Author's Note: Here's a bit of a surprise for you. If you don't know who the mysterious girl is at the end of Chapter 16, here it is. Hint: It's not a new character created by me.

I wrote this chapter for many purposes. First, I try to tie all of the events presented in the earlier chapters. We have been missing out on all those people Rito met in the beginning of this fanfic. Second, I am hoping I have a good foundation for the rest of this fanfic. I have an ending in mind and I still have one more link I need to work on to pave a path to the end. Third, I think it's time for another fight.

Congratulations to skystar99 for getting the question in Chapter 16 correct. Rito's summoning request was modified from Ritsuko's route in Princess Evangile.

Published 2/26/2016

Chapter 17:

Deviluke Rage: The Attack

"Rito-san. Long time no see. Uhuhu..."

Rito turns around and finds a familiar looking girl peeking from the bushes. Her hair looks like Lala's hair but at a shorter length.

"Momo! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be home at this hour? You need to help Mikan cook dinner and you also have school tomorrow." Rito is surprised at Momo's appearance. He checks his watch and realizes it's getting late.

"Uhuhu… I wanted to check on you. Mikan is busy cooking meals for father so there's nothing to worry about." Momo smiles before continuing. "I hope that you have not forgotten about that harem plan. That time will come sooner than you think."

"Yeah… the harem… as usual…" Before Rito could say anything else, Momo hugs Rito from the arm.

"Ah! That smell, the texture, the feeling… It's been so many months… It was so lonely without you, Rito-san." Momo makes strange thoughts as she clings to Rito tightly. In response, Rito starts remembering Issei's comments about Momo.

"Think about Momo from a different angle. Why would she be showing all those affection towards you? She might look like a perfectly normal lady, but there must be something bothering her under the covers."

"Hmm… Issei does have a point. If Momo is concerned about me to the point where she would sneak out of home and meet me like this, there really is something bothering her under the covers. What is Momo trying to hide? How can I find out? She's always deceptive compared to Nana and Lala who are always pure in their hearts."

Momo then speaks up. "Rito-san, from now on, I will visit you at school on a weekly basis. It's important that I check up on you as much as possible. If only college was close to our home, I could visit you every day."

"Why? You have 3rd Year High School to worry about. I am fine alone. There's also Lala and Haruna if I ever need to talk to someone." Rito tries not to mention Issei's name at Momo.

"Who cares about all that?" Momo gives a disgruntled look at Rito. "What matters the most is you. We need to build up that harem. Judging by your reactions, it seems like you have forgotten all about it. We have built up that progress while you were still in high school and I am here to keep that motivation going."

Rito questions Momo's intent. "What progress? I don't recall doing anything significant back then. Also, why are you speeding it up now? You always liked to do everything slowly."

"If you haven't noticed, there are lots of girls waiting for you and that list is only going to get bigger. It's very rude for a guy like you to keep all those girls waiting. You'll break their hearts. When you moved onto college, I was hoping that you will meet more girls. See those Floral Girls like Minamo-san? She's an excellent lady for your harem Rito-san. Not only she's so tenderly caring to her friends, she's also skilled and intelligent. I recently went to her flower shop the other day and she shared some of her specialty drinks such as the Cocomu Shake with me. It was so good! Imagine her making all those specialty drinks for you as one of your housewives. Ahh… such as sweet romantic feeling."

"There goes Momo off into her world again," Rito watches Momo in disgust. As he tries to walk away from Momo, Momo continues.

"Oh Rito-san, Minamo-san told me the other day that she enjoyed giving you that healing therapy. You should do something in return. All you've done is make them worry by skipping out on too many Floral Club meetings. Come on Rito-san, would it be comforting if you had all those beautiful girls around you?"

"Well, it's not that I don't want to attend the club. It's just that I haven't got the time to do so. You know that college is hard and there's lots of homework to do and tests to take. I also have the Eigabo project too."

