Chapter II: The title is on the right
[{Unholy Heading}]
It had been lighting up like a beacon all over Kuoh. The sudden appearance of a new demonic signature had been impossible to miss, particularly when it slipped right onto the grounds of their own fledging territory. Raynare had been wary of dispatching forces into the city ever since Donhaseek had reported that it was the shared property of the Gremory and Sitri heiresses. It was a risk to send anyone else into a devil's territory, but it could prove even more costly to ignore the proximity of a completely new presence.
It was sound reasoning but Kalawarner just wished it didn't have to be her gallivanting around the metropolis. Not that Raynare's choice was all that surprising. Even if Dohnaseek could curb his bloodthirsty tendencies long enough to complete the mission, it was still a risk sending him after he had already been personally warned away by the Gremory heiress. Mittelt was a hot head, prone to temper tantrums that matched her child-like appearance- though hers typically consisted of barrages of light spears. And, with Raynare occupied with preparations for their impending guest, she was the only real choice.
Finding the source wasn't all that difficult, it was the actions that left her befuddled. She watched as the devil, a blonde-haired man, combed through the city, as though he were looking for something. That was enough to pique her interest. Was it possible there was something in this city that they had missed? It would certainly explain why the heiresses of two pillar families had made Kuoh Town their headquarters.
Thoughts of buried secrets and ancient relics had the fallen's excitement mounting as she shadowed the devil from above. Whatever it was he was after, there seemed to be a desperation in his search. There was a quickness in his step that spoke of a real need and Kalawarner couldn't help but smile. Discovering devil secrets would go a long way toward improving her standing in the Grigori.
She tensed in preparation the moment she heard the man give an excited yelp and saw him scramble into a. . .ramen stand. Her smile dipped for a moment until she shook her head, convincing herself the stupid devil was just hungry despite the fact that it was three in the afternoon. She waited for a few minutes, perking up when she heard a few shouts before the devil came back out looking less than pleased. He set back out again and Kalawarner scrambled to catch up.
He repeated the process in two more ramen eateries before he moved back to the first, a dark expression on his face. It was an intimidating look to witness even from afar, not that Kalawarner would ever admit as much out loud as she followed him once more. This time when he went inside, it was the employees who stepped out, though they looked oddly happy. The devil seemed to have bought the place out, if the stacks of money the humans were carrying was any indication. He did the same for the other two and Kalawarner felt her waning interest begin to rise one again.
It would seem she had misjudged the devil earlier and it wasn't the food he was interested in, but the land the buildings were on. If there was some sort of buried secret in Kuoh, the devil was pulling all the stops to get it. Two of the three buildings were demolished by the devil's magic and Kalawarner watched as he dropped to his knees at each of the empty lots and seemed to be perform some sort of ritual. She vaguely made out the word 'god', causing her to frown until her eyes lit up. It must have been meant to unleash whatever secret or artifact was buried on those land plots.
Kalawarner followed him back to the third and last ramen eatery, eagerly waiting to see what the devil would do next. Unlike the other two buildings, which were little more than small dining stands, the last was a rather spacious restaurant. Rather than simply destroy the building as he had with the other two however, the blonde actually went inside. She waited for a few minutes until he came back out, this time holding a large piece of folded cloth. He unfurled it and set it above the door and Kalawarner felt her hopes plummet.
Uzumaki Ramen, it's devilishly good.
She stood there gaping at the banner, sheer disbelief coursing though her. The idea that a devil had come all the way to the human world just to open a ramen stand was beyond ludicrous. More than that was the knowledge that all her preconceptions were for naught and that she had, in fact, just wasted an hour shadowing some fool who had only been after ramen this whole time.
The light spear materialized in her hands before she was even consciously aware of it. The yellowish glow intensified as it quickly expanded to the size of her wingspan in her growing fury. She would wipe both the devil and his stupid restaurant from existence. It wouldn't give her back the time she'd wasted, but at least she'd feel better knowing the one responsible was dead.
Kalawarner was so preoccupied with drawing on her power that she didn't even hear the whoosh of another's wings until it was too late.
"Eat knuckle, creature!"
She had just enough time to glance to her right, catching only a yellowish blur before a fist slammed into her cheek with enough force to send her plummeting to the ground with a thunderous crack, her light spear disappearing from her broken concentration. Kalawarner snapped her head around to see who had dared to lay a hand on her only for her eyes to widen at the sight of the very blonde she'd been about to murder now looming over her, a wicked gleam in his eye. A boot slammed down on her stomach before she could even think about recovering, knocking the wind out of her.
Naruto looked as though stepping on her was equivalent to trudging through a sewer. "How disgusting, a mutated crow at the edge of my boot! I'll need to give it a thorough clean after, don't want the stench of corruption following me around."
Despite the position she was in, Kalawarner snarled at the insult, already preparing another light spear. He managed to avoid her quick thrust, though he was forced to step back in the attempt, allowing Kalawarner to move back to her feet.
She glowered at him, her wings emerging in a clear attempt at intimidation. She couldn't feel much in the way of power from him. In fact his presence was so minute she had to concentrate to confirm that he was actually there. Even then, it was little more than an echo. For such a weak devil, a simple scare tactic should have been all it really took to make the pathetic creature regret laying a hand on her.
"Wait, I know what you are!" Naruto suddenly shouted out with wide eyes, making Kalawarner smirk. "You're one of those creatures I've heard about, one of those winged women, aren't you? What are they called?" Naruto made a show of thinking it over before he snapped his snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, herpes!"
Eyebrow twitching as much from the blatant mispronunciation as the misconception, Kalawarner felt her rage simmer. "Those would be harpies you impudent wretch and how dare you even compare me to one of those filthy creatures!"
Another light spear was flung, only to be dodged again by the infuriating devil.
"Hey, careful now." Naruto spoke as though lecturing a child. "You could kill someone with those."
"That's the point!" Kalawarner hissed, letting loose with a volley of light spears.
Naruto made a show out of dodging her attacks, his wild manoeuvres more akin to a circus act than any real kind of evasion. The idea of a such a lowly devil not only avoiding her attacks but blatantly mocking her in the process was an insult that needed to be rectified. She abandoned her ranged attacks in favour of a melee, thrusting her spear forward to skewer the blonde menace.
Rather than pierce his heart like she had expected, however, her spear met nothing more than air. Her target had dashed backward, giving a shriek about 'killer crows' before he abruptly turned and bolted. Kalawarner could only blink in bewilderment, her eyes still trained to where the devil had been standing just a moment ago before she snarled and took to the skies, giving chase.
