Last of the Line
I do not own Highschool DxD or any of it's character's. I own only Vale.
Author's Note: Alrighty, not too many reviews last chapter. Not gonna lie, that bummed me out. But the story seems popular enough judging by visitors. So, I'll keep writing. Also, good news to any DxD writers out there, I got Sirzechs added to the character list for the series on this site.
Chapter 3- Everybody Talks
Vale flipped through the contents of the file in his hand that he'd just received, courtesy of Sirzechs Lucifer, who sat across the room from him on the only chair in the small, cramped room. It contained an extensive amount of information on the Exiled Exorcist and the Fallen Angels in the town. Apparently the Exorcist was named Freed Sellzen and he was working for no less than 8 Fallen Angels, lead by a Mid-Level Fallen Angel by the name of Raynare. Not only that, but it provided detailed information on every single one of the Fallen Angels working for Raynare. It also mentioned that they were attempting to perform a ceremony to steal a Sacred Gear from it original user in the near future. Vale assumed that it must be for Issei or Kiba, as Rias had stated that both of them possessed Sacred Gears.
"Sir, how on earth did you get this? I've been working on this for weeks and I don't know half of this info. And more importantly, why are you showing it to me?" Vale asked as he closed the folder.
"Well, I assume it goes without saying that I possess more avenues of gathering information than you. But, I gave it to you because the Exorcist killed a client of Hyoudo-san's not one hour ago. Rias-chan and her servants went to go help him as you are no doubt aware. Hyoudo-san was gravely injured during the following skirmish, so you're not likely to see my sister anytime soon tonight. This entire scenario has me thinking, while I'd never say I don't have faith in my sister or her servants to take care of these rogue elements in her territory-" he began when Vale cut him off by saying,
"You want me to make absolutely sure that her and her servants survive the encounter." Vale finished for him, switching to English for convenience.
"I see we are on the same page in this matter. How you handle it is up to you, I just wish to see my sister and her servants unharmed." Sirzechs said diplomatically as he crossed one leg over the other.
"Is that all you came here for? Because you could have just emailed me this info. It's not exactly sensitive data." Vale said as he laid the folder on his nightstand and sat down on his bed across from Sirzechs.
"Well, that is not the only reason I'm here. I'd like to know what your plans for the future are. By that, I mean for the rest of your life. I would be remiss as King of our species if I did not ensure that you are doing what is best for yourself and your future family. Plus, Grayfia had a lot of paperwork for me to do, and this seemed like more fun, so here I am."
"Well, due to all the contracts I have performed I'm pretty well set in the finances department. I know I said it was tight but I just meant most of my assets are not very fluid and easy to move and access. Other than that, I'm not sure what you're asking." Vale replied with a shrug.
"Well for starts, obviously every family has their own territory. If you manage to qualify for King status you'd get your choice of any territory not occupied by a current 72 Pillars family. Tell me, where would you choose as your territory?" Sirzechs said as he leaned on his knee as he leaned forward with interest to hear Vale's reply.
"I'd choose Cocytus." Vale replied with almost no delay.
"Interesting choice. Care to enlighten me as to why?" Sirzechs replied as he brushed some of his crimson hair behind his shoulder..
"Simple, everyone will think twice before ever tangling with the man who lives in Cocytus. Anyone willing to live near the Pale Horse is not to be trifled with." Vale said.
"Indeed, but another question. I know it's cliched but, where do you see yourself in 300 years?"(Devils live for an extremely long time.) Sirzechs asked.
"Hopefully married for 250 years, with a family, and well... I'm not sure the last part is appropriate, considering current company."
"Oh?" Sirzechs replied with a crimson eyebrow raised in interest.
"Well, I'd like to have your job one day, to be honest, sir." Vale replied casually. Sirzechs chuckled in response as he said,
"Well, from one man to another, I'd like to say, you have a genuine chance getting it one day if you work hard."
"You are either insulting me if you're being sarcastic or you are paying me great praise indeed, if you are being genuine." Vale said as he raised a cautious eyebrow.
