Sorry everyone for taking so long to post the next chapter. I believed you all deserve an explanation for the long absence. You see back in mid-September after I published it I was focusing on editing it and work most of time while working on my transcript to transfer. Originally I wanted to finish the chapter sooner right before the release of Pokemon Gold and Silver for the Virtual Console on the 3DS, unfortunately, I couldn't finish it on time and procrastinate on finishing the chapter due to work and playing Silver. Then I tried to finish it on Halloween as DxD is a supernatural series, but again didn't finish in time and originally wanted to finish it on 15th of November but couldn't due to work and my transcript for the university I wanted to travel to. Sadly I failed to post on the fifteen and wanted to post the chapter before the release of Pokemon USUM and volume 23 of the light novels but failed yet again. Finally, after months I managed to finish it and I'll try my best in the future to make sure I not to make you all wait. I'll try to make the chapter shorter so I can update sooner. Without further ado, please enjoy. Read, review, and subscribe to this story.

Again I want a Beta-Reader to help edit proof the chapters.

Dialogue Box

"Normal"

'Thought'

[Sacred Gear]

{Biometal}

"Prime/Overdrive Form"

*Tick Tock Tick Tock*

The ten-year-old Rias Gremory laid awake on her king-sized, canopy bed. She twisted and turned, trying to find the perfect sleeping position. She grunted, frustrated she can't fall asleep on her comfy mattress, fluffy pillows, and cozy silk blankets. She attempted every technique she knew to get some shut-eye. She drank warm milk, took a steamy warm shower, listened to soothing music, counted sheep, did some late night reading, and even wore some clothes to her dissatisfaction.

*Tick Tock Tick Tock*

The young heiress positioned her head to see the old wooden grandfather clock across from her bed. She grunted, annoyed hearing its rhythmic sound and the time on its face. I should be asleep already, she thought to herself worrisomely. She left her bed and headed out to the balcony. Rias crossed her arms and rested them on the balustrade as her eyes gazed upon the artificial moon glistening in the purple sky of the underworld.

Crickets chirped gently through the silent night. Their sound, surprisingly enough, was music to her ears, unlike her mundane grandfather clock. Probably because it was the only sound she heard for last few hours. Regardless, being in the open air was alleviating. Breathing in the cold crisp air allowed her to exhale some of the stress building inside of her. The moonlight touching her skin loosen the tension in her body. The scenery of her family's garden brought her nostalgia of her toddler's years, where the pressure and exception of being the heiress of the Gremory household and standing out of her brother's shadow hadn't come to her.
She closed her eyes, briefly, as her mind unwinded. Rias reopened and in her line of vision, the moon wavered left to right and vice versa as the sky ruptured into multiple cracks. She staggered back and fell on her back. She felt the floor vibrating uncannily. To her realization, the moon wasn't shaking at all. No, it was an earthquake.

It should be impossible though. Natural disasters were nonexistent in the Underworld. When God of the Bible created the underworld for Lucifer and those who rebelled against him, he orchestrated the land to be nothing more than a planet of fire. It took centuries for Lucifer and his allies to terraform the Underworld with their demonic energy. During the process, Lucifer and other devils, who would later be the future Maous, developed a system to prevent any natural catastrophe from ever happening. And even if one were to occur, many nobles built their castles and buildings to withstand such calamity. So why was there an earthquake and why wasn't Rias' family's castle able endure its magnitude?

"Rias!" A voice cried out. The door to her bedroom was slammed right open. The first one to came into her room was her mother, Venelana Gremory. Following her behind was her husband, and Rias' father, Zeoticus Gremory. Her brother, Sirzechs Lucifer, was last to enter her room. The three rushed over to the balcony while ignoring all the fallen furniture in their path. Venelana got to Rias first and wrapped her daughter in her arms. Rias had her face buried in her mother's chest, terrified. Petrified, everything went blanket for the youngest Gremory member. She couldn't remember what her family was speaking about, but she recalled the sentiment they had in their voice. Venelana carried an alarming tone. Her father had the concern. Sirzechs foreboding.

Before anyone had a chance to teleport out of the balcony, a beam of light fired from the sky above. Immediately Sirzechs and Zeoticus put out an entire barrier throughout the manor. Silence came with a fog of brown dust. The earthquake had settled and the beam of light was gone. Rias regained her bearings and peeked out to see the area out of curiosity.

Clouds of brown dust were all her eyes could see. Within the barrier the family was in, Rias could see her brother and father with their hands up in the air. Her mother still held her in her arms, her eyes closed and her chin rested on top of her daughter's head.

Rias stared back into what was once the backyard of her manor. Nothing can be seen through the thick clouds of dust. All the chirping she heard before died in the light. Probably all the instincts and small animals living in the garden were wiped out in the blast. Or at least Rias believed.

For a brief moment in the thickness of dust clouds, a pair of small lights shone. Rias blinked, unsure what she saw. As her eyes opened again, the lights she saw had vanished. She thought it was all in her imagination. Under this assumption, she let her guard down. She blinked once more, and the lights, they weren't lights. Instead, they were a pair of eyes, glowing from the distant. They gleamed through the thick mass of dust and pierced through her eyes, and into her soul.

