Author's Note: I'm not sure whether to call this chapter filler too. This chapter has nothing to do with Issei, but the facts presented here kind of set up the direction of this fanfic. Don't worry, Issei and Rito will meet soon.

If you have been reading Chapter 7 carefully, you should know that the new Biology professor is not an original character. She is revealed here. Because this fanfic revolves around her creations, I should include her somewhere in this story.

Finally with the release of this chapter, I have a better idea of where this story is going. It's subject to change though.

Published 5/2/2015

Chapter 8:

The Emerging Crisis

Lala, Nana, and Momo are currently at an emergency meeting held by Zastin, Gid, Sophie, and the Deviluke superiors. They are unsure why they were suddenly called in by Zastin after the event with Rito.

Once everyone is seated, Gid begins the meeting. "Since everyone is here, let's begin. I brought everyone here today to inform that we're now on red alert."

"Seriously? Red Alert? That hasn't happened in many years. I thought those would be a thing of the past after the universe was unified by the Deviluke forces."

Zastin then shows a hologram of different charts in the middle of the conference table. "That is mostly true. However, according to our recent observations, there is a powerful entity that is attempting to destroy the peace of our society." Everyone is in shock as they look through the charts.

Gid continues. "I'm sure everyone knows something about the organization that existed before the creation of this empire. The organization was said to be completely destroyed by a dark assassin. However, we have strong evidence that there may be a creation of a new organization similar to the old one. I, as the king of Deviluke, will continue to investigate this situation. I will locate the new headquarters and destroy them under my powers. As for the rest of you, protect all citizens. That's an order."

"Yes sir…" Everyone bows to Gid.

"Before we close the meeting today, I have one final note. Our sources also suggested the existence of rare mythological creatures in this universe. We are unsure why they're here, but we speculate that one, either the gods or other spiritual leaders are unhappy about the Devilukes dominating this universe or two, they are allying with us and helping us locating and destroying all dangers in this universe. They may also just be passing by. So, whatever actions they choose to take, we must be prepared. Do not let the citizens of our empire down. Are there any more questions?"

"No questions sir. As the royal bodyguard of Deviluke, I will obey the king's orders and protect all citizens from harm."

"There's nothing more I need to say; the meeting is over and you're all dismissed." With the meeting finished, Lala, Momo, amd Nana return to earth.

Back in college, Rito is limping along the walkway as he makes his way back to the dormitory.

"This was a tough day. I guess joining the Floral Club was a bad idea after all. It really does seem like those girls are Momo's assistants. If it weren't for the boys from the Animals Assistance Club, I would have become a plaything for the girls. But, there weren't any more good choices." Shortly after Rito recovered, he found the Floral Club girls arguing with the Animals Assistance Club again. Kaito had just reported 'illegal scouting of Rito' to the Publications Club. With the help of the Photography Club, the Publications Club will publish an article aimed at defaming the Floral Club. The Photography Club, already jealous at Rito being the first male member, jumps on the opportunity.

As Rito limps along the walkway along the Science lecture halls, he gets unwanted stares from passersby. Most of these boys are in the Photography Club.

"Hey look, everyone. That's the Rito-boy everyone from Sainan High School is talking about."

"Yeah, and he's also the first male member for the Floral Club."

"What's so great about him? He probably isn't interested in those girls either."

"Don't tell me he likes flowers too... Ewww, what a disgusting hobby for a guy!"

Rito ignores the voices of the Photography Club as he walks along. He then hears a different, but familiar voice calling him from the Science lecture hall.

"Hey, is that you Rito Yuuki?" Rito turns around and finds a professor standing in the doorway of the neighboring lecture hall to his Chemistry class.

"Wait? Lunatique-sensei? Are you the Biology professor that everyone is talking about?"

"Umm… I guess so. I just started teaching today so I don't know what words are going around." Tearju matches every description given by the photography club. Since she is too focused on her research, she is usually unaware of her surroundings.

"So, what brings you here?" Rito is confused that Tearju would end up being a professor here. Previously, she was a roving substitute teacher at Sainan High School, filling in for absent teachers.