"I am indeed being genuine. In 5 years, you have brought down 99 Stray Devils on your own with no help at all. Not to mention several dozen Fallen Angels. Your own combat experience and ability is roughly equal to Ajuka's and mine at your age. Plus, after I told Ajuka about your Drain Zero ability, he thinks there is even a possibility you could be a Super Devil like him and I. Now Ajuka is many things, but he is not stupid. If he believes you are a Super Devil, then you most likely are." Sirzechs replied from his spot on the chair.
"Well sir, I appreciate your confidence in my abilities, though I'm not sure I share it." Vale replied modestly. It didn't surprise him that Rias had told him of his ability.
"Though you mentioned you'd like to be married and start a family. Forgive me for prying, but do you have any ideas as to who you'd like to start this family with? If you plan to keep your family's bloodline pure, your options for a mate are fairly limited."
"Are you trying to set me up with someone,sir?" Vale replied inquisitively.
"No. I'm simply trying to ascertain your reasoning behind propositioning my sister yesterday." Sirzechs said in a deadpan tone so scary that it damn near froze the blood in Vale's veins. Vale felt the color drain from his face.
"Umm, excuse me." Vale said, trying his best to hide the crushing fear he felt in his stomach.
"Were you just going to use her for her impressive body then discard her like a common streetwalker?" Sirzechs replied in the same terrifying tone.
"Absolutely not! If I were going to indulge in any sort of activity like that with any woman, especially your sister, I would be nothing but respectful and gentle. I would definitely call her the next day! Sir, what I mean to say is, I would never engage in any sort of sordid activity with her that might hurt her. Rias is a wonderful person, sir. She is smart, kind, and more caring than anyone I've ever met And I think any man in the world would be lucky to earn her heart and even luckier to have the opportunity to express their feelings for her in a physical manner." Vale explained hurriedly in an attempt to prevent the King of the Underworld from killing him where he sat. Sirzechs was quiet for a long while before finally, he slowly stood from his chair and extended a hand towards Vale. Vale apprehensively reached out and shook Sirzechs' hand.
"That was an excellent answer Vale(still talking in English). I see now I do not have to worry about any harm coming to Rias from you. From now on, I'd like you to consider me your friend. At the very least, you will always have an ally in me from now on. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be off before Grayfia returns to retrieve me." Sirzechs said as he opened and exited through a magical circle.
"Huh... So that's what absolute terror feels like. Let's not do that again" Vale said as he headed towards his door and opened it to see Koneko standing just outside his door. She said nothing as he opened the door, she simply stared at him until finally Vale said,
"Can I help you Toujo-san?" he asked making sure to switch back to Japanese.
"Buchou sent me to tell you she won't be home tonight. The pervert got himself injured and she took him home to heal him. Guess it sucks to be you, huh?" She replied in an apathetic tone.
"How do you mean? I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, I've been doing it for half a decade now. I'm almost positive I can take care of myself better than Rias-hime (Rias is technically Underworld royalty) or any of her servants, yourself included."
"I'm talking about your pretty obvious crush on Buchou. I had my suspicions yesterday, but your impressive little description of her to Sirzechs-sama just now confirmed it. Looks like you'll be spending the night by yourself tonight, something your no doubt veryfamiliar with." Koneko replied with what Vale could swear was a hint of smugness in her voice.
"Are you implying that I'm very familiar with self-romance, Toujo-san?" Vale replied as he narrowed his eyes at the Youkai.
"That's exactly what I'm implying." Koneko replied with a small grin.
"You know Koneko, you think that because you're a cute little loli neko-girl that no one will ever smack you for being such a bitch. Let me tell you something, you are mistaken." Vale growled as leaned down close to Koneko's face and concentrated his magic inside his eyes causing his sclerae to turn black. Without warning, Vale leaned back just in time to avoid Koneko's uppercut that she had launched towards his chin. Her next shot was aimed squarely at his groin and he just barely managed to get his hand out of his pocket in time to grab Koneko by her wrist, and in one smooth motion ducked under her next shot and wrapped her arm behind her back before pinning her against the wall and pressing the forearm of his unoccupied arm into her neck effectively restraining her and prevent her from using her enhanced strength to break free.
"The reason you can't break my hold is simple. You're too light, Mil-tan doesn't have that problem, no one can hold that dude."