It was at the park where she finally found him. The sight of the pesky devil huddled over near a bench and panting as if he'd just run a marathon made her smirk.
"Is this were you would like to die?"
She enjoyed watching him tense at just the sound of her voice while he turned to regard her with nothing short of abject terror as she descended from the sky. If she'd been of a clearer head she would've questioned why he suddenly seemed so wary of a being he'd been mocking just moments before or why he looked tired when he had been effortlessly performing acrobatic feats without a drop of sweat. But Kalawarner was much too angry to consider anything beyond ending the blonde menace and restoring her pride.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Naruto stopped his cowering and grinned. It was such a sudden change, as though a switch had been flipped and it threw Kalawarner for a loop; a feeling that was compounded when the landscape seemed to shimmer. It was like her perceptions had shifted. One moment she was preparing to throw a spear and the next she was surrounded by a lay of wires fixed to the surrounding trees. Too late did she realize that she'd walked right into a trap.
A trip wire was snared and Kalawarner was quickly bound from neck to toe. She wiggled in her makeshift cocoon and tried to call upon her power, feeling a surge of panic when nothing happened.
"I wouldn't waste the effort, the wires have inhibited your magic."
Her furious gaze swept to lock eyes with the cheerful blonde standing over her. She had to concede his point, though, that her effort didn't seem to be getting her anywhere. She kept the conversation going, deciding that it would at least give her time to think of something else. "So you use illusions. Is that why you weren't fighting back?"
"Oh no, no no no." Naruto replied through a fit of chuckles. "I'm absolutely terrible at those."
Kalawarner craned her neck up to glare at him, firmly believing the devil to be mocking her again. She was, instead, struck by the appearance of a fairy perched on the blonde's shoulder waving at her cheerily. That would explain things, though it did nothing to help her already beaten sense of pride. Fairies were known for dabbling in magic that most shied away from, illusions and healing chief among them. It was the former art they were particularly adept at, only appearing to those they wished and able to obscure others through a glamour spell.
A bundle of feathers appeared in her vision and Kalawarner suddenly felt as though her eyelids were very heavy. She tried to resist, but without access to her own magic there was little she could do and she soon found herself drifting off.
The last thing she heard was the distant clatter of the devil's voice. "Fun as this all was, we have a restaurant to open. Fiona, fetch the crow and let's go."
Done in by a devil and his forest sprite. How was she ever going to live this down?
[{Unholy}]
Fiona watched from her seat on the kitchen counter as her master set to work on fixing up the restaurant, feeling anxious. From the moment Naruto set out to explore Kuoh, she had known there was more to his excursion than just to look for ramen. The two had been together for more than three centuries. She knew the lay of his thoughts. So when he skirted the bounds of the abandoned church, it came as little surprise to the fairy when her master started casting spells. They weren't powerful enough to be considered threatening, but it would be clear enough to the fallen angels that someone new was in town.
It was clever, even if it was a bit of a gamble. Just because Naruto couldn't directly attack the fallen angels without provocation didn't mean he couldn't get his hands on one. It was, of course, banking on the idea that the fallen would consider it worth the risk to investigate, despite entering devil territory. But if their recent bouts of aggression were any indication, they would take the bait in an instant.
Her green eyes flicked down to the still slumbering, trussed up fallen angel near the stove. On that count at least, he had been spot on. Despite all of his work, however, Naruto seemed to have lost all interest in supernatural things the moment they got back to his new restaurant.
The paining of the walls to a deep blue seemed wholly out of place in a ramen eatery. Not that he'd stopped there. A giant poster of a sea serpent was plastered on the wall, along with a painting of a whirlpool on the opposite side. Fiona had considered it a blessing that he had retreated back to the kitchen instead of going further. But if his muttered thoughts were any indication, he had other crazy renovations in mind, and she decided that it was time to step in.
"Master?"
Naruto kept a careful eye on the simmering noodles. He had set up the dining area in record time, thanks to Fiona's help. The kitchen was the only area left that needed work. All that was left was to give it a quick trial run to make sure everything was up to snuff and then he could open the restaurant and start feeding the desperate masses of Kuoh. To think that these people had gotten by on inferior ramen for so long. It was an outrageous travesty of justice and he wouldn't stand for it!
"Master?" She tried again, a more insistent tone in her voice
Naruto finally turned his attention away from his cooking. "Yes Fiona, what is it?"
She wrung her hands in a clear show of unease. "Weren't you planning to do something about the fallen?"
He exhaled at her query, looking for all the world as though he were trying to recall something until he finally just blinked. ". . .the what?"
Fiona gave him an incredulous look. "The fallen angel at your feet that just woke up." She gave a pointed look toward the captive whose desperate wriggling had abruptly stopped with her announcement. "The reason we're here in the first place." She added with a bit of irritation seeping into her tone. To think he had gotten so completely side tracked.
"Right." Naruto said automatically as though he weren't really listening until her words finally seemed to sink in. "Yes!" He suddenly spoke up in a tone that sounded much more like agreement. "Yes, of course." He finally pulled his attention away from the simmering broth and turned to fully look at his familiar who was staring up at him from her position on the counter.
"What, did you think I had forgotten or something?"
Her deadpan expression said enough.
"Don't be ridiculous, Fiona." He added, an embarrassed laugh escaping him. "I would never forget something so important."
Despite his words he quickly rushed over to their bound captive before she could say anything, leaving her to tend to the ramen. He gave the fallen angel a subtle nudge with his toe. "Welcome back little bird. How are you feeling?"
Her deathly glare was a good indicator.
"You're quite the sour one, aren't you? If it'll make you feel better I'll take these off."
Kalawarner could only gape as the devil used a spell and shattered the cords. For a moment, she thought she had been ensnared by another of the fairy's illusions but the familiar thrum of power within her told her different. She was free. She couldn't believe the devil had given up such a clear advantage. He must have been planning something, not that Kalwarner was going to wait to see what it was.
In an instant, a conjured light spear appeared in her hand. She closed the distance in the blink of an eye, only for her foe to display a completely new level of speed and sidestep her attack. Caught off guard and completely exposed, she had no way to defend herself against the solid punch to her stomach that had her falling to her knees, gasping for breath. It should have been impossible for such a weak looking devil to possess such strength. It just made it all the more necessary for him to die. She made to conjure another spear, when cerulean eyes bore into her.
