Ben 10: Dragon God of Life

by DragneelGiant96

Ever since he was 10, Ben Tennyson has been having dreams of strange creatures, strange events...and a strange green dragon. No one can explain them; they're a mystery. But when he attends Kuoh Academy, he learns that there's more to his dreams than he realizes. Powerful, original version of Ben Tennyson. OOC and AU. Rated M for swearing, violence and DxD nudity. [Ben x Harem]

28. Family issues of the supernatural kind

A/N: Greetings, strangers!

First of all, I want to thank everyone for being patient with me while I've been coming to terms with my loss. I must let you guys know before you read this chapter that I've still got a lot of things to deal with. That being said tough, I really wanted to give you guys another chapter in my story as thanks for you being so patient with me.

So, this is it, the chapter you've all been waiting for.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Somewhere deep in the Underworld outlands

The Pillars of Silence.

That is what the tribes living around the two largest peaks of the Khorosian mountain range know them as from the stories of their ancestors. Living almost on the other side of the Underworld from both the Devils and Fallen Angels, it was all they had. The vast deserts and barren wastelands of which the territory known as Khoros is composed of deters most away from it while the deadly wildlife that calls it home kills and devours the rest. The various tribes dotted around the harsh land were inhabited by the Tetramands, the only known species to tame the Khoros wastelands, to a degree, and find it a place they can call 'home'.

However, the one place Tetramands have never been able to tame and take control of were the two tallest mountains of the range as well as the gorge which led to the path to their summits. For eons, in the stories the elders told their younglings, never has a warrior who sought to climb the peaks and best the creature who lives somewhere within.

They may know the two peaks as the Pillars of Silence…but the mythical beast which lurks somewhere within the labyrinth caves around the mountains had no name as nobody had ever returned from the mountains, nor were they ever heard from again.

Due to the lack of 'civilised' culture from the harshness of the barren wastelands – namely the practice of writing down knowledge to pass on – the Tetramand tribes had no idea exactly how long the beast has lurked within the pillars, only that it has been there for as long as their people can remember. For countless millennia and generations, many young Tetramand warriors from the surrounding tribes, eager to prove themselves, had confidently entered the mountain range to hunt down the strange creature which dwells somewhere within its peaks...only to fall as yet another victim to the monster.

Even the odd Vaxasaurian, separated from their herd/tribe and lost, has been witnessed entering the valley in search of their family where they too would share the same fate as the Tetramands.

And it was precisely somewhere within this mountain range of death that the spectral Ectonurite, Zs'Skayr found themselves. They had been run ragged searching every corner of the Underworld in search for their quarry and this was just another legend that they were following.

How many legends did that make now? Seventeen? Eighteen? The spectre had honestly lost count of how many legends they had learned the 'truth' of and not a single one of them had been what they were looking for.

The spectral creature didn't hold much hope to the fanciful stories of those muscle brained imbecilic Tetramands but it was a lead and that was all their master required to order them to investigate the eerily silent mountains.

So, despite the potent aura of death surrounding them which drove most simple-minded demons away from the peaks, Zs'Skayr pushed on along, the darkening Underworld sky above them until they reached the beginning of the mountain path, carved out after centuries of countless Tetramand fools making their way up the mountain.

It wasn't long after they started their ascent of the mountain path that the spectre stumbled across the first scattered pieces of evidence to the countless warriors who met their fates to the monster. Weapons: rusted blades, busted axes and other, assorted weapons buried in the ground, each at various stages of decomposition from the sheer number of Tetramand warriors searching for glory to honour their tribe with. Even the odd Tetramand-sized skeleton could be seen lying prone, partway buried in the ground, the only remaining evidence that the young warriors of the various tribes had ever attempted to conquer whatever lurks in the Pillars.

As it continued to follow the path up the mountain, making sure to stick to the shadows as it continued its climb, the Ectonurite took special care to remain hidden so that it didn't startle whatever lived up here.

The sudden quiet yet distinct sound of voices coming from around the next bend ahead of them drew the spectre up short as it silently cursed at the possibility that another expedition made up of Tetramand warriors had stupidly decided to try their luck at the monster. The new norm now for the tribes now where, instead of sending a single young warrior to their death, they would now sent whole groups to the slaughter.

"Shit! This is the last thing I need right now," Zs'Skayr hissed under their breath. They had stumbled across two other expeditions in the previous locations they'd scoured, both of which were dealt with violently. The spectre, though, wasn't interested in having to deal with a group of stupid, barbaric, red-skinned brawlers trying to make a name for themselves and getting in the Ectonurite's way.

Just as Zs'Skayr was thinking of ways it could kill the troublesome hunting party in a way which was both quick (so that they could carry on with their task) and extremely painful and violent (simply because they were pissed off right now) they were surprised when they moved into the stone wall of the mountain and poked their head out to see that it wasn't a hunting party of young Tetramand braves. Instead, they were met by the sight of a band of humanoid figures, easily thirty strong. From the distinct magic energy they were giving off, Zs'Skayr could tell that they were devils, and from the weaponry they were all wielding, it wasn't difficult to work out what they were doing up in such treacherous mountains.

This being the first time anything other than a Tetramand had been foolish enough to hunt the sole occupant of the pillars, the Ectonurite decided to hold back on its plan to simply slaughter the party of devils…for now at least as curiosity got the better of them. Keeping distant from them to mask their presence, the spectre followed them as they slowly made their way up through the pass, ignoring the partially uncovered bones from the multitude of fallen warriors from millennia past.

While keeping their distance, Zs'Skayr decided to listen in to their conversation for more intel.

"Why the fuck are we in these damn mountains again?" one of the devils, a blond-haired devil who wielded a vicious-looking halberd, cursed as he kicked a large skull, sending it soaring into a nearby rock where it smashed into splinters. "We should be joining the fight against the false Devil Kings, not hiking up some fucking mountain chasing after a ghost story."

The obvious leader of the group, an armoured, raven-haired female devil turned her head and glanced back at the one who had spoken out. "Tell that to the bones you're walking over, Rax. I'm sure they'd love to hear that it's just a ghost story," she stated firmly gesturing towards the bone-littered floor ahead of them, kicking the remains of a large axe which had been cleaved in two. "I suggest you shut your mouth and just do what you're told. We've been ordered by our masters to find and secure whatever lurks within this desolate place."

"And what exactly are our chances of succeeding, boss?" a male devil, this one completely covered in dark armour complete with a two-handed, double-headed axe, asked as he sidestepped a particularly large bone protruding out of the ground. "I mean, how are we sure that we'll succeed where scores of Tetramand have failed in the past?"

The arrogant devil known as Rax spoke up before the leader could respond. He kicked another skull in front of him, smashing it to smithereens, with a profound sneer on his face.

"Because they were simply demons; weak, mindless and barbarous demons while we are pure-blooded devils," he sneered cockily. "We can easily defeat and capture whatever killed these stupid brutes, of that I have no doubt. There's no way we can lose to a demon. No matter how strong they may think they are, there is no way that they could be stronger than us devils."

"I admire your enthusiasm, Rax, but caution should still be maintained," the leader of the group called back as she kept a cautious gaze at the path ahead of her. "Even the strongest of warriors can be defeated if taken by surprise. Now be quiet all of you. From the number of bones before us, I believe we are getting closer to our target and would prefer that we don't announce our presence to it."

Obeying her orders with slight nods of the head and grunts, the band of devils fell into silence and slowed down their pace as they soon reached a plateau completely awash with more crushed bones and shattered weapons scattered before the mouth of a gigantic cave entrance easily twenty-five feet high, the dim light from the Underworld 'night' sky unable to penetrate the darkness of the cave interior which seemed to swallow any light which came into contact with it, not unlike a black hole. Even the devils with their enhanced eyesight couldn't penetrate further than a few feet into the darkness; a fact several devils in the group pointed out with brief hints of concern in their voices.

This was, without any doubt, the place they had been looking for.

Some distance away from the band of devils and hidden from view, Zs'Skayr watched as they prepared themselves and slowly entered the swallowing darkness. Once it was sure that they had gone far enough into the cave it emerged from its hiding spot and slowly entered the cave itself.

Maybe…just maybe this could be the one.

. . . . .

Elsewhere in the Underworld, the Gremory Residence

(At the same time)

Ben had never been happier to see anything as he was to see the Gremory mansion coming into view. Riding atop Tannin's back, Ben looked on as the huge building complex quickly grew in size on their approach until the huge dragon landed in the courtyard in front of the main mansion and Ben jumped off Tannin's back, sprouting his black, skeletal wings to slow his final descent to the ground.

As he landed on the gravel covering the courtyard, Ben looked down at his hand which held the only thing he had brought back from his time in the forest and mountains, the tattered remains of his shirt. Having been totally destroyed over the course of his training camp, it was little more than strips of fabric, largely charred thanks to Tannin and his fireball attacks, and indistinguishable from clothing in his hand.