The situation was getting dire for Dohnaseek. It wasn't humiliating enough for him to lose his entire right arm to a filthy devil, but it only turned out he was none other than to be Mega Man, the warrior of another world. And to add salt to the wound, Rias Gremory, heiress of the Gremory household and the little sister of the all-powerful and influential Maou, Sirzechs Lucifer, had shown up here in all places. The odds weren't in his favor.

"What are you waiting for?" Dohnaseek barked in a revolting tone. "Weren't you going to finish me off?"

"I would," Aero said. "But I just remembered you mentioning of your companions."

"Oh, he did now?" Rias asked with a peak of interest. "Now I'm curious to know why are fallen allies are here."

The black winged man's eyes went wide as he recalled mentioning them. A slip of the tongue moment. He wouldn't have brought them up if he had known he'd be confronting Mega Man. They weren't going to kill him just yet. No, they intended to torture him first. Gather all the information he had on his allies and their intentions being here. He won't allow it. It was futile to escape. The only option he had left was...

"Do you have an idea in mind where to take him?" Aero asked Rias. Averting his eyes away from the fallen angel, Aero looked to his crimson haired ally.
"I think we're fine here," Rias informed him. Her eyes met his, Dohnaseek wasn't in her line of sight. "We have the entire under a barrier. We won't have any disturbance."

Their attention was away from Dohnaseek. He smiled, ready to seize his opportunity. Swallowing the remaining saliva in his mouth, Dohnaseek strode straight at them. Sparks of blue light emerged on his only hand and manifested into a spear.

{Aero! In front of you!} A voice shouted in his head, grabbing his attention. Obeying the advice he heard, Aero saw Dohnaseek heading his way. Without even thinking twice, he stepped in front of Rias and fired his fully charged X-Buster without even thinking twice. The fallen angel didn't even bother to evade the attack. He halted his attempted assault as full powered energy shot came his way.

Size of the enormous blast got in the way of Aero's horizon. He wasn't sure if his opponent evaded his charged attack. Both he and Rias shielded their eyes as the blast struck its target. Black feathers scattered everything around them. Dohnaseek's presence was no longer there and what remained of him was his fedora, which was slight blacken from the blast.

"Shit!" Aero cursed out loud. His armor dissipated into a flash of blue light. He was back wearing his Kuoh Academy school uniform and the blue artifact he pulled out from his fanny pack levitated up in the air next to him. Together with Rias, they approached the scorched fedora. "I can't believe he went out like that." He picked up the fedora and dusted it off.

"He knew had no chance against us or any way to escape," Rias said, crossing her arms. "Since he knew he was going to get interrogated by us, he took his own life."

Aero put on the fedora. "What do you think?"

"About the news more fallen angels still roamed around my territory?" Rias asked bitterly.

"No. I'm referring to the fedora," Aero deadpanned, pointing to the hat he's wearing. "What do you think?"

Rias grimaced. "Take it off already. It's pretty messed up you know."

"Sorry." Aero knocked the fedora off his head. "Too morbid for ya?"

"You can say that." Rias nodded. "Plus you looked ridiculous in that hat."

{She's right you know,} the voice in Aero's head said. {You do look pretty asinine with that hat.}

Aero rolled his eyes. "Not you too, Model X." His eyes glanced at his floating blue artifact. "I didn't think the likes of you to have a taste in fashion."

{Oh, I don't.} The red gem in the center of his blue artifact glowed as the voice in Aero's head spoke. "However, it's obvious to know you have terrible taste in clothes."

"Everybody a critic," Aero said, rolled his eyes. "Getting back on track, what now. Do we go out and find the rest of the fallen angels?"

"No, not yet anyway," Rias said. She placed her hand under her chin. " We don't even know where to begin searching them. Also, we still don't have any idea why are they here or what they're after."

"So it's best to lay low and keep an eye out for them," Aero suggested.

"Yes, I couldn't say it better myself." Rias smiled.

"Alright then. Now that's settled, I'll be taking my leave then." Aero directed himself toward the exit of the park, ready to head back home. But before he could even split, he was grabbed by the back of his collar of his uniform.

"Oh no," Rias said, her voice close to Aero's ear. Aero gagged as Rias pulled on his collar. "You have ditched more than enough club meetings. Don't think what went down is an excuse to ditch today's club activities."

"B-But Rias..." Aero heaved hoarsely. "The fallen..."

"They can wait," She said to him as a red magic circle appeared beneath their feet.

Desperate, Aero turned to Model X. "Help... Me..." He gasped with his hand reaching out to his artifact.

{...Forgive me, partner. I believe it's wise for you to accompany your master back to the clubroom,} Model X said.

"...Traitor..." Aero managed to murmur out before the three of them flashed away in the magic circle.

Footsteps resonated outside of his hospital room. The redhead girl must be coming back. Rias, he believed was her name. She wasn't alone either. Other footsteps trod through the hall. There had to be at least to be two more persons accompanying her.

"Hello again," Rias said as she entered the room. Her gleaming smile and cheery personality were too much for his weary dull eyes to handle. They squinted a bit, and gratefully she didn't pick it up. "Glad to see you are awake again."

"..." He still felt too weak to move his lips. Even if he did, he probably didn't know what to say nonetheless. A quick blink was all response Rias got from him, causing the look in her eyes to a bit sad.

