WARNING: I do not own Kamen Rider or Highschool DxD. They are owned by Toei and Ichiei Ishibumi respectively.
Cody Aldrich is owned by striberx
Also, please note that the religions depicted in this fanfic do not reflect my views on said religions. Please take note of that when reading this.
One more thing, massive gore warning. Reader discreation is heavily advised.
As the night drew onward, the young nephilim was finishing up his rounds. This was going to be the last house and he could finally go home and rest. He was exhausted doing certain performances and what not from the other contracts he did today.
"Let's see…." Cody pondered as he looked at his phone for the right coordinates, seeing if this was the correct place. "The Fushima residence… right?" He questioned as he looked around for the name.
He then came across a seemingly normal house, however the door was already open; Cody was confused, as was Shadow.
"I got a bad feeling about this one. I suggest at least holding onto the TwoSiDriver for now." he suggested.
"You too, huh? Yeah, I was thinking the same…" Cody nodded, as he hid his driver in its gun mode in hand, keeping it low from eyeview as he made his way inside. "Uh, hello? I'm one of Gremory's underlings." he called out.
No answer. Strange.
The boy pressed on, keeping an eye open while he remained armed. Once he entered one of the rooms, a foul odor caught his nose.
"The fuck is that?!" the inner self scoweld.
It was pungent. It wasn't anything like foul or rotted meat. No, this felt more…. Fresh… He continued to walk as he covered his nose, but what made him stop as his blood ran cold and stomach churn was something that only could be described as a reverse crucifixion. The victim's body having a stake through the heart while the arms and legs were nailed to the wall.
Whatever happened here… He was witnessing a severe crime scene….
SONG: Dance Dance - Da-iCE ft. Subaru Kimura
/PRELUDE/
As the song starts, a guitar tunes out as many others sing along with an harmonized acapella. A curtain soon opens to reveal the girls dancing before showing Cody and Tyson back to back, smirking as the logo appears.
/mienai "endo" ni obietatte
Shou ga nai sa
Tachimukau dake ikki ni ikuze/
As Cody first comes up, it shows him walking to school only for a flash to occur as he turns around to only briefly see his inner demon only to fade as Asia and Rias greets the young boy before they head onto the school, with the blonde holding up the Bat Vistamp.
/Kokoro ni sumitsuita akuma ga sasayaku
Tsuyosa ga hoshii sugu ni/
It soon jumps to Tyson watching the sunset before noticing Xenovia disapprovingly standing behind him. The boy rolls his eyes while a visage of Vail appears, holding the Spider Vistamp. In the background, Irinia chuckles at the pair's argument.
/No no no!
Wait wait wait!/
Suddenly, Vice pushes the scene away, returning the scene to the earlier scene, where Cody and Tyson are confused.
/Never too late ubae Just now
Orecchi wo Check it out
Kainarasenai/
The inner demon starts rapping much to their confusion, but Cody rolls with it and begins to sing as his inner demon smirks from the shadows.
/(Brrrr) abaredasu Beat
Todorokasu Speed tsumari Freedom
Hankei hyaku kiro soku hiito/
Vice soon continued to rap before Tyson fired a web and brought the spotlight back to himself and Cody.
/semegiau Inside out/
As the visages of Shadow and Vail appear, the two face each other and prepare to transform.
[VERSUS/DECIDE UP!]
Cody/Tyson: "Henshin!"
/Let's dance!
Nani wo hikikae ni shitemo (I can make you)/
It soon jumps to a battle between Live and Demons atop a rooftop, the spider Rider pulling himself towards the bat Rider for a drop kick, only for Live to dodge it and switch to Evil and knock Demons off-balance.
/Aragaitai te ni iretai
Sono kagayaki/
Luckily, the spider Rider countered by switching to the Batta Genomix and performing a powered-up Rider Kick on the bat Rider. When the dust cloud settled, the two stood against each other as the camera showed them staring each other down, the shadows of Evil, Live, and Demons in the background.
/Shiro ka kuro ka tsukenai
Seigi mo aku mo Let's take your step
Why not! sekai wa Dance floor
Dance!/
Meanwhile, Rias flew across the sky as she fought against Riser Phenix, the two clashing as their respective peerages clashed below them. As the battle wages on, Rias reaches out to Evil, switching him back to Live as the two deliver a combination attack to Phenix.
/Daisoudou no uzu no naka de (Come on now)
Odorasete kure yo hora Don't freak out/
Though the scene changes quickly as the images of Kokabiel with excalibur, the chaos brigade, Loki, and more appear, showing that the continuing fight against those that harm them are going to become more difficult by the day.
/Shitagau no wa Desire/
But as the song begins to relax a bit, it then shows Cody with the Occult Research Club together, having a nice party as the young blonde turns to the fiery redhead, exchanging smiles of delight and love.
/wakaseru no sa Floor… x2/
At least until he gets a web to the face, making Cody angry as he turns to see Tyson with a wicked smirk. The two quickly charge at each other as the opening ends.
CHAPTER 4: False Testimony
"W-What the?!" Cody gasped, stumbling as he and his other self were left aghast by this sight.
But what made things worse was sitting nearby were two more bodies. A family… This family was attacked and slaughtered in front of the crucified man, leaving him last to whoever did this.
However, what was worse, he heard someone crying. Rushing over to the nearby closet, he found a little boy with black hair with silver tips and a gray shirt cowering in fear. Upon seeing the nephilim, the boy stepped back in fear.
"S-Stay away, I'm warning you!" he wailed, grabbing a nearby object to try and use as a weapon.
"Hey, hey… Its okay. I'm not the one who did this. I just got here." Cody said, trying to calm the boy down.
"Y-You're not?" the boy quivered.
"My name is Cody Aldrich. And you?"
The boy hesitated for a moment before finally answering, "R-Rex…" he timidly said.
"Rex." He nodded softly.
"Why do I get the feeling that we've met this kid before?" Shadow pondered.
Cody however ignored that remark, "What happened here, Rex?"