Of course, having nothing else to wear meant that he was currently standing in the Gremory courtyard with just the bottom half of his gym clothes. His upper body was completely bare, showing off how much it had developed over the course of his training with Tannin. As well the several bruises he had developed, his muscles had grown and his overall figure had become leaner than before.

"I'll be heading off now," Tannin declared, attracting Ben's attention back from the joy he was feeling at having finally returning to civilisation.

"Are you going to be attending this party that's being thrown on the eve of our Rating game against Sona?" Ben asked Tannin.

"Yes I am. Sirzechs invited me. I hope we meet again there, Ben," the huge dragon replied with a slight nod of his head before standing up to his full height and unfurled his expansive wings. With a massive flap of his wings, Tannin took to the air, quickly rising into the sky. After reaching a height of 1,000 feet in just a few seconds, he turned back to look down at Ben and placed his right hand over his breast.

"It has been an honour to help train the wielder of the Dragon All father," he shouted down at Ben. "I hope to have that honour again in the future!"

With his piece said, the huge, purple-scaled dragon turned his back on the Gremory mansion and flew away, quickly departing behind the mountains in the distance and out of sight as he headed back home.

"Hey, Ben," a familiar voice called out, drawing Ben's head away from the mountain Tannin had disappeared behind, looking to his left to see Kiba walking along the gravel courtyard towards him. The first thing Ben noticed was how battered and bruised the blond knight was; while nowhere near the same state as he was in, Kiba's jersey was still tattered, barley hiding the noticeable bruises underneath.

It was clear that Ben wasn't the only one who had gone through a hellish training regime over the last few weeks.

"Shit, Kiba," Ben said, looking over his friend and comrade's battered body when the knight reached him. "You look like crap."

"Heh, I feel like it too," Kiba chuckled as he examined his bruised body. "Though, you look like you've been through worse," he stated, observing Ben's bare, bruised chest with interest.

"Although, I must say that it did wonders for your body. you look so much more muscular than before," he observed with a slight nod of his head.

Not expecting that comment in the slightest, Ben was taken aback by Kiba's statement and stared at the blond knight with an expression of surprise adorning his face. As he stood there, still reeling from Kiba's 'completely-out-of-nowhere' statement, he subconsciously crossed his arms over his muscular chest.

"That's…uh…very flattering for you to say, Kiba, but you're not really my type," Ben replied with a nervous chuckle.

"What?" Kiba asked with confusion before realisation quickly sank in. "No, I don't mean it like that. I was just saying that you've become more muscular since I last saw you. You look about the same size as Sairaorg now."

Ben looked back down at his body and found himself unable to disagree with Kiba's statement. His body had greatly developed as a result of his extreme training and, just as the Gremory knight pointed out, now had an appearance similar to that of the Bael heir. He'd never thought about it before…but now that his attention had been drawn to it he couldn't help but notice the similarities.

Before he could make another comment, the two devils were joined by Xenovia who, due to the over-enthusiastic approach she took with her training, had been covered almost completely from head to toe with bandages. It instantly reminded Ben of a mummy from ancient Egypt; something he couldn't help but note with a chuckle to the blue-haired knight who puffed up her cheeks with indignation, an action which brought another smile to Ben's face.

Shortly after Xenovia arrived, Asia also joined their steadily growing group. As she approached them she noticed Ben's bare chest and her face flushed bright red. Despite this, though, the blonde-haired ex-nun found herself unable to resist touching his chest lightly. When she realised what she was doing, Asia's reddened complexion only grew more intense and she quickly pulled back her hand as though she had just been electrified.

"Well, it looks like you all made it back safely."

They all turned towards the Gremory house doorway to see the crimson-haired heiress herself making her way down the stairs to greet her peerage on their return. When she descended the stairs, reaching the gravel-covered courtyard she quickly and swiftly made her way over to Ben who she then embraced, resting her head on his bare shoulder.

"Hey, Rias. It's good to be back," Ben told her as he loosely wrapped his arm around her waist and rested his cheek on her crown.

"It's so good to see you too, Ben. You've become so…buff since I last saw you," Rias muttered with a content smile on her face. "Your chest is so toned, and your arms are so…thick." A small blush appeared on her face as she ran her soft hands along his chest and arms.

Rias continued to embrace Ben for a few more seconds before she remembered the initial reason she had come to greet her peerage's return. She, albeit reluctantly, detached herself from Ben and turned to the rest of her peerage.

"Now then, if you would all like to come in, get a shower and get changed, we'll all meet up and discuss the outcomes of our training," she instructed and led the way back into the house, though making sure to keep close to Ben, trapping his left arm in the confines of her large chest while Asia claimed her usual spot on the other side of Ben, his right arm pressing against her own chest as they all entered the mansion.

. . . . .

It was the first time all members of Rias' peerage had been gathered together since their training had begun what felt like months ago. After Ben and the others had cleansed themselves in the warm, refreshing showers located in their rooms and got changed into a fresh pair of clothes that had been delivered by servants of the Gremory family, they all reconvened in Rias' own private wing of the house and were now sat down on sofas in the living room adjoining her bedroom.

Once they had all gathered together, Azazel included, they each began to recount their training experiences. As they each told everyone their tales, Ben couldn't help but quickly deduce a steadily growing pattern, one he wanted to bring up with Azazel.

"Hey, Azazel. Why the hell was I the only one who had to survive in the wilderness for my training?! Everybody else got to live either in the mansion itself…." He gestured towards Kiba and Xenovia, "…or they were allowed to stay in villas or cottages! Why was I the only one freezing my ass off in the mountains?!"

"Also…," he continued with arms crossed over his chest and a disgruntled expression on his face as he glared at the Fallen Angel, "…why was nobody else's training as intense as mine?! I was the only one dealing with a huge-ass dragon chasing me around a mountain trying to turn me to cinders and I was the only one who was forced to scavenge for my food and water!"

"I wouldn't have put through all that if I didn't have complete confidence in your abilities to survive Tannin's training method," Azazel replied nonchalantly, waving his hand dismissively to emphasise his point. Looking at his physical changes, the fallen angel governor-general continued on. "You still surprised me though. I'd hoped you would be able to trigger Azmuth's Balance Breaker but even I thought you'd need more training than what you've just done. You've surpassed a great many devils over the course of your training and should be proud of your achievement."

"I suppose you're right," Ben conceded, finding himself unable to argue with Azazel.

"I know it's asking for much but it's a pity you weren't also able to attain the Boosted Gear's Balance Breaker, wishful thinking I know. I reckon if you were to train with Tannin for at least another month you'd be able to attain it. Unfortunately, that's not possible with the big party tomorrow and everything else going on immediately afterwards," he sighed and stood up from his seat, his hands in his pockets as he slowly paced around the gathered devils.

"Hmm, on the other hand, now that I think about it, I guess it's actually a good thing that you weren't able to attain the Balance Breakers of both Gears. It's completely unheard of for a human to have two Sacred Gears, let alone those two being Longinus-tier Gears, and it's impossible to know what the effects attaining two Balance Breakers at once would have on your body."

"Then it sounds like it was probably for the best that I couldn't do it then," Ben summarised with a confirming shake of the head from Azazel.

"Well, I guess that's everything we needed to discuss in this meeting," Azazel stated, clapping his hands together. "As I said, tomorrow's the big party so you are all dismissed for the day," he declared, officially ending the meeting and disappearing in a magic circle shortly after.

As soon as he disappeared, a collective sigh was let out by the gathered devils who collapsed into the nearby sofas in relief. The training camp for Rias Gremory and her peerage had officially come to an end.

. . . . .

(The next day)

The day of the party had finally arrived and Ben was standing with Kiba in the spacious atrium of the huge building where the Devil King-hosted party was being hosted as he waited for Rias and the other girls to appear, revealing their choice of dresses for the party. Gasper had disappeared with them; Ben suspected the reason but didn't comment on it. As they waited for the others to arrive, the two of them could hear the sounds of the party seeping through the partially ajar double doors across from them.

After a few minutes of waiting, Ben moved over to the cushioned bench behind him and sat down before checking over the fancy tuxedo he was wearing for the fourth time so far that night.

"Hey Tennyson," a voice called out to him. he glanced over to see Saji approaching him across the atrium, sitting down next to him once he reached him and straightening out the collar of his own tuxedo as he did so.

"Hey, Saji," Ben replied, looking towards his fellow pawn. "You waiting for Sona?"

"Yeah, the council president and the others went to get ready so I was just wondering around by myself until I spotted you sitting here," Saji explained. Ben nodded his head and explained that he was in the same position.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the noises coming from the next room when Ben eventually broke the quietness between them.

"Not long now until our Rating Game," he noted, eager to break the silence.

"Yeah, not long now. How did your training go?"

Ben groaned before answering. "Urgh, I don't like thinking about it. I was chased around a mountain by a dragon for nearly twenty days straight."

Saji whistled a little. "Wow. I wasn't expecting that. My training was nowhere near as intense as that but I've grown a lot stronger since we last met," Saji replied confidently with a clenched fist.

"Sona's dream was create a school, right?" Ben asked, changing the subject. Saji glanced at him and nodded in confirmation. "I was just wondering what your dream was. Don't you have something you want to do?"