"I am looking forward to start a new life. Just like Mikado-sensei, I was also involved in working for a terrorist organization. My job as a substitute teacher was only temporary. I also used the research labs here occasionally to work on my research. Recently, one of the previous Biology professors suddenly quit due to a heart attack. The chair of the department needed someone to fill in the position immediately so they asked me if I was interested. I was. The chair of the department was impressed with my research so I was let in."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Rito thinks in his mind. Tearju's research specialty in nanomachine and biodefense is far superior to any technology on Earth. However, most universities including the prestigious National 7 Universities of Japan don't recognize and appreciate such research. Some have also labeled Tearju's work as something found only in fiction. It is rare for any university to take Tearju in without any conditions.

"Say, Yuuki, do you have time right now? If so, would you mind coming with me to my research lab? There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Umm… sure." Rito agrees, hoping he can ward all the spying from the Photography Club. As he walks with Tearju to her lab, he hears even more insults from the Photography Club.

"Look at him! That blonde busty professor took Rito in just like that. He isn't even taking Biology."

"He isn't bright either. I heard he got a 28% on his Chemistry exam."

"Yeah, I'm in his Calculus class. He made a 15% on his exam. It was so laughable."

"Let's hurry up with those photos and send them to the Publications Club. We've gotta get this out ASAP."

Tearju leads Rito to the basement of the lecture hall. There are hallways that connect the lecture halls to the offices and the research labs. Tearju opens the door to Room 181, her research lab.

"Come on in, Yuuki."

The research lab looks messy since Tearju just moved in. There is plenty of leftover equipment from the previous professor. Most of the equipment haven't been in many years and are now collecting mold. In the room is another alien Rito knows.

"Ah Rito-senpai, guess who is here?"

"Huh? Mea?" Rito quickly identifies her. "But I thought you were still in high school."

"High school doesn't last all day you know. I spent my non-school hours here. Plus, home is boring; there's nothing interesting to do."

"Interesting. Are you trying to be like Oshizu-san, who is always helping out with Mikado-sensei?"

"I guess you can say that since I was built by Lunatique-sensei too." Mea then gets serious. "The main reason I am here is to save Yami-oneechan."

"Huh? Yami? What happened to her?"

"That is exactly why I brought you here, Yuuki," Tearju responds as she clears the table. "Something serious happened shortly after you gone at Sainan High School."

Tearju then gets out her computer and searches for imformtion. "The weather around Sainan High recently changed for the worse. It was always dark and cloudy, giving some strange aura. Nobody, including Mikado-sensei and me, saw it as something suspicious."

Mea then continues. "Then, something happened that very day. Everybody suddenly turned into wild beasts. It was like the dark clouds spewed out an evil curse across the school. The only people who were not affected by the curse were Lunatique-sensei, Mikado-sensei, Oshizu, Momo, Nana, Yami-oneechan, and me. Everyone went after Yami-oneechan and tied her to the ground. The only person who could do that is… Nemesis, my former master. She set an invincible shield between everyone else and her with Yami-oneechan. Then, she activated a strange spell that transformed her into Darkness. Darkness and Nemesis nearly destroyed the entire school before departing."

"That makes sense." Rito easily relates the Darkness and Nemesis story to the recent incident he had back at the club recruitment event. If it weren't for the red dragon, Rito would not be alive right now.

"So, why are you telling me this? I'm just an ordinary human boy. This Darkness stuff is too complicated for me."

"You are the main target, Yuuki. Yami-chan in her Darkness mode kept making up all these fantasies about you after she was brought to life. Same thing with Nemesis; she also reminded Darkness that she has pending contract to fulfill."

"What does she want with me?"

"Who knows?" Mea answers. "Maybe she likes you so much that hopes to kill you and merge your body with her."

"Uhh…" Rito tries hard to hide the fact that he was indeed killed by Darkness and brought back to life by a red dragon knowing that it will only bring more questions to him. However, he hopes that Darkness would revert back to Yami before she finds out what happened to him next. The normal Yami would not care while Darkness will go berserk and cause more damage.