"You shouldn't feel so down," a voice said, entering the room. A man showed up with similar features of those of Rias. He possessed same the hair color and style along with a matching shade of blue eyes. Oddly enough he felt familiar. "After what he went through, it's not a surprise he would be so unresponsive."
Did something happen to make him so dazed and hollow? He can't remember.

"Onii-sama," Rias said, turning to her brother.

"Is this him, Sirzechs?" Another man said, standing in the doorway. He was around Rias' brother's age with slicked back green hair and blue eyes. He wore a green and gold regalia.

"Yes, Ajuka," Sirzechs affirmed him. "It's hard to believe this, but he's the one from that night."

"He's only child though," Ajuka remarked, approaching the bed. "If I had to guess, he no older than Rias is."

He, the patient, watched Ajuka pulled something out of his robe and put out in front of him. The object in question was an odd artifact with blue design and a noticeable red gem in the center. He blinked, unsure of the intention Ajuka had showing him this.

Sirzechs came over to the bed. "Is that...?"

"Yes," Ajuka said, interrupting his friend before he finished. "One of the artifacts you send to me to over."

"Does this mean you figured out what it is?" Sirzechs asked.

"No," Ajuka admitted with a bittersweet smile. "I've run it through every possible test I can think of: MRI, X-ray, mass spectrometer just to name a few. While the results did show it's not a Sacred Gear or mythical weapon from any of the known mythologies, the OOPart does give off an unusual power signature I had never seen before. I would have taken this apart to figure out how this contraption works, but I fear of ruining it in the process."

"Then why did you bring it here?" Sirzechs asked. "Do you think the child here would have the answers you're looking for?"

"Hopefully," Ajuka nodded. "Rias, you've been with him the most. Can you tell me anything about our John Doe."

"Nothing much," Rias said, scratching the back of her head. "He doesn't stay awake much, and when he does, he usually is absent-minded."

"Goodness, Sirzechs, you had done a number on our patient here," Ajuka sighed; his friend received a dirty look from his little sister after hearing Ajuka's comment

.
"N-Now Rias, it's not w-what it looks like," Sirzechs stuttered with his hands up in the air. "I never meant to leave him in this state. Beowulf was the one responsible for most of his injuries, I swear."

Rias' eyes narrowed in suspicion, giving her older brother goosebumps and sweating all over her brother. "I doubt it," she said, turning her gaze away from him with her cheeks puffed out and her arms folded.

On the inside, Sirzechs turned pale white and his spirit crushed into a million pieces. The poor bastard quickly got on his knees and sobbed all over his sister's sister. "Rias-tan," he cried out pathetically. "I'm so sorry for my lie! Yes, I indeed was the culprit for our patient's injuries, but I did to protect you! I did it out of love! Please Rias-tan, forgive me!"

"Hush you," Ajuka spat out, the volume of his voice raised, catching the attention of both redheads.

Everyone's eyes were all on the patient. His quavering hand motioned to the OOPart, much to everyone's surprise. Their eyes widen as his palm laid on top of the artifact. His brown eyes dilated in a manner no one had seen before. The blanket stare on his face was replaced by astonishment. A small light passed through the cracks of his palm, and the atmosphere in the room felt dense.

The worse has yet to come, everyone assumed. Within the last couple of seconds, no knew what to suspect. A million possibilities of what could have to happen next crossed their minds and they all ended poorly. Both men were prepared to face something they believed was inevitable; however, the option they never consider just happened: nothing.

The light underneath his palm died out, and the pacing on cardiac monitor's screen slowed down. All the tension in the room had converted into perplexity as everything went back to normal. The awoken John Doe blinked once more, his eyes possessed emotions and no longer lifeless.

{Aero,} a familiar voice called out in the room, albeit no one here said a word. They were all still stupefied. Plus no one in the room had such a voice he heard. But he was familiar with it. The name was on the tip of his dry tongue.

"M-Model X," He uttered out hoarsely. His burning throat cried out in pain as he spoke. He needed the voice again regardless of the pain he felt.

{I'm here, Aero. Remove your hand off of me,} the voice told him.

He obliged and took his hand off the artifact. The item in question rose off from Ajuka's palm as it glowed. The stupefied visitors awed in amazement.

{Do you remember me, Aero?} The voice asked.

"Ah..." His answer came short. A sharp pain crept into his head as he struggled to recall any memories he had. He can't remember anything of his personal life, but he found something probably just as valuable: knowledge.

The voice he was hearing came from the floating object. The object itself was a Biometal. Biometals were small, blocky, mechanical handheld artifacts. Despite their unusual appearance, Biometals were no ordinary piece of technology as each of them housed a soul of a legendary hero from a past era. With one in hand, Biometals infused themselves with their respective user and grant armor, giving them incredible power; this ability was called Mega Merge.

They are easily recognizable by their protruding round plate on the front with a pair of horizontal lights for eyes, giving it the appearance of a face. Although they lacked a mouth, they were still able to speak directly to the minds of their compatible one was built to resemble the original form of the soul within. The one in the room was Model X. It possessed the legendary hero, which surprisingly enough, was named X as well. The patient, Aero, was the only one he can hear it.

If Aero's information was right, X once belong to race called... Reploid, he assumed. Reploid, what were they again, he wondered. His brain was already on overload. He can't handle to remembering any knowledge he had on the Biometals, not with the pain he was feeling.