"Buchou's gonna be so pissed at you after I tell her-" Koneko began when Vale cut her off saying,
"Tell her what? That I defended myself in a non-lethal manner from your unprovoked attack? Koneko, you started this, you're just too weak to finish it. I hardly think Rias will side with you on this matter, you just attacked what is basically a foreign diplomat, Koneko. Rias could get in a lot of trouble for you attacking me outside of a Rating Game, and neither you nor I wants to see that happen, correct?" Vale asked. Koneko said nothing for a long while before nodding slightly in agreement. Vale released her and she stomped away, leaving clear shoe prints in the tile floor.
After that Vale went back to his room and pulled up the Fallen Angels church on Google Earth© and started to plan a stratagem for his impending mission to the church. He had formulated at least 8 plans of attack, 6 of which included Mil-tan but he had no actual data of Mil-tan in battle so he couldn't be sure of how well they would work and he liked to have at least 14 different attack and escape plans before assaulting a Fallen Angel stronghold. He was nothing, if not prepared when he did his job.
It was nearing three in the morning when Mil-tan arrived back in his room.
"I have handed out all of the fliers, sir. What is my next mission-nyo?" Mil-tan asked as he entered through the door. Vale looked up from his computer to get a look at the bodybuilder. His cosplay was torn and ripped in several places. Sweat streamed down his face and body like so much condensation on a cold soda can on a hot summer day. His chest was heaving from exhaustion. Vale briefly considered teaching him some magic that night, but decided against it. He got up and walked over to the bodybuilder and placed a hand on his shoulder before saying,
"Your next job is to go home and get some rest. Tomorrow if we're not too busy, I will begin to teach you magic. Also quick lesson, from now on avoid saying God, don't try reading the Bible unless your ready for a bitching headache. Stay away from crosses and holy water. Also churches are a no-no Angels aren't too fond of us, Fallen or otherwise. Approaching near them is just inviting light spears through the face." Vale explained, ignoring the pain in his head as he said God.
He was used to it, he frequently read the Bible as a way to research the Great War, it wasn't the pain that bothered him so much as the nosebleeds he eventually got from it. He'd deduced long ago that God, along with Lucifer, Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus was most likely dead. Which meant that whoever was pretending to be Him now could kiss his toned, white ass. He didn't like the way the first one ran things, and who ever did it now was doing a pretty half-assed job of it. After that, Mil-tan headed home to get some rest. Vale was about to head to bed and was in the middle of undressing when there was a knock on his door.
"Come in." Vale said as he pulled his shirt over his head and threw it over into the corner of the room as he began to search for a pair of pajama bottoms when he heard a voice behind him say,
"Ara ara ufufufu, am I interrupting something?" the voice asked. Vale turned to see the girl Rias had referred to as Akeno the night they had met. She was very pretty, she had a buxom figure with a violet eyes and long black hair held by an orange ribbon up in a ponytail with two antennae-like strand sloping backwards. She wore the same uniform Rias and Koneko did, complete with shoulder cape and knee-high socks. Vale also couldn't help but notice that her breasts were slightly larger than Rias'.
"No, it's cool. You can stare as much as you want, I've got nothing to hide. So care to tell me why one of Kuoh Academy's Two Great Ladies is visiting me in the dead of night." he said as he stripped off his pants and donned a pair of black and red striped pajama bottoms.
"Buchou sent me to make sure you were alright. Her and Ise-kun are currently indisposed. She would've sent Koneko back but she said she had places to be. Do you need assistance with anything?"
"Just one thing, are you and Issei dating or at least shacking up?" he asked as he picked up and sheathed his sword and placed it once more in his closet.
"That is an odd question. But, if you must know, no we are not. Why do you ask?" she said as she folded her hands over her lap.
"No reason, I just think you two make a very cute couple. So unless you care to join me in my bed for one activity or another, you may leave. But if you do join me, be warned, I bite." he said with a wink.
"Ufufu, well first off, I appreciate the comment about me and Ise-kun. Also, I'd like to ask you not to tease me with ideas like that or I just may just join you." she replied.
Akeno left soon after confirming Vale was alright to spend the rest of the night at the schoolhouse alone. Vale went to sleep after checking his email and seeing that two of his former colleagues had replied to his letters.