"W-Well, mom and dad were p-planning on going on a trip out of town and said they w-were going to have a b-babysitter look over me and my o-older brother." the scared boy admitted, "Then… then the scary man appeared. M-My brother told me to hide while he t-tried to stop him but…"
Rex began to quiver in fear as the images of the one who was slaughtering them echoed in his mind, making him freeze up in fear.
Cody frowned with disgust and sadness as he leaned in and hugged the young boy, comforting him in his grief.
"Fucking hell. No kid should go through this." Shadow said.
Cody nodded as he reached for his phone, about to call Rias only to flinch as he felt it…. Murderous Intent. He quickly grabbed the boy and moved just in time as a sword was flung at their spot. The young nephilim came to a stop as he looked up to see his assailant.
"Welcome! What do we have here, devil-kun!" the assassin grinned with delight before he stepped out of the shadows, revealing Freed, holding a sword whose blade made of light in one hand and a large silver gun in the other. He soon began to sing, "I'm a priest~, a young priest~! Cutting down all the devilish fiends~, while the nihilistic me is laughing~! Chopping off your devilish head, then go ahead to eat~!"
"T-That's him!" Rex while cowering behind Cody, "T-The scary man!"
Cody's eyes widen before glaring heavily at this 'priest'. "What scum would slaughter a family like this? What did they do to earn such a fate?!"
The priest began to laugh, "T-That's funny, truly. A demon like you giving me a lecture like that? All humans who sign contracts with devils are nothing but trash! There's no reason for them to live!" he said with sadistic glee. "These foreigners? They sealed their fate the moment they asked for a devil to protect them!" he said while slamming his foot into one of the crucified corpses.
"So that gives you the right to kill them? From my experiences with these contracts, its been nothing but help, assistance or even a friend." Cody growled angrily, "Times have changed since those dark ages… Where I believe coexistence can happen… And you don't have the right to say who's evil here, monster!"
"Oh, you mad bro? A human waste who was killed makes a partner of human waste angry?" he taunted him.
"You better shut your mouth now!" Cody snarled.
"I'd keep your distance for now. Whatever this guy has, it can damage me and by extension, you." Shadow reminded him.
"Then I'll take the reigns first. Using my side will most likely give us resistance."
"Aight, just keep the kid safe." Shadow told him.
"Rex?" Cody called to the boy, "I'm going to take this guy on… When I clash, you run as fast as you can." He requested before handing him a small paper, "Once you're out of this house, call out to 'Rias' with this. Hopefully she'll listen and come in to help you."
The boy nodded and made a break for it, disappointing Freed. The 'priest' tried to turn to attack the running child, yet the young nephilim soon stood in his way and took a shot at him, causing the priest to block it just in time as the boy made it out. As Cody smiled at the boy escaping, he couldn't help but notice a black and blue demon hovering above him.
"Aww… now I can't play with him anymore…" Freed frowned with disappointment.
"Oh.. don't you worry. You're going to play with me instead." Cody frowned as he strapped the driver to him, "But this time, you're the toy." He declared before he held up his Vistamp, activating it.
BAT!
"Henshin!"
VER~SUS~ U~P!
KA~MEN RI~DER LIVE~!
As the white bat stamp covered him, he swiftly broke through it with his armor intact as he rushed in, punching the priest through the house as hard as he can.
"Heh, so you're not just a devil, you're using Devil Hunter tech too?" Freed laughed, "Perfect! When I'm through with you, that'll be one less of those freeloaders off the map!"
"Bring it then… I'll just show you what I truly am… and how outclassed you are." Live said coldly, brandishing his blaster.
The two then quickly fired shots at each other, the blasts of light hitting and ricocheting across the house. When that didn't work, the rogue priest charged in and tried to cut the Rider with his light sword.
Yet the moment he tried to swing, Live caught the light blade in hand, as what shocked the priest wasn't just the fact the blade was easily caught by him, but that he could hold it without his hand burning. Despite that, he expected as much from a Devil Hunter. They were made to be impervious to both angelic and demonic weapons.
"Give up, you can't win." Live said to the priest.
"Give up? HAHAHAHA!" Freed cackled out, "This is just the beginning! Do you know how many of you Hunters I have killed alongside devils and their worshippers? HUNDREDS! And I just love to keep killing them."
"Wow, talk about a nutcase." Shadow commented.
"No kidding… he's not just insane, but he practically chaos incarnate…" Live grimaced, but he still knew he had the upper hand for this one.
Live soon crushed the light sword as he went into close combat as he threw a few punches, pushing the priest back alongside a few shots of his blaster. He needed to find an opening to deliver a powerful blow to the priest.
'Wait, that's it! I could use Jackal!' he thought as he quickly took out and activated the stamp.
JACKAL!
As the pink jackal additions were added, he soon disappeared in a flash, only to reappear as he launched several blasts and blows to the priest.
"Gah! Ugh, looks like I'll have to use that on you as well." Freed noted, "Fine, if it kills you faster then freeze!"
RAFESSALA!
All of a sudden, a large puff of spores burst from the priest, paralyzing Live as the sudden change in momentum made him crash into the nearby wall.
"Geh! He… has a Vistamp… too?" Live gritted, as he couldn't move at all.
"Tsk. First those dumb hunters from France, then Allegri, and now you. It's kind of a pity this thing stops you nimrods easily." Freed sighed as he stood over the paralyzed bat Rider.
"Bas….tard…" Live hissed before he soon felt a searing pain in his shoulder. He cried out in pain, as Freed had stabbed his sword into the bat Rider in order to pin him to the wall.
His armor glitched and warped before quickly shattering apart, leaving the poor nephilim even more vulnerable now.
"Now then…? How shall I skin this wolf in sheep's clothing?" Freed grinned.
"G-Go to hell!" Cody snarled.
The priest merely smirked, "Tell them Freed sent ya." He then pointed his gun at the nephilim's head.
But before his death would come, a cry of shock is heard, startling the two as they turn their heads. Cody's eyes widened in a mix of shock and horror as standing there was Asia, her expression just as horrified to see the young nephilim there.
"C-Cody…?"
"Asia…? What are you doing here?"
"Hey! I thought I said not to return until the barrier was up?" Freed snarled with annoyance.
