comes to combat skill, we have her outmatched," Shin said, gripping the Katana tightly.

He felt warming pulses emanating from the hilt. Shin smiled. No matter what, Ran was always by his side. "Let's go," Shin said. He took one step forward and disappeared.

In a split second, he reappeared in front of Yuuma, catching her off-guard and kicked her into a tree. She crashed through it, knocking over the trees behind her.

"Sophia! You okay!" Shin asked.

"Yeah," she replied, landing next to him. "We need to work together to take her down. She might outclass us in raw power but…"

"Compared to our skill, yeah, she has no skill," he said. Shin raised an eyebrow when he saw Sophia raising a fist for him. A smile spread across his face and he fist bumped her in return.

"Wanna race? See who gets to hit her first before we blitz her?" she asked.

"Only if you want to lose," Shin replied. He had a cocky grin on his face that served to both infuriate her and fire her up.

A surge of holy power swept over them. Yuuma had gotten up and was heading over to their location.

"Ready?"

"Set…"

"GO!"

The two vanished from their spots. The two flew across the entire field as two streaks of violet and blue.

To Yuuma, it was a momentary flash of light and then, Shin and Sophia appeared in front of her. Using whatever combat experience she had ingrained into her body, she created two swords made of light and blocked their attacks. Her eyes grew wide when the combined force of their blows sent her skidding back.

Shin and Sophia both vanished again, circling her like two sharks.

Shin appeared behind her and swiped at her unprotected nape.

Yuuma sensed it and deflected his attack. She tried to counter with her own but only managed to slash thin air. She jumped back.

Sophia crashed into the ground in front of her, tearing up the ground where she once stood. The girl rushed her, swiping and slashing her scythe.

Despite the vast disparity in combat skill, she knew that one cut from that scythe would debilitate her for good. She flipped over one of Sophia's swings and threw a light javelin at her.

Sophia swung her scythe at the last second, deflecting the spear. She held her other hand out and fired a barrage of holy needles at her.

Yuuma spread her eight wings and wrapped them around herself like a cocoon.

As Yuuma was peppered with an endless onslaught of light needles, Shin appeared above her and heel dropped her into the ground.

Yuuma crashed into the ground, letting out a gasp of air. A soundless scream escaped her mouth when Shin landed on her, planting his foot deep into her torso. A sickening crunch echoed through the field. Rage and the will to survive flooded her mind. She grabbed Shin's foot and got up quickly. She held him over her head and slammed him into the ground.

"SHIN!" Sophia shot towards her, kicking her away. She immediately knelt next to Shin and placed her glowing hand over his torso.

"I'm *cough* fine," Shin said, slowly getting up. A dull blue light glowed deeply in his pupils. "She's fucking strong. I'll give her that."

"Yeah, she is but compared to… grandmother, she's just a fly," Sophia said.

Shin nodded. Sophia was right. Compared to the monster they fought at the abandoned church, fighting Yuuma was far easier than fighting God.

The two turned around and saw Yuuma had shot into the air. Her eight wings were spread out for the entire world to witness. A bloody red aura surrounded her.

"No… way. She has a Halo? Fallen Angels lose their Halos upon falling. How the hell does she have one?" Sophia asked.

"That aura… her aura was just the same as a Fallen 5 seconds ago but," Shin muttered. He looked at her eyes. Her violet eyes were gone. Red eyes and black sclera stared back at him. The sheer intensity of her aura caused the air around her to glitch like a video.

"Issei… if I plunge this world into a bloody war, will they all kill each other? Will they all die for us?" Yuuma muttered, holding herself.

"War?" Shin asked.

His question went unanswered. He swiped his katana at the entity behind him. Yuuma's spears were barely blocked by Shin's sword. Shin jumped into the air and fired multiple void rending bullets at her.

Yuuma raised her wings and blocked the attack.

Sophia dashed at her, swinging her scythe.

Yuuma barely managed to keep up with the speed of her strikes. Even with her vast power, her combat skill was inferior to theirs. This fact was slowly becoming evident to her. But she would draw upon his power if need be. She let out a roar and swung a blood-red energy blade at her torso.