Kalawarner had always been more skilled than the rest of her cohort at sensing and what she felt was staggering. It was as if the devil had stopped suppressing his power. A crushing weight that had little to do with her injury slammed into her with the force of a freight train. The very air suddenly felt heavy, oppressive. More than that was the blonde's smile. There was something so inherently off about it that it made her skin crawl. Once more, her gathering power completely dispersed from her broken concentration and it was only then that his grip slackened.
"I trust you won't be trying to do that again."
She shook her head rapidly. That flare, however brief, was enough for her to get a sense of his power. It was overwhelmingly vast. Even if she had attacked him with the aid of her companions, it would have made no difference.
He released his hold of her then, a hand extended in its place. The blonde suddenly looked much more friendly, as if they were two strangers that had just bumped into each other on the street. She took it warily and he gently pulled her back to her feet.
"My name is Naruto, queen of Leviathan. Who are you?"
She said nothing for a moment, her amber eyes widening from a combination of shock and fear. The peerage piece of a satan?! However confident she was in her abilities, there was just no way she could match that level of strength. "K-Kalawarner." She finally managed to stutter out.
Naruto smiled and Kalawarner shivered at the fierce gleam in his eyes. "Why don't you take a seat? I think we have some things to discuss."
Despite the phrasing, it was clear it was anything but a question. Briefly, she wondered if she could flee fast enough, but something about him made her think he was just waiting for her to try. So, unable to fight and unwilling to chance a very risky escape, Kalawarner had no choice but to follow the blonde's lead.
Fiona flew out of the kitchen to perch on her master's shoulder once the two had taken their seats in the dining area. "Well at least you've taken care of your unwanted shadow."
Naruto grinned. "Indeed, it took them long enough to send someone."
Kalawarner chose to ignore the fact that they were speaking about her as if she wasn't even there. "You. . .wanted us to come after you?"
"Well, of course. As much as I wanted to storm the church and murder you all for putting Sona in harm's way, there's a certain protocol to follow these days. Ya know, cease fire agreement and all that." Naruto let out an almost wistful sounding sigh. "Say what you will about the Great War, at least back then we could kill each other without all the red tape."
The way he just so casually mentioned their deaths was more than a little unsettling. It was as if he were discussing the weather. That feeling was compounded when he turned toward his familiar, abruptly changing the topic to ask if the ramen was ready.
Fiona shook her head, wondering about her master's priorities. "It should be by now."
"Well, hurrah!" Naruto exclaimed gleefully, about to ask Fiona to go get it before his eyes shifted to Kalawarner. "Would you like some too?"
"I prefer to eat real food, thank you."
Fiona went rigid the moment the words left the fallen angel's lips, her gaze nervously shifting toward Naruto.
Kalawarner looked completely perturbed by the fairy's reaction, but it was her master that set the fallen's pulse racing. There was a sudden chill to the room, as if one of the fabled reapers had stepped into the restaurant. A shadow seemed to fall over his face as he stared at her and spoke in a voice that had her adrenaline kicking in.
"You don't think ramen is real food?"
She opened her mouth to say something, anything, to convince the monster in front of her that she didn't mean it but no sound came out. The power he was exerting was far stronger than even the brief flare he'd given earlier. The unassuming devil suddenly seemed to be so much like his moniker that she couldn't even breathe, much less speak.
"Naruto!" Fiona frantically cried, giving his shoulder a viscous shake to try to snap him out of it. "She didn't mean it! Remember, she's a former angel, she doesn't know any better!"
To the relief of both fairy and fallen that seemed to be enough to get Naruto to calm down. The wild spike of power abruptly settled and the hard glint in his eyes disappeared. "Of course, you're right Fiona." Naruto let out a breath. "Of course, of course, of course, of course, of course." He repeated the words over and over, his voice sounding lighter and lighter until he was back to his cheerful self.
"Fiona, this poor fallen is in desperate need of enlightenment, Get her some ramen immediately, make it miso with extra pork slices."
The fairy nodded and flew back toward the kitchen. She let out a breath the moment she was gone, an involuntary shudder coursing through her at the same time. It always felt like navigating a verbal minefield whenever someone mentioned ramen in a less than favourable light. The one instance where she, herself, had tried to curb Naruto's obsession with ramen by gently suggesting that there were other foods just as good didn't exactly go well.
It had led to a stony faced Naruto giving her a stern lecture about the wonders of ramen, as well as a history lesson on the food in question that he had memorized by heart. It was an experience she was in no way keen to relive and why she had learned to be very tolerant of her master's eccentric desire for the noodle broth.
No sooner had Fiona returned with two bowls of miso ramen then Naruto let out an excited whoop and immediately dug in. Kalawarner was far more reserved in her appraisal, looking down at the broth with an almost wary expression, as though she thought the food itself was a poisonous concoction. The sound of chopsticks hitting the table had her eyes flicking up to see that the blonde was already finished. He met her gaze, that eerie smile on his lips.
"Well, aren't you going to at least try it?"
The chopsticks were in her hands before she was even aware of it, scooping up a bunch of noodles all but shoving it into her mouth. The taste was surprisingly good, far better than she had expected. She ate the rest with no sign of her previous hesitation, her eyes alight with joy.
"Not as bad as you were expecting, is it?"
Kalawarner shook her head as a nervous smile spread across her lips, she was wary of upsetting the devil any further. "It's quite good actually."
Naruto grinned. Another successful convert to the glories of ramen. "Well, now that you're being fed we can get to the real reason I dragged you here. What exactly are you fallen angels doing here in Kuoh? I can't imagine Azazel sent you so close to devil territory for sight-seeing."
There was a minuscule tensing in her jaw at the mention of the Grigori leader, something Naruto took note of. "Though, from what I've heard, he also neglected to mention that little detail."
Kalawarner bit her lip, considering her response carefully. She was no longer fooled by the blonde's cheerful demeanour. He may have spoken as though they were two old friends catching up, but now that she was really paying attention she could see that his muscles were coiled, ready to strike. It was apparent he wanted answers one way or another. "We've been sent here to monitor a sacred gear user."
Naruto hummed in response. He already knew that of course. Sona may have been under the impression that neither her parents nor her sister were in any way aware of the activities in Kuoh, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Serafall would never let her cherished sibling go to the human world without taking at least some precautions. If that meant spying on her own sister than she would do it in a heartbeat.