"M-Me?" Saji asked, caught off guard by the sudden question went quiet, as though he were debating whether or not to answer or not. After a few seconds of silent debating in his head, the Sitri pawn took a deep breath and raised his head. "Yeah, there is something I want to do. I want to become a teacher for Sona's school."

"A teacher, huh?" Ben asked with a slight nod of his head as he crossed his arms across his chest. "That's a pretty good dream. Sona's got her work cut out for her with that dream of hers to create a school for everyone…but if she succeeds…," he added, trailing off as the two of them imagined how Sona's idea would change devil society.

"I want the president's dream to come true. Her dream is my dream," Saji stated firmly.

"Well then, I hope you and Sona succeed with your dream but as Rias' pawn, I won't just let you win our upcoming Rating Game; if we find each other during the game I don't plan on holding back…and I hope you don't either."

"You're on," Saji said with a small smirk. "We'll show you what we're really made of. May the best man win."

"May the best man win," Ben echoed with a smile of his own.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ben," Rias' voiced called out, cutting into their conversation.

Looking to his right, Ben saw that everyone had arrived at last, including Sona and her peerage which Saji stood up for and joined before they went ahead and entered the ballroom. Ben barely registered that though as his eyes were fixed on the young women before him. They were all wearing stunningly beautiful dresses which reminded Ben of fairy tale princesses. Rias and Akeno looked positively striking in their dresses which they filled out well. Xenovia's dress was beautiful though it was clear that she had never worn a dress like this before if her uncomfortable expression was anything to go by. While Xenovia was uncomfortable with her apparel, Asia was embarrassed instead, even though she looked so adorable in her dress. Koneko didn't seem to notice that she was wearing such a cute dress from the blank emotionless expression on her face.

And then there was Gasper….

"So, you decided to wear a dress too?" Ben asked with a sigh. He didn't want to admit it but the pale blond-haired dhampir fit into the dress he was wearing really well, like 'easy-to-confuse-him-for-a-guy' well.

"W-What? I wanted to wear a dress too," Gasper whined, looking down at his dress and straightening it out.

"Of course you did," Ben muttered with exasperation as he facepalmed.

"Well then," Rias spoke up, wrapping her arm through Ben's and pressing herself close to him. "Shall we head in?"

As the Gremory procession followed in the wake of Sona's peerage, they pushed open the doors to the gigantic ballroom and joined the party.

As they slowly made their way through the throng of people, Ben glanced around as he searched for anyone he recognised. When he failed to do so, he turned to Rias. "Where's Azazel and your brother? Wasn't this whole party a sponsored event by him and the other Devil Kings?" he asked her under his breath.

Tilting her head up to his, Rias responded in an equally quiet voice, "They're at a private meeting at the moment. Once they're finished, they'll join the party to announce an important guest to assist us in destroying the Khaos brigade."

"Who is it?" Kiba wondered with intrigue.

"We'll have to wait and find out," Rias replied with a light shrug of her shoulders before she caught sight of several important noble devils around them, talking amongst themselves and enjoying the extravagant gathering.

"Right," she stated with a clap of her hand and turning back to her peerage. "I'll be greeting some of the big families who have come tonight so remember your manners, okay everyone?"

"Sure, I can do that," Ben told her before noticing that, even though there were a lot of distinguished families gathered together tonight, they didn't seem to be paying Rias, Sona nor any of the other successors any particular attention upon their arrival. "This party was set up for young up-and-coming devils, wasn't it?"

"Yes…in the official sense. However, it's an annual custom among noble families and the whole 'party for the next family heads' thing is really just another excuse for them to get together and enjoy themselves," Rias explained for him.

With her piece said, and Sona's group having already disappeared amongst the throng, Rias led their group into the crowd too. As they passed some men and women engaged in conversation, they perked up when they spotted them and eagerly turned to greet her and praise her with admiration.

Ben smirked as they began heaping their praises onto Rias.

"Lady Rias! You've become even more beautiful since we last saw you…."

"Sirzechs must be so proud of you…."

As Rias found herself swept away from them, Ben and the others spotted an empty table and Xenovia disappeared to get some drinks for everybody while they stayed behind and watched Rias engage with the noble devils conversing with her.

"Urhh…so many people," Gasper whined from his hiding spot behind Ben.

"Weren't you trained to get over your fear of people?" Kiba asked from behind Ben.

He didn't need to see the young dhampir to feel his fearful quivering and faint murmuring of "Please don't remind me," at the mere mention of his training.

They were interrupted when Xenovia walked up to the table their group was standing beside and laid down the tray of drinks she had brought over for them.

"Here you go, everybody," she told them as she picked up a glass and handed it to Ben.

"Thanks," Ben said, accepting the glass with a smile that caused Xenovia to blush slightly and look away from him and hand out drinks to everyone else who accepted graciously. She had even had the forethought to bring a glass of tomato juice for Gasper who was especially thankful.

As Ben made to take a sip of the drink Xenovia, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He looked around to see the owner of the hand was Rias.

"What's up?" he asked her.

"There are some people I'd like you to meet," she explained, waiting for him to put his drink down on the table before allowing her to drag him away from the table and back into the throng of various noble devils.

It turned out that it wasn't just a fluke when he was recognised by the public at the train station when they first arrived. Since he had last been to the Underworld he had become something of a celebrity amongst the devil nobility too. If it wasn't enough that he was the possessor of not only the Red Dragon Emperor – an incredible feat in its own right – but he was also the first person to ever wield Azmuth's Sacred Gear, a fact that the devil faction would not soon forget.

His image had also been raised significantly by his actions during the ambush at the peace summit and particularly in his giving Ascalon to Michael to help fix The System. It was the first time he could see what the general reaction was among the noble devils to his decision, and overall, from what he could tell from the way the devils he was introduced to by Rias, his decision was received really well amongst them…well, the devils who were sincere in the wishes and beliefs of Sirzechs and the other Devil Kings to forget the past and look to the future.

As Ben was led around the huge ballroom and introduced to the numerous high-class devils he couldn't help but be thankful for the etiquette lessons Rias' mother had given him which were more useful than he initially realised.

. . . . .

(Several minutes later)

"Ah, that was exhausting," Ben sighed as he finally returned to their table and took a seat.

After Rias had finally finished introducing him to what felt like everyone in the whole ballroom, she let him return back the others while she and Akeno remained with the throng of devils as they conversed with some female devils. Kiba stood away from their group, also surrounded by female devils who were conversing with him.

As it was the first sort of party they had ever been to before, Ben, Asia, Xenovia and Gasper were all mentally drained from the party already, felt out of their depth and decided it was for the best to just stay back and observe from their table hidden away in the corner.

As Ben picked at the plates of food Xenovia had kindly brought over for everyone he silently watched as male devils came to their table and introduced themselves to Asia. He could understand why they were drawn to her; her cuteness was extremely high, but he didn't want to suffocate her by keeping any male who showed an interest in her away.

That would be a dick move on his part.

All that being said though, his fist was clenched tightly under the table as he fought to keep his 'alpha side' down in the wake of other males showing interest in what it considered one of his females.

He had made great strides in controlling his emotions…but every now and then its just that little bit harder.

Who could blame him though? He wasn't ignorant to the effect Asia inadvertently had on other people…even if she had no knowledge of it. An innocent creature like her could so easily be taken advantage of by certain individuals and that was something he would never allow to happen.

"Well look who it is," a female voice spoke up behind him.

Ben turned around to see a girl who looked to be the same age as Koneko wearing a pretty dress standing before him. Even when sat down, he was at eye level with her though he needn't have been to recognise her.

"It's been a long time, Dragon All-father," Ravel Phenex stated, her hands on her hips.

"Well if it isn't that dickhead, Riser's, little sister," he countered, unfazed if she was insulted considering what he went through with her brother.

He tapped on the table and muttered to himself, "What was it again? Mabel? Raven?"

"The name's Ravel Phenex!" she stated fiercely, interrupting him with a frustrated look on her face.

"I'm just messing with you. I remember who you are," Ben responded with a small smile on his face, not missing the small blush which formed on Ravel's cheeks at his smile but continuing to spare her embarrassment. "How's your brother doing by the way? I haven't seen him around here yet," Ben asked her calmly, casting another glance out to the crowded party though still couldn't spot the familiar blond-haired prick from where he was sat.

"You won't find him here tonight," Ravel told him, managing to bring her blush back under control. "Thanks to you, he does nothing but brood after his defeat by your hands and having Rias stolen away from him. It was a bitter pill for him to swallow…but a necessary pill nonetheless."

Ben gave her his full attention, staring at her with a raised eyebrow,. "I must admit I wasn't expecting you to say that. Aren't you part of his peerage?"

"Not anymore," the blonde-haired Phenex retorted with a shake of her head, the twin frills in her hair swaying from side to side. "Shortly after his defeat, I ended up becoming a part of my mother's peerage."

Ben's nodded his head a little in understanding.