"I-I heard the commotion… and I thought something happened. But not this…" Asia shook her head, "Why is Cody here? Why are these people like this…? Just… what happened here?"
Cody was shocked, Asia was with the killer priest?
"Wait, so does that mean that Tyson whosit was working for them too?" Shadow theorized, the pair recalling the last time they met the transfer student.
"Oh poor Asia… You were friends with this devil?" Freed shook his head. "How disappointing…"
"Asia… get out of here…" Cody winced, as he was concerned now for her safety too. He didn't care if she knew now, he just didn't want more people to get hurt.
Yet before she could, Freed grasped her hair and pulled her back, "Ah, ah, ah! Sorry, but now she knows too! And the fact that she was friends with you and the Devil Hunter before, means she's just as sinful as the rest of them."
"L-Let her go!" Cody shouted at the priest, "She's got nothing to do with this!"
"Oh but she does! You see, its thanks to her we were able to bait out the last of the original Devil Hunters. Devil Hunter Demons! And now that I know she befriended a scum like you, she served her purpose!"
"Hold on, Demons?" Shadow gasped, "These zealots took down Demons?!"
"I didn't know that man was one… But I didn't want him hurt either…" Asia whimpered with her head lowered in shame. "If I knew… I wouldn't have reached out to him…" she admitted.
"Well he's fallen angel fodder anyways so there's no loss in life." Freed said gleefully.
"Please… release him and Cody…" Asia pleaded, "I'll take their place instead, so please!"
Freed frowned as the vile priest slapped her, making her fall to the ground as she held her cheek.
"Wish that was the case for poor Allegiri, but they're planning on killing him regardless. After all, his blood is needed to release the seal on the vanguard of hell's contract." The priest revealed, "But you could join him instead, if that is what you wish."
"If it means Cody will be unharmed then…. I'll do it…" Asia nodded softly.
"Asia, no!" Cody grimaced at this proposal.
Asia gently turned to the young nephilim, a smile on her face, "It's the least I can do for all that you've done for me, Cody…. I can be happy at least that someone truly cared for me."
Cody tried his best to break free, he did not want Asia to sacrifice herself in his place.
"Well then, I guess we have a deal!" Freed grinned as he held up a teleportation gem, "I'll come back for you when this brat and her friend drop dead."
"But you said you'd leave him alone!" Asia cried out.
"I never said for how long. Toodles~!"
And just like that, they were gone, leaving Cody alone in the household as he cried out in sorrow. However, as he did, he noticed two stamps in the corpses of Rex's parents. Both of them had magenta casings but the father's had a T-Rex on it while the other a brachiosaurus. The brother also had a T-Rex stamp, but his was black with a blue tyrannosaurus instead of purple and pink like his father.
He looked at the three stamps from the young boy's family and gripped them tight.
"They'll pay for this…" both Cody and Shadow swore in unison.
"Agreed."
Soon from a red glow came Rias, a soft frown on her face. As while she did want to scold her Pawn, she knew this was more than that now. Right now, this rogue group needed to pay for causing harm in the Gremory territory.
After getting patched up Rias of course scolded the boy, knowing that while he should've just escaped, but the fact that he chose to stay and let the boy Rex find them, did at least help give them the knowledge of these zealots' plans. The question now though is what to do about it.
"Do we even know where the church is?" Cody asked.
"We do, it's one that's far off from the city that nobody would take notice… Apparently even me." Rias frowned as she should've been aware of that place.
"I… I'm sorry." Rex spoke up, still a bit shell shocked by this revelation.
Rias turned to the young boy as she gently smiled, walking over before she patted his head, "It's not your fault, Rex…. It was just bad luck. Don't blame yourself or your family for what happened." She smiled sweetly. "Besides, we will at least avenge them for you."
He nodded before he looked at the three stamps of his now deceased family, one with regret which Cody and Rias took notice of. Cody soon walked over as he placed the black and blue T-Rex stamp in the boy's hands.
"Hang onto this, okay? I promise it'll protect you from now on." Cody smiled softly, as the other two stamps will be used by him to avenge the boy's family.
"O-Okay." he noted before Kiba, Koneko, and Akeno arrived to Rias and Cody's location.
"Is everything alright?" Akeno asked the club leader.
"It's a code black. We have Fallen Angels and a rogue priest taking two people hostage, and one of them is confirmed to be an Allegiri." she told the group.
"Ara? So one does still exist…" Akeno noted.
"Hold on, I remember hearing that name yesterday." Cody recalled, "Who are the Allegiris anyways?"
"They are Devil Hunters, they are considered the first and one of the most dangerous group of hunters." she explained, "You heard of Dante's Inferno?"
"The game or the book?" Cody joked, earning a slap from Koneko.
"Stop joking." She warned him.
"Long ago, he was known as a poet who often used his works to respond to Italy's current political strife. During his exile, he would end up coming across a small town ravaged by demons." Rias explained, "Not wanting the town to be destroyed, Dante rushed in and defeated the rogue demon and demanded him to leave the town alone. The devil refused, but upon his comrades betraying him, the pair would come to an understanding and form a contract, becoming the first Devil Hunter. Ever since, he and his descendants would swear to protect humanity from both devils and fallen angels. People would even take up their creed and become Devil Hunters themselves."
"So what was that about one still existing?" Cody noted, "What happened to them?"
"The thing is… the church had made it a point to try and slaughter Dante's legacy, by killing his descendants and those who follow under their creed. We all thought so as we found his body…" Rias said only to frown, "I suppose that at least one person survived the massacres."
"Not for long it looks like." Shadow snarled, "This sucks, we're supposed to be the ones to beat Demons, not those stupid chicken brats!"
"I could care less about Demons… I only want to save Asia from them. I don't trust that priest nor the fallen angels in keeping their word." Cody grimaced.
"What's our next step, president?" Kiba asked Rias, who was still deep in thought.
"Simple… We show them what happens when you not only hurt a member of the Gremory household, but make troubles in my territory." Rias informed.
"I… I'll go with you!" Cody shouted, "I could help!"