Momo takes a deep sigh. "If only Rito-san's beast mode would come to surface during the day. Ayane-san was going wear a maid dress for you and Kanae-san was going to make White Whiswash cakes for you. Oh… Don't forget poor Mitsuru-san, Misaki-san and others as well. Aahhh… I can't imagine what it would be like with all these girls crowding around Rito-san. Being wedged in between those huge and wondrous breasts is a privilege that only the king of the universe can have."

As Momo continues to daydream about Rito's life with the Floral Girls, Rito quietly walks away and disappears. "I better get away from Momo before this leads to another disastrous event."

As Rito heads back to the dormitories, he tries to relate this event to Issei's words. "Maybe I should take Issei's advice and see this from a different angle. Is there really some hidden reasoning behind Momo's justification for creating this harem? If that is true, it might explain why Momo is always pushing for it. Either way, it is quite strange and ridiculous that my beast mode is the key to making this harem a success. All I get out of it is Haruna beating me up and Kotegawa-san calling me "Shameless". It's not my wish to dive into girls like that, but Momo never understands the situation and tries to make me do more of it. Even if I become the king of the universe, it sounds completely unethical to just devour girls like that. I'm sure Issei doesn't do that. Sigh… I'll just forget about what Momo said."

Momo reappears in front of Rito just as he approaches the dormitories of Sainan University. "Rito-san! Don't leave me behind. Actually, my main reason for needing to check on you regularly is to protect you from further dangers. Without me around, dangerous things will happen to you again."

"It's the same old excuse again." Rito does not believe in Momo.

"Remember what happened to you on the day of the club recruitment fair? I was helping the Floral Club set up their booth and showing them who you are. After I left, Ayane-san and Minamo-san found you and brought you over to the booth. You declined and chose that strange club booth by the tree. Then, an explosion happened and onee-sama, Nana, and I went to see what happened. We saw you get killed by Darkness and taken away by dragon-san. Who knows what he may have done to you. You're probably undergoing training to be one of Nemesis's pet. Maybe you're a test experiment for something even sinister."

"Test experiment? Nemesis's pet? What kind of nonsense are you talking about Momo?" Rito finds Momo's story questionable. "I appreciate you worrying about me, but you should worry about you own problems first. Also, the dragon has nothing to do with Nemesis."

Momo is worried at Issei's response. "This is bad. Dragon-san has put mind-controlling spells into Rito-san. Not only he's unaware of his danger, he's ignoring all my words about meeting with the Floral Club. At this rate, Rito will never become that carnivorous beast that I want him to be. My harem plan will never come true. The only way to create a harem is for Rito-san to become a beast and attract women. Because he is the king of the universe, no women will be able to defy his seduction and they'll have no choice but to bow down to king Rito-san's wishes. They'll be ordered to become Rito-san's slaves. Rito-san has this capability in his sleep and I just need to bring it out while he is awake."

Momo brings out her de-dial and looks for a solution. "I need to find a way to break Rito-san's curse."

"Hey! That's a nice cell phone you got there." Suddenly, Momo hears a strange voice commenting about her phone. She gives a quick replay and quickly hides behind the bushes. As she turns around and looks at the person, she is shocked to find Rito casually talking to person as if Rito knows him personally.

"Yo Issei, what brings you out here?" Rito asks the man.

"Oh Rito! It's getting late. I was wondering where you went. My tablet says that the summoning request was completed several hours ago and I was expecting you to come home shortly. If you've been out for this long after the completion of a summoning request, it usually carries an ominous sign. You might have come across a stray devil, a psychotic priest, or an exorcist. These people are dangerous and could kill you instantly."

"I'm sorry. I was just talking to someone and I forgot about the time."

As Rito begins to walk towards Issei, Momo quickly jumps out of the bushes and lands in front of Rito. "You must be dragon-san, the assassin who brainwashed Rito-san. I know that you're here to take him to Nemesis's lair. Get away from him at once." Momo confronts Issei.

"What do you mean Nemesis's lair? I am just Rito's roommate. I came out here to tell Rito that it's getting late. He needs to get back into the dormitory before curfew kicks in. He also has some homework he needs to catch up on." Momo looks at Issei and suspects that he's covering up. She is certain that Issei is the dragon she saw at the club recruitment fair.