"Are you alright?" Aero snapped out from his trance after hearing Sirzechs' voice. He forgot there were others around him. There had to be a million questions in their heads after what just occurred.

"I-I... Fine..." He croaked out, his throat throbbed. Ajuka reacted to this quickly and passed the patient a glass of water. Aero grabbed it and chugged it down in a gulp. "Thank you," he said, smiling.

"Your welcome," Ajuka replied. "You appeared to be better now thanks to the OOPart."

"OOPart?" Aero cocked his head.

{He must be referring to me,} Model X explained. {It's alright to trust them. I don't sense any malice or ill intentions from any of them, especially from the girl.}
"

W-What is that supposed to mean?" Aero asked, shouting at his Biometal with a reddened face.

{Oh nothing,} Model X said musingly. On Aero's forehead, a cross popping vein appeared. {Now, now Partner. You shouldn't get all worked up. After all, we are in the presence of others.}

"Oh, that's right," Aero said out loud. He directed his eyes back to his guests. Confusion was written all over their faces with small question marks on top of their heads. Sweat dropping, Aero chuckled nervously. "...Hello... My name is Aero… Aero..."

{Estrellas,} Model X informed him.

"It is?" Deciding not to question his Biometal, Aero shrugged. "Alright then, my full name is Aero Estrellas."

"Such a lovely name," Rias remarked, unintentionally making Aero blush.

"Does this mean you regain your memories?" Sirzechs asked. He tugged on his collar nervously, as if he was afraid of the boy remembering something unpleasant.

"Sorry, no," Aero admitted, nodding his head to the side. Unaware, neither Aero or the others saw Sirzechs let out a deep sigh, indicating he was relieved to know Aero had no memories of that night. "I don't recall anything at all. The only reason why I know my name is because of Model X here."

"Model X? Is that the name of the artifact?" Ajuka queried.

"Well more like the name of the model," Aero corrected him. "If you want, I can tell you all about it."

" I appreciate it." Ajuka smiled.

"But first..." Growls roared from Aero's abdomens. "Can I have something to eat. I'm famished."

Rias and Aero arrived at the clubroom via the magic circle they used at the park. The interior of the room was a wood-paneled room with Victorian-style couches standing across one another with a small brown coffee table in the between them. Most of its source of light came from the lit torch lamps located in every corner of the room. The room also included a large decorated red carpet underneath the furniture, an enormous desk between the two bay windows, and a door leading to a fancy white shower. If Aero's memories are correct, this room was once the principal's room when the old school building was still in use.

They weren't alone in the room when they arrived. Others were present, mainly students.

Akeno was there, of course. Being the vice president, it's obvious she'll be here. Ignoring their magical entrance, Akeno poured tea down from the kettle pot and place the full cups on the coffee table. On one side of the couch were two students: one male and the other female. The female student was the youngest one among the rest of group. She was a petite girl with snow white choppy bob hair and stoic amber-hazel eyes. Like Akeno and Rias, she too wore the female school uniform of Kuoh Academy.

The other male in the room was a handsome young man with short light blond hair and gentle gray eyes, which under his left possessed a small mole. Just like Aero, he also wore a male's Kuoh Academy's uniform, which consisted of a black blazer with white accents over a white, long-sleeved button-down shirt with vertical linings, a black ribbon on the collar, matching black pants, and brown dress shoes.

Their names were Yuuto Kiba and Koneko Toujou. Yuuto was the second year student at the academy while Koneko attended as a freshman. Continuing the relatable trend among the club members, both students also had a reputation throughout the school. For Yuuto, he was known as the "Prince of Kuoh Academy" because of his dashing looks and his polite demeanor most boys in the school lack. Koneko, on the other hand, served as the school's "mascot" due to her cute and small statue body. When Aero and Rias arrived, Koneko sat quietly eating her snack as Yuuto read through his book.

Across from them on the other side of the couch was an attractive woman with a voluptuous figure rivaling those of Rias and Akeno's. She possessed onyx black hair tied back by an ornately detailed headband. Her golden hazel eyes were slitted, giving off cat-like pupils. She had on a loose black kimono with a red interior, showing off her glistening white skin, especially her curved white hips and her enormous valley breast, with a yellow obi holding it together, and a set of golden beads latching onto the black. Her most distinctive feature was her pair of natural black cat ears and two black tails. The woman rested her entire body on the couch with no spare room for anyone to sit on.

"Nya, look at what the cat dragged in," the cat-eared girl purred to her amusement.

"Hello Kuroka," Aero waved his hand. "Didn't know you came to the meetings."

"Weird, I was going to say the same thing to you. Nya." Stretching her slims arms up in the air, Kuroka pulled her back off the cushioned seat and moved her legs toward the ground. She patted her hand on the seat cushion as a sign of gesture. "Were you brought here against your will?"
"You can say that." Aero sat down next to her.

Kuroka wasn't like the others in the room. She didn't attend the academy compare to the rest. It wasn't because she couldn't transform herself to look more human. Knowing to alter her appearance was child's play to her. She just had no interest in academics. Lucky her, Aero thought, enviously. The cat ears and tails Kuroka owned was part of her biological lineage. She was a Nekomata, a cat-like Youkai of Japanese had a striking physical resemblance to humans, albeit with a set of cat ears, two tails, and eyes with cat-like pupils. Being a cat-like species, Nekomata naturally had great reflexes and heightened senses. Nekomata are also capable of performing Senjutsu and Youjutsu. Kuroka wasn't the only one Nekomata in the room. There was another one among them. Aero was staring across at her.