"Of course. You said you want to save the girl, no?" Rias smiled, "Honestly, I would have told you to forget about that girl since we're on different sides. However…" she then snarled, "No one kills people in my territory."
"What do we do with the kid? We can't just leave him here." Shadow pointed out.
"Our familiars will keep watch. This place is more protected than the school after all." Rias informed.
Deep within an underground bunker Tyson was held in a nearby prison cell, forced to his knees while his arms were chained to the ground while a larger chain was placed on his waist and chest. The Devil Hunter seethed with anger, how could he have been tricked so easily.
'Maybe I should have listened to Vail about not worrying about the rent.' he thought to himself, 'Least then I'd still be alive and have a roof over my head.'
He then heard someone approaching his cell, making him look towards the metal bars in front of him.
Walking into view was none other than Raynare, a devious grin on her face as she looked at the defeated hunter.
"What do you want?" he snarled at her.
"Oh, just another look at your pitiful face." She snickered with delight.
"When I get out of here, I swear!" he snarled as he tried to struggle free from his shackles, but he felt weak.
"Sadly, you won't. Or I should say at least alive." She stated to him, "It seems the seal is tied to your bloodline. So you'll have to die for us to free Vail. A crucifixion, it seems to be." She then giggled at the boy's current state, "You know, it's kind of ironic. For eons your family have hunted down our kind, slaughtering them in the name of defending humanity. Now look at you, your proud heritage reduced to a single person. And soon, once you die, we will have control over the strongest devil in Hell for our plans."
"Cry me a river, you fallen bitch!" Tyson snarled.
"Well… if that's the case then. We'll just turn the crucifixion into a torture." Raynare grinned before she soon pulled Asia into view for the hunter.
"You…" he muttered, confused.
"Her Sacred Gear will be useful. We'll torture you until near death and then heal you and repeat the process over and over again until we tire of it, then finally kill you and reforge your devil's contract for our master." Raynare stated, "How delicious will this be, knowing that you brought not only many innocent people to draw you out, but now a maiden like her? I'll be honest, boy…" she then leaned into the hunter's face, "You should have killed me when you had the chance."
"A mistake I won't make twice." Tyson snarled before he looked at the fallen angel, "A pity too. You're actually hot for a fallen angel. It'd love to date you if I didn't want your head." he said with a cocky grin.
"Hmph… If you think I'd even date with a loser like you, you have another thing coming." She huffed before tossing Asia into the cell before she walked away.
Tyson groaned before he looked towards the maiden, who slowly got to her feet.
"Hey, sorry about dragging you into this kid." he apologized, 'And for contemplating actually killing you myself for your Sacred Gear too.'
Asia shook her head, "No, it's not your fault… It would stand that we both were tricked. I just wish they would release you and take me instead…. You don't deserve to die…." Once again, her innocence was showing that she'd rather see him free than down here like this. She truly was a sweet girl.
"If only it were that simple." Tyson sighed, "I got blood on my hands, blood of their kind that I do not take back. It's only natural they'd hate people like me."
Asia soon sat down, looking over Tyson before she held out her hands, her power activating as she began to heal him. Even with what she learned, she was still willing to help someone out.
"So… what do they want with you?" She asked, wanting to learn more about Tyson.
"Simple, my blood." Tyson explained to her, "The only way a devil contract can be broken is if the person is killed and their blood is absorbed by the devil who made the contract in the first place. And since Vail made a contract with my whole family, they have to kill every single one of us in order to free him from his contract."
"So you no longer have a family?" Asia asked, a sad look on her face.
"Yeah, I'm the last of the Alleghiri family." he admitted, "We were wiped out like flies by the church. Ironic, since I remember my parents always went to church. I guess making enemies of devils and fallen angels doesn't allow good people to live."
"I… can relate…" Asia spoke up.
"What happened to you?" he asked.
"When I was born, my parents abandoned me and the church's local orphanage took me in" Asia revealed, "When I gained my power, they saw me as a saint worthy of worship. I guess the opposite was true for you, since I remember the church always saw Devil Hunters as affront to the Lord."
"I can imagine…" Tyson chuckled.
"However, in spite of my status and the fact I could use my power to help heal the people, I never got to experience what it meant to live a normal life. One day… someone was hurt and I healed them… To my shock, it was a devil that I saved. When the church found out about this, they were disgusted. They said that if my power can help heal a devil too, then I'm not a person of God, but a monster… So they kicked me out and I've been traveling ever since. Still helping anyone in need." Asia continued, "But I don't regret it either…. For what is not God's will if not the compassion of his creations, regardless who or what they are?"
Tyson nodded as the two stood in silence, "Honestly, save yourself. I don't want you to bear the sins my family have held for centuries."
"I cannot…" She shook her head, "I did this to protect my dear friends…" She said before looking up to the hunter, "That was my dream. To be able to go out with my friends together, shopping normally… chatting normally…"
"I'm guessing you're talking about the nephilim?" the devil hunter asked.
"Cody… is a Nephilim?" She said with surprise.
"Huh, guess you didn't hear about that." he guessed.
"No… Freed said he was just another devil or hunter…"
"Well I felt his power first hand, he's of a dying race if memory serves correctly." he recalled, "About an S Class target, one that no sane Devil Hunter should fight unless they're absolutely ready."
"Heh.. I can see that's why that explains why he was so kind as well…" Asia smiled gently before she looked at the hunter, "I… also know that you were planning to take my power… correct?"
"It was the plan, got fucked over by a witch casting a death curse on me for thwarting her plans." Tyson said, "Since then, Vail's had to keep the curse at bay by absorbing the souls of the devils we've killed."
"Yet… even despite that… I still consider you a good friend too, Tyson." Asia smiled, though a few strands of tears ran down her face, "I just wish they would let you go and take only me instead…"
"Like I said, this is pretty much my fate. I may talk a big game about breaking out, but even I got doubts that I'll leave the place alive." he admitted, "Heck, likely the curse will do me in first before Raynere gets to me."
"Then, at least for our last moments alive… We can be there for each other." Asia said as what shook Tyson with surprise was Asia hugging him gently. Like a caring sister, something while he never experienced before but one that he needed.
