Chapter 137: Freedom for Slender

Adrian began to convulse, actually managing to break away from Slenders' tentacles and grip the front of Zeus' outfit, slowly dropping to his knees as the Blacklight was fully wiped from his bloodstream, his teeth reverting to normal, his eyes going from their new firey orange back to their fierce green, and the boneshell cracked and fell from his flesh.

"Now tell me Adrian," began Zeus, "how do you feel?" Adrian looked up at Zeus, tears running down his cheeks,

"...Cold..." shuddered Adrian. Zeus nodded,

"I figured that would be your answer," said Zeus, "especially since the Blacklight feels so warming under the skin after some time." Zeus then cupped Adrians' face with his hands, "Now this may not make sense right now, but you still have something on you...something I need..." Zeus then locked his index finger and thumb around Adrians right eye socket, keeping the eyelid open, and with his free hand he reached for Adrians' open eye,

RIIIP!!

The scream that erupted from Adrian was simply horrifying, and he tore his hands away from Zeus as the Devil God tore his hands away from the Stray Devil, taking the eye with him.

"FUCK!!! MY EYE!!!" Shouted Adrian, cupping his hands over his now empty socket. Zeus simply turned and walked away a few paces,

"The Blood of Fury, The Mouth of Strife, The Hand of War...and now The Eye of Death...all are in my grasp..." he turned back to Adrian, "...now you have served your purpose!" Zeus then raised his hands, gathering more and more of his power, enough so that the ground began to shake, knocking half the forest down from the sheer force, and right between Adrian and Zeus appeared a figure made of pure dark energy, shaped to look exactly like Zeus,

"The Human-Shaped Aura of Destruction!" Laughed Zeus, "Sirzechs' most powerful and most dangerous attack! Care to know why its' so dangerous?" Adrian gave a silent one eyed glare as his response, "Because it destroys indescriminately," answered Zeus, meaning it can destroy this whole world, and not even I could control it." Then Zeus saw something concerning; Adrian lifted up a black chord, connected to a glass circle full of blood with an X going through it. Zeus thought back to when Adrian yanked his hands away from Zeus, and he looked down, seeing his binding talisman for Slenderman was gone!

"If it destroys...indescriminately," said Adrian with ragged breath, "then it should have no problem destroying this!" Adrian then threw the talisman at the aura, which casually caught it and crushed/melted it in a fist. Zeus shouted in a combination of fear, rage and disbelief, which turned to straight fear as a black tendril was speared through the energy being, turning black before turning into ash, revealing Slender now standing between Zeus and Adrian, and despite his featureless face, the Devil God could tell he was glaring daggers at him. Without even a word Zeus raised his hand and vanished in a flash of red and violet lightning, not a millisecond later several black tendrils smashed into the ground, originating from Slenders' back. The faceless one then retracted his extra apendages into his back, turned to Adrian and approached the now one eyed devil. Said Devil was still on the ground, losing consciousness from the sheer pain of losing both the Blacklight and his eye, unable to defend himself as Slender knelt down in front of him, his vision blurring as the faceless one placed a palm on his forehead, and that was the last thing Adrian saw as he was swallowed into darkness...

Meanwhile...back in the DxD universe...

As time continued for Adrian and the others, time was still at a crawl for those in the DxD universe, and while it had been several days for Adrian since he had left, it had only been a few hours for the others, yet Adrians' home was already under construction as per Rias' request, and under Cleos' guidance. Said She-Devil and Assassin were actually watching the construction unfold, with the rest of House Gremory pitching in on the building,

"So this is your plan? Rebuild Adrians' home and wait for him?" Asked Rias.

"It would be a disappointment for him if he came home and saw his house was still burned down to the ground," pointed out Cleo, "besides, if everyone just went out hunting for him, it would only push him further away. He will come back when he is ready. Trust me."

"That's if he comes back," Rias said sorrowfully.

"Constructive critism, instead of trying to stop him from hunting the bastard that killed his friend and mother, maybe you and your group of devils could have gone looking for him together." Rias looked to Cleo,

"Remind me again, how do you know Adrian?"

"Vali hired me to kill him. I failed, and Adrian spared me," Cleo then lifted up her hand, revealing a rune made of blood in her hand, "and he left me with this." Rias carefully inspected the rune, and blinked,

"I've never anything like it," commented Rias.

"Neither have I, nor do I know what it means," said Cleo, "but it must be important if he let me live AND gave me that."

"He must have seen something special in you if he did so."

"He said I was so fast that he could have put in a good word for me had you not already had both knight positions filled."