Winter came with a fury. Throughout the eastern region of Japan, the grey sky buried the land deep in snow and sleet. The cold air alone was unbearable to stay out for too long, especially during the night. Strong winds served as catalyze, turning a gentle snowfall into a horrible blizzard storm. Hiding in a small alley in the ghettos, a pair of kittens huddled together for warmth slept uncomfortably inside a wet cardboard box. One of them woke up before the other and step out the cardboard box to see the untouched, laid out snow. Every strand of her dark fur spiked up in reaction to the cold atmosphere. Checking back to the other kitten in the box, the dark fur one examined the large dumpster she scourged food for her and her sister.

The black lid won't budge, not with a foot of snow on top of it. Removing the snow in her state would be impossible. Even if she did, the day-old food residing inside might as well be soggy or frozen to eat. The best option for her would be to leave the nest and steal some nearby store or restaurant for food. I won't be long, she presumed and left her home.

Younger kitten woke up not long after. Presence of the other kitten didn't go unnoticed. The younger kitten panicked, believing the other kitten had abandoned her. She ran out of the box and saw the trail her sister left in the snow.

Following it, the younger kitten trudged through the snow as best as she could. Her paws and legs sunk down. Contact with it made her fur soaked. The cold, wet touch was too much for her. Each step she took brought an unpleasant shiver over her back.

Minutes had passed. A strong gale passed by and blew away the tracks. The younger kitten had no trail to follow anymore. Going back wasn't an option either. The wind was picking up furiously. Snow got in her eyes, temporarily blinding her. When she was able to see again, the area she was in no longer felt familiar.

"Meow!" she cried out in hope for her sister to hear.

A trash can fell over from a nearby alley. The younger kitten turned around, rattled. Whatever lurked in alley growled at the young kitten viciously. Crunching footsteps echoed louder as large dog stepped out. The beast's eyes were feral and hungry.

Frightened, the poor kitten made a break for it. The wild dog followed in pursuit. There was no way for her to outrun the beast. She dived right in the snow. Her snow white fur served as a perfect camouflage to blend in. It seemed to work. The savage dog didn't appear to see where she hid, but it wouldn't be long to find her. Using its noise, the dog sniffed the air.

The white fur kitten held her breathe. It should be impossible for the beast to catch her scent. If it did, what now? Fleeing wasn't the best option and confronting it head-on in her state was impossible. She closed her eyes, praying for a miracle.

"Hey, ugly!" A flying snowball hurled down at the dog's head. The canine staggered back, baffled. More were thrown at the dog, forcing it to retreat.

"Are you alright?" The young kitten popped her head out. Closing in on her was a young boy dressed in winter clothing. Gently, he picked her up. A warm sensation coursed through the kitten's body as the boy warmed her in his arms. "Hello there," the boy greeted her. "My name is Aero. And you are?"

"What?" Koneko asked after realizing her senior was staring at her for some time.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking," Aero told her while scratching the back of his head.

Koneko looked down at her plate of pasty snacks and back to Aero. "Here," she said, handing him the plate. "You can have some of my Youkan."

"Huh?" Aero cocked his head at her odd gesture.

"Isn't this what you were staring at?" Koneko said. "I know Aero-senpai has a sweet tooth."

It's true Aero had a fondness for sweet food. A day doesn't go by without him satisfying his own sugary needs, in moderation of course. However, it wasn't the issue at the moment.

"No, I'm fine," He assured her. After saying that, he stomach growled. He lowered his flushed face and accepted his kohai's offer. "Thanks," he said, taking one in the mouth.

"Here," Akeno said, passing Aero a cup of tea. "Drink this to wash down the Youkan."

"Thanks," he repeated his word before taking a slip. "Delicious!" He responded with a gleeful smile.

"Aren't you being a bit overdramatic?" Akeno giggled. "It just tea after all."

"Maybe," Aero shrugged. "But I can't help it. You make the best tea in town, Akeno."

"Oh stop," Akeno waved Aero's compliment off playfully. "You're making me blush."

And she did. Shades of pink-blossomed all over her delicate cheeks. It wasn't out of embarrassment or anger. More like love-struck. Aero gagged after his second slip. He implied a teasing compliment. So why does she always goes into an enamored state whenever he complimented her?

It was the end of the line for her. Caught under spell cast net, young ten-year-old Akeno used up all of her remaining strength in a futile attempt to break free. The magic used to keep her at bay was draining all her energy.

*Ring Ring*

A wind chime melody of Khakkhara echoed throughout the forest creepily. "I have found you," There was a single low-voice of a man," the cursed daughter born from our Himejima bloodline." From behind the trees, several mountaineering ascetics with Khakkara in their hands appeared, surrounding Akeno.

"It has been a while, Akeno." A voice with dignity said to her behind the ascetics. A voice she knew far too well.

The mountaineering ascetics made a path for the one who spoke. Appearing in front of Akeno was a man who had passed his middle age. He took his sedge-woven hat off and looked at the poor girl caught in the net with saddening violet eyes such as her own.

"...Granduncle," Akeno muttered.

Yes, the old man in question was someone from the same household as her mother. To Akeno, he was her granduncle, Suou Himejima, the current head of the Himejima Clan.