"Is there any way to turn her back to Yami? Something worked last time." Rito literally groped Darkness to turn her back into normal.

"This new curse is very strong, something that your old tricks won't do. But, as the person who created Yami-chan, I am confident I'll find a solution. I just need to do some more researching about this curse."

Rito then thinks more. He is unsure what Nemesis really wants. Killing him seems miniscule compared to all the chaos she caused at Sainan High. "Do any of you have an idea what Nemesis is up to? I thought the organization behind all of this was destroyed a long time ago."

Tearju shows Rito Gid's reports. "Gid just had a meeting about this with senior Deviluke officials and leaders of other planets. The senior researchers over there detected the presence of a new organization. The members are probably survivors of the old organization who are seeking revenge. True to their nature, they're working hard to stay under Deviluke's surveillance. Right now, it appears they're trying to round up as many assassins as they can from the previous organization. Rumors say that they may also be starting a new Darkness project, one that is more threatening to the stability of the universe than the previous project which eventually failed." Tearju's explanation explains to Rito why Lala, Momo, and Nana would suddenly be called to Deviluke.

"Wait, if they're rounding up all assassins, how come Mea is still here?" Rito knows that Mea is also an assassin.

"That's because I never existed when the organization was active. I was sealed in a vial and didn't come to life until after the organization was destroyed."

Tearju gets up and pulls some books from the bookshelf. "Say, Yuuki, would you mind helping us? You're probably the most knowledgeable student I can find in this school so how about it?"

"What am I supposed to do?" Rito is getting nervous at Tearju's request.

"Well, you can start by reading this book on cell structures." Tearju hands Rito an old book complete with her annotations. By the time Rito gets through the first page, he immediately gets overwhelmed.

"I think I'll pass. You should find someone else like Lala or Momo to help you. I can't read this."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Yuuki. I forgot that Biology wasn't your strong suit; how about I teach you some concepts." Before Tearju could speak any more, Mea notes that Rito has already left.

Rito leaves the Science building and realizes it is now night time. He quietly heads back to the dormitory to finish up on all the homework he has. As he walks by one of the dormitories, he hears unusual voices.

"The answer to this question is 7."

"No, it's 9! The formula you used only works in these conditions."

Rito looks up and finds two students in one of the rooms. It is strange that Rito can hear them very clearly even with the window closed.

"Wait! Did I just hear them talking? How is that possible? Why can I hear them so well from down here? Is this another of those weird dreams I have been getting?"

Rito quickly dashes away from the two students. As he continues to his dormitory, he realizes another unusual phenomenon.

"That is strange. How can I see the footpaths very clearly? I can even read the advertisement signs on the sides very clearly. What's going on? It's dark at night and I shouldn't be able to see anything."

Rito continues to run. He hopes that once he gets inside the dormitory, the lighted rooms inside will help him forget about this strange phenomenon. As he desperately searches for his dormitory, he could hear pretty much every conversation in the entire student complex, ranging from homework questions to personal family matters. The cacophony of voices irritates Rito to the point where starts to go insane.

"Someone, stop this. What's wrong with my ears?"

Rito runs away from the student dormitories and ends up in front of the fountain. He waits at the fountain until many students go to bed, allowing him to have peace as he returns to the dormitory. Since he can see better at night, he is not too worried about walking in the dark. He also feels more energetic at night, allowing him to pull an all-nighter without any problems. As he looks at the water fountain, he thinks about what just happened minutes earlier.

"It's strange that I feel more energetic at night. I could hear people talking and I could even see everything clearly. How did this happen? I'm sure the event with Yami-Darkness and Nemesis had something to do with it. After I was stabbed, what happened next? I just suddenly ended up in my room. Haruna-chan mentioned about a dragon coming afterwards, but how? Did the dragon do something? Maybe Lala can explain this to me once she returns."

As Rito waits for the other students to go to sleep, he feels that someone is lurking nearby.

"Ku Ku Ku, I smell a devil! What a treat!"