He could try to hug back, but his arms were currently shackled so the closest thing he could do was accept the hug.
Outside of the city was a large forest, with a distant run down church hidden from view. In seconds, the Gremory household appeared in a flash of light, everyone ready to fight these enemies.
"Akeno, make sure to put up a barrier so we don't have any casualties." Rias ordered the Queen. "Koneko, Kiba. Back up Cody as you three go inside to rescue the nun."
"Got it." the two affirmed before heading in.
"Also Cody? Shadow? Only focus on saving your friend. Even if you see the Hunter, leave him be." Rias ordered her pawn.
"Tsk, fine." Shadow growled within the nephilim's mind.
"Thank you, Rias…" Cody bowed to her, thanking her for this help.
"Just know, you'll still be punished for this. But for now, you can focus on saving your friend." Rias reminded him.
Cody nodded and strapped on the TwoSiDriver, as he held up the Bat Vistamp as he activated it and pressed it against the Stamp Scanner.
BAT!
CONFIRMED!
"Henshin!"
VER~SUS~ U~P!
PRECIOUS! TRUST US! JUSTI~CE!
BAT!
KA~MEN RI~DER LIVE~!
After the bat armor formed around him, the bat Rider made his way into the church flanked by the swordsman and the brawler. Though they were receiving attacks from Fallen Angels alongside some rogue priests and mages.
The three devils taking cover as the rider returned fire with his blaster. Though, knowing this resistance, meant they needed a change.
"Well, guess right now is the better choice with Promotion." Live noted.
"Think we should use Bishop with Jackal?" Shadow suggested, "I don't know my chess but I feel like that animal fits with that piece."
"Hmm… I think Knight would fit it better. I mean, Kiba is super quick after all." the bat Rider suggested instead.
"Fine with me." Kiba told him, "Let's blitz them."
With a nod, Live stood up as he fired a few more blasts before he held up Jackal and changed his forms.
JACKAL!
"Promotion: Knight!"
OVERDRIVE! POWER DIVE! KAMEN RIDER L~IVE~!
JA~CKAL~!
As he felt his form change, he could also feel his power alter too. He felt even quicker than before, even with Jackal. In a blur of blue and pink, Kiba and Live were swiftly striking down the enemies, the former wielding two swords that could use flames. Each one attempting to respond or counterattack only to be cut down or having them filled with blaster burns
"Next, let's try Rex!" Live noted before activating one of his new stamps.
REX!
He pressed it against the Stamp Scanner as this time the bats formed into a T-Rex before appearing above him in its stamp form before slamming on top of him.
"Promotion: Rook!"
OVERDRIVE! POWER DIVE! KAMEN RIDER L~IVE~!
RE~X~!
His armor, while still white was now sporting a pink and blue coloring on the rims of his armor, with the skull of a T-Rex on his chest as his helmet looked very menacing with its Rex features, as a blue casing was on his helmet with pink Rex-esc 'ryes' behind that.
He soon felt speed boost switch of for immense strength as one Fallen Angel came down with a spear and struck him, yet the rider tanked it as he gripped it and tugged, bringing the enemy close as with a single hit, the torso, shoulders and head were nothing but a splatter of blood on the ground and walls.
He growled heavily at the rogue priests and mages as they attempted to fire upon him, yet they only made him more angry as he marched towards them, swinging his fists and boots at them as each hit either made them into chunks of flesh and blood, a splatter against the grounds or simply a mist of blood. This combination was fiercely scary with him and the thought of using this with Shadow in control made his spine shiver a bit with both fear and excitement.
"Over there!" Koneko shouted, pointing towards a shadow in the distance.
Freed then walked out, clapping at the trio's attack on the Fallen Angels.
"Yo! It's a reunion~! It sure is heart moving!" he cheered.
"Freed…." Live hissed in anger.
The exorcist then glared at the Rider, "There hasn't been a devil who's met me twice. Since I am extremely strong, I always kill the devils upon our first encounter. But, thanks to you punks, my policy got ruined." He then gnashed his teeth, "This won't do… It pisses me off!" He then roared a bit comedically at the trio, much to their confusion.
"Gee, what a loser." Shadow jeered.
"Where is Asia?" Live demanded.
"Well, she's underneath that altar." Freed said, "There's a hidden staircase leading to the underground assembly hall."
"Huh, he sure is straightforward." Kiba commented.
"What? You guys are dead meat anyways." the exorcist said with a shrug.
"As much as I want to kill you myself… I don't have time to deal with you. I'm only here for Asia." Live announced, much to the priest's dismay.
"Heh, her…" he sighed, "Why bother with her?"
"Because she's my friend… She already told me about her past. How she was exiled for doing the right thing…. She has been alone for so long… I won't let her suffer like this anymore."
"Plus any way we can get to get even with that black-winged bitch for tricking us in the first place, I will gladly take it!" Shadow added.
"So move out of my way…" Live declared, only for Kiba to poke his side to earn his attention.
"Go get crushed." Koneko said… while holding one of the large pews.
Freed didn't even have time to react as she flung the pew at the priest, causing him to be somewhat crushed.
"Koneko…" Live looked to her.
"Your mission… Leave the weakling to us." Koneko huffed.
"Damn it, I won't let you escape!" Freed snarled as he charged at Live, only to spot another pew coming for him. Angered, he quickly cut it in half with his sword, "You're going to use the same trick on me twice, huh…"
As he said that, Kiba quickly jumped in and clashed blades with the exorcist.
"You cheeky brat!" the exorcists snarled.
"Like Koneko said, leave him to us Cody. Go save her." Kiba said to the young nephilim.
"Minna…" Cody got out as he smiled with a nod soon rushing to the staircase to help save Asia.
"Fine, then dance you devil brats!" the exorcist snarled as he opened fire on Kiba, who either dodged it or deflected it with his blade.
"Have to admit… his swords skills are impressive…" Kiba noted.
When he tried to fire at Kiba again, Koneko quickly moved in and tanked the shot.
'It hurt a little…' she thought.
"Wow, you sure are tough for someone so small!" Freed laughed.