Since ancient times, the HImejima household had associated with the Shinto Gods and served with them for many generations. Along with the Kushihashi, Doumon, Shinra, and Nakiri clan, Himejima household served as one of the Five Principal Clans.

"I won't let you escape now. I must get rid of Himejima's shame today. You understand me, right?" Suou asked, kneeling down to his grandniece's height.

A shame, Akeno thought. For them, a daughter from the Himejima to be smitten by another kind, regardless of race or class, was an unforgivable act, much less breed with them. If word got out by the other households or the Japanese God they served, then they won't know what kind of punishment they will receive.

The Oath and cleanness toward the rules of Himejima are absolute. And as a result, Shuri paid the price for defying them. Akeno, who lost her mother and refused to be with her father, ended up being targeted by those from Himejima and sent the last year wandering through the country to get away from them. A child that will taint the name of Himejima must be a being they can't allow to exist.

"...I simply want to live," She said in a sentimental tone.

Suou breathed out in grief and shook his head to the side. "Do you really think a human with black wings will be able to experience the life of a normal person? In the past one year and six months, you should have realized it when you traveled to different areas. …You are a smart child after all. For a monster to attain the living style of a human, did you not come to realize that it isn't something you can achieve with an ordinary strength?"

Yes, he was right. Akeno knew this far too well. For anyone with extraordinary powers, they would need a strong determination and strength to a normal life, something Akeno greatly lacked.

"I'm sorry, but this is the end for you," Suou said, getting back and directed his staff at her. "It seems like the Fallen Angels aren't interfering. The least I can do is to send you off without any pain."

Akeno hated them. She hated the adults, especially the men. From her father to her granduncle and even to the ascetics, she loathed them all for everything they did to her. Her mother's assassination, the exile, the hunt, and even own damn existence were all their doing.

Suou gathered enough spiritual energy in his staff. He waved it up in the air, conjuring up a spell to end her grand niece's existence for once and for all. Not wasting time, Suou directed his palm directly at Akeno and unleashed all his gathered power in one go. Terrified, Akeno shut her eyes, praying her grand uncle's attack will be painless.

In a quick instance, a mysterious figure emerged in front of Akeno, taking the direct attack instead of her. Neither her, Suou or the other ascetics sensed his presence before it was too late. An explosion erupted and everything enveloped in smoke for a brief moment.

Akeno was still alive as well as her mysterious savior. She opened her eyes and saw the back of a small person, a child perhaps no older than her. The individual wore armor she never seen before with long flowing golden blonde hair going down to his waist. Swiveling around to see her, the mysterious savior showed his face to her.

"Are you alright?" He had a voice and face of a young boy.

"..." Akeno had no words to say. She was left stupefied by the boy's action.

"You're going to be fine." He showed a sincere, warm smile to her as he reached down and removed the net off of her. "Hey, you sure do have lovely black hair. It's better than mine." He chuckled.

Akeno's heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks flushed. She didn't understand, but his words made her happy, something she hadn't felt in a long time.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" One of the ascetics asked.

"Me?" The boy asked, lifting himself back up. "My name isn't much importance, but you can call me... Mega Man."

"Alright you two, break it up." Rias clapped her hands, drawing the attention of both Aero and Akeno.

"What's wrong Rias? Jealous much?" Akeno asked teasingly.

"I'm... not... jealous..." She rasped back, her face reddened in rage. "It's almost time for us to get to work. I don't you to get into Aero's away."
"If you say so," Akeno slid in another giggle.

'Some things don't change,' Aero sighed before taking in another sip. He set his eyes on to the other male in the room, Yuuto.
"Hey, Yuuto, how have you been?" He asked him.

"I'm fine, Senpai. Thanks for asking," Yuuto smiled, closing his book. "Glad to see you back here again. I can't recall the last time you were here."

"Feel likes a lifetime right?" Aero jibed. The chest pain he always felt in school returned. He played it off by scratching his chest. Keeping up his facade, he glanced over both Koneko and Kuroka to see if they hadn't noticed anything off about him. They hadn't, yet.

"Alright, everyone," Rias said by her desk. "Now that everyone has arrived, it's time for us to perform our jobs as devils."

You heard right. Devils as in the demonic beings written in the Bible. They weren't the only beings that exist in the world. Angel, fallen angels, and other races from different mythologies also exist within the world, including Gods. How can they coexist in this one world? Aero doesn't question it. The first time he learned the truth about the existence all mythological beings and the supernatural world, it blew his mind. He couldn't comprehend how deities of different religions and spent hours trying to figure it out. It ended with him having a horrible migraine.

Where was he again? Ah yes, the devils. Many centuries ago, Revelation happened. Armageddon broke out within the three Biblical Factions. God of the Bible led his army of angels against Lucifer, his fellow Maous, and his army of devils and Azazel along with his organization of Fallen Angels. The Great War, which interestingly enough was the name of war itself, lasted so long no could remember how many years it lasted. Surprisingly enough the war ended no one ever. Even though it was prophesized by the Bible to end in God and his angel's favor, it ended with them with a massive loss in their main forces. Both the fallen angels and the devils also shared similar consequences, with the latter losing the life of Lucifer and the other Maous in the end.