Sophia narrowly dodged the attack, slicing her uniform slightly in the process.

"We need to finish this fast. I can sense something wrong at the town," Shin said, gripping the blade tightly.

"Yeah, I can sense an immense amount of holy and demonic power there. I think they've already begun to engage Kokabiel," Sophia said.

"Then we have to end this quickly," Shin said, twirling Failnacht. He aimed the gun at Yuuma and fired.

The bolt flew through the buffeting winds. Yuuma raised her hand and caught the bolt. She crushed it. A blood-red spear formed in her other hand. She dashed towards Shin and thrust the spear at his chest.

Sophia appeared in between them and blocked the attack.

Yuuma pushed, sending Sophia back a few inches. "Hehehe, I don't know why but this feeling I have whenever I'm fighting against you… I want to feel it even more! How will you look when I thrust this spear through your hea-"

Shin kicked her in the jaw, sending her back a few feet. He disappeared and reappeared in front of her. He pressed the barrel of Failnacht against her torso and fired. A bolt pierced right through her, causing her to stumble back.

"Gahk!" She gritted her teeth and let out a roar that did not belong to any living creature, supernatural or not, on the planet. Several massive swords formed in the air above them. They swirled and jittered in the air like a swarm of enraged hornets.

Her eyes glowed and the swords all sped towards Shin.

"Onigari-Ryuu: Mumyou no Mai!" Shin began deflecting all the blades.

However, some made it past his sphere of defense. He winced when he felt one cut his cheek and another slice cut deep into his leg. Several cuts appeared on his body but he managed to deflect a majority of the storm.

"I can do this all day!" Shin said. "Onigari-Ryuu: Muto no Obororenge!"

He dashed forward, slashing his katana with relentless fervor. Each slash increased in speed and attack density, creating cuts and lacerations all over her body faster than it could heal to the point where his speed exceeded the dynamic vision of Yuuma and Sophia. The ground was torn up around him and the speed at which he moved forward only served to make the attack look like a singular high-speed continuous tackle.

All the cuts and slashes had melded into a single attack due to its sheer speed.

Sophia could only watch as her best friend turned into a human bullet and peppered Yuuma with an endless amount of blows. She clenched her fist as she fought off the feeling of helplessness building up inside her.

"Trying to one-up me now?" she muttered. A smile graced her face. "Pride is Lucifer's biggest sin and I won't let myself get upstaged by you…"

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the divine power inside her body. Power. All those directly related to Lucifer were blessed with it. A violet glow surrounded her entire body.

Now for the other one.

Black mist wafted off her body and dyed the light black. Her eyes opened and her wings spread from her back. Her tertiary feathers glowed brightly in response to her massive power.

"Don't do this all by yourself, Shin. Remember, I'm here too," she muttered. An ornate scythe made of black light formed in her hands. The blade was even sharper than before. It was as if she would be able to cut the world with a single swing of her blade.

Sophia ran towards them, gripping her weapon tightly before she disappeared in a burst of speed.

Amidst the slashes and cuts, Shin noticed Yuuma had stopped blocking. Her eyes opened. Her red eyes glowed even brighter and she ducked under one of his slashes. Her fist made its home on his torso and broke a few of his ribs. He was sent flying through the air. Before he crashed, Shin opened his eyes and they widened in surprise. He fell, rolling a few feet before stopping.

He rolled out of the way as a blood-red sword stabbed itself into the ground where he lay. His eyes glowed blue and he jumped back.

Yuuma pressed forward. The moment her foot landed on the ground where Shin was, a click was heard through the opening.

She looked down and saw a newly constructed landmine below her.

Shin flipped her the bird before jumping back.

An explosion blew Yuuma back and knocked her to the ground. Her foot regenerated at a frightening speed and she slowly got to her feet. "You… huh?"

Shin just gave her a small smile before backflipping over Sophia, who shot towards her like a violet rocket.

"W-What?"

Sophia grinned and ran right past her. She swung her scythe, bisecting Yuuma at the stomach.