Vale woke the next afternoon and began to go over a few of the books that Rias had lent him before taking a small break and heading to the common room to greet the club members as they got out of school. Rias and Akeno were the first to arrive, followed closely by Kiba.
"Hey guys, how goes it?" Vale asked from his seat on the chair.
"I'm well, thank you for asking." Kiba replied with a small bow.
"I'm well also." Akeno chimed in with another small bow of her own.
"I'm good, you?" Rias replied.
"I'm fine, been studying all day so I decided to take a break. So I've noticed you have a chessboard, do you play?" Vale asked as he pointed to the aforementioned chessboard.
"Yes, I do. Why do you ask?" Rias replied as she took a seat at her desk.
"I was just hoping, maybe you and I could play sometime." he replied.
"I'd like that." she replied. Vale opened his mouth to respond when Issei burst through the schoolhouse door,
"Buchou, the Fallen Angels have taken Asia! We have to go save her! Please, we don't have much time." Issei said desperately. Rias nodded and stood up as she said.
"I apologize Vale-san, our game must wait until another time. Kiba, go get Koneko and we'll rendezvous at the park." Rias said as she, Issei, and Akeno stepped onto the magical circle and disappeared. As soon as they vanished, Vale whipped out his phone and dialed Mil-tan's number.
"Yes, my lord-nyo?" the voice on the other said as it picked up.
"Schoolhouse, now. Dress for combat." Vale said flatly before he hung up before sprinting back to his room and fishing his sword out of the closet. He thought about bringing his other weapon, but decide to simply unseal the box so he could summon it if he needed it. Mil-tan arrived a few minutes later. He had thankfully forgone his cosplay and dressed in a tight black tee shirt and black track pants.
"Alright, let's go bust some heads." Vale said with a grin as he handed Mil-tan a pair of fingerless gloves.
12 minutes later...
Vale stood outside the barrier the Fallen Angels had erected around the church as he watched Mil-tan pound futilely against the barrier.
"Mil-tan, stop. The barrier is too strong for you. I guess I'll have to do it." Vale said with a sigh, he hated using such flashy spells during operations like this, but on the upside, the Fallen Angels were probably going to be too busy with Rias and the others to question where the attack came from. He held up a hand and a magic circle appeared in the air and split in to two, causing a massive black pillar to form between them. They extended a total of approximately 15 meters before disappearing.
"You're probably gonna wanna move Mil-tan." Vale said as Mil-tan scrambled out of the way. Once he was sure Mil-tan was clear, he hurled his hand forward and watched as the massive pillar crashed into the barrier and stopped temporarily as it encountered the barrier before continuing through the barrier and crashing through the side of the church with a thunderous crash. He manifested the proper spell in his hand and absorbed it into his body, causing his skin turned the color of stone and cracked along the surface and his hair turned red at the edges. He didn't worry about the cracks, they were only cosmetic.
"Alrighty Mil-tan, let's go to work." Vale said with a grin as he unsheathed his sword and started towards the new entrance he had created. Mil-tan nodded and hurried after him into the church...
Author's Note: Here it is guys, little note for you, Vale's Abyss Physique forms are demonic power, not magic. Small, yet important difference for hardcore fans. As always, I urge you to review if you have time. For anyone who's wondering, I hope for Vale to end up with [REDACTED], not [REDACTED] as you may believe. Also for any who are wondering Issei's harem will contain(at least temprorarily): Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Xenovia, Irina, Asia, and Rossweisse. So, as always, the peerage list as of now is:
Mil-tan-Rook
Irina(I have a plan, don't worry)- Knight
Vali- Pawn x8
Raiden (Raijuu OC)- Bishop
Kuyo- Rook
Tiamat- Queen
Kuroka- Bishop
Tenebrous (new name for Grim Reaper OC)- Knight
Also, big thanks to Sangai-Havoc(check out his story Atlantis Dragons, it's a decent read), and DragonxDelinquent. Also, thank you to Deadly Shinigami, StarLight43(I'd really appreciate it if you would make a profile so we can PM each other, but it's your decision obviously), and Blckwlf4 for reviewing chapter 2 it really gave me the push I needed to keep writing. This is the 19th Angel, signing off...