"Don't fool me. Onee-sama saw you when you defeated our father. You're just in your human form. Listen dragon-san, I am going to take him back. You're a big threat to my progress with Rito-san. I won't let you do anymore harmful things to Rito-san," Momo looks at Issei with fierce eyes.

Issei realizes who he is talking to and informs Momo of the current situation. "You must be one of Lala's sisters. I don't think she has told you this, but given Rito's current situation, he needs my help. In his current state, there's a likely chance that he'll be killed again. Who knows when those assassins might return to haunt Rito. Right now, they haven't learned about his revival so it's quiet for now. As his new master, I will train him to become one of the greatest warriors you can ever imagine. I have a list of achievements if you're interested."

Momo doesn't feel convinced and thinks to herself. "This man is definitely working for Nemesis. Rito-san needs his help? That's a lie. The only help Rito-san needs is me. I know what Rito-san wants. I've lived with him for a few years and I know what works best for Rito-san. This man is only fooling himself. He's trying to trick me."

Momo points her de-dial at Issei. "I don't care what your wishes are for Rito-san. Everything that you can help him with, I can do it too including defending Rito-san from those assassins. You don't have anything good to offer him either. All you're doing is brainwashing him and turning him into a slave who obeys Nemesis and Darkness."

"Come on Lala's sister, you don't believe me? Why don't you ask Rito over there? Maybe you believe in him more than me. We've just had a nice adventure a few days ago and Rito's received some helpful training lessons for me."

Before Issei could continue, he feels something grabbing him into the air. He looks down and finds a living tree monster using its branches as claws. One of the claws is holding onto Issei.

"Ork! Ork! Ork! Ork!" The tree monster swings Issei around. Issei looks down and sees Momo laughing.

"Uhuhuhuhu, Dragon-san! Maybe this will get you to stop lying about Rito-san and spit out the truth. This tree monster is an indication of how I feel."

"Looks like I have no choice but to resort to force." Issei quickly equips his Boosted Gear. He summons Ascalon sword and cuts through the branches. Issei also equips his Scale Mail and wings and stays airborne. The tree monster tries to grab Issei with all of its claws, but Issei flies fast enough to dodge all of the claws. Suddenly, Momo hears the tree wailing.

"Uwooooon! Uwooooon!" It turns out that Issei has stabbed his sword into one of the tree monster's legs. Momo quickly uses her de-dial and brings him back.

"Don't worry Burachia-san. You did great, I'll give you some healing potion afterwards," Momo speaks into her de-dial.

She then looks up at Issei with even more anger. "Burachia-san was one of my favorite trees and I coddled it when it was only my height. You definitely are an assassin working for Nemesis and you're trying to take my Rito-san away. I'm going to make you pay. I'll exterminate you right now."

Momo equips her Deviluke wings and flies into the air. She summons more living plant monsters from her de-dial at Issei. "Let's have a party dragon-san; I get to host the event."

The first monster sprays pollen through the sky. The pollen makes Issei weak enough that he wobbles as he flies.

"Uhuhuhu… Dragon-san. This type of pollen harms dragon and dragon-based creatures. I may look like a small girl, but I have extremely high grades and am a genius when it comes to plants." Momo continues to enjoy watching Issei being tortured by the pollen from her first plant monster.

"Next!" The second monster emits sticky vines that wrap Issei up. The monster tightens the grip and squeezes Issei very hard. The monster emits yellow fluid from his top and squirts it all over Issei. The yellow slowly eats through Issei's Scale Mail. Issei can also feel a painful burning sensation.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! This fluid hurts. It even gives off a disgusting smell."

"I'm sure you love that." Momo continues to giggle. "You probably wanted to do this to Rito-san as an experiment did you? Well, that's too bad 'cuz I have the upper hand. Enjoy it dragon-san."

Issei charges his Boosted Gear and touches the vines. "Penetrate!" Issei sends Dragon shots down the sticky vines. The vines quickly burn off, allowing Issei to escape once again.