"Really?" Rias smiled at the thought, then turned to her servants who were still building, "Issei, do you have a minute?" Issei, who was busy trying to haul several two-by-fours to the construction site, quickly dropped them and ran to the red haired she-devil,

"Yes Prez?"

"I want you to try and land your Dress Break technique on Cleo in sixty seconds, can you manage that?" Saying Issei was surprised was an understatement,

"You actually want me to do the Dress Break?!"

"What is the Dress Break?" Asked Cleo, unsure if she liked the name of the technique.

"Basically it strips his female opponents of all their clothing," Rias breifly explained, "something to give you incentive to use your speed." Cleo chuckled,

"You're funny Rias, very funny." Cleo and Issei were soon a good space apart, with the former having extended her hidden blades and the latter summoning his Boosted Gear,

"Alright Cleo!" Said Issei with his signature perverse glee, "Let's see some assassin titties!" Issei made a lunge for her, and Cleo was prepared, ready to counter him,

"Not even in your-AAH!" Cleo then clutched her rune hand as it convulsed with pain,

"Issei stop!" Commanded Rias, but Issei already planted a hand on Cleos' shoulder, leaving a hidden magic circle, "Whatever you do Issei, don't snap your fingers!" The ORC leader stressed, quickly rushing to Cleos' side, "Are you alright?"

"The rune...the one Adrian left!" Both of them looked, and the rune was glowing brightly, and then faded, turning into nothing but a small pool of blood in her hand. Rias gasped, taking a step back,

"Does that mean...?" Cleo could only give her a look that matched the red haired girls' concern.

"I don't know, but my guess is that Adrian might be..." Issei then slammed his free hand into his open gear hand,

"No! I refuse to believe that Adrian is gone! I know he is alright! I just know it!" Without realizing what he was doing, Issei snapped his fingers in certainty of Adrians' wellbeing, forgetting for a moment about the Dress Break magic circle he placed on Cleo, "...Oops."

RIIIP!

Before anyone could prevent it from happening, Cleos' outfit was completely torn from her body, revealing her long dark hair with gold highlights, golden tan flesh, and her large D cup breasts with nipples just a shade darker than her breasts. She quickly brought her hands up to cover her chest,

"HEY!! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA, YOU BASTARD?!"

"Okay I honestly didn't mean for that to happen that time!" Issei said honestly.

WH-BINK!!

Isseis' face was sent straight to the ground as Koneko stood behind him carrying a large metal beam,

"Still being a perv everywhere you go, huh?" She asked in her usual blank tone. Before long the rest of the ORC had joined the group, either chastizing Issei, finding new clothes for Cleo, or in Akenos' case, standing next to her best friend Rias,

"Hey, don't get so down Rias, I know Adrian will be fine, just like Damon and Katrina." Rias sighed,

"I hope you're right Akeno...I really do..."

Meanwhile...

Inside his warehouse, Zeus had both Vaas and Salem on the floor, writhing in pain from being shocked, and was currently holding his third associate by the throat, still having his face hidden in the shadows.

"When I gave you the powers, I expected you to draw out Adrian, but killing his mother was going too far...Richard." Zeus released the throat, and the figure stepped into the light, revealing it was, in fact, Adrians' father Richard Michaels!

"If you knew what I know, then you wouldn't even try to judge me," said the man.

"What is it that I don't already know?" Asked Zeus, "That you stopped viewing Adrian as your son due to the Blacklight? Or that you were actually jealous of Adrian possessing the power you wish you had? Or because I made you remember that on your wedding night you caught Victoria with another man and KNOW Adrian was never yours?" Richard was silent, keeping his answer to himself, "I gave you the powers of a god...act like one!"

"Like you did to Jason Gat?" Now it was Zeus who was silent, "Yeah, I heard about that gangbanger who stuck his cock where it didn't belong, and how you had Vaas take care of him. So don't act like you're high and mighty like a Devil God, when really your just another Devil!" Zeus stood toe to toe with Richard, his rage at a peak yet his voice came out like a hiss,

"Take Vaas and Salem, try out the modified Halo, now," he ordered, setting the small ring in Richards hand, "and if you speak of Jason again, you will find out in the worst of ways that I can take your powers away just as easily as I gave them to you." Richard scoffed, and strode past the Devil God, raising his hand and vanishing in a flash of red and violet lightning, with Vaas and Salem dissappearing with him. Zeus exhaled, "Richard, for your sake, I hope Slender killed Adrian...because if not, he will come back, and I will make sure you die first..."

Adrian woke with a start, his one eye flying open, seeing he was no longer in the forest, but was instead in an elegant bar, and behind it, dressed in a dark suit, stood another Adrian, scarred chin and all!

"What...?"

"Hello Adrian..." he said, "...my name is Slender...it's time we talked..."