"I had no idea that was even possible," he told her with interest. He only knew the basics of the Evil Piece system and was eager to learn as much as he could about it whenever he got the opportunity.

"Oh, you don't know about 'trades'?" Ravel asked, not condescendingly as Ben knew her brother would, but instead with genuine curiosity.

When Ben shook his head at her question she went on to explain it for him. "Under the rules of the Evil Pieces System, Kings can trade pieces with each other as long as they're the same piece, either with a servant or the piece itself. For example, you couldn't trade a bishop piece for a rook but you can trade a rook piece with another rook piece," she explained for him.

"That's pretty cool," Ben said, stroking his chin in thought. "So what do you do now?"

"Well, my mother doesn't participate in Rating Games so I'm essentially a freelance bishop right now, one who can do what she wants and join the peerage of another king if they agree…." Her voice dropped down to a muttered whisper as she looked away, another blush forming on her cheeks. "…perhaps even the Dragon All-father's someday."

Thanks to his devil-enhanced hearing, Ben had no issue hearing the last part of Ravel's statement but he didn't want to embarrass the young devil so swiftly changed the subject.

"You can knock it off with the title, you know? You can call me Ben like everyone else I know, seeing as that's my actual name, ok?" he told her without malice in his voice.

"Really?!" Ravel asked him enthusiastically, completely forgetting to feel embarrassed at him hearing what she said under her breath. "I can call you by your actual name?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not," Ben shrugged, giving her another warm smile.

Stifling a cough behind her gloved hand, Ravel reverted back to her initial, formal stance. "I-In that case, I'll refer to you as Ben, then," she told him with conviction in her voice which was dampened by the small blush forming on her face for the third time in their conversation.

This time, though, she was saved by the sudden appearance of another female devil he recognised from his rating game against Riser.

If he remembered correctly, her name was Isabela. Unlike Ravel and the other female devils around their table, instead of a dress she was wearing a loose but smart shirt and trousers, a half mask covering the right side of her face.

"Lady Ravel, a friend of your father wishes to speak to you," the Phenex rook told Ravel in a formal manner.

"Thank you, Isabela," Ravel said with a nod towards her brother's rook before returning her attention to Ben again. "I hope it won't be too long before we meet again, Ben. Maybe next time you would like to have some tea with me…." Her face reddened up brighter than any other time before in their conversation. "…a-a-a-a-ah, that's only if you want to that is! I could maybe treat you to a homemade cake I m-m-made myself if you'd like."

Before he had the chance to give her an answer, Ravel grasped the hem of her dress, curtsied and then quickly left, disappearing into the crowd.

He couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle under his breath as she departed. He then turned his attention towards Isabela who was staring at him silently.

"So how are you doing, Isabela? You fully healed after our fight?" he asked her politely.

"It's been quite a while since our fight…but yes, I am doing well, thank you for asking," she replied with a slight nod. "You've gotten stronger since then, I hear. That's good to hear; the stronger you get, the better my story will be when I tell how I was one of your first opponents."

Ben chuckled at her statement. "So, are you here as Ravel's escort?"

"Something like that. You know…she found your fight against Riser to be very impressive. In fact, you're all she really talks about since the engagement party."

"Really? Well I guess it's only polite that I accept her invitation to tea."

"I'm sure she'll be delighted. Now then, if you'll excuse me. Hope you enjoy the rest of the party," Isabela said, bowing her head slightly before following in Ravel's wake.

"Hey, it's a party. What could possibly go wrong?" Ben asked after her with friendly sarcasm in his voice as she, too, disappeared into the crowd.

"Wow, you really have an effect on women, Ben," Gasper said with admiration in his eyes.

"It's not like I can help it," Ben retorted light-heartedly.

Suddenly a tingle and sense of unease entered the back of Ben's mind and he turned his head to his right and, out of the corner of his peripheral vision, caught sight of a black cat entering his field of view as it quickly and stealthily made its way through the crowd, apparently invisible to everyone else but him.

He didn't know why he could sense the cat's presence when nobody else seemed to be able to but the one thing he did know was that it was no ordinary cat. It seemed to radiate with strong, dark magical energy though it was very faint. As the black cat slipped through the partially open doors from the ballroom to the atrium, Koneko appeared out of nowhere and slipped through the doors after the mysterious black cat.

He couldn't help but notice the clear look of worry and fear on her face before she disappeared through them.

Sensing something was wrong, he placed his drink down on the table and slowly stood up before making his way towards the large ornate doors.

"What's wrong, Ben?" Asia asked, seeing the intense look on his face. He blinked, removing the expression from his face and replacing it with a warm smile when he looked at her.

"Nothing. I'm fine. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Ok…but don't be too long. Rias' brother is going to make his appearance soon."

"Don't worry, I'll be back before then," Ben told her as he headed towards the doors. He passed through the doors just in time to see Koneko disappear behind the closing doors of one of the lifts at the end of the corridor. He hurried over to the other lift and called it, looking up at the arrow above the lift showed that it had come to a stop at the ground floor.

When the lift doors finally opened for him, Ben entered the lift and pressed the button for the ground floor but before the door closed behind him, another person swiftly entered the lift. He looked around to see that it was Rias.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her with confusion.

"I saw Koneko leave the party and I saw you follow after her in a hurry with that expression on your face and just knew something was wrong," the crimson-haired heiress explained as the door closed fully behind her.

"And so, you came after me?"

"Of course, I'm always watching after you," she declared sweetly as the lift shifted into action and began its descent.

. . . . .

When the lift finally made it down to the ground floor, the pair of them quickly exited the lift and hurriedly made their way out of the building as they searched for where Koneko had gone.

"This way!" Ben said firmly before taking off towards the back of the huge building with Rias hot on his trail.

"How do you know?" Rias called out after him as they ran.

"I'm not really sure. I can still sense whatever it was Koneko was chasing after but it's growing faint very quickly," Ben replied as he ran.

They turned the corner of the building to reach the back of the building at the dark forest that the building resided before.

"Dammit!" Ben cursed, coming to a stop just before the forest thicket, punching the air in frustration. "I've lost track of her."

"I think I have something that can help," Rias said as she hurriedly summoned her bat familiars which took off into the sky as they searched for the trail again. Ben and Rias had no choice but to wait for their return, something which didn't sit well with Ben as he grunted in annoyance.

After a moment of tense pacing, Ben couldn't take the silence any longer. "This is her sister's doing, isn't it? It's the only thing I know which can make her act like this."

"Maybe, if you saw a black cat then it's a very strong possibility. Koneko's sister…," Rias began to say before she was cut off mid-sentence by the sudden return of her familiar. It landed on her shoulder and seemed to speak to Rias telepathically as, when it disappeared in a small cloud of smoke, Rias suddenly gestured for him to follow her as she headed into the forest.

"This way!" she shouted as she took off into the forest with Ben hot on her heels. Thanks to his devil-eyesight, Ben had no difficulty traversing through the forest thicket.

They ran for a few minutes before Ben suddenly felt the same aura he felt from before it hit him like a wall. He slowed down his pace, taking hold of Rias' wrist as he did so and came to a stop in the shadows of a large tree and thick thicket.

"Shhh," he whispered to her, holding his index finger to his lips as the sounds of voices slowly emanated through the bushes from the clearing ahead of them.

He peered through the thicket and saw Koneko standing in the middle of the clearing, staring up at a thick branch opposite where he and Rias were hiding with a restless expression on her face.

It was then that he registered the sound of another, unfamiliar voice entered their thicket.

"You're looking good, Shirone. It's been too long since we last saw each other, hasn't it?"

Ben followed Koneko's gaze up towards the tree to see a young, attractive raven-haired woman wearing a black kimono lying on the branch above them. He was immediately drawn to the distinctive, black cat ears protruding from her head…just like Koneko's had done when he had visited her after her collapse from training.

"So that's Kuroka," Ben whispered as he glanced up at her from the hiding spot he and Rias were in. Rias only gave a small nod of her head which he caught in his peripheral vision.

"Kuroka," Koneko said, unknowingly also confirming Ben's statement, subtly shaking as she looked up at her older sister.

"What's with the hostility in your voice?" Kuroka asked with a mocking tone. "After all, we are sisters."

"I'll admit that I'm impressed that you were able to follow the black cat I sent into the party, mrrow," she purred, stroking the black cat in question with her index and middle fingers slowly. "I had to limit my aura so to not attract the attention of that devil brat that's got Val's tits so wound up."

"What are you doing here, Kuroka?" Koneko asked coldly, ignoring her insult as she glared up at the raven-haired Nekomata.

"Aww, there's no need to make such a scary face, Shirone. We heard about this big party the devils were holding and one of our colleagues wanted to gate-crash it for whatever reason." She purred and sat up on the thick branch. "I guess you could say, curiosity got the better of me, mrrow."

"Ahh, here you are," a familiar voice called out from behind Kuroka.

A figure emerged out from between the trees, a figure Ben recognised from the battle at the peace summit.

Bikou.

"What are you doing here, monkey-man?" Kuroka droned in a bored tone, casting a quick glance at the new arrival before returning her attention towards Koneko.