Koneko simply gave a cold glare and held up several more pews, throwing them at Freed in anger for making fun of her size.
"Oh? Thousand knocks?" he questioned the brawler.
"I'll be troubled if you forgot about me!" Kiba said, quickly getting behind the exorcist as they quickly clashed once more.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity given by his friends, Live quickly went towards the altar. He looked for some switch or something to move it, but he was more annoyed as he kicked the altar away to reveal the staircase. He soon raced down as much as he could before reaching the underground below.
When he arrived however, he was met by several people alongside an unconscious Tyson pinned to a cross-like machine, with the Demons Driver on a pedestal in front of the object.
"Welcome, devils."
Live was shocked, what was Tyson doing here? And wasn't that the belt that Demons normally wore?
The devil hunter looked up weakly, a glint of defiance still in his eyes as he glared at Raynere.
"Y-You'll n-never g-get the c-contract to f-form…" he snarled at her, "T-There's n-no way V-Vail will accept."
"Raynare…." Live hissed, "Where's Asia?!" He demanded the Fallen Angel.
"She's right here." she said as the fallen angel revealed the girl in shackles.
"Asia!" Live called out, only for no response from her, "What did you do to her, you bitch?!"
"This is a heartwarming meeting, but you're too late. The ceremony is about to end." she noted before she turned towards the machine as it burst to life.
Immediately Tyson roared in anger as he felt every part of his body cry out in agony, the mark on his and Asia's chests beginning to glow.
"What do you mean…?" Live asked, his body shivering a bit.
"Now then, as I forge this contract, accept this new contract and meld with me, Vail!" Raynere declared as all of a sudden, Tyson's saw wounds open on his body, letting loose a good amount of blood that began to drain into the canal that surrounded the pedestal.
Asia soon felt the mark on her chest force her power to heal these wounds before they opened once again, letting out more blood from the devil hunter.
"That's enough!" Vail roared at Raynere. "Let the boy live!"
"Sorry, but we have plans for you! And I could care less about these humans." Raynare smirked, "Cause the first thing you'll help us do, is purge these mortals!"
Live then stepped forward, ready to gun them down before a fallen angel with a pony tail and a light sword stepped forward.
"I won't allow you to interfere." he threatened the bat Rider.
Live however was furious, "I don't have time to waste on you all!"
"Devil, I will destroy yo-"
After catching the fallen angel's light sword, he quickly kneed the man in and tossed him to the side. Meanwhile, Tyson felt more of his blood begin to be extracted from his body, leaving him in constant pain from the ritual.
"Asia!" Live shouted, as he rushed in only to get stopped by a larger fallen angel who wielded an axe.
"Almost there, just one more and his body will give." one of the fallen angels, another buxom woman like Raynere with long navy blue hair that obscured her right eye, noted with delight.
"ENOUGH!" Vail roared.
"D-Damn you all!" Tyson roared in anger while he felt his blood, and by extension his strength, sapped from him more and more.
Live, angered by the constant halts, soon held up the other Vistamp as he activated it.
BRACHIO!
"Promotion: Queen!"
He then pulled the trigger.
OVERDRIVE! POWER DIVE! KAMEN RIDER L~IVE~!
BRACHIO!
As the armor changed, it was even more sleek than Jackal, with what seemed to be clockhands on his back like a cape as the Brachio face was on his chest. His helmet was gold with a pink visor as the same clockhands were on his forehead as well as he felt overwhelming power from this change.
"Toki wo tomare…" He said calmly as he held up his hand, as a wave escaped from it, as in seconds everything stopped. The Fallen Angels, Tyson's cries of pain, and ceremony? It all stopped.
Though Live could already start to feel a toll from this, he slowly made his way past the larger Fallen Angel, making his way up the steps before reaching the altar. He soon looked to Asia as his heart sank, her body looked almost lifeless and without color. He was too late to save her, the constant abuse of her power to extract Tyson's blood overexerted her. If she used her power one more time, it could very well kill her.
He soon picked her up in his arms, as he turned to Tyson, a faint glow covering him and the Demons Driver as Tyson soon gasped out, coughing in pain.
"Wha? What happened?" he groaned, the pain finally stopping before he coughed up some blood.
"I've stopped time… Only for a bit…." The Rider said as both his and Shadow's voices echoed out of the armor.
"Y-You…" he muttered.
"I only came to save her…" The bat Rider said, as he used his power to let her move in the timeframe as well.
Asia weakly opened her eyes, looking towards the bat Rider with a faint smile.
"C-Cody… you came…" she muttered.
"I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to help you more…. But I'm here now… We'll leave together and whatever happens to him? So be it…" Live said, only for him to feel Asia's grip on his arm.
"N-No… L-Lead m-me t-to h-him…" she tried to tell the boy.
"But why?" He questioned her, only for him to see her pleaded eyes.
"H-He doesn't deserve to b-be… alone…" she told him.
He sighed, soon walking them over to him next. Letting the two look at one another once more.
"Go… I'm finished…" Tyson told her, "This was my mistake."
"I.. said before… I can't… do that… But I can… at least heal you…" Asia smiled weakly as she reached out and started to heal him.
"Are you sure about this, child?" Vail asked the girl, "It would be a waste to give up your life for sinners such as us."
"I am… You both… deserve to live… as much as anyone else…" Asia's breathing began to weaken, "Cause to me…. You both… mat…ter…." Asia said before went limp in Live's arms.
Anger and sadness was boiling over the rider. He wanted to make them pay, to make Tyson pay for this…. Yet…. Instead he looked at the chains as the clock hands on his visor glowed and spun. In seconds the chains rusted away before he walked away to where Freed was fighting his friends. He was going to leave the fallen angels to their fate… their fate of being murdered by the rabid dog they held back.
"Toki was igoku hashimeta…"
In seconds, time resumed once more, Raynare laughing maniacally only to freeze as she soon saw the ritual just dissipating like ash. Her eyes widen alongside everyone else in the underground altar.
Freed was now face deep in the ground, Kiba and Koneko flinching but soften as they see Cody, now out of his armor standing there. But tears were racing down his face as in his arms was a lifeless Asia. Kiba simply walked over to pat his friend's shoulder in comfort as the group made their way out of the church to where Rias and Akeno were at.