So he was aware of Rias' new peerage member, Issei Hyoudo, and that the fallen angels had been paying particular attention to him. What he still didn't know was why the Grigori members were hanging around.
Whatever the parameters of their mission, it had failed the moment Issei had been reincarnated as a devil under the Gremory house. Sticking around after only served to raise tensions. What was strange was that Azazel knew that and, as foolish as the former seraph could be, it was highly unlikely he would take actions to start another war, particularly when he seemed to have grown fond of the peaceful lull.
That meant that either the fallen angels had decided to separate from the Grigori entirely- unlikely given the angelic nature for order and structure- or they were following someone else's orders.
"But the boy's a devil now, which makes us responsible for him. So why are you all still here?" Naruto didn't even bother letting Kalawarner respond, thinking out loud more than anything. "You'd have to be working for someone else, someone high up in the Grigori. Kokabiel, for example."
Kalawarner just stared, golden eyes widening. She swallowed nervously, her pulse racing as her hands clenched. This devil knew far more than he should and her hand clenched reflexively, aching to conjure a light spear. Ordinarily, she would've executed him on the spot, but if their earlier bout had showed her anything it was that she was hopelessly outclassed.
All she could really do was talk, though it took an effort for her just to find her voice. "How d-did you know?"
Naruto shrugged. "Given your reaction to Azazel's name, you're not particularly fond of him. Shemizial would never start a war with devils- seeing as how he's married to one- and Baraquiel's too much of a stiff to go against his friends, so that really leaves only one option."
Naruto gave her only a moment to process that before he pressed. "I imagine disobeying orders isn't a well regarded practise in the Grigori. That kind of makes you a rogue, doesn't it?"
She snapped her head to him, the colour draining from her face and real fear beginning to settle in. If there was one thing that had been unanimously agreed upon by the three factions in the armistice, it was the search and destroy of any and all rouge elements. Fallen angels had free reign to eliminate any stray devils they encountered and vice versa; the same was true of angels as well, though none of them had been seen outside heaven in some time. It had become an easy way of getting rid of their unwanted elements without violating each other's borders.
While obeying orders from another superior was hardly a treasonous affair, the fact that they had gone against their faction leader made things tenuous at best. As forgiving as Azazel could be, he was still an angelic commander and would not hesitate to discipline angels that stepped out of line. In their case, actively subverting the orders of a superior was considered a gross offence, typically punishable with death.
This wasn't good. Kalawarner suddenly felt small, trapped in a room with a truly monstrous devil. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was terrified. "Are you going to tell Azazel?"
The blonde lost any semblance of cheer in his expression, fixing her with a steely gaze that had her tensing instinctively. "No, little crow. I'm giving you twenty-four hours to vacate Kuoh Town before I lay you all to waste. Then, if Azazel raises a fuss over it, I will tell of how you betrayed him"
Kalawarner managed to muster up enough courage to challenge him. "H-he won't believe you."
"Perhaps not at first," Naruto conceded with a shrug, "but the events speak for themselves and he will eventually arrive at the truth. Now, return to your cohort, deliver my message, and pray you never have to see me again."
She didn't need to be told twice, warily manoeuvring out of her seat and keeping the blonde in her sights for several moments before she turned and bolted out the door.
"Is it wise to let her go?" Fiona piped up the moment Kalawarner disappeared. "It may have been better to keep her as a hostage."
Naruto snorted as he grabbed hold of the ramen Kalawarner had so rudely left behind. "You're assuming they value each other as something approximating friends, traits not exactly common among fallen angels."
"Or devils." Fiona added with a teasing lift to her voice. "But there are still exceptions."
He huffed in acknowledgment and slurped up a mouthful of noodles. "Point," He conceded. "Regardless, I wouldn't have the grounds to keep her here. Even if I did I just want them gone." He slurped up the rest of the ramen and pushed the empty bowl aside. "Follow her for me please. See what they do."
Fiona cast him a side long look "You don't actually expect them to leave, do you?"
Naruto's thoughts on the matter would remain his own, however, as he dropped his serious look and flashed her a toothy grin. "No, I expect them to fall."
Fiona only blinked as her master waggled his eyebrows as if he had just made the most hilarious joke. She felt embarrassed on his behalf and patted his head on her way out of the restaurant, smirking at his indignant cry.
[{Unholy}]
It was bigger than Raynare had expected. Whenever she imagined it at all, she had always pictured something that was at least easier to handle. Not to say the size was a real detriment but small and compact would have been preferable to the monstrosity that had been unleashed in the middle of the church.
"It is kind of garish, isn't it?"
Mittelt had unceremoniously plopped herself down on one of the few pews left in the church. Her eyes roamed over the machine, her legs kicking out lazily while she suckled on a lolipop.
Raynare rolled her eyes at Mittelt's penchant for childish behaviour. Still, she did have a point, it did clash with a church otherwise devoid of religious idols. The fact that it was shaped like a giant cross seemed ironic given its purpose and it was part of the reason Raynare had set it up right in the middle. A silent fuck you to her wayward father.
"What's the verdict then?"
Dohnaseek let out a contemplative hum as he evaluated the machine. It was a complete reverse to see the angel with a scholarly side. Give his usual bloodthirsty tendencies, it was easy to forget that he had actually never been created to fight. He had served as a collector of knowledge instead, working underneath the seraph, Raziel. The Great War had brought many changes to heaven however, including the deployment of all angels regardless of positions. For an angel, who was essentially a librarian, to suddenly be thrust onto the battlefield, it was no wonder he'd come out different.
"It needs time to charge." Dohnaseek finally spoke after his inspection.
Raynare clicked her tongue, just barely keeping her annoyance in check. "How long?"
"There's a full moon in two days, that would be the ideal time."
Magic was always at a zenith during the lunar peak and for a machine that was a creation of both sorcery and technology it was sound reasoning. From what Dohnaseek had discerned, a ritual would be needed to power the machinery, and there was no better time to perform one than during a focal point of magic. Still, it did nothing to quell Raynare's growing impatience. After weeks of planning, the goal she'd been working for was close at hand.
"Can't it be done any quicker?"
Dohnaseek shot her a look. "Not if you want this to be done properly, and may I remind you we only have one of these so we can't exactly afford to screw this up. Unless you would like to explain to Kokabiel why things didn't work out."
Raynare had to fight the urge to shiver at the idea of one of the cadre-class being personally upset with her, especially given Kokabiel's less than forgiving nature.
"Just get it done." She snapped back, inwardly pleased with how he lowered his head and hastened back to his task.