"You were taking too long so I thought I'd come and see what's up," Bikou replied with a shrug before turning to where Ben and Rias were hiding. "You two can come out now. With our senjutsu, it's a trivial matter detecting your spirit, even if you try to hide yourself from us."

Deciding there was no point kidding themselves into believing he was lying, they emerged from their hiding place and entered the clearing. Koneko spun around to stare at them with a surprised expression on her face.

"Ben? Rias? What are you two doing here?"

"We were just out for a walk when we stumbled across you and, being the good friends that we are, thought we'd see what was going on," Ben explained calmly, his hands in his pockets as he turned his gaze towards Bikou. "It's been some time since we last saw each other, Bikou. How's Valerie been doing?"

Bikou chuckled before answering. "She's doing well. As for you…I see you've gotten stronger since I last saw you," he said leaning on his wooden staff.

"Who is this kid, Bikou?" Kuroka asked, dropping out of the tree and landing in a perfect cat-like pose and coming to stand next to Bikou.

"That would be the Dragon All-father."

Kuroka's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Mrrow, really? This is the guy that Valerie won't shut up about?"

"The very same," Bikou yawned with boredom before continuing. "Come on, Kuroka. Let's get this over with…the real party is about to begin after all and we don't want to be behind schedule."

Just as Ben was going to ask what Bikou meant by that statement, a dark aura washed over him from the direction of the party, taking all three devils by surprise.

"What was that?" Ben called out, looking in the direction the wave had originated from.

"Something's wrong," Rias stated with concern in her voice. "The gathering's under attack by someone!"

"So that's why you're here! Another terrorist attack?!" Ben concluded, spinning back round to glare at Kuroka and Bikou.

"Well, not us personally," Bikou explained with a bored shrug. "One of our colleagues was adamant at making their displeasure of the proposed alliance. I'm just here to act as backup for Kuroka who wanted to take advantage of this and come along, knowing full-well that her little sister would be here."

He turned to Kuroka. "Speaking of which, we've only got a few minutes before we need to get out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere without Shirone. Val will understand when she learns that Shirone has the same power flowing through her that I do."

Bikou sighed heavily. "I suppose you're right. She certainly would be a welcome addition to our little group."

"Yeah, like that was ever going to happen," Ben declared as he walked forward, placing himself directly between Koneko and the two Khaos Brigade members, his Sacred Gears appearing on his arms as he did so. "There's no way in hell that I'm going to let you take her away. I've seen the lengths Koneko went to in order to avoid using her Nekomata powers because of what she went through when you abandoned her."

Bikou chuckled condescendingly. "I've no doubt you've gotten stronger since I last saw you, kid, but you are nowhere strong enough to take on both me and Kuroka. You and your red-haired master won't be harmed if you hand over the girl, understand?"

A small smirk slowly formed in the corner of Ben's mouth. "I never said it'd be easy to do so but I'm still not letting either of you near her."

"Neither am I," Rias declared firmly standing behind Koneko and draping her arms around Koneko protectively. "This child is a member of the Gremory household and one of my most precious friends. I won't let you lay a single finger on her."

The smirk on Kuroka's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a murderous glare aimed at Rias. "I don't really give a shit what you think she is. She's my little sister and I have every right love her and do what's best for her. A high-class bitch like you has neither of these."

As she finished saying this, Ben felt a sudden change in the atmosphere and immediately brought up his arms up a defensive stance in expectation of an attack. When none came, he glanced up at the sky to see that they'd been encased by a large barrier if the shimmering sky above them were any indication.

"So, you not only know senjutsu, youjutsu and devil magic, but you how to alter space as well?" Rias asked, also looking up at the shimmering sky above them.

"I find it a very useful tool, especially in circumstances like this. I've covered this entire forest with a barrier, isolating it from the outside world, mrrow. No matter what we do now, nothing will escape the barrier and nothing will disturb us. If you refuse to hand over my little sister without resistance then I'll just have to eliminate you two. I apologise in advance if I take too much enjoyment in killing you, nya," Kuroka purred maliciously.

"We're not going to let you take her!" Ben reiterated firmly.

"Well, don't say we didn't warn you," Bikou said, spinning his staff in an arc around his body before skilfully adopting an offensive stance, primed to strike.

Ben brought up his arms as he took up a defensive stance. His eyes flicked between Kuroka and Bikou as he tried to formulate a plan on how they could get out of this situation. This proved to be an impossible task as his opponents were simply too powerful for him to handle on his own.

What he really needed was back-up.

As if waiting for him to come to this exact conclusion….

"When I heard that Lady Rias and Ben had departed the party in a hurry and entered the forest, who would've thought I'd be caught inside a barrier…."

Ben looked up at the one thing he never expected to see.

"Tannin!" he exclaimed with relief as he stared up at the huge, purple-scaled dragon which suddenly flew over the clearing. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Well, well, well," Bikou muttered with a light chuckle, completely ignoring Ben and, instead, focusing on the former dragon king. "Who would've thought that the famous "Blaze Meteor Dragon" would grace us with his presence."

He turned to look at his comrade. "It looks like we've got no choice but to fight now, Kuroka!" Bikou said with a gleam in his eyes and poorly hidden interest in his voice.

"You don't sound so put out at that," Kuroka chuckled before sighing. "Huh, very well. If we can take him then Ophis should be silent on our little trip. She might even smile if we take down another two dragons above the rank of Dragon King."

It didn't take a genius to realise that they were talking about Ben.

"Flying Nimbus!" Bikou shouted as a gold cloud appeared at his feet and sent him soaring into the air until he soon reached the same height as Tannin.

"Extend!"

The end of the staff in Bikou's hand suddenly grew in length as he aimed it at the large dragon, almost hitting him if Tannin hadn't avoided it with speed that didn't appear to fit his huge figure.

As the two powerful opponents quickly got lost in their battle in the skies of the forest, the three devils stared up at the dark sky, watching in amazement at the random bright flashes of light which lit up the sky as their battle raged. They were brought back down to their own predicament at the heavy sighing from the raven-haired woman before them.

"Urgh, what a stupid monkey," she muttered and turned back to Koneko. "So, Shirone…what's going to be your answer?" she asked with an intense glare.

Ben took up his previous space in between the two sisters and tried to appear unfazed by the sudden killing intent he suddenly felt emanating from Kuroka, despite the chill which ran up his spine.

"Enough, Kuroka!" Koneko cried, stepping around Ben and taking a few steps towards her sister. She stared at Kuroka for a few seconds before she visibly deflated and hung her head in defeat and resignation. "I'll…I'll come with you! Just please leave them alone!"

"No Koneko!" Rias cried, striding forward with purpose in her steps, quickly reaching her white-haired rook, placing her arms around her neck and embracing her tightly. "I won't let you do that! You've suffered so much and cried enough tears because of her actions!"

Koneko shook her head sombrely, already resigned to her fate. "It's no good. I know what my sister is capable of more than anyone. Her power is on par with an ultimate-class devil's. There's no way you can stand up to her and win!"

"Even so, I still can't just let you go like that!" Rias retorted fiercely, holding her close to her chest protectively.

"I can help you understand your power better than any devil ever could, Shirone. Don't you want to be as strong as your big sister, mrrow?" Kuroka asked sweetly though the killing intent surrounding her remained.

Koneko stared at the ground in silence for a moment before she shook her head firmly and looked up at her. "No…I don't need that kind of power…I don't want kind of power, the kind of power that brings misfortune with it," she muttered with a clear tremble in her voice as tears began to form in her eyes. Rias hugged her even tighter.

"Well, I guess you have your answer," Ben said, placing his hand gently on Koneko's head in a comforting manner and took a few steps forward. "You let yourself become consumed by your Nekomata powers, Kuroka and left a wound on Koneko's heart…a wound which will stay with her for her entire life. You betrayed her, Kuroka. You were her only family and you betrayed her, leaving her to be despised and abused by other devils when you ran away, to the point where they wanted her to be killed in fear she'd become like you," Ben stated loudly and firmly.

"As far as I'm concerned, you've lost the right to call her your sister," he added, with conviction in his voice. "Since taking her into her peerage, Rias has given her a brand-new life, one which shows her the best things in life. Koneko is an integral part of our group and I'll be damned if I let you lay a single finger on her!"

Though he couldn't see it from where he stood, Koneko couldn't contain herself anymore as full tears began streaking down her face at Ben's words. Rias also had watery eyes as she continued to embrace Koneko tightly.

"If you won't give Shirone to us then we're just going to take her by force. This is your last chance, Shirone, what do you say?" Kuroka asked, the enormous killing intent pouring out of her like a wave.

"…I don't want to go...and my name isn't Shirone; it's Koneko Toujou! I want to stay with Rias, Ben and everyone else! I want to live!"

Kuroka sighed sadly.

"You don't have a choice."

As she said this, Kuroka raised her hand in their direction and released a thick cloud of pale green mist which engulfed Ben, obscuring his vision completely, before he could react or mount any defence.