"Let's see how you handle the next one." The third plant monster fires splinters and razor-sharp leaves Issei. Although Issei is able to block most of the debris fired at him, some of them landed a hit in the openings created by the yellow fluid. Nevertheless, Issei uses Change Solid Impact (Rook promotion) and creates a tough armor that minimizes the amount of damage from Momo.

"Now, let's bring out the final course." Momo goes to her de-dial and summons a huge pitcher plant monster. The pitcher plant first squirts digestive juice at Issei. Then, it creates a vacuum and attempts to suck Issei into its mouth.

"Goodbye dragon-san. I've had fun hearing all those lies. Nemesis, Darkness, and the organization might be worried, but the rest of us won't. Rito-san will finally be in better hands again. Farewell." Momo smiles as she watches Issei try to break free from the vacuum. Suddenly…

WHOOOSH!

A huge blast blows Momo right back to the ground. She looks up and finds all of her plant monsters on fire. While Momo was attacking Issei with her plant monsters, Issei has been quietly charging up his Boosted Gear. Issei made it appear as if Momo was scoring victories against him. Right when he is about to be devoured by Momo's pitcher plant, Issei lets out a huge dragon breath and burns all of Momo's plant monsters including the huge pitcher plant.

"Oh Shit! My friends are going to die. I forgot that the fundamental weakness of plants in fire. I thought I was smart! Anyways, I need water quick!" Momo summons another plant monster that sprays enough water to put out all the fire. Once the fire is completely extinguished, Momo quickly calls them back into her de-dial. Issei also returns to the ground and puts away his Scale Mail armor.

"Lala's sister. You did not have to go this far. If you would have given Rito and me the time to explain about my role, you would not have to see your trusty plant friends burn up in flames. Also, I am only using a tiny fraction of my true powers. If I was to unleash my full potential, you would probably be dead by now. Is that where you want to go?"

Momo is shaken up by Issei words. However, she is willing to sacrifice herself for Rito. "I'm not going to give up dragon-san. I'll do anything it takes to keep Rito-san away from you. This man is the future to our society and I will do anything to defend him. If I can't defeat you, I have friends and relatives that will. They have weapons that are immune to your firepower. My bodyguard is also known as one of the greatest swordsman in the universe. My father is labeled as the strongest man in the universe capable of wiping a whole solar system with one attack. There's no way you stand a chance against my reinforcements. I've already sent an alert to them and they'll be coming down here shortly."

Momo then shows Issei her tail. "Until backup arrives, I have no choice but to resort to old-fashion techniques." Issei sees sparks running through Momo's tail. Momo then energizes her tail and emits a strong lightning beam from it. The lightning shock paralyzes Issei for a few seconds, but Issei is able to quickly recover.

Issei thinks in his head. "Lala's sister has lost her mind. It looks like I definitely need some force to get her to listen up." Issei prepares a devastating Dragon shot at Momo. "Boost! Countdown!" Issei's Boosted Gear begins counting down.

"Ten!" Momo looks at Issei charging up his attack. The Dragon shot looks small, something that Momo could easily brace for. She quietly smiles at Issei.

"Nine! Eight!" The size of the Dragon shot grows in size. It slowly gets larger every 10 seconds. The moment Momo realizes the increasing size, she stops smiling.

"Seven! Six!" The sphere intensifies. Now, it glows red with black sparks running across it. Momo now has more sweating running down her body. She is getting more desperate about her timing of her reinforcements.

"Five! Four!" The sphere is now emitting white lasers. As Issei continues to wait for the countdown, he notices someone else standing in front of him.

"Stop!" Rito quickly intervenes and gets Issei to stop. "Please don't hurt Momo. I don't believe her intention justifies this amount of force. I'm sure we can find some other way to get Momo to listen up."

"What can I do then? This girl likes to use violence to solve her problems."

"Let us help Issei!" Issei and Rito turn to the streets and find Lala, Nana, and Mea. Lala was buying some treats for Nana and Mea.

"Momo is always like this."

"Momo-chan is so brave!"

"Nana! Onee-sama! Mea-chan!" Momo thinks that her reinforcements have arrived.