Yuuma gasped as she felt her lower half detach from her body. She landed pathetically on the ground, writhing in unimaginable agony. Her entrails began to spill out all over the ground. She felt her blood filling her lungs and a sensation of drowning.

Sophia skidded to a halt and looked behind her. "Is it… over?" she panted.

"I… I think so," Shin said, gripping his torso.

While the two looked down on her dying form, Yuuma desperately fought for survival. She clung on to the vestiges of her life. Her soul was slowly leaving her body.

No! No no! Not like this! I still need to see him! I still need to see my Issei! My Issei! Isssei! The reason I live! The reason for me to exist! Issei…. Issei-

What's this? Child, you are dying so pathetically…

Huh?

It looks like you're all the same whether you are human, dragon, devil, or angel. But, you are one of the few prime vessels I gave power to so losing you is like losing an investment. And I like it when the things I invest in become profitable so don't die here, Child. Sleep and I'll take care of the rest…

A blood-red aura exploded from Yuuma's bisected body. Strings of red misty energy shot from and met in the middle. They pulled together like an elastic returning to its original form. The two halves met with a moist smack.

"What the… hell? It's… overpowering my Contract?" Sophia asked.

The mist that was degrading and causing Yuuma's body to wither was nullified. The red aura that had reconnected her body began to sew it back together. The wounds hissed as they closed. The sound of the spine reattaching and ossifying together was audible to the two who were watched on with disturbed gazes.

Yuuma slowly rose to her feet like someone who had just woken from death. Her eyes rolled back down, revealing her pitch-black sclera and blood-red eyes. Red lines crisscrossed on her neck, forming an intricate pattern that stopped just below her jaw.

"This body has yet to fully accept the soul… but," Yuuma said. Her voice was warped with a multitude of other voices mixing into her own. She held tresses of her hair in her hand. The hair was slowly becoming black. She turned her ruby eyes on Shin and Sophia.

Both were immediately forced to their knees by a sudden increase in pressure. It was as if the entire ocean had been dropped on their shoulders. It was suffocating and smothering, like being trapped in a wall. Shin looked towards Sophia, who was releasing copious amounts of divine power while struggling to stand up. He turned his gaze back to Yuuma.

Her demented demeanor had changed from what it was before. She was different. She was stronger. Her power had become sharper and more refined. It was a split-second change that he had no explanation for.

"You cannot explain what just happened to this girl, can't you?" Yuuma said, landing on the ground. She took one step and the world visibly trembled with each step she took. She reached out and grabbed Shin's face.

"SHIN!" Sophia took one step towards him. Her movements required herculean efforts just to initiate.

"You are one of them. Humans blessed with Divine Power." Her eyes glowed slightly as she caressed his cheek.

Shin tried not to show any sort of reaction. Her touch had stung. His body rejected her very existence. "You…"

Yuuma's eyes narrowed and she retracted her hand from Shin's face. "How interesting… and…" She jumped back.

A flaming set of blades had stabbed themselves into the ground where she once stood.

Shin's eyes widened as the pressure suddenly let up and he was thrown back against the ground. He groaned in pain and looked up to see…

"Lady Jingwei!" Shin gasped.

Sophia ran towards Shin and assessed him for wounds. She clenched her fist when she saw a burn mark on Shin's face and multiple wounds on his arms, legs, and side. Sophia turned towards the newly arrived person.

Jingwei.

The Divine Bird of Shenzhou. A Goddess of renown within the Chinese Pantheon of Gods. Her divine power eclipsed that of Raynare and Kokabiel, and created a pressure that caused the eight winged Fallen in front of them to sweat profusely.

"Shin, get back," Jingwei said.

"Where's Onee?" Shin asked.

"She'll be here soon. Restrictions prevent her from getting here via other means," Jingwei replied.

"She's on a plane, right? She can't teleport or she'll blow a hole in it," he answered.

"It seems that you already know." Jingwei smiled before she turned her attention back to Yuuma. "And you… the Fallen Girl, where is she?"