As the gas slowly dissipated, Ben was consumed by confusion when it appeared that he hadn't been affected by whatever the gas was at all. He looked around, confusion spread across his face at the lack of damage he had taken from the gas. He was about to launch a counterattack when he heard coughing behind him. He spun around to see both Koneko and Rias on their knees and coughing weakly.

"Rias! Koneko! What's wrong?!" Ben asked with concern, rushing towards the two girls and kneeling in front of him.

"Interesting. So, you're immune to my toxic mist attack?" Kuroka muttered with slight interest.

"What have you done to them?!" Ben demanded, returning his attention back to Kuroka who he glared daggers at.

"Oh, they won't be killed by it…at least not yet. I've diluted the potency of my toxic mist to only immobilise them…but that can quickly change if I want. As much as I know what the outcome of a fight between myself and you three would be, I'll admit that I'm rather curious as to what kind of guy you are to get Val so hyped."

"You want a fight, do you?" Ben growled deeply, bringing up his left arm and cycling through his transformation choices, a small smirk forming on his face as he found the form he wanted. "Ok. I'll give you a fight you won't soon forget!"

[Transform…!]

. . . . .

Back in the devil ballroom

(Ten minutes earlier)

"I wonder what's taking Ben so long," Asia asked, looking around the ballroom with slight concern at her inability to find him.

In the time since Ben had abruptly left the party, more and more devils had turned up…even all the leaders of the three factions who, after greeting several important devils, were now gathered on the dais and conversing with each other about several matters.

"I don't know…," Xenovia added, also looking around for him though with no more luck than Asia.

They were brought out of their searches when Akeno made her way through the crowd and reached their table.

"Have any of you seen Rias or Koneko? I can't find them anywhere," she asked, an anxious tone clear in her voice as she looked between her fellow peerage members.

"Rias and Koneko are gone too?" Gasper asked with confusion as he sipped from his tomato juice.

"What do you mean "too"?" Akeno asked, her head spinning round to stare at Gasper, unintentionally causing the young dhampir to jump a little at her sudden action.

"Ben just left the party a minute ago," Xenovia explained, attracting the raven-haired queen's attention. "He had a strange look on his face as he left but told us that he wouldn't be long. That was over ten minutes ago."

"Ahh, here you are."

The four members of Rias' peerage gathered around the table all turned their heads towards the new voice. Before them stood someone that they all swore they had seen before, only they remembered him being a lot bigger.

It didn't take more than a few seconds for Akeno to realise who it was. He may be a lot smaller than the last time they had seen him but there was no mistaking it….

"Lord Tannin?" she asked with sudden realisation, her eyes widening slightly, an action copied by the rest of the devils around the table. "How might we be of assistance?"

Tannin chuckled deeply at the stares he was getting from them and decided to give them a brief explanation. "I shrank down to this size so that I could attend the party. It would be quite difficult for me to do so if I was my normal height, wouldn't it?" he asked, his answer coming in the form of muted nods.

"I just wanted to ask if you knew where I could Ben. I told him I'd be attending this party and wanted to speak to him; you don't happen to know where I can find him, do you?" he asked, quickly changing the topic to why he was there.

"We don't, sir," Asia told him politely. "He left the party just now but we don't know where."

"He didn't tell us where he was going…," Xenovia added, glancing over at the door Ben had disappeared through a while ago, "…but he had a strange look on his face. I think he sensed something off and went to check it out but none of us could feel anything out of place."

"Hmm," Tannin grumbled, stroking his scaly chin with his talon as he followed Xenovia's gaze to the ballroom doors. "If there's one thing I've learned in the last few weeks I've been training him, it's that Ben has extremely sharp senses and one shouldn't doubt him even if it's only him who feels them. You don't mind if I go and find him, do you? Maybe Lady Rias and her rook are with him."

"Of course not, we don't mind," Akeno quickly replied with a kind smile on her face. "Shall we accompany you?"

"It's not necessary," Tannin told her with a slight shake of his head. "You should stay here and enjoy the party. If they return, it'd probably be best if you were here when they do so they don't disappear again looking for all of you."

Agreeing with the former dragon king's reasoning, the four of them agreed to his plan and bid him farewell as he departed, quickly heading through the large ballroom doors in the wake of his pupil.

Not long after Tannin left, Kiba returned and they explained what was going on to him. They spent the next few minutes waiting as patiently as they could before simply 'waiting and doing nothing' became too much for them. They came up with a plan and spread out to carry it out, skirting around the ballroom and making their way through the crowd as they searched for their missing friends.

They met up again at the other end of the ballroom, just beside the raised dais where the leaders were gathered, and begrudgingly revealed that none of them had been able to spot their friends.

"I'm getting worried," Gasper whined fearfully. "What if something's happened to them?

"I'm sure they're fine, Gasper," Xenovia told him confidently. "Remember who we're talking about, okay? And even if there was a problem that was too much for them, they've got Tannin looking for them. He'll be able to handle anything!"

"She's right, Gasper," Asia added sweetly, doing her best to hide her own concerns.

"I-I suppose so," the dhampir muttered.

Akeno was just about to offer her own words of encouragement to them when, catching movement on the dais in her peripheral vision, her eyes glanced over and, once they locked onto someone she never thought she'd see again nor ever wanted to, glared up at the new arrival whilst also doing her best to avoid being seen by them.

The others noticed her sudden change of demeanour and followed her gaze to the new arrivals. Three people had now joined the leaders up on the dais. Two men and one woman. The one standing in the middle of the trio was an elderly man who sported a terrifically long, white beard, a pair of fancy spectacles resting on his nose, and wore a set of white, decorated robes while, in his right hand, he rested on a wooden, ornately decorated walking stick. Standing on the right of the elderly man was a dark-haired middle-aged looking man who sported a serious look on his face and wore a black business suit while standing on the old man's left was an attractive young woman with silver hair which came down to her waist, striking blue eyes and, like the other man, wore a business suit though this one was almost the same colour as her hair.

"Who are they?" Xenovia wondered with curiosity, asking nobody in particular.

As if hearing Xenovia's question, Sirzechs and the other leaders stopped their conversations and turned to face the new arrivals.

"Welcome, Lord Odin," the crimson-haired Devil King said, bowing his head respectfully. "It is fortuitous that you have finally arrived. I trust your journey here had no problem."

"Of course he didn't," Azazel chimed in, approaching them and coming to a stop next to Sirzechs. "I had Baraqiel act as his escort; one of my finest."

"Thank you for the compliment, my lord," the dark-haired man standing on Odin's right replied humbly with a nod of his head. When he rose his head, his eyes locked with Akeno's momentarily before she quickly tore her gaze away from him though the dark glare on her face remained and pointedly refused to look at him again even though she could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head.

When it was clear that she wouldn't look at him again, the Fallen Angel now known as Baraqiel sighed sadly and returned his attention to the conversation between the leaders.

"…though it's a shame several Norse Gods are against my decision to join this alliance," Odin muttered grimly as he stroked his magnificent beard.

"Yes, it is unfortunate that there are always those who stand in the way of progress, even if it's our best chance of survival," Michael said sadly as he came to join Sirzechs, Azazel and Odin. "I had concerns of major opposition to the 'System' being changed thanks to the Dragon All-father gifting us the two pieces of Ascalon. I have never been gladder to be proven wrong by the level of support from all three factions; after so many years of conflict and strife between us, it truly is a miracle."

"Ahh yes, I remember the ripple of power which spread throughout Asgard and the other mythologies. I had never felt anything like it before and doubt I'll ever feel something anywhere close to it again in my extensive lifetime as All-father."

"Speaking of All-fathers," Odin continued with a sly smirk on his wrinkled face. "Where is Old Azmuth at nowadays? I'd very much like to meet him. Where is that kid who possesses his Sacred Gear?" A hearty chuckle escaped his lips. "Ha! To think that he now resides in a Sacred Gear. I can't even begin to imagine how grouchy and angry he must be to now find himself in that state. I can't imagine a worse fate for a guy who spend his time traversing freely through the Gap, visiting other dimensions and worlds. It must be driving him insane!"

"On the contrary," Sirzechs cut in with a smile of his own. "My little sister tells me that, while he can be moody and distant at times, he seems to have a good relationship with his wielder, Ben, even if he does frequently argue with Ddraig who Ben also wields."

"The kid also possesses the Red Dragon Emperor?! Ha! Now I really feel sorry for him," Odin barked with laughter, turning the heads of many devils within earshot of the Norse God.

"After we have concluded our business, I'm certain we can arrange a meeting between Azmuth and you," Azazel declared, slowly growing bored with the conversation. "So, shall we get all this formality over and done with already? I want to start drinking again!"

"You haven't changed since I last saw you, Azazel," Odin chuckled.

"Why would you change perfection?" Azazel asked innocently, drawing another laugh from the All-father.

"As much as I would love to argue about that statement, Azazel, I would also like to formally announce our alliance," Michael said in his beautiful, angelic voice.

"Same here," Serafall chimed enthusiastically, standing on the other side of Sirzechs.

With a chorus of agreement from everyone else, Sirzechs stepped into the centre of the dais and addressed the room.