She was the strongest among the four of them and never hesitated to remind either when it was needed. It was something she had certainly earned after all her struggles, first as an angel and then as a fallen.
The doors of the church were thrown open, breaking Raynare from her musing as Kalawarner burst in. Her smile dipped when she saw the most reliable of her group looking absolutely frantic.
"Raynare, there's a problem!"
She listened to the hurried explanation with mounting dread. A peerage piece of a satan in Kuoh? She had to fight back the urge to scream, this couldn't have come at a worse time. The devil's ultimatum of twenty-four hours meant that Dohnaseek's plan was no longer viable. The sacred gear from the nun would have to be extracted, tonight.
She made her intention clear and Kalawarner looked ready to object, but it was Dohnaseek who spoke up first. "Perhaps we should acquiesce to his demands, then we can regroup and find another to-"
Raynare snapped her head towards him, violet eyes narrowed to slits. "No! We haven't come this far just to be dictated terms by a devil."
Kalawarner looked completely harrowed by her declaration. "But Raynare, he's-"
"Nothing we haven't faced before."
Truth be told Raynare did feel it was significant risk, but delaying the extraction could prove to be even more so. This was their chance to balance the playing field. The devils already had their Evil Pieces to turn other beings into their likeness. It was particularly useful for acquiring sacred gears, though it still left the human container in possession of it. It was a such a waste, sacred gears had been squandered on humanity. With the extractor, fallen angels would be able to rip the artifacts right out of the humans and bestow it on themselves, cutting out the middle man.
Raynare turned her attention back to Dohnaseek. "Is there any way to have the extractor ready for tonight?"
His incredulous gape was squashed beneath Raynare's glower and he instead looked contemplative, rubbing his chin in thought. "It might be possible to bypass the ritual," Dohnaseek began slowly, "if you channel your own power into it. It would not be without risk though," he cautioned at Raynare's triumphant look. "The ritual is designed to empower it slowly for a reason. Turning it on so quickly could make the matrix unstable, and that might make it collapse in the middle of the procedure."
Raynare nodded at his warning but it was clear to him that she wasn't overly concerned. "Then there's no need to wait. Mittelt, go get the nun."
She nodded, jumping off the pew and skipping out of the room.
"This is not a good idea." Kalawarner took the chance to speak, lowering her voice so Dohnaseek couldn't hear. "Even from the brief glimpse I could catch of the devil's abilities. . ." She trailed off for a moment, shivering at the memory of his cold eyes. "He has a great deal of power Raynare, more than I've ever felt in a single person before."
Raynare looked at her in surprise, knowing that Kalawarner had been in the presence of some of the Grigor's cadre-class angels. For a moment, she looked decidedly nervous and worried her lip.
But when her eyes fell to the extractor, she seemed to regain her confidence and all but dismissed Kalwarner's concerns. Not even the threat of a powerful devil would stop her when she was this close. Her earlier fears gave way to a shiver of excitement. This was it, the moment she had been striving towards since her fall, the culmination of more power. It was what had led to her less than honourable dismissal from heaven in the first place. She always had a desire to stand out from the rank and file and now she had the means to reach that lofty perch.
She had always felt like she'd been shirked ever since her creation. During the height of the Great War she had been just another of a thousand angels god had created to replenish the ranks. Given the barest of training before being pressed into service, it was as if their own father viewed them as little more than cannon fodder. Her siblings had grown to accept their station, but Raynare never had. It was as if she was a seraphim trapped in a low-class angel's body.
It just felt wrong.
Twilight healing would change things for her. She would be the first fallen angel to be empowered by a sacred gear, an example for her own kin, someone they could look up to. She would finally be more than just another angel.
The clacking of boots alerted the three to Mittelt's return and it was clear right away that something was wrong. It was rare to see her acting outside of her childish behaviour and her measured steps were anything but. She dragged a pair of exorcists behind her, pained whimpers escaping them as she threw them to the floor.
Raynare eyed them with thinly veiled disdain. She had never cared for the Grigori's inclusion of the church's dregs into their ranks. They could make do just fine without relying on such worthless trash. Unfortunately, it was an opinion that few shared. Even Kokabiel, for all his talk of how fallen angels should be able to stand alone, had no qualms with making use of strays- which was the reason why she had to contend with more than a dozen of them in the church.
"Why have you deposited these. . .things at my feet? Where is the girl?"
"Gone." Mittelt replied simply. There was a sharp edge to her blue eyes as she stared at the exorcists, a keen reminder of why the vengeful angel had fallen in the first place. "These shits allowed her to slip out of fucking grasp."
A dark chuckle was heard from Dohnaseek as he paused in his work to look at the cowering pair. "A nun slipped past them. That is sad."
"Oh, she didn't sneak past anyone." Mittelt corrected with a furious snarl. "Apparently, she just asked if she could go outside for some fresh air."
For her part, Raynare was beyond furious. These simple minded fools had allowed the very prize that had taken weeks of tracking to just slip out of their base. Sacred gear users were a rarity and ones without ties to any of the factions was even more so. Since the experiment didn't have Azazel's approval they couldn't go through any of the holders in the Grigor's service- even if they wanted there were so few that their absence would immediately draw notice. The chance of coming across another in a situation similar to Asia was so close to zero it wasn't even worth thinking about.
"You let her escape?"
One of the exorcists whimpered at the deathly cold look in Raynare's eyes. "S-she just seemed like she needed a break. I didn't think-"
The rest of his statement ended in a cry when Raynare brought her foot crashing down on his ribs. "Clearly." She hissed, sparing the wheezing man only the barest glance before looking back at Mittelt.
"How long has she been gone?"
"A couple of hours at least."
Her hands clenched, her aura flickering in the wake of her smothering rage. Asia could be anywhere by now and she had no idea where to even start looking. Worse, she would have to go back into devil territory to search, an act which could very well draw the attention of Leviathan's queen. For a moment, she toyed with the idea of scrapping the entire project, but only for a moment. She had come too far, sacrificed too much just to call it quits now, especially when she was so close.
"I'm going into the city to find her." She announced on her way out the church.
"What of the exorcists?"
Raynare didn't even pause. "What exorcists?"
The message was clear as crystal to Mittelt. A sinister smile stretched across her lips as a light spear materialized in her hand.
"Wait!" One of them pleaded, frantic eyes looking between Raynare and Mittelt. "Lady Raynare please, we were just-"
His plea was lost when the spear was brought down, smiting him in an instant and forever ridding the world of his existence. His partner barely had time to scream in horror before he met the same fate.