To recuperate their losses from the Great War, a devil by the name Ajuka Astaroth developed the Evil Piece system to replenish their numbers. Evil Pieces were a set of chess pieces used by noble high-class devils to reincarnate other beings, besides beings like Gods or God-like powers, into devils.

Almost half of the members of the Occult Research Club was a reincarnated devil. Aero, Kuroka, and Kiba were the reincarnated devils in the room. Rias was the pureblood devil who reincarnated the three into her peerage. The only ones who weren't devils were Akeno and Koneko.

Koneko was understandable. Kuroka agreed to become Rias' servant under the condition her king won't lay a hand on her sister, though lately, Kuroka had tried to put her sister into doing her contract work.

Akeno, on the other hand, was a total mystery. Given her background, Aero assumed Akeno would jump at the chance to be reincarnated into a devil. Rias even gave her an offer to become one of her servants once she obtained her Evil Pieces, but she refused. According to Rias, Akeno had a good reason, but Aero had to ask her himself. He wanted to ask her, but he decided not to pry into it.

As mentioned before, the Evil Pieces came in the form of chess pieces. The high-class devil receiving the set served as the king. Their Evil Pieces came with one queen piece, a pair of bishops, knights, and rooks, and eight pawn pieces. Each of the five chess pieces possessed a unique power, which differed from the other.

Reincarnated devils reborn by the Rook Piece are given superhuman strength, leading to high offense and defense. However, they are not very quick and can get beaten easily by a high-speed opponent. Like in chess, the King can preformed castling, a technique used to switch places with a rook. The equivalence of a Rook Piece is five pawn pieces.

Bishops are worth three. Their piece granted them enhancement in magical abilities, allow to perform a multitude of spells. That, however, also served as a double edge sword. The more powerful spells can quickly drain their mana, forcing them to be careful with their powers.

Knights are also worth three pieces. The horse-shaped chess piece's traits are the opposite of the Rooks. They gained increased and mobility, enabling them to execute high-speed attacks and maneuverability; however, the price for such power reduced their defenses, making them vulnerable to head on powerful attacks.

Queen was worth nine pawn pieces. They possessed all the characteristics of Rooks, Bishops, and Knights, creating them to be the most balanced piece as well as the most powerful among the set.

Lastly were the Pawns. Each piece was worth only one. Their powers work differently compare to the rest. The name of their ability was called Promotion. It remained dormant till the pawn reached into enemy territory or given permission by their king. After achieving either condition, Promotion grants them to change the status of their piece into either Rook, Bishop, Knight, and even Queen.

To this moment, Rias had a Queen, one Bishop, a Knight, and one Pawn. Kuroka served as the almighty Queen. Kiba was the gallant Knight, and Aero was the typical foot soldier of a Pawn, worth of one. Interesting side note, depending on the power level of the King using the evil pieces and the individual they are trying to reincarnate, it may require them to use more than one piece to reincarnate someone of a higher caliber. Albeit, another feature installed in the Evil Pieces are the Unused Evil Pieces, which would undergo development according to the master's growth, allowing the King to use fewer pieces when reincarnating other beings into Devils.

Reincarnating Aero was a steal for Rias. Since the Biometal Aero used to fuse with was an external weapon, unlike a Sacred Gear, his worth an individual human was only one pawn piece.

"I'm in no mood to get contracts," Kuroka yawned, resting her head on Aero's shoulder and dragged his arms into her exposed cleavage. Through his sleeve, he sensed her natural warm body temperature and her soft, elastic breasts. "Shirone, go in my stead instead."

"Hello no, Nee-sama," Koneko rebuked flatly. The white-haired girl jumped up to her feet and sprang herself over the tab and onto Aero. "And let go of Aero-senpai! He isn't your plaything!"

"But Shirone, he's so cuddly, Nya," Kuroka purred as she rubbed her head on his neck.

"I said no!" Koneko pulled on Aero's free arm and heaved him to her side with all her might.

"Don't be selfish now!" Kuroka pulled back. A tug a war broke out between the two sisters, making Aero the rope they pulled back and forth.

"Knock it off you two!" Aero ordered them in an effortless attempt. Both girls used their inhuman strength to tighten their grip around his arms and neither refused to give in to the other. Each of their hauls made Aero feel like a stuffed toy caught between two little girls fighting over it. If this goes any longer, Aero feared his arms might be torn apart by these two.

"Enough playing around you two," Rias sighed after giving her command. "We're burning moonlight fooling around. And Kuroka, if you don't get at least one contract this week, I'll have no choice but to cut all financial ties with you."

"Eh?" Kuroka released her grip on Aero, causing to crash down on Koneko on the other side of the couch. Her beautiful soft peach skin turned pale white. "H-Hey now... There is no need to take such drastic measures, Nya."

"Then get to work. Now," Rias said with a chilling smile on her face.

Kuroka nodded her pale head and saluted to her king. "Got it, boss! I get right to it right now, Nya!"

"Now that's settled then, who wants to take the first contract." Rias laid her eyes on Aero. "How about you, Aero?"

"Me?" Aero blinked. "No, no. I'm good."

Acquiring contracts was never Aero's forte. It wasn't Aero had the problem getting them, more like it was the type of requests he's given to receive them. Long ago, back when Rias started out her peerage, Aero's first contact came from a European woman dressed in a Samurai's armor named Susan. Her request was she needed to recover her notebook she left behind back the university she attended. Aero accompanied her at night, which was his biggest mistake. Susan carried around a katana, a weapon she used whenever she got spook. Even though she hired Aero for protection, she nevertheless swung her sword. Aero acquired his contract at the price of almost losing his head.