Yuuma tilted her head before throwing it back in a fit of laughter. "Ahahaha! Ahahah! I was found out so fast! I even spoke in a mysterious tone and everything!" she clutched her sides and cackled madly.

Sophia and Shin stood behind Jingwei, who had an uncomfortable realization on her face.

"Tell me, Divine Bird. Was it the feather Kokabiel left in Utah? After he destroyed that Mormon Congregation looking for the Protestant Excalibur?" Yuuma asked.

Jingwei said nothing.

"Judging by your lack of an answer and that epiphany on your face, you know who I am. But how? This era's Gods are unaware of me. Only the Older Gods have an inkling of my existence," she said.

"You're using this girl as your puppet," Jingwei said.

Shin and Sophia's eyes widened. Puppet? Her? Shin bit his cheek.

"Eh? Puppet… that's a bit too harsh. I'm simply employing whatever means I have at my disposal in order to weave an effective conflict," Yuuma replied.

"Enough talk," Jingwei said.

"Enough talk? So you want to fight me?" Yuuma asked. Several swords with malicious designs manifested in the air around her. A twisted holy light blade appeared in her hand. "Me?"

"Yes."

Yuuma's eyes widened when she saw Jingwei behind her with a sword in hand. She swung the blade.

Yuuma was barely able to block it but even then, she, or whatever had taken her body, felt the strength behind the blow. Compared to her, she was an ant and like an ant, she was flicked away. She crashed into the ground but recovered quickly.

Jingwei raised her sword into the air and summoned a hail of flaming blades. "Sublime Flaming Blades for Skewering a Person." The swords all rushed towards Yuuma with relentless vigor.

Yuuma grinned madly. "Hehehehe…" She raised her hands. Several fifty-caliber turrets made of flaming red energy appeared in the air around her. The turrets began firing, shattering the flaming swords as they came.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She turned but wasn't quick enough to respond to Jingwei slamming her fist into her solar plexus. Her turrets vanished instantly as the air was knocked from Yuuma's body.

Yuuma flew across deeper into the woods, plowing through several trees before crashing violently into the ground.

Sophia and Shin watched in awe. "So this is the power of a God?" Shin asked.

Sophia nodded.

Jingwei hovered in the air, wings spread like an avenging angel.

"You survived that?" Jingwei asked. She watched Yuuma limp out from the devastated shrubbery.

The Fallen angel spit out a clot of blood onto the grass. Blood poured from her rapidly healing wounds. Her broken wings healed rapidly, eliciting cracking and popping sounds from her joints and bones.

"So this is today's Gods? I have to say… I am a tad bit impressed. Even in this body, this weak untrained body, you were able to deal quite a substantial amount of damage with me reinforcing it," Yuuma said.

"You better be glad it's just me. Someone far worse than me is coming here," Jingwei said.

Yuuma clenched her jaw. She had sensed it. Even if it was still hundreds of miles out from this country, she could already sense it. A power far greater than anything she had felt in this country through this vessel.

"Your warning appears to be my cue to leave. But be warned, this isn't the last time we'll meet. It's just too bad I wasn't able to retrieve her on this visit," Yuuma said, sighing in frustration.

"Her?" Shin asked, stepping forward. He flinched, feeling the pain of his broken ribs digging into some of his internal organs.

"The Queen of Conquest is in this town. I can faintly feel her energy but she's here. I wanted to retrieve her after that fool plunged this entire pantheon into a war once more," Yuuma answered. "But it seems I'll have to leave that mission for next time. My power in this body is limited since it's not my main."

"Not your main?" Sophia asked.

"Hehehe, what's with the third degree?" Yuuma asked.

"Do you really believe I'll let you leave here?" Jingwei asked. Red and white wisps of flame crackled around her body, charring the ground and plant life around her from the sheer heat of her flames.

"Do you have a choice?" Yuuma asked. "Stop me or help these two hold Kokabiel long enough until whatever monstrous power that's coming here gets here."

Jingwei bit her tongue. Even as a God, killing this thing would not be an easy process. Her regeneration was immense. Her flame, which are capable of killing even an Ultimate Class Devil from the Phenex family instantly, was being resisted by this girl.