Kalawarner paid it no heed, her eyes glued, instead, to Raynare's departing form. She had hoped the others would see reason when she delivered the news of a powerful devil nearby, but while Dohnaseek may have been willing to at least consider it, Raynare had simply brushed it off entirely. If anything, she had seemed more determined to go through with the ritual. It wasn't all that surprising to her though. None of them had felt his terrifying aura or caught the barest glimpse of the crushing power he had at his command.
The debacle with the nun couldn't have come at a worse time. With Raynare brazenly moving back into devil territory, the chances of being discovered was all but certain. She could only hope that the devil wouldn't find out until they were ready to leave.
Too preoccupied, none of the fallen angels sensed the glimmer of magic from a departing fairy.
[{Unholy}]
It was pushing into the evening by the time Rias and her peerage made it back to the old school house. She let them take a break, giving Issei only twenty minutes before putting him back to work on contract duty. She knew she being hard on him, but it was the quickest way for new devils to increase their strength and she needed him to do it as fast as possible, and not just for his benefit. Rias slipped into the back room after he left, making use of the shower. She sighed in bliss and closed her eyes the moment the warm water soaked her body. Taking a hot shower was one of her guilty pleasures and she always liked to take a few throughout the day.
Dealing with the stray devil Vizer had taken longer than it should have since Rias had opted to turn it into something of an impromptu lecture for Issei's benefit. It was far more heavy handed than her usual methods, but she felt it necessary given his situation. Of all her peerage members, Issei's inclusion meant that he was not only new to devil affairs but the superanatural itself, so Rias felt it more prudent to be a bit more careful during his integration.
That wasn't to say she was worried about him becoming a stray, she just didn't want him to feel overwhelmed. There was far more to the supernatural world than just the three factions after all. Rias, herself, had barely caught a glimpse of its true scope and she had been born into it. Issei may not come away with everything the supernatural had to offer but he at least knew the basics of being a devil. He understood the intricacies of a peerage, how the individual pieces worked, and he also knew the cost of betrayal- from an image that wouldn't fade any time soon.
Rias turned the shower off, taking a few minutes to dry off and redress before moving back into the clubroom itself. Kiba was cleaning the blade he had used on Vizeer, Koneko was munching on some sweets, and Akeno was serving tea. Rias sat down on her chair, frowning slightly when it felt a bit less softer than she remembered. She wiggled around until she felt a bit more comfortable, extending a hand to the cup of tea her queen had already served.
"Isn't this a bit sudden?"
The voice sounding directly in her ear had her bolting out of the chair in an instant. A startled scream slipped past her lips as she whirled around, her power of destruction flaring on reflex. Her peerage was already on alert from her outburst, only to recoil at the sight of a laughing blonde. Rias recognized the man once her adrenaline faded, and her power dissipated.
"Naruto?"
He shot her a wink, a grin stretching across his lips as he put his feet up on her desk. "If you wanted to sit on my lap sweetheart, all you had to do was ask."
Rias's face turned as red as her hair. "I-you-it wasn't like-" She sputtered out denials until she simply stomped her foot and glared, pointing at him. "What are you even doing here?!"
It took everything he had not to just laugh uproariously at the sight of the heiress completely losing her composure. "So excited," Naruto cooed with a wicked smirk, "and I haven't even done anything yet."
Rias' blush seemed to darken another shade. She stood agape, staring at him until she let out a frustrated growl eerily reminiscent of Sona.
"Naruto!"
His chuckling didn't help matters, her anger warring with embarrassment. She opened her mouth to say something, if only to try to restore her battered sense of pride, when an amused giggle turned her attention toward her smiling queen.
"Aren't you going to introduce us to your interesting friend, President?"
Rias couldn't believe she had forgotten about her own peerage. She took a moment to try to regain her composure; she was beginning to understand why Sona had been so frustrated earlier. Watching it was one thing, it was quite another to experience it herself.
"This is Naruto-" She paused, her eyes flicking toward the blonde newcomer. She didn't actually know his last name.
"Uzumaki," He supplied helpfully.
She spared him a thankful nod. "He's the queen of Lady Levaithan and he's here to look after both Sona's group and ourselves."
Her peerage straightened abruptly, their previous looks of amusement and curiosity shifting to nervousness and shock at the realization that they were in the presence of a very senior devil.
Rias began from left to right. "Naruto this is my queen, Akeno. Kiba is my knight and Koneko, my rook."
"Pleased to meet you, Master Naruto." Akeno spoke with a bow, Kiba and Koneko following her lead.
He waved them off almost immediately as he moved back to his feet. "No need to shove a title in there, Naruto will do just fine. Although," he added with a teasing smirk as he stepped in front of Akeno, "you can still call me master, if you really want to."
"We'd have to play a game first to make sure you deserve that title, Na-ru-to." Akeno fired back with a seductive smile, though there was a hint of pink on her cheeks.
"I think I'm going to like you," Naruto spoke through a fit of chuckles. He moved closer then, a more serious air around him as he scrutinized her. There was an intensity to his gaze that had Akeno's teasing response sticking in her throat and made her feel as though she were being judged. "And there's something else about you. I can't quite put a finger on it."
Akeno stiffened at the implication of her rather unique status. Did he know? It wasn't like the rest of the peerage in the clubroom weren't aware, but that didn't mean she wanted it spoken aloud. She sent a pleading look to Rias, hoping for a distraction.
A loud snap sounded before Rias could even make the attempt as Naruto clicked his fingers in realization. He threw everyone's preconceptions out the window, however, and pointed at her head. "I know, it's your hair tie."
Reflexively, a hand moved up to touch the cloth keeping her raven hair in a ponytail. "My ribbon?"
"Of course! Anyone who knows about the divine connection of orange must be awesome." He looked around as though about to divulge some great secret, despite the fact that he continued to speak normally. "It's in the Naruto Devil Handbook."
Akeno blinked, staring at him for a moment until she broke into a laugh. It even took Rias by surprise since it wasn't one with her usual teasing lifts but a genuine fit of amusement that had her violet eyes crinkling. "Could I get a copy of this handbook of yours?"
"Only if you can pry it off Serafall's hands." Naruto returned with a grin. He'd only ever made two copies for the only two devils he'd ever cared for. Whether Sona still had hers, however, was up for debate.