His second contract came from a cosplayer. Since he was in Japan at the time, he wasn't surprised to be hired to fulfill a cosplayer's request; however, Aero had never suspected the cosplayer to be a male bodybuilder who wishes to become a Magical Girl. After a month of acquiring contracts, Aero discovered most of his clients were either weird or had weird requests. Tired of their antics, Aero spoke to Rias' brother to find another "field" of work instead of getting contracts. For the last few years, Aero had been assisting the Maou by doing various of tasks, though his work with the Maou ended for some time now.

"Come on, Aero. For old time's sake," Rias pleaded with him teasingly. "I'll come with you if you want."

"What do you mean "For old time's sake?" I only did for a month." Aero reminded her, surprisingly cold. "Plus having you accompany me will only make me feel incompetent." And bothersome, Aero wanted to add, but he didn't want to say it out loud. He knew Rias meant well.

"Just this one time, please." Aero stole a peek at Rias. He cringed on inside after seeing her sad, yet cute, puppy dog eyes and her adorable downcast face. There was a chance of being a facade, but Aero hated seeing Rias or any of the girls he personally close to feeling despondent.

"Fine," he said, clearing his throat. "This one time though."

Aero peaked again to see her expression lighten up. Those sadden puppy dog eyes brightened up, and her lovely lips curved upward. Happy to know Rias was no longer sadden, Aero rose up from his seat and walked over to the corner of the room where the magic circle used to teleport the members of the peerage to their respective clients.

"Ready?" Rias asked him.

"Ready I'll ever be," Aero sighed, crossing his arms.

"Good. Hope you come back with a contract." Rias winked at him before the red magic circle lit up underneath him.

In a blink of an eye, Aero's horizon changed from seeing the clubroom of the old school building and into the middle of a small living room, an apartment, he believed. Oddly enough the living room looked very familiar to him. "Wait, a second..." Aero spotted a familiar painting of a pink teddy pair hanging on the wall. He had seen that exact portrait years ago, but where? "Unless..."

"Does my eyes deceive me, Nyo?" A deep masculine voice said from behind, jarring Aero. "Why isn't my old friend, the devil Aero from the house of Gremory, Nyo."

"Bite me," Aero murmured under his breath, comprehending who his client was going to be tonight.

"Well, there's a night I never get back again." Aero leaned back on a park bench the following morning. The client he met last night was Mil-tan, the professional male bodybuilder wanting to be a magical girl. Out of all clients in this suburban town, he had to meet the one that forced him to take an alternative job.

"Damn it." An uncomfortable feeling plagued his chest, forcing Aero to put his hand over it. His conscience was acting up again, but why? It only happened while he's at school. So why is it acting up now?

"Maybe I should just ditch class for a day," he said to himself.

"Hawa!" A loud voice shouted from behind with a loud thud afterword.

"Huh?" He turned around to see a fallen young woman around his age, dressed in all black gown and veil down on the ground. Across from black dressed girl was an opened wooden suitcase with her clothes scattered everywhere.

"Hey, are you alright?" Aero approached her and offered him his hand.

*Thump Thump*

His heart suddenly race. The Mega Man quickly held back his fight or flight response as the woman grabbed his hand.

"Auu. Why do I keep on tripping over…" The woman moaned as Aero pulled her up. She sounded young and innocent. "Oh, sorry. Thank you very much."

A strong breeze blew by, whisking away the woman's veil. In that instant, their eyes met. Aero gaped, astound of her gentle ash-blue eyes as her ash-blonde hair blew in the air.

"H-Hello... I'm... Mirana Shatarova," The beautiful woman introduced herself as she gazed into Aero's chocolate brown eyes.

~London, England~

"Amen," said a young Japanese man, concluding his daily prayer. He kneeled down in front of a pulpit of a church. The lights were off, leaving him in utter silence.

[Finally... I thought you never going to end that stupid prayer]

"It wasn't stupid, Ddraig," the man said out loud as if he was speaking to someone even though he was alone. "You know I take my prays to my God seriously."

[You mean the same God who stripped my soul away in my body and sealed it away in some Sacred Gear.]

"Hey if God of the Bible didn't seal you in the first place, we might have never ended up together."

[Hmm... You might have a point, Partner]

The Japanese man frowned. "I told you to stop calling me that. Call me Ise."

Again, sorry for making you all wait and putting so much information in one chapter. Since most of us know what DxD is and didn't need to reread some terms you don't even need it learn again, I decided to put all of it in one chapter so we can get through the plot. So what do you think of the twists I had on this chapter. Why is Mirana, a character introduced in volume 23 of the light novel, showed up instead of Asia and how is Aero being Rias' peerage made Issei join the church? You have to wait and see in in the next chapter of Highschool ZxD

P.S. While I don't know when the next chapter of ZxD will appear I'm going to post a terminology page for those who don't know much about Mega Man ZX as its old game and no one would get the terminology as it wasn't a popular game, to begin with. I'll get it posted as soon as possible and update whenever I bring up references no one got and post right in front of the first chapter. Again please review and subscribe. Thank you to those who did review and follow the story.