The Gremory Princess stood there with her Queen as they see the trio make their way to them. Though she could already see and tell what happened as the look of her precious pawn was that of anguish. She walked over as she patted his head gently.
"Come on… We all should head back home." Rias said to them as they nodded.
"Hmm… wonder what happened to the hunter?" Akeno questioned.
"I freed him…" Cody spoke up, "I let him free so he can take care of those rogues…. I know I was told to leave him be…. But I wanted them to pay for killing Asia…. So I let him handle it…."
Rias sighed, knowing that this'll be another problem in the future. But she'll scold and punish her pawn later. Right now, he needed comfort and rest. And in a flash of light, everyone has left, not knowing the cries of pain and bloodshed from the church that Demons was causing to their enemies.
Meanwhile, Tyson soon fell to the ground, using his hands to catch himself from landing face first. Then he rose to his feet… and glare menacingly at the fallen angels.
"W-What the…? What happened? How… How did you get free?!" Raynare gasped in terror.
"Come forth, vanguard of hell." he commanded Vail, reaching out for the driver.
The Demons Driver glowed, black and blood red smoke fuming out of the driver as it floated up only to quickly attach itself to the hunter as Vail's 'eyes' appeared in a flash of fury. After the belt floated back into his true user's hand, Tyson then slapped the device to his waist, creating the belt before he took out the Spider Vistamp, which quickly manifested itself as well.
SPIDER!
DEAL…
"Hen… shin!"
DECIDE UP.
DEEP! (FUKAKU) DROP! (OCHIRU) DANGER! (KIKI)
DEVIL! (HUNTER…) DEMONS!
As the small metal spider spun around with its webbings, the armor formed as it slapped onto his shoulder. His spider 'eyes' glowing with a blood red as he glared at the Fallen Angels, Rogue Priests and Rogue Mages.
"W-We're not scared of you, right?" Raynere stammered in fear, looking towards her fellow fallen angels.
Demons in response smiled wickedly, "You should." both he and Vail said.
Before they could move, Demons quickly dashed forward and quickly fired a web at one rogue priest.
"Come here!" he shouted before punching his head hard enough to snap his neck.
When two of the fallen angels tried to fly towards him and skewer him with their spears, Demons rolled his eyes and quickly leaped into the air and began firing web balls to pin everyone down. After landing he then grabbed the wings of the ponytailed fallen angel and tore them off with a kick. Afterwards, he stomped on the man's head as hard as he could, leaving it nothing but red paste under his heel.
Glaring towards the larger fallen angel, Demons quickly activated one of his Vistamps.
HASHIBIROKO GENOMIX!
Now armed with his twin sickles, the Devil Hunter quickly swung around the man and clipped his wings with his swords. Afterwards, he slammed one sickle into the larger fallen angel's back and began beating it with the other, sending soundwave after soundwave into the man as he began to bleed internally and externally. Afterwards, the devil hunter bisected the man in half. When one of the rogue mages tried to fire magic at him, the devil hunter responded by swinging in and kneeing him in the shin, afterwards digging his sickles into two parts of his head.
"Give me… your face!" he roared before he tore the man's face in half, leaving only flesh before he fell to the ground dead.
Raynere was left horrified as Demons continued to slaughter her army one by one, letting out days worth of anger out while she and her subordinate could only watch on in horror. Two rogue priests charged at him but he quickly switched out his weapons.
KAJIKI GENOMIX!
In a series of quick slashes, the priests were sliced and diced into small meat cubes by Demons' swordfish blade. He then proceeded to cut down several more of their member with demented and cathartic glee.
When a rogue mage tried to create a wall to defend himself from the enraged Devil Hunter, Demons instead broke through the barriers with his White Leo gauntlets before punching the mage's head clean off.
"I-I'm getting out of here!" the buxom fallen angel cried out before disappearing via a teleportation crystal.
"Wait, don't leave me with the mad dog!" Raynere cried out to her ally.
She then heard a whistle, a whistle thought to be that of death itself. Scared, the fallen angel turned around as Demons, with his free hand, placed two imaginary drachmas into his eyes… and pointed those fingers towards Raynere.
The fallen angel stumbled and fell as she began to back up while Demons slowly but surely walked towards her, drinking in the face of fear she had.
"My my, how the tables have turned." he gleefully chuckled.
"S-Stay back!" Raynare shouted in fear, holding up some kind of scroll.
"I'm sorry cupcake, but you shouldn't have locked me away and forced a man to love his love." he said with killing intent.
"I-If you come closer, I'll use it! This spell will erase your souls!" She declared to him.
"Go ahead, at least my last action will be killing you for good!" he shouted before making a run for it, looking to jump and use a kick to finish her off.
Raynare cried out in fear, using the scroll as it activated. But things changed as several chains flew out, piercing both Demons's body and Raynare's. In moments, they could feel everything binding them together, their bodies, their souls, bound together in union.
Demons stopped his sprint, the spell forcing him out of his transformation to Vail's concern.
"Is everything alright, boy?" he questioned the Devil Hunter.
"I… I don't know…" he snarled, fear somehow replacing the anger he was feeling, "It's like I feel… scared…"
Raynaye was hugging herself in fear, not even seeing if the attack was about to continue as the scroll's paper fell to the ground, fully showing what it was to the hunter. The pair were shocked to see it.
"A Soul LInk spell?" he gasped.
"H-Huh?!" Rayane gasped as she soon was snapped out of her stupor of fear, looking at the scroll. "T-That's not possible! That mage merchant said it would erase someone's soul upon its use!"
"What kind of cockamany spell like that would exist? There is no such thing as a soul eraser spell, that exists in fairy tales!" Tyson snarled.
"The same one that binds a devil's soul to a bloodline!" Raynare growled, "But I wouldn't believe some monkey oaf be able to read normally!"
Tyson clicked his tongue, "Oh really? I'm surprised you got any brains in that head of yours, you dumb bimbo!"
"Ha! Says you! I tricked your stupid pea brain, didn't I?" Raynare huffed with a smirk.