He stood in front of Kiba next, the knight bowing to him as if on reflex. He had only to glance at him to catch the familiar resonance he had long associated with heaven. "You hold a sacred gear."
It wasn't a question, but the boy nodded regardless. "Sword birth."
Naruto had heard of it, a sacred gear that allowed the user to create blades from their own imagination. If he could will it, he could forge it. That made it somewhat limited in its focus, but the versatility of its application was something the more powerful sacred gears just didn't have.
"You must be quite the knight then."
Kiba seemed to preen under the praise and Naruto moved on to the last.
Koneko straightened at his appraoch, the two staring at each other, unblinking. The silence stretched on for several seconds, cerulean locking with golden orbs until Naruto broke it with a smile and patted her head. "You're cute."
Having expected him to make another keen observation, the others were a little thrown by his casual statement. Koneko, herself, looked torn between embarrassment and annoyance. She had been expecting some kind of assessment about her own strength, not her looks.
"I don't see that pawn of yours Rias, is he not here?" Naruto announced as he took a step back.
"He's out delivering fliers."
It was bit disappointing that he couldn't assess the piece both devils and fallen angels seemed so interested in. Still, from what he was able to gleam Rias had assembled quite the group and he told her as much.
A proud smile appeared on Rias' face as she looked at her servants. "Thank you."
Even with just the three in front of him, Rias had quite the selection. They were already quite strong for such young devils and had the potential to grow much stronger still. He could easily work with that, though there was the question of what to do with Akeno and Koneko.
It was clear from Akeno's reaction that she wasn't exactly comfortable with her fallen angel side. While it could have been simply attributed to the fear of how others would react- fallen angels weren't exactly well regarded by devils- her use of illusion magic told a different story. It made her fallen side masked and muted to the point that she wouldn't be able to make use of it at all. If it weren't for his own sensory ability Naruto wouldn't have sensed that side of hers at all, and would have just assumed the illusion served a more vain purpose.
As for Koneko, well the name alone was a clue that something wasn't right. Naruto vaguely recalled an incident about a captive nekoshou that Sirzechs had to get involved in. He'd never much cared for any matters outside Serafall's jurisdiction, so he hadn't looked too much into it. From what he could recall though, the girl had been slated for execution, many of the pillar families vying for her head. It was why he tended to give a wide berth to any internal matters of the Underworld. For all the power and influence wielded among the pillars, they were like so many baying sheep, each echoing cries of the others.
The fact that her youkai traits were hidden was also something of an oddity. It took a great deal of concentration to maintain from what he knew, which was why they typically only did it when it they wished to remain hidden. The fact that she was doing it all the time, much like Akeno with her illusion, was not a good sign.
Neither of two would be able to grow if they couldn't learn to accept themselves. And they would very much need to grow if they were to stand against a Phenex.
The sudden glow from a small magic circle over his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. Fiona used the familiar pact to appear directly at her master's side.
"Master I have-" She cut herself off when she noticed the other devils in the room and continued in a quieter manner. "Those guests of ours have opted to stay."
Naruto's expression turned stormy at his familiar's hurried explanation of the fallen's real plans. "If you'll excuse me Rias," He suddenly announced in a voice that sent shivers down her spine. "It appears that I have an errant flock to educate."
She'd thought that she'd seen the extent of his more intimidating side back at the student council room, but this was something else entirely. He wasn't even releasing any of his power. There was just something so inherently off about that deceptively calm tone that it had her adrenaline kicking in. It was all she could do to voice her goodbye before he disappeared in a flash of light.
[{Unholy}]
Issei had known it was a risk long before he'd stormed inside. He knew that changing into a fallen angel base would be unlikely to endear them to devils. There would be consequences, just as assuredly as he was unlikely to make it out alive, but none of that mattered to him. Asia needed his help.
The last thing he had expected was to run into the nun while handing out more of the devil fliers. The president had told him that it was dangerous for the two of them to be friendly when he had described their first encounter to her. She had told him that while the three factions weren't at war, they were far from being friends and that he couldn't afford to see the nun. He had grudgingly accepted her conditions and had agreed not to seek her out, but when she had been standing right in front of him, greeting him with a happy smile, everything just came pouring out. He told her that he was a devil, that his king had told him they couldn't see each other, and that he didn't care about either and hoped she felt the same.
Asia had been shocked to say the least, not that he blamed her. Watching her recoil from him though, even if only out of reflex, tore him up inside. To his eternal relief, she had come around fairly quickly. She even went so far as to let him know that she thought he was a good person, devil or not.
He had shown her around town. Rias would undoubtedly be displeased that he had skipped on flier duty, but she already seemed disappointed with him in that regard and he could always make it up to her later. He had taken Asia out for a late dinner and they had gone on a walk through a park. But they weren't alone, Raynare had followed the nun.
"Oh Asia, dating my ex. Shame on you."
Thinking about that cruel smile and derisive laugh made his fists clench. Issei had hoped his sacred gear would give him an edge, like it did against the trenchcoat wearing fallen angel he had met earlier. Raynare had been less then impressed , laughing in his face and gleefully informing him that its sole function was to double the user's power. He had attacked regardless, only to be swatted and picked full of holes that burned something fierce.
Asia had rushed over to heal him and Raynare had presented her offer. If Asia surrendered than she would spare Issei, otherwise she had promised to smite him from existence. Despite Issei's heated protests to the contrary, Asia had agreed and she had been whisked away before he could stand back on his feet.
Issei had toyed with the idea of pleading for Rias' help, but had ultimately decided against it. She had made it abundantly clear during their last conversation that she couldn't afford to get involved. No, he was on his own this time.
A group of humans were the only ones barring access to the church and he ploughed right through, his sacred gear unleashing a wave of power that sent them hurtling backward. Issei burst through the doors, immediately fixating on the sight of Asia chained to the crucifix in the middle of the room. Her pained cries tore at his heart as a green energy seemed to be siphoned from her body.
"Asia!"
If his unceremonious entrance hadn't grabbed the attention of the occupants, his yell certainly did. He hesitated briefly at the sight of four fallen angels, he had only been expecting the two he had already met.
While the trench coat man dismissed him almost immediately, Raynare cackled at the sight. "Oh Issei, come to watch her die? That's so sweet!"
Issei growled, his eyes almost burning in fury. "Raynare!" He yelled, stepping forward to do whatever it took to stop the ritual.
Only two of the fallen actually moved to stop him and he went straight for the blue haired woman, automatically believing her to be the greater threat. That proved to be a mistake.