"May I have your attention" he boomed, his voice echoing throughout the ballroom and attracting everyone's attention. "After many centuries of bloodshed, distrust and hostility, the Three Factions have finally made peace…something that has been revealed to have been the last wish of God before His death so as to ensure our survival…."

The room was taken off guard by Sirzechs' declaration and erupted into hushed whispers before Sirzechs continued speaking. The truth of God's demise was widespread by this point throughout the entire Underworld but the fact that He wanted them to make peace hadn't been revealed yet.

"Despite this monumental achievement between our factions though, there are those who would reject the new world we are trying to build for everyone and seek to destroy this new world before it is built; they are, of course, the Khaos Brigade! In order to protect our alliance and defeat these terrorists, we have decided to unite our powers with that of Asgard. With the unification of our three factions and Asgard, we shall be taking a giant step forward to ensuring ever-lasting peace."

He turned and gestured to a large crystalline obelisk which stood on the other side of the raised platform where Odin, Azazel, Michael and the other Devil Kings had moved over to during Sirzechs' speech. It stood nearly eight feet tall and several inscriptions from previous signatories could be seen etched into the stone.

"This stone represents our commitment to this dream! Lord Odin, if you will please add your signature," Sirzechs requested loudly, his voice carrying even to the very back of the large room.

Odin nodded and moved to stand in front of the obelisk. As he activated a magic circle to magically etch his name into the stone….

"I object!" another, loud voice boomed from above where a large, purple magic circle suddenly appeared.

"Urgh, shit," Odin grumbled, standing upright again and looked up at the magic circle as the silver-haired young woman quickly moved in front of him to protect him from any assailant. "I was hoping he wasn't stupid enough to do this."

Unlike the magic, transportation circles used by the three factions, the purple circle above everyone split in half and opened up, just like a set of doors, and a man floated through it and hovered above everyone. He had light blue hair which draped down his back and two small bangs. He wore robes similar to Odin though these ones differed with the different ornate markings etched into them.

As the magic circle behind the stranger disappeared, he glared down at Odin with a displeased look on his face, his arms crossed over his chest as if disappointed in something.

"What the hell are you doing here, Loki?" Odin demanded loudly.

"What am I doing here?" Loki retorted mockingly. "What are you doing here?! I couldn't simply stand back and let our great All-father mingle with lesser, God-less mythologies! You disgrace, not just yourself but all of Asgard by associating with these…people," Loki barked menacingly, saying the last bit with derision dripping in his voice.

"I will overlook your insolence this one time. If you don't leave now and return to Asgard then I swear you shall regret it," Odin boomed, the authority of his title clear in his stern tone.

Loki seemed to pretend to think over Odin's offer before shaking his head. "I don't think so, All-father. I can't allow this alliance to happen; if it does then my plans to bring about Ragnarok are threatened and I just can't allow that to happen."

"So you're just another clown working for the Khaos Brigade? I should've guessed," Azazel said, adding his voice to Odin and Loki's verbal bout.

"How dare you suggest I'm working for a group of such low-class scum!" Loki bellowed with frustration, affronted at the mere suggestion. "It would be more apt to say I'm working with them instead. This whole thing was my idea. Now let's get this party started for real; first I'd like to introduce everyone to my beloved son, Fenrir!"

Loki raised his hand into the air as he bellowed this and light emitted from his hand which lit up the entire room for a second or two. When it dissipated, it revealed the sudden appearance of a humongous wolf standing in the middle of the ballroom which had been cleared of devils at Loki's initial arrival. It stood at a staggering ten metres tall with ash grey fur and two large, yellow horns protruding out of its shoulders.

The wolf glared at the devils soldiers who had rushed into the room and surrounded it before it unleashed a deafening roar which knocked the guards in front of it as well as a few high-class devils onto the floor and into the far wall.

"And that's not all!" Loki barked, attracting the majority of the room's occupants once more. "There are others I'd like to introduce you all to; some projects that someone I think you'll remember, Azazel: Dr Animo!"

"Fuck," Azazel cursed, instantly turning serious at the mention of the name of the exiled and disgraced Fallen Angel scientist. "What is that crazy bastard doing with the Khaos Brigade?"

"Why, he's heading their magic research teams," Loki taunted with a malicious smirk on his face. "He requested that I test out some of his latest toys, and I'll admit that they intrigued me, so I accepted.

With this, Loki snapped his fingers and several magic circles appeared in the air around him and twenty large, humanoid figures dropped down out of them and landed around Fenrir with loud bangs which left huge cracks in the floor. The figures slowly and clumsily picked themselves up off the floor and stood up to their full height of nine feet tall…eleven feet if you counted the large electrical pylons protruding from their shoulder blades.

The first thing that several former humans thought of when they looked upon the grotesque forms before them was that they looked very similar to Frankenstein's monster (an apt comparison Azazel would think when he considered the creator of these monsters). For the rest of the devils in the ballroom, the first thing they noticed was the overwhelming stench radiating off the creatures.

Their skin was a dark greyish yellow and added to their horrific appearance with the fact that it appeared as though their body had been stitched together from several different creatures. Their heads were covered by black hair which looked unnatural on them as well as messy sideburns which ran down their decaying faces. They each wore black, tattered trousers which did little to hide the decaying flesh that was their legs. As well as the stitching which covered a substantial portion of their bodies, there were also several metal bolts slightly protruding from their chests and two bolts protruding from the side of their necks.

The thing that scared a lot of the ballroom occupants was that, despite the stitching, stench of decay and low, animalistic growls that gave them the appearance that they were fragile monstrosities, they oozed with power and strength.

"Quite a sight, aren't they?" Loki chuckled from where he hovered.

"What are these abominations?" Michael demanded as he stared at the creatures around Fenrir, his angelic position the only thing keeping him from allowing his revulsion at the sight before him to be seen.

"Just a little bits and bobs that the good doctor put together out of sheer curiosity. He wanted to see what they could do and I wanted the announcement of my plan to initiate Ragnarok to be remembered," Loki retorted, the smile on his face only growing more malicious by the second.

"I do hope you don't disappoint me," he added before snapping his fingers once again.

"Attack!" he barked and both Fenrir and the monstrous creatures charged forward at unnatural speeds and began to unleash mayhem.

. . . . .

Back in the forest

*Boom*

"Argh! Shit!" Ben cursed as he found his Water Hazard form flying through the air until he came to an abrupt halt when he struck the floor with a dull *thud* which stirred up a small dust cloud.

"Ben!" Rias cried out with concern as she tried to move towards him though, thanks to the paralyzing effects of Kuroka's toxic mist, she found herself immobilised and completely incapable of moving.

From within the dust cloud, there was a brief flash of red light which, after the cloud had dissipated, revealed Ben's bruised body, a thin line of blood trailing down his chin from where he had bitten his lip during the fight.

"Is this really the same person that Valerie gets so worked up over? If it is then I must that I'm disappointed in her choice of rival," Kuroka's taunting voice called out from the treeline.

Ben spat out a glob of blood as he looked up the trees where the raven-haired car demon sat on a branch, without a care in the world as she stared down at Ben with a bored expression on her face.

Had it been any other opponent who stood before him with their defences lowered, Ben may have taken advantage of it. However, he wasn't fighting any old opponent as the several other Kuroka's sitting in similar branches all around the clearing would attest to. Thanks to her high-level illusionary magic and mastery of the art of Youjutsu, Kuroka could create clones of herself, each one completely identical to the other which made it virtually impossible to tell the real Kuroka from the fakes unless one was skilled in reading the flow of Ki in the area. Despite this though, Ben's saving grace came in the form of the clones being unable to attack him; only the original could do that.

Even with this slight advantage, Ben found himself almost completely helpless against Kuroka's magical onslaught. He found himself constantly on the defensive and during the very few instances when he could launch a counterattack, he seemed to always hit one of her clones which she quickly replaced.

His Orishan form was the third form that had been completely defeated during the fight and Ben could feel that, unless he could come up with a proper plan, there was a very good chance that he was going to lose this fight and that was something he didn't even want to contemplate. If he lost this fight then Koneko would be forcibly taken by her sister and who knows what she would do to Rias.

"I bet you thought you would be able to act all high and mighty in front of my little sister, didn't you?" the 'Kuroka' to his right asked with mirth in her voice.

"You thought she'd throw herself at your feet when you defeated her nasty big sister and defended her honour, mrrow," the one on his immediate right added with a soft chuckle.

"What do you think she sees now?"

"A bloody, defeated weakling!"

"A disgrace!"

"A failure!"

The other Kuroka's all around him began adding their voices to taunting him and demoralising him, something which Rias and Koneko couldn't bear to see.

"You think you've beaten me?" Ben asked, coughing up some blood which he wiped away with the tattered remains of his tuxedo jacket. "I'm just getting started."

'I hope Rias' parents don't bust my arse for ruining the suit they lent me,' he couldn't help but think as he looked down at his ruined attire.