"You didn't even read the scroll fully! That's like, spellcasting 101! Always learn what scrolls you're using!" Tyson growled. He was actually offended by the near naivetey the fallen angel just displayed to him.
Feeling hurt by this, Raynere puffed her cheeks and looked away from the devil hunter, "And you couldn't even get a girlfriend! I saw your backlogs, you sound like a child!" she chastised him.
"Says you! For a fallen angel, you're nothing but a fucking virgin!" he shouted back.
"Ha! Of course you'd say that. I've had many men and women in my bed!" She smirked.
"Oh really? Then tell me who was your first then?" the Devil Hunter dared her, with a smug look.
"Er… um…. I think his name was… 'Issei'?" She lied.
"Dude, I've kept tabs on him. He's still a virgin!" he pointed out, "Like you are!"
"Then I slept with the Pope!"
"That's even more improbable!" Tyson roared, "Gosh, to think my career was nearly ruined by such a dumbass like you! Ugh, great aunt Trish would never forgive me for such a mistake!" he bemoaned.
"UGH! Stupid ape!"
"Virgin chicken!"
Vail couldn't help but groan at this, 'I see… so this woman is just a female Tyson. Hiding behind a facade to her true childish self.' he thought to himself, 'Truly this is a fate worse than death…'
Vail could only drown out their arguing as his 'eyes' only looked at the corpses and pools of blood that were below them. At least he felt fulfilled knowing that this issue was over with and soon began absorbing the souls of the people the Devil Hunter had vanquished to restore the boy's health.
SONG: Tsumi to Batsu to Angura - Mitsuru Matsuoka
/PRELUDE/
As a snazzy jazz number starts, it soon jumps to Cody and Rias appearing side-by-side. The two of them jump in sync as they begin to dance together to the beat. With a smirk, Cody grabbed a nearby mic and spun it for a moment.
/Omae no tsumi o kazoero
Uso-mamire no live a lie
Nisemono ni narisagaru/
The boy soon began to sing as he and Rias continued to dance an almost flamenco style. As Cody held her close and danced together as the redhead cupped his cheek, almost ready to pull him into a kiss.
/Ochitatenshi suiseimushi parareru no machi/
As the two separated, it soon showcased a bit of the ORC as the rest of the club were doing their own thing. Koneko glancing for a moment at the mirror as Shadow appeared for a second as she returned to her chocolate, as Kiba was polishing his sword, and finally Akeno serving some tea to Asia.
/Tsumitobachi o hakari ni
Dore hodo no omo-sa ga chigau?/
It soon jumps to Tyson, wandering through the streets alone with a pair of headphones on, walking by the various supernatural beings in the city. As he walks by various mirrors, Vail is menacing him at every turn.
/You want true love, You want true love,
You want true love, You never/
It soon jumps back to Cody and Rias as they continue to dance, but as Cody walked past several mirrors, he was briefly replaced by Shadow, and then by Issei before he returned to normal.
/You and me, You and me/
It then goes to Asia, praying with tears running down her face. Kiba holding up his sword as the memories of the other experimental children appear next to him. Alongside that was Akeno trying to hide her true self as a thunder crack changes to Koneko walking away from her sister.
/Oh my fair lady is the underground
Itami o kakusu kamen You don't know me/
Afterwards, it soon transitions into a montage of Cody and Rias meeting with the ORC, helping the Pervert Quartet escape punishment, and finally on the rooftops with the view of the city around them as the two of them soon held their hands together.
/My fair lady is the underground
(Shabada) Anbaransu de iki teru/
It soon transitions to the park fountain where Cody and Tyson are on opposite sides, each one examining their respective Vistamps.
/It's ANGURA/
As the ending comes to a close, we see Cody and Rias dancing once more before the former dips the latter with a pledged bow. It then simply shows the Bat and Spider Vistamps, with the devil contract and angel feathers laying next to them, as the ending finishes.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
HackerEX: Welp, at least now this fic's earned its M Rating… and I've gotten a bit of frustration out of my system too… I need help.
Striberx: Well, at least we got some of the more heavy scenes from early DxD out of the way. As fun as it was, I didn't want Freed to basically strip Asia. that always unnerved me.
HackerEX: Yeah, so we pretty much removed that part to keep this thing intact. Hey, I'm okay with blood and gore, but sexual violence is where we draw the line folks. Yes, I know I'm saying that after Tyson basically went Mortal Kombat on their asses, what of it?
Striberx: Anywho, chap done, new forms out and new changes are coming through! I thought the idea of having Jackal more used as the Knight Promotion, alongside Rex being for Rook and finally Brachio as the Queen Promotions fitted well with it. Though don't worry too much on Brachio, as shown before it'll be a heavy taxed power to use.
HackerEX: Also, surprise Rex cameo! Yeah, while Tyson is going to be the main OC of this fic, given how much Revice is featured in EoT, I had to sneak him in there somewhere.
Striberx: And anyone wondering if he'll be a devil or what not? No no. He's just a human side character that'll be checked up on once and awhile.
HackerEX: Then again, there's also his inner devil which, given the colors, I'm sure you can guess who. So I'm just going to nip it in the butt here. Yes, Rex has Vice. No, Rex will not become Revice.
Striberx: We already have the rider choices and plans for them thought out. We just need to get it rolling for them and see if we can add or be removed. Revice is not being here at all other than Vice's additions.
HackerEX: Plus, if we add in Revice, that would mean that we add in Giff, who is also likely going to be Mr. Not-Appearing-In-This-Story. I mean for fuck's sake, we got several volumes worth of DxD content to cover and both Giff AND Revice would kind of be a bit much.
Striberx: Plus it's just ruin the idea that we have for Live v Demons. Whats the point of their focus if we're just gonna add in the Main Rider?
HackerEX: Yeah, it's in the title. It's meant to be Live and Demons being the two main rivals and co-protagonists of this fic. If Rex was to become Revice, likely it would have to be a sequel that puts focus away from Cody and Tyson.
Striberx: Anywho, next time we move along with some reveals and what not. I'm eager for it. :3
Until next time, see ya!