The diminutive fallen angel he had so casually dismissed was on him before he was even halfway to his intended target, sending a light spear through his right hamstring. It was a shock, more than anything at first, to see a jagged protrusion from his leg. An intense burning quickly followed, as though a vat of corrosive chemicals had been dumped into the wound. His leg gave and he dropped to his knees, unable to hold back a scream.
"And just when I was starting to get bored." The devious voice sounded so out of place coming from a little girl. She moved in front of him, her features turning from cute to something truly grotesque as the sickening smile spread across her lips. "The fact that you're a devil makes this so much better."
She picked him up in a surprising display of strength and hurled him against the wall. Two more light spears were hurtled after him, skewering through his shoulder blades and eliciting another cry of pain as he was pinned to the wall.
"Don't worry little devil, you and Mittelt will have so much fun."
Issei watched through bleary eyes as Asia's cries reached a crescendo. The green glow had intensified around her chest and seemed to be glowing brighter with each passing moment.
"Let her go!" He bellowed, thrashing against his makeshift bonds and trying to forcibly rip himself loose. But they wouldn't even budge, and all his efforts wound up doing was aggravating his already burning wounds.
A sharp scream resonated through the church and Issei watched with mounting dread as two rings were finally siphoned from Asia's flailing form. The moment they left, she went very stiff, as though she had been shocked with an electric current. She went limp and Issei watched her head dip. She didn't move again.
"Asia," He whispered, his voice cracking, hope against hope that she would stir. He felt a cold grip on his heart when she remained still.
"Ah, there it is." Raynare's joyful gasp drew Issei's attention over to the woman. She reached up slowly, taking hold of Asia's sacred gear with an almost reverent care. "Twilight Healing."
It phased into her body and Raynare closed her eyes in bliss at the surge of power she could feel. She felt dizzy with euphoria at the knowledge that she had actually pulled it off. Everything she'd ever wanted suddenly seemed within her grasp. She couldn't help but laugh.
"Shut up!" Issei screamed, his eyes narrowed to slits and feeling a rage he'd never imagined possible. "How could you do that to her?!"
He didn't know that his sacred gear was glowing brighter and brighter, its form shifting. He didn't notice that the three other fallen angels suddenly looked more alert, or that the light spears pinning him to the wall had shattered into pieces. All he could see was Raynare's annoyed expression and his insatiable need to make her pay.
He barely managed more than a few steps though, before a light spear lanced through his left side. He spun with the impact, gritting his teeth and punching the next one intended for his leg. Raynare looked completely thrown that he had actually managed to negate her attack. She adapted quickly though, conjuring three times as many in the blink of an eye and sending them rocketing forward. Issei managed to dodge one and punch the other, but the last found its mark and brought him crashing to the floor.
Even then, jabbed with spears, Issei still tried to move forward. The surge of strength he had been relying on had faded, the blind fury ebbing with it enough that he wasn't moving toward Raynare, but Asia. He managed to move a few inches before the small girl from earlier was back, jamming a spear in his leg to keep him locked in place once more.
"You're quite the lively one, aren't you?" Mittelt spoke with a laugh as he continued to struggle forward.
It couldn't end like this! He had to save Asia!
In his desperation, Issei turned to the only thing he could think of, prayer. You have to help her! The backlash was immediate, an intense pain that had him gritting his teeth, feeling like a spike was being hammered into his skull. She's one of yours, don't you even care?!
"Well, this is interesting."
The new voice came from the doorway, drawing everyone's attention to a blonde haired man. For a moment, Raynare thought the Gremory's peerage had come for Issei but Kalawarner's reaction told her different.
She stepped back, pale as a ghost with shaky knees. "It's him!" She hissed to Raynare. "It's him!"
Raynare's gaze snapped toward the blonde, conjuring a dozen light spears in the blink of an eye. "Kill the devil!"
The others obeyed, adding their own weapons into the mix and unleashing a hail of spears at their target. Naruto rolled, twisted, and jumped through the bombardment as though he were a stream of water, until he simply caught the last spear before it could reach his chest.
It was a sight that had the fallen angels gaping. Light was poisonous to devils. The effects may be mitigated by the level of strength but even a satan would be burned by touching a light spear.
"Impossible," Raynare whispered to herself, an almost fervent plea to her own voice as her eyes bore witness to something her mind couldn't accept. "There isn't a devil in existence who can touch light and not be burned. What are you?!"
Naruto's eyes bore into them. "Have you fallen so far you cannot even recognize your opposite?"
Opposite. The word drummed in her head and made her blood run cold. No, it wasn't possible, it couldn't be. . .
But there was no mistaking the ethereal glow to his cerulean eyes or the colossal pair of wings that flared out from his back, looking confined even within the wide open church. They were shaped just like theirs, save for the composition. For they were not made of feathers, but pure light.
"My name is Naruto," His voice thrummed with a power that resonated through the fallen angels, "and I'm the angel of Leviathan."
A/N
I know, I know. Holy forty days later, batman! Apologies, this definitely took longer than I expected. I was originally going to end it after Raynare left the church to find Asia but I decided to extend it. You're welcome.
Now before you all start flipping your computer monitors out the window and shouting: "Wtf, Naruto's an angel/devil/huh?! Oh mah gerd, can't hit unsubscribe fast enough!" (or some such.)
It's not exactly that cut and dry, which I hope was picked up on by the description of his wings. More will be revealed as the story goes (starting a little in the next chapter even), so don't freak out too much.
I'm sure you've noticed the absence of Freed and the whole murdering Issei's summoner thing. I always felt that was completely out of place for a group that moved to Kuoh specifically to perform a ritual far from the Grigori's prying eyes. At least, that's what I took away from the need to perform said ritual right next to devil territory and not, say, somewhere far more isolated.
That's not to say Freed won't be appearing at all because he most certainly will, I just didn't want to use him here. I'll be making a few other changes to the canon material like that along the way. Nothing too major for the first two seasons. Season three will be a different story.
I can't possibly be the only one who thought the third season of DxD was pure garbage.
And no, I haven't read the light novel(s). I glanced at the first one once, just to try. . .but my god it was awful. That's not to say I think I'm a master author or anything, I just considered the formula of it to be. . .urgh.
Bare bones description of setting/character/situation
Insert your 60s Batman cartoon sound word cards here (Splat, Pow, Kaslizah!, etc)
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He said, she said, they did.
FUCK!