He took a step forward, various plans still formulating in his head with none more likely to work than the last but stopped when he felt something tugging on his trousers. He glanced down behind him to see that it was Koneko who had stopped him.

"Please, Ben…," she muttered weakly, the effects of the mist still coursing through her body. "You can't beat her…and I can't watch her hurt you anymore. I'd rather go with her than left her kill you and Rias!"

Ben's heart went out to the white-haired girl as he finally saw the tears trailing down her face, the lines clearly seen on her muddy face. He faced her and knelt down, wincing at the pain he felt in his side where one of Kuroka's attacks had caught him during the instances between his transformations, and, returning his right hand to normal, placed it on her cheek and softly brushed away the fresh tear making its way down her face.

"You know I'll never let that happen, right? I swore to you and everyone else that I'd be there to protect them and help them find happiness. I'm not just Rias' pawn…I'll always keep you guys safe.

Unable to restrain herself, Koneko brought up her left hand and placed it on Ben's hand cupping her cheek.

As he stared at her, a stroke of inspiration suddenly struck Ben. It was an incredibly risky plan, but…if he could pull it off then they could very well survive this thing. Stroking her cheek one more time with his thumb, Ben pulled away from, unable to miss the slight resistance she put in as he pulled his hand away and looked back to the edge of the clearing.

"You call me weak…and you may be right about that," he said aloud, looking at each Kuroka in turn as he spoke. "I've been fighting you like I have done with every other opponent I've faced until now: with brute force and strength. If I want to be you then I need more, I need to level the playing field…."

"…and thanks to Koneko…," he announced, casting a quick but warm smile at the young girl behind him, "…I can do just that!"

"What are you talking about?" Kuroka demanded with a hint of interest in her voice.

"You're about to find out!" Ben declared firmly as he brought up his arm and cycled through the transformations once more, this time though searching for a particular form he hadn't used until now. When he found it, he instantly slammed his hand down on the dial and was engulfed in the familiar emerald-green light.

[Transform: Nekomata!]

"What?!" Kuroka cried out in shock and surprise, a feeling also mirrored by Rias and Koneko who stared at the light with their widened in shock.

When the light receded and Ben was revealed again, their shock only grew in intensity.

Unlike nearly every other time he had transformed before, this time Ben looked nearly exactly the same as before except for a few extremely notable differences. He was now bare from the waist upwards, revealing his muscles, while his lower half was covered by a pair of black, ripped shorts. Silver fur now covered various sections of his body such as his flanks up to just under his armpits and down the top of his shoulders and biceps while his legs were completely covered in fur right up to his upper thighs. From his coccyx, a long twin-tail had sprouted while a pair of silver cat ears protruded from his head. His finger and toenails had also been replaced; instead of his normal nails, they were now short yet sharp claws.

He smiled at Kuroka, revealing the fangs which now resided in his mouth instead of teeth.

"Let's see how you handle me now," Ben growled deeply, rolling his head and popping the muscles in his neck in anticipation for the imminent fight. "let's see how you handle a fully-fledged Nekomata!"

. . . . .

Demonomicum extract:

Tetramand

Appearance: Standing just under twelve feet tall, Tetramands easily tower over devils, just as many other demons of the Underworld do. Their deep, crimson-red skin protects them from the harsh heat of the Khoros wasteland and provides them with camouflage against the other creatures which call the harsh desert home while their muscular, twin pairs of four-fingered arms provide them with the strength needed to survive in such a harsh land. Tetramands also possess two pairs of eyes: a main pair, and a smaller pair beneath them.

Bio: While it is the general stereotype of the denizens of both the Devil and Fallen Angel factions that they are the only civilised societies in the entire Underworld, this is far from the truth and the Tetramand tribal-like city-states are just one such example.

The great desert of Khoros has claimed many lives and deservedly holds the title of the 'most inhospitable land' in the whole Underworld, though not even this title has been enough to force the Tetramand out of the desert. Instead, their tenacity and survival instinct proved too strong and they became the 'kings of the desert'; their greatest threats, apart from the monsters they hunt, being each other in their struggle for survival.

While not as advanced as Devils or Fallen Angels, Tetramands are still a force to be reckoned with. Tetramand weaponsmiths are among the finest to ever bend metal to their will, creating weapons that, while crude in overall design, are amongst some of the strongest and most durable weapons in the Underworld; useful when combined with their great strength in both their fight for survival and to ply their trade as mercenaries, hiring out their strength to the highest bidder.

If it weren't for their war-mongering and bloodthirsty mentality, Tetramands would be one of the most influences in power among the numerous societies.

Power Level:High-class devil

Threat level:High

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: And there you go.

This chapter is a bit longer than normal for you all due to the lateness of this chapter's release so I hope that you enjoyed it.

I know it's a bit late to say this but: Hurray! The new season of DxD is out! I know there are some fans who don't like the animation style nor how the first episode completely went over the ending of the Juggernaut Drive arc from the last season. I've watched all the released episodes and (hoping I don't sound like a hypocrite after what I've said about Omniverse) come to like the art style of this series. I can't wait to see how the series progresses now that it's confirmed that they're sticking to the light novels. I'd love to hear what your thoughts on the new series are if you want.

For you eagle-eyed readers, you may notice some familiarity with Ben's Nekomata form. I can reveal that I was inspired by Ratel's form in the anime "Killing Bites". I really liked her look and adapted it to suit my requirement. The reason he looks so different to Kuroka and Koneko is simple; from other manga and anime I've read and seen, male human/animal hybrids are very different from their female versions (for the purposes of harems and romances) and I couldn't see any reason why it shouldn't happen in my story.

This chapter also brought in Frankenstrike with a twist. I wanted to find a way to seamlessly bring this character into my story and believe this is a really clever way to do this. I always saw Animo as a Frankenstein-style kind of villain in the original series: he combined animals together to make hybrid monsters among other things. Because of this, the idea that the Animo in my story made monsters like Frankenstrike doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility.

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who give me their support as I went through these last few months. I want to let you know that I'll be writing these chapters again but at a slower pace again because I've still got to deal with everything with my family among other stuff.

. . . . .

Reviews:

Spider-Man999/Horizon13: Ah, ah, ah, no spoilers.

OechsnerC: Thank you very much. It was one of the reason that I believed Ben 10 and High School DxD are a good combination.

DragoBlack: I do have plans to introduce Whampire at some point. I don't want to say too much yet, but I can tell you that Whampires are corrupted and degraded vampires. Unfortunately, because of this, Ben won't be transforming into Whampire as Azmuth's Gear searches for the pure strands of DNA within species, and seeing as, in my story, Whampire is a corrupted version, Ben won't be able to transform into him.

Your idea for ultimate Heatblast is an intriguing one, and one I will consider, if not alter it slightly when I eventually bring ultimate Heatblast into my story.

Nivek Beldo: Thanks, once again, for taking an interest in the background of my story. I'm glad you still like how it's progressing and hope you can continue to give me such valuable feedback. In regard to the voice, the point of it is to mess around with Ben's head in a way that keeps whatever it is hidden from Azmuth's gaze. First it tries to make him doubt himself to dampen his spirits and then it switches it up and helps him achieve Balance Breaker so that Ben, in his fugue-like subconscious may begin to trust it and listen to it more.

Reatssa: Thank you for understanding. Blitzwolfer will be making an appearance at some point, there's only so many things he can become per chapter.

Omnimania00: Well noticed, transforming into Alien X will be an extremely tricky thing to do and I haven't figured out a way to bring him in, if I will at all. In my opinion, Alien X is a Deus Ex Machina and completely removes any suspense or conflict.

E-BLOK5290: I had no clue about Akeno's true species but find myself agreeing with your assessment. Unfortunately, I don't have any plans on giving Ben a familiar as his transformations and other powers are more than enough in my opinion.

Thank you noticing about the names. I spotted it shortly after announcing the poll on whether Vali was to be a boy or girl and so decided to come up with some other names for the Tepes vampire. I had a few ideas in mind but I like your "Valentina" best.

Cody: Ben will get Ascalon back at some point in the future, most likely sometime after the Juggernaut Drive arc. I definitely plan for Ben to learn more hand-to-hand combat from Koneko and swordsmanship from Kiba and Xenovia.

Wrath of The Sun Deity: Thanks for reading my story and leaving a review.

Mark: No, I won't be giving Ben another sword and bonding it to Azmuth's Gear. He's already got Ascalon which was made with one of Azmuth's fangs and, I believe the powers in that sword are more than enough.

Ultimatrix bearer: Thank you for the review. I always use the most realistic/badass version of the forms in my story; they just happen to nearly always never be from Omniverse.

I haven't fully decided yet if Max will appear but his job will certainly make an appearance.

: I've already given the normal Balance Breaker armour to Ben which appears when he brings out Ascalon (Just like how it happened in Ben 10 canon). It combines with Ben's transformations and covers him with parts of the armour (seen in "The Summit Pt3").

. . . . .

Please leave a review and let me know if there are any particular aliens-turned-demon that you want me to expand upon in my Demonomicum segment at the end of my chapters.

Until I see you next time, see you later.