"Heh. I thought so," Yuuma said. She snapped her fingers and a red spatio-temporal vortex opened behind her.

"Wait!" Shin said, stumbling forward. He gripped the katana in his hand tightly. "Why Yuuma? Why of all people would you use Raynare?"

She paused for a moment. A twisted grin appeared on her face. "This girl begged for new life and I promised her one in return. I simply felt like doing it."

Shin glared at the woman.

"Oh? What a fierce glare you have there, boy," Yuuma commented.

"Who are you?" Sophia asked.

"Fufu, who am I? I am… the one they call the Red King. But you all have lots of names for me. I'll give you a hint as to who I am. Even without a vessel, I had vast influence over this world. Iran. Europe. Israel. The conflict between Heaven, Hell, and the Grigori. All me. Did you get my hint?" Yuuma asked. Without another word, she walked into the vortex and vanished.

"Haah. It's over." Shin winced and fell to one knee. The katana in Shin's hand glowed and transformed back into Ran.

"Shin! Let me just," Sophia placed a hand on his torso and began healing his wounds.

"Lady Jingwei," Shin said.

"Shin, you need to go back and rest. I'll handle Kokabiel," she said.

"No, I need to get back there. Issei and the others-"

"Will be fine. I can go in there and save them easily," Jingwei said.

"No! I have to do this. I need you to get back to Onee and tell her what's going on so she knows what's happening. We'll try to hold off Kokabiel in the meantime," Shin said.

"Shin, this is a foolish idea and I will not allow it," Jingwei replied.

"Well, I'm going anyway! I have to. This is my duty as a Contractor! And you attacking Kokabiel will set off a war between the Grigori and China!" Shin retorted.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take! I swore to Akane that I would protect you in her absence and I will honor that wish," Jingwei bit back. "Besides, you're not even fully healed yet!"

Shin sighed. "Asia is there. She can fix me up no problem. Besides, I need to do this! I'm one of the only people in this town capable of holding on long enough until Onee gets here! Issei and the others will get wiped out instantly!"

"Haaah!" Jingwei pinched the bridge of her nose. There was no time for this. Akane's flight arrived in less than two hours. Her eyes drifted to Shin, who stared at her defiantly. His determination impressed her far more than it should. She sighed. "Fine."

Shin and Sophia nodded.

"I'll cast a Six Point Barrier around the town so you two can go in and out. Akane told me not to get you killed so be careful. Do not engage Kokabiel alone," Jingwei said. "He is far more powerful than you and that girl combined six times over."

They nodded.

"Go. Go before, I hold you back," Jingwei said.

With those words, the two left, running towards Kuoh as fast as they could.

She sighed and watched as Sophia and Shin's back as they disappeared into the brush.

"To think I'm going against my Contractor's wishes. But… Akane, I think he can do it," Jingwei said. "Don't be so afraid…"

"Shin-chan…?"

Jingwei shook her head, trying to forget her Contractor's bloodcurdling scream of anguish.

"That boy has grown up far better than you think."

[]

Prominence

The Divine Authority of Lady Jingwei of the Chinese Pantheon.

It stems from her desire to destroy the seas yet her method does not involve filling it up with rocks. Instead, the seas will be boiled by a vermillion flame.

To say that she is a powerful God is an understatement.

With this Authority, Jingwei lords herself supreme over the Divine Birds and is believed to be the Incarnation of Destruction amongst the Gods of China.

This is it. The next chapter will switch to Issei and Vivi's end of things so we won't see Shin and Sophia for a few chapters. Also, we have a new antagonist! The Red King! I wonder... how many people will be able to figure out who he is and his relation to the Queen of Conquest. Akane's also heading back to Japan. Partly, the reason I don't want her to teleport is I want Shin to struggle and I don't want to end this part of the arc too quickly. Especially since there are still some things I need to address with Kiba, Vivi, and Excalibur before I let loose Akane from her leash. This part of the arc is meant to be a good development for multiple people, not just Shin. I don't really have much to say right now. Well, please leave a review! And remember to have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours!