[Deuterocanonical Chapter 1 - Rebirth]

"Man cannot endure his own littleness unless he can translate it into meaningfulness on the largest possible level."

― The Denial of Death

The Fiend dreamed.

He dreamt the sand laden wastes of the Tokyo he remembered. The uncaring glare of the conception's pale sun. Each step his feet digs into the scorching sand the Kagutsuchi knew he would come and collect the price for killing the world. Each demon in his way a feeble attempt to slow him down, becoming little more than stains in his path after being dealt with.

In his dream he could vividly hear their last words, their pleas and curses before finishing them off. Some even would have the gall in begging for a place in his demon band; something he would always find amusing. He sometimes would cater to his whims and take them in only to be fused into the Cathedral of Shadows later on, becoming stronger demons who would be blindingly loyal to his will.

However, only a few select demons he found truly trustworthy. One he would find longing for her more than most.

With these thoughts the Fiend found himself awake in a new universe. The universe he wrung out from the Kagutsuchi, the world it killed in bringing forth the conception.

Kashima Naoki's dreams wouldn't only be remembered by him. The people he once thought of as friends were resurrected alongside the universe. They remembered the conception, they had to.

But after the universe's resurrection, they seemingly have changed. Have they regressed back into their old selves? Naoki didn't buy it.

Not a day in this new world he tried meeting with them.

Naoki couldn't help berating them for everything. In the hospital, for leaving him to escape on their own. In the vortex world, for suddenly having logic leave their minds and pursue some dumbfounded sense of reason. And in the tower of Kagutsushi, for trying to kill him just because he wanted the old world back.

"I'm sorry, alright?" Isamu said after Naoki poured his heart out. It wasn't the apology that threw him off, it was the look his 'friend' gave as he said the words. "Is that what you wanted me to say?"

"That's enough, you two." Chiaki had her brows furrowed, but Naoki could see no regret in her eyes.

"Enough? How would you know what's enough, you genocidal maniac!" Isamu snapped back. He noticed her reaction. "What? Gonna kill me too? It's as easy as breathing for you two, isn't it?"

"As easy as how you finished Hijiri off." Naoki spat.

That made him flinch.

"Oh? Not as innocent as we seem, Isamu?" Chiaki added. "I killed those- manikins, you called them? To create a world where the strong may rule. You, however, merely wished for a corner to cry on."

Chiaki crossed her arms.

"Tch. I don't have time for this." Isamu waved them off and walked away.

"Isamu-!" Chiaki stepped in front of Naoki before he could chase Isamu.

Chiaki stepped closer to her childhood friend, clasping her hand along his cheek. "Your eyes, they're turning yellow."

Kashima flinched.

"You haven't given up your power, have you?" She smiled. "Unlike Isamu and me, who lost our powers when you killed us in the vortex world…"

"I-"

"And to think you rejected my reason-"

"I wanted everything to go back the way it was."

"You did." She let go. "And I will live in this world knowing you needed Yosuga to do so."

Naoki became silent.

"I lost my chance at creating a world, Nao-kun. So, like Isamu, I'll try living in this one you made. I just hope you can do the same."

With those parting words Naoki knew his old life could never be brought back.

Deep in the heart of Tokyo, Naoki visited a grave.

"He looked at me as if he didn't know what set me off. As if giving his apology would calm me down, like I was the crazy one-" Naoki slammed the stone wall he was leaning on, exploding on contact with his fist.

Naoki crouched down, sighing.

His companion ignored the damage caused by his outburst. "It is as if the vortex world they tampered with was a haze. As if the atrocities they committed was little more than a long-forgotten dream. It is as if-"

"…they wanted a fresh start, along with this new world…" Something boiled within Naoki.

Concentrated magatsuhi began leaking out of his body. Red lightning electrified his limbs and when his companion looked at the young man Kashima's eyes turned yellow.

"After what we did!?" Glowing tattoo-like markings appeared along his face. "After what they did!?"

"They might have realized the folly of their reason and resolved to live in this new world you have given to them."

"And they have the guts to look at me like I'm the insane one!?"

"They do. Yet, I suspect they would wish you do the same. To return on the same path of blissful ignorance as them."

"I saw the way Tokyo died, the way the world died." The fully fledged Fiend looked past the wall he had broken earlier. The broken wall showed Tokyo's buildings, similar looking to the ones he saw last before Tokyo crumpled itself into the vortex world. "I thought I could bring it all back if I forced the Kagutsuchi to restore everything."

"Did you not?"

"Not really." Naoki was in this new world for a day, already he felt the difference. "Every face I see who was there before the conception- they're not really the same people, are they?"

The Fiend looked at this companion. "My parents, my classmates. They're all dead. I was kidding myself in thinking I could bring everything back."

"They are the same individuals, are they not?"

"Not the same instance, no." Naoki looked at the Tokyo scenery. "It's like taking a demon from the compendium, they might have retained everything. But they're no longer the instance you met the first time."

"I do not comprehend. But this analogy is from the vortex world, is it not? The world where you attained the power you now wield. The same power your friends expect you to abandon."

"There was no way I could bring myself to get rid who I was. That'd be just spitting on the face of those who were loyal to me."

"Your old demon companions?"

Naoki took a step back from the view, touching the back of his neck. "This horn, these markings on my body, the magatama writhing inside me? They're the only proof of the demon I am, the rest of my demons are back in the Amala. Wherever that place is now…"

"I can feel my own power in you. Was this from the Masakado of the Vortex World?" Naoki's companion was curious.

He nodded. "The same Masakado from before the conception. Can't you remember?"

"I have his memories, yet I am Taira-no-Masakado of this-"

Naoki looked at his companion.

"…this instance. Yes. The instance of this universe you have made, not the one before." Masakado stepped closer to Naoki. "I see. Is this what you mean?"

The demon nodded.

"The reason, then, you sought my council was because I remind you of the Masakado of the vortex world?"

"Honestly, I expected you to remember everything."

"You are not wrong. I chose to call myself a separate instance of the one before." Masakado hummed in acceptance. "I imagine your friends are trying to do the same."

"All that talk of reasons, and they just get to walk away…" Masakado felt the demon's anger pulsing.

"Being a samurai." The samurai looked at the angered fiend. "I would suggest us dueling to relieve your anger, but I am fearful you would obliterate me by accident."

A breath escaped Naoki's lips. "Was that your idea of a joke?"

Masakado noticed his yellow eye reverting to its natural color. Naoki's markings also disappeared. "An ice-breaker of sorts. Or so it was called by one of the visitors here in my grave."

Kashima sat beside Masakado's grave.

The samurai stepped beside him. "Was it your own decision to keep your demonic power?"

Naoki paused. "What kind of question was that?"

"I can understand a warrior's revelry for blood. I am the same." He began. "But beyond your outbursts of rage, I do not see the flame of ambition."

"After everything that's happened, I don't know anymore." Naoki admitted. "But…"

Masakado was silent.

"In time, your true adversary will appear before you. Until that day, stay strong…"

Naoki closed his eyes. "I don't want to treat as if what had happened to me was a mistake. Anything that comes because of what I did, I'll deal with it. I'm not running."

Masakado hummed approvingly. "I see."

The samurai began to speak. "The previous Masakado have memories of demon summoners even before the conception."

"Yeah, the man who brought the conception was one of them." Naoki supplied. "I never knew anything about them before. I don't think anyone living normally did."

"Indeed." Masakado stepped facing the hole Naoki made. "The same could be said in this new world. You see it, do you not?"

"I do." Naoki would be lying if he denied it. Magatsuhi was flowing indiscriminately around the city. It wasn't as dense as in the vortex world, but it was definitely present.

"Demons also exist in this world."

Naoki gave the old samurai a raised brow.

"Beyond yourself, of course." Naoki felt Masakado's amused tone behind his mask.

"I did notice some people I run into with magatsuhi leaking out of them like faucet." The fiend instinctively swallowed. "But with the power they exude, they're closer to the level of manikins rather than actual demons."

"You are not fit to measure another's strength, I suspect."

"How come?"

"You would deem everything weak."

"I don't-"

"What demon, then, do you consider strong?"

"Mot."

"The Canaanite god of death?"

The fiend ignored him and continued. "What's your point?"

"These new demons, how weak they may be, have a chain of command." Masakado began. "If you follow it. You may find the key to the Amala."

"Key…" Kashima parroted.

"The one you spoke of. The one who started the conception."

"You think Hikawa is with these demons?"

"He was a demon summoner in the previous world, was he not?"

Naoki became silent, closing his eyes.

Masakado could see Naoki's expression shift. As the Fiend opened his eyes, the old samurai saw the same eyes of the one who killed his four Devas in the vortex world for sport. The one who demanded his power as if it was the demon's birthright. The one who promised to restore Tokyo.

"This is no time for you to be lost, King of Chaos." The old samurai smiled under his mask. "Even this new world holds no peace."

[Deuterocanonical Chapter 2 - Ikebukuro]

Ikebukuro was still the commercial giant as it was before the conception. But the buildings themselves were replaced by names unfamiliar to Naoki. Even the mall where he bought the jacket he last wore before everything went to hell had a different name now. Thinking about it, the Conception should have happened the day before. Naoki spent the day visiting Masakado's grave.

In the previous world, there was a massacre seemingly orchestrated by the Gaea cult. Naoki, like the general public, thought such was the case. It was only when he reached the Shinjuku memorial hospital where he learned it was all singlehandedly orchestrated by one man.

Hikawa.

But the general public suspecting the cult wasn't unreasonable. The Gaea cult had already been a notorious strong presence in Japan's underbelly for years. Open secrets of using occult rituals to get a drug-like high was being talked about since he was in grade school. Some even said the cult had a government presence, which explains how they've been so elusive for so long.

Since the two days Naoki had been in this world, however, he had never even heard of any news about them. Had Hikawa changed? Somehow it was doubtful. But Tokyo spoke for itself, if the man hadn't there would already be another conception. Or an attempt, at least. Hikawa was a high-ranking member of the cult. And nobody except some dodgy occult magazine was able to make the connection.

Truth be told, before the conception Naoki hadn't given any of the city's recent events any mind, not counting idle gossip thrown around classmates. He was just as clueless as everyone else.

'It was here.' Naoki supposed, finally arriving his destination.

Gremory Large, one of the largest corporate travel management enterprises in Japan. Or so his web search resulted in. Had this company always been here? Naoki had never travelled outside the country but he hadn't encountered the brand back in the previous world. He might not have known much about the secrets of the previous world, but he certainly would have noticed this towering building when he passed. He was standing in front of their main buildings, a towering skyscraper right at the heart of the district.

"One change among many, I guess." Naoki decided, no use overthinking every little thing.

"Quite right, young man." A voice cut through Naoki's thoughts. "One of the changes in this new world. Yet, like before, it is the same world that its inhabitants fail to harmonize with it."

Naoki turned to see Hikawa. The man still wore the same attire he used when they first met. Even the same ridiculous looking hair. Only difference now would be the metal case he was holding on one arm. He didn't feel any power from the case, but underestimating Hikawa was the last thing on his mind.

"The maiden always had a soft spot for you." Hikawa looked him in the eye. "I have answered her call. What do you want?"

"Give me access to the Amala."

The man closed his eyes. "It cannot be done."

Naoki's expression was unreadable. Hikawa made an even step towards the young man as he continued. "It has been two days since I have awakened in this world. I assume the same is also the case for you?"

Again, Hikawa couldn't read his face. But Naoki's black irises were locked into his, it was the same predatory gaze the cultist had seen back in the vortex world. The same leveled gaze demons use to gauge each other. It is the gaze that comes with the intentions and lies brough forth with dealing amongst each other.

With a sigh, Hikawa lifted his hand in resignation.

"I do not want any quarrel with you. My connection with the demons I have contracts with back then have dissipated. I can no longer summon them."

Hikawa had always hated his one-way conversations with this young man. He knew he could hold a conversation yet chooses not to do so. The reason being his experiences in the vortex world. Hikawa could imagine the young man being forced to get used to the company of many hostile demons for far too long that he would treat anything seemingly suspicious with the vigilance of a demon encounter.

"You have tried." Naoki said evenly.

"…and failed. Unfortunately."

"Something else happened." It wasn't a question, Hikawa gathered. It's either the young man was sharp, or the vortex world sharpened his senses.

"Yes. The results were… interesting." Hikawa crossed his arms. "I summoned human-looking demons, or devils, as they called themselves."

"Devils? They're different?"

"Semantics, I suspect. Though it should be noted they were extremely weak, even for demons usually summoned before the conception."

"The Gaea cult really does summon demons even back then?"

"I did almost send my Baphomet after you on our first meeting, did I not?"

Naoki thought Hikawa's was a unique case. So, demon summoning was not as uncommon as he initially thought. "I remember. Did the devils say anything?"

"Only the same fanfare of your first summoning. The rules and the like. I played along, who knows what system they work under. But I do plan on finding out."

"Is this why you wanted to meet here and not at the hospital?"

"The Shinjuku Medical Centre is no longer a territory of the cult. In fact, the cult doesn't exist in this world."

That got an arched brow from Naoki.

"Surprised?"

He didn't answer.

Hikawa continued, and here he thought he had gotten through to the boy. "From what I have gathered, the Messianic church exist. But the cult was either eradicated before they could get a higher position of power or had taken a different name and locations of operation."

"The messianic church…" Naoki was never one for religion. He would enjoy the traditional Japanese festivals and the occasional messianic winter holidays, nothing more. The only church he had been stepping in and out of for the longest time was the Cathedral of Shadows.

Thinking about it now, Naoki noticed something odd. "I have walked past a church on the way here. I saw magatsuhi gathering towards it."

"Oh?" Hikawa mused. "Have you not abandoned your demonic power then? You do not have your shamanistic markings."

"Shamanistic-?"

"Those glowing tattoo-like markings I saw you bear in the vortex world." Hikawa supplied. "They strongly resemble the tattoos of shamanism."

Naoki might have read something along those lines in a magazine somewhere. He answered Hikawa's prior question. "I didn't abandon my power."

Hikawa nodded in affirmation. "As to answer your question why I wanted to meet here…"

The man looked at the skyscraper. The top of the tower is attracting magatsuhi. "It is not as strong a conductor as the other structures in the vortex world."

"Not even close…"

"This building is a hub of the 'clan' the two demons I summoned belong to." Hikawa took something from his pocket. It was a length of prayer beads. "Apparently devils have set a great deal of human influence in comparison to the previous world."

"Now, will you join me?" Hikawa looked at Naoki.

"As a contract demon? Not on your life."

Hikawa managed to laugh at how he didn't skip a beat in answering. "I meant for some tea."

"These." He held his prayer beads. "Are for a different reason."

He held the beads close and a faint glow emanated from them. Was he going to summon the demons right here in the middle of Ikebukuro in broad daylight?

"If you're going to summon demons in the middle of the city, don't drag me into it." Naoki was about to walk away when he felt a noticeable concentration of magatsuhi in front of the building. Hikawa's words earlier slipped Naoki's mind.

He did say human-looking demons.

And the man wasn't lying. Two girls in high school uniforms walked out of the building and was eyeing Hikawa. One was blonde and the other silver. It wasn't until they stopped right in front of Hikawa completely and greeted him did the realization dawned to Naoki.

"This is the associate I was referring to," Hikawa gestured to Naoki. "Young man, these are the two devils I summoned and gained a contract with."

The golden colored one stepped closer and shook Naoki's hand.

'It's warm.' Naoki locked gazes with her and saw her earnest gleaming eyes.

"Pleased to meet you!" She said in the most genuine way Naoki has heard anyone say.

Slightly taken aback, Naoki watched as the silver haired one step closer. The golden haired one was keeping her smile as she waited for her companion to do her greeting.

"Pleased to meet you," The silver one bowed slightly. "We are the devils summoned by Hikawa-san. For the duration of our contract, we are associates, unless the terms are broken. You may call me Rook."

She gestured to her golden-haired companion. "And this is Bishop."

"Kashima." He answered. "I am one of the Fiends. I'm sure we'll get along."

[Deuterocanonical Chapter 3 - Café]

Naoki had seen his reflection in mirrors across the vortex world.

He still couldn't get used to seeing his own demonic reflection back at him. The cosplay-like flair of his demon markings he could look past, but the power they carry would always let sink the realization he was no longer human.

Rook, one of the demons summoned by Hikawa, had golden eyes. Though looking closer, hers were more human-like. Nothing like the empty golden orbs Naoki would see when he looks at his eye's reflection. The devils in this new world looked, for the lack of a better word, normal.

They were even hanging around a café a block from the Gremory Large building where they met up. It was a fairly normal looking place with a homely theme. It was a far cry from Nyx's bar, though to be fair it was the only bar Naoki had ever entered in his life.

"A fiend?" Rook asked again.

Forgetting where he was earlier, Naoki instinctively returned the formal greeting with the negotiation manners he learned from conversing with fellow demons in the vortex world. Now he was paying the price of that slip of the tongue. But even as they inquired him, there's no attempt at gaining authority, no silently gauging of each other's magatsuhi concentration, judging each other just in case the worst would happen. Frankly, it was a nice change of pace for Naoki.

But the question was something he wasn't comfortable in answering.

Naoki looked towards Hikawa, thinking he might steer the topic away. But the man was still typing away in his laptop he stored in his metal case. Apparently, he was gathering as much data as he can from the devils he summoned. Their hierarchy, abilities and limits to their power. Though what Rook told him seemed to be the most surface-level of information. She would always say it is 'beyond the terms of the contract' whenever Hikawa asked something worth asking. Regardless, the man was content with the information he was getting. It's either that or he was merely testing the limits of the contract itself.

Him being busy, though, meant Naoki was Rook's target.

"From what I've read. The four Fiends are collectively called 'the four evil creatures of the world'." Rook took his silence as confirmation. "Beings like Taotie are said to be harbingers of disaster."

That got a curious glace from Naoki. Taotie was a fiend? Unless the ones he talked with were collective liars, they would always call themselves part of the Vile race.

"You look like you know this Taotie, Kashima-san?" Bishop asked, always with her earnest tone.

"He does," Rook looked annoyed she wasn't getting anywhere with him. "Or he was openly admitting he was a public fiend. Something along the lines of a pervert."

Was she angry?

"I know a Taotie." He finally said, not quite sure he wanted to be dismissively labeled as a pervert just because he doesn't want to share that he was from a race of demons who are incarnations of death.

"What's he like?" Bishop cocked her head.

"He's fairly good." Naoki tried to remember. "He knows an almighty skill right off the bat so that's already a plus."

"Almighty skill?" Rook asked quizzically.

"Huh?" Did he say something off again?

"Interesting." Hikawa muttered.

"What is?" Naoki took the opportunity in steering away the conversation.

Hikawa turned his laptop towards him. It showed a satellite view of Tokyo, but there are red dots sprawled all over the map.

"There are over twenty messianic churches all around Tokyo and they all have the same overlay network used between each other. The church back then also did the same." Hikawa pointed at one of the dots. "This one, however, is additionally connected to a separate one."

"Overlay network?" Rook asked.

"Simply, a network on top of a network." That gave Hikawa confused glances thrown back at him. "All you need to know is this church in particular is using an overlay network doing online activities separate to the others."

"You make it sound like they're doing something illegal in there."

"Using an overlay network isn't that special." Hikawa admitted. "This one, however, is using the same overlay network being used by particular companies in this city. One of which is the Gremory Large."

Rook and Bishop perked at the mention of the name. Hikawa mentioned the company was a hub for the devils he summoned.

"What are you implying?" Rook said evenly.

"So, demons have their own version of the internet?" Naoki looked at Hikawa like he grew another head. "And you think this branch of the church is secretly hacking them or something?"

"Close enough." Hikawa looked at Rook. "What did you think I was implying?"

"No, nothing." Bishop leaned closer to Rook; Naoki noticed Rook relax slightly after.

"In our contract, you mentioned a give-and-take relationship." Hikawa began typing again. "During the duration of our contract I have only been asking you information. All that information and I have yet to give you anything in return."

"This information is your exchange?" Rook asked.

"And also, us investigating it." Hikawa added. "If it reveals the church's intentions, it would become a boon for your kind."

It looked like it was something that caught Rook's interest. The same couldn't be said with Naoki.

"What's the catch?" Hikawa looked at him evenly, it looked like he wanted Naoki to urge Rook for the deal and not the opposite. But what did he want him to do? He had no thing to do with this fight.

Instead, Naoki did what he wanted to do from the start. "How's that going to help me?"

"I am not doing it without something in return for myself, of course. And if Rook would take the deal my benefit would also become yours." The man, however, recollected himself rather quickly. Had Naoki been a thorn on his side for that long to Hikawa that he already counted on not being sided from the beginning?

"What are your terms?" Rook asked.

"I want an audience with the king of your peerage." Hikawa said simply. Naoki had no idea what the man meant by peerage, but it looked like it was something significant to both Rook and Bishop. They tensed up the moment Hikawa mentioned 'king'.

"How-"

"…did I learn about them?" Hikawa actually smiled slightly. "The church's surface network was easy enough to access, I had done so without trouble in the past already. Slightly tampering through their security wasn't an issue, as well. I, however, needed devils to verify if said information was genuine."

Bishop was trying her hardest in keeping up with the conversation. "So you only summoned us for-"

"That exact reason, yes," Hikawa nodded. "I also wanted to secure a steady stream of information. And someone like a king of a peerage would be a perfect candidate."

"And what's stopping us from taking this information from you directly?" Rook stood up, looking at Hikawa's laptop. The man felt his surroundings getting slightly heavier. "What's stopping us from taking you out right here and dealing with the church by ourselves?"

Hikawa looked at Naoki.

Naoki thought he would signal help. But surprisingly the man gestured him to stand down.

'Like I was planning on doing something.' Naoki snorted, impressed by Hikawa's audacity.

"I am offering my services in return." Hikawa crossed his arms. "If you think accessing the church's network or detecting future anomalies like the one I just shared with you could be done by anyone except me, be my guest. Kill me."

Rook eyed Hikawa and Naoki, trying to gauge them.

'She is doing a poor job in trying to threaten us.' Naoki couldn't help but notice. He'd seen Preta more intimidating than her right now. Or is it because she naturally looked more aloof than intimidating?

"If I am going to say anything about you to our king, we are going to need the information you gathered." Rook said firmly. "Until then, you-"

There was a loud thud, a sound of smashed glass and Bishop suddenly screamed.

Naoki felt his torso getting slightly colder. He looked down and found himself being stabbed through his white-and-blue stripped leather jacket. It looked like a large claw lodged through his sternum. Before he could do anything, Naoki was pulled from where he was sitting out into the streets. The claw's tip was tanged preventing him from being thrown away from whatever was whipping him around. Naoki, still remaining consciousness, looked for his company.

"And here I thought it was somebody worth hunting…" A voice was chatting away below Naoki.

Naoki saw Rook jump out into the sidewalk through a large hole in the café. Bishop was with Hikawa who was busy putting his laptop into his metal case.

"A human, a stray magician and two devils." Naoki stopped whipping around and found himself being raised. "That laptop, was it you who was snooping around our systems?"

Was the monster referring to Hikawa?

Naoki's body was being impaled upwards by a spider's claw, a large one. The spider-looking monster was trampling under a bus, two of its hairy gray legs slowly crushing the bus under its weight. Naoki tried turning his head to the side to see more of the culprit. The only thing he could see notable was the ugliest looking face he had ever seen, and it was the face of the one skewering him. It looked like a bull's head, and it was frowning as it stared at the direction of the café.

"I'll let you bleed to death, human. Just enjoy seeing your friends getting slaughtered in peace…" The monster's coarse voice roared as it looked at him.

Naoki couldn't hear the rest of its monologue; his head was feeling lighter.

[Deuterocanonical Chapter 4 - Inhuman]

"It is fateful and ironic how the lie we need in order to live dooms us to a life that is never really ours."

― The Denial of Death

Gyūki are yōkai that are said to be hunters. They attack and devour their prey with extreme brutality. Their brutal nature is reflected on their bull-like head while their spider-like body, in contrast, reflected their predatory tendencies. Throughout ancient texts they have been said to attack their prey along beachlines.

The texts were outright lying.

Koneko Tōjō was in the middle of Ikebukuro's commercial district and was currently looking at the monstrosity aiming to kill her and her companions. The bystanders who saw the monsters were clamoring away, screaming. But Koneko had more immediate things to worry about.

She took a glance at Kashima, a self-proclaimed devil and associate of her summoner. He looked about the same age as a high schooler and while he was very aloof, and coming from her it's something, he was far from being a bad individual. She found him slowly sliding down one of the Gyūki's claws he was being impaled under. Blood was dripping along the monster's claw.

She and the monster both knew how much of it had already exited his body.

"Just enjoy seeing your friends getting slaughtered in peace." It said to Kashima, the boy was unresponsive. "You value lives, don't you little devil? Well, you already lost this one."

Kashima's body flailed as the monster taunted her with its raised claw.

Koneko was a yōkai herself, but is nowhere near as vile as this monstrosity. Doing anything drastic in such a situation was foolish, and the monster knew it. Taunting her with Kashima was making her grit her teeth.

"The demon Gyūki, of the wilder race." Koneko heard her summoner say.

'Demon?' Was it because he was a newbie? No, her summoner definitely knew more than he was letting on if his attempt at a deal with her just a moment ago was any indication.

"Senpai, is Kashima-" Asia froze, she saw his fate. As much as how Koneko wanted to console her, she was not in the position to-

The yōkai suddenly lunged at her! Koneko steeled herself and took the attack head on. The full brunt of the attack was something a Rook like her could handle, but as the yōkai lunged it used all its legs to propel itself. Including the one where Kashima was still lodged. Kashima's blood splattered as the Gyūki impacted Koneko. What's worse she could see the taunting grin of the monster, perfectly seeing through her anger for not being able to save him.

Koneko headbutted the Gyūki and slammed her weight into the creature sending it back. But not before it stole a swipe with one of its spider claws at her. Koneko managed to take a measured step back but it nicked one of the buttons of her blazer.

"Rook, gyūkis are fairly weak." Koneko heard Hikawa from inside the café. "It has a tendency to counter your attacks. Keep on the defensive."

"You sound like you have a plan." Koneko said, not looking back at them. The Gyūki was already slowly getting back up, but it was a good dozen meters away from them.

She could hear Hikawa stepping outside the café. She had not seen him fight before, but from the way he was calm about the whole ordeal meant he wasn't a greenhorn.

"I desummoned Bishop along with my laptop." Hikawa was holding his prayer beads. "If that was what the Gyūki tried to take, your hub is the safest place for it."

"Is that so?" They heard a voice from above them.

Two other Gyūki were present. One jumped down and crushed four of the stopped cars on the road. The newcomer was bigger than the one Koneko pushed away. The second was digging its legs on the side of the building, menacingly walking down towards them

"Then that blonde devil is running back to your king?" The one on the side of the building hummed. "Does your King have any sympathy for your sacrifice, little one?"

"More than any of you monsters could ever have," Koneko snapped back.

"Good." What?

The one on the building laughed. "I said it's good that they do care. It means they will be coming with reinforcements, if not try and fight themselves."

"It's good to see whose peerage knows about that little network trick we have been using." The one on the road added. "Easier for us to-"

The one Koneko headbutted struck the one on the road's face. The struck Gyūki became silent, giving a glare at the smaller one. But it did say 'their network.' These three had something to do with what Hikawa found out.

Not a fraction of a second after the two Gyūki's quarrel a pillar of ice erupted from the ground and launched the bull-spider across the street. The smaller one snarled at the and dodged the second pillar. Koneko eyed the third one on the building.

It jumped down, curling into a ball right on top of them!

Koneko grabbed Hikawa and dashed aside. The man was gripping his prayer beads. Hikawa waved his arm right at the Gyūki that fell, spikes of ice erupted from the ground. The yōkai proved its swiftness, however, extending its legs keeping its body from being skewered. It leapt back, landing beside the smaller one on the middle of the road.

"I did not expect them to be this agile." Hikawa huffed. "Or am I somehow weaker than I remember?"

"Those Ice attacks-"

"They are mine. I know my way out of a battle." Hikawa answered, his breathing was getting steadier. "But we will be outnumbered as soon as the third one gets back."

Koneko was sure these three were stalling. The one who was flung away admitted it, they wanted to see the identity of her king. Worse, she can't even remotely guess who these yōkai were working for.

Time wasn't on her side.

"Look, fusing stronger demons are all well and good. But you've been inside this dodgy cathedral for, what, ten cycles now?"

"…"

"Pixie and I had to go beat up that buzzing old fart again just to keep him in line. That oversized fly won't do anything 'unless he has commanded me'. The other demons out there are on edge. I know you're making some dream-team but…"

"…"

"Why do you take everything so seriously, kid?"

"…"

"You oughta take a good break every now and then. Why don't I bring you to Nyx's joint? She's got a soft spot for you, you know."

"…"

"Tell you what, First rounds on me!"

"…"

"No dice, huh. Guess that was too much…"

"Why do you take everything in stride…?"

"What-"

"This world is the literal corpse of the one I was living on just… I can't tell how many weeks or months ago now. Ever since getting trapped in that hellhole those Moirae triplets made, time hasn't been the same. They twisted it somehow. The cathedral of shadows' minister said we've been gone for more than a couple dozen cycles."

"Look…"

"Hikawa and the others have been gathering power for that long. We've fallen behind for that long, damn it!"

"Kid-"

"I don't even know what'll happen if I go to that tower. I don't know if I have the power to take on those 'demonic sponsors' they've summoned with the way I currently am."

"…"

"In this world, power is everything."

"…"

"If I don't have that, I can't get anywhere let alone change anything! I won't even be able to save myself."

"…"

"I need more power, Dante. I want to see my old world again."

Naoki dreamed.

This time it was right before he headed inside the Tower of Kagutsuchi. In the end, he was right. Power was what allowed him to restore the world. It was power that allowed him to defeat his obstacles. It was power that allowed him to get out of that hospital in the first place. Now he was in the new world, a world where 'the powerful' could mean many things. The same world before the conception. He had spent his day, before meeting with Hikawa, as a normal teen and he found the new world flawed, but beautiful. It wasn't a world he wanted to trade with any of the other candidates' reasons.

But he had changed.

He couldn't find such a place for himself in this beautiful world. He was a being born through his death, molded by a world who rewards not the weak but the ones who value might alone. Was this the reason for him longing for the Amala again?

"…April…" They could hear a soft mumble and a cough.

Koneko heard Kashima's faint voice. Was he still alive? Asia could still heal him if Hikawa can resummon her. But she couldn't afford to be reckless! Was she going to let him bleed to death then? Her thoughts were distracted as she saw the smaller Gyūki raise its claw closer.

Kashima was surprisingly still impaled through it.

"What did you say, human?" It shook Kashima.

Koneko would proceed to see one of the most insane sequence of events of her life.

Kashima grasped the tip of the Gyūki's claw that went though his body and slammed his own leg below hard enough to break it. The monster howled in pain, crashing its body to one side as the teen pivoted with the Gyūki's body and backpedaled with one of its legs still attached to him. The force of his push ripped the monster's leg clean off its body! The monsters howl morphed into a gargled scream as it was thrown across the street straight through the café's wall. It was now right beside where Koneko and Hikawa were standing.

The larger Gyūki didn't waste his time in stabbing Kashima. Two of its claws went straight for the teen before he could land on the ground. One of the claws went straight through his belly in parallel with the still lodged leg of the smaller yōkai. Not a fragment of a second after being lodged by the claw Kashima retaliated with a downward punch to the larger Gyūki's face. The monster, dazed by the punch, reeled a step back. The second claw flailed, trying to hit Kashima, but he simply cocked his head aside and caught it with his arm over his shoulders.

Kashima was strong. The larger yōkai was desperately trying to pull its limbs away from the boy but the sheer grip of his arm over his shoulder and around the monster's leg was enough for him to pull the monster like a cart from behind. The Gyūki could only dig its claws at the road to prevent it being dragged across the street. Kashima, looking annoyed at the larger Gyūki's attempt at struggling, twisted his body breaking the monster's legs in the process. The monster screamed and Kashima used the leg he was holding over his shoulder impaling the Gyūki before it could react. He lodged its leg from the roof of its mouth as the yōkai screamed, digging it straight up its head. The monster's scream went silent as it went limp when the claw finally dug out of its skull on the other side. The yōkai's lifeforce oozed out of its body and gravitated into Kashima, his body absorbing it like a sponge.

Before Koneko could wonder about the odd sight, she heard the smaller Gyūki shuffle. She knew Kashima noticed, he was walking towards them.

The boy Koneko thought was dead just a minute ago had two spider-like limbs still impaled in his body, one from the smaller Gyūki and the other from the yōkai he just killed. The one he just killed was being dragged along like luggage as he slowly walked. He slammed his foot on the open wound of the smaller Gyūki when he was close enough, earning another howl from the creature.

"I said I heard someone say some time ago," Kashima answered the monster's earlier question. "That April is the cruelest month."

Kashima continued talking and, with his free hand, slowly pulled the entire length of the monster's own broken leg that was still impaling him. "They said it was because it is the time one awakens from a long sleep and faces the barren world."

Koneko felt nauseated at how casual Kashima removed the limb off of him. The teen stabbed the Gyūki with its own ripped leg. The monster cursed without delay as Kashima slowly twisted the leg deeper.

"I think it's fitting it's still April." Kashima leaned closer at the monster. "Because I'll open your eyes to this world. This barren world where you should know the difference in power between us."

Koneko noticed Kashima's eyes were in an empty daze.

"You're no human-" The Gyūki tried to scamper away, but Kashima's foot was holding it down. "A-are you?"

"You don't think so?" Kashima leaned over its head and grabbed one of its horns. "That makes two of us."

"H-hey, what the hell are you-"

Kashima pulled it hard and broke the monster's horn! At this point, the Gyūki was still hurt from its leg and now with the broken horn it sounded like it was about to collapse from the pain. But it looked like Kashima was planning to give him a quick death. He flipped the newly detached horn on one end like a stake. Even the monster's attempt at seeking some form of mercy did not reach his empty gaze.

"Stop." Koneko managed to say.

Kashima got her full attention, something she wish she hadn't done. He looked straight at her, a far cry from his earlier behavior. His face was still unreadable, but his eyes suggested he wasn't with them. She looked at Hikawa, who was silent the entire time, and found him looking uneasy. He was raising his prayer beads towards him. It looked like Koneko was on her own in bringing Kashima back to normal.

"We need to interrogate it." She said slowly and softly. From the way the teen interacted with her before the attack, she wanted to believe she could get through to him. "Kashima…"

Koneko saw him blink and she found his empty eyes having its shine again. Kashima looked at the pinned Gyūki, then back at her. He exhaled slowly and his shoulders relaxed. This made Koneko relax as well. Whatever happened to him was over, he was back with them.

"Right." He relented. The Gyūki didn't look like it was planning on escaping anyhow, with the display Koneko just witnessed. "Be careful with it, Rook."

Koneko nodded.

"Kashima-san!?" They heard a familiar voice.

The three of them turned and saw Asia along with their peerage. Koneko was glad she was unharmed, even more so looking at her beaming as she saw Kashima wasn't dead. The unbridled innocence of the girl was something she couldn't help but admire. But her thoughts were distracted from seeing Kashima.

His face looked like the same unreadable one he had back in the café. But his bloodied appearance wasn't doing him any favors. There were two holes in his chest, one was so big Koneko could see past it and the other still had the dead Gyūki's claw lodged on his back straight through his belly. Even as Kashima was slowly walking towards Asia the large dead Gyūki was being dragged along with him.

Koneko sighed at the sight. 'What have we gotten ourselves into?'

Message:

I hadn't thought of Demi-Fiend joining a peerage. I honestly said 'why didn't I think of that?' to myself when two reviews mentioned the possibility. You guys might be better than me at this. Haha.

With the plot I had in mind though, it would hinder with his character arc if I did it.

[Deuterocanonical Chapter 5 - Longing]

Michael always visited God's system in the Seventh heaven. His last pleasant memories with his creator, his father, was when he would gather his Seraphs and let them see him at work with the system. It was the closest thing they would have as a mortal's quality time spending with one's family. Even now, as Michael kept God's system afloat, he would see fragments of those innocent times not unlike how one would look at a mirror.

He missed his father.

The church's followers would often ask in prayer: what is God like? And Michael would only answer to himself, 'He is warm. Even seeing him dutifully observing the system, the universe, you can see his love.'

"When he sees tragedy, he would weep. When he sees atrocity, he would rage. When he sees good, his smile would be felt between the realms of heaven." Michael spoke out loud to himself. "I wish I could say this to all of you."

Michael wished. Because most prayers have always been asking God for intervention: God, save me! Why haven't you done anything, God? God, please, deliver us from evil!

His father wanted to do nothing but come down and steer everyone's lives for the good of all. But he couldn't. It was a violation of the system's foundation, to God's being. One of the fragments that popped in front of Michael is one of the many times the two of them talked about the system.

"Freedom-"

"Father?"

"I'm just saying it again."

"Oh, why do you always say it every time we are here?"

"Ha-ha-ha. I think you'll remember it better if I do."

A sigh. "'Freedom is the foundation of my system, of me. The more you can understand that freedom the more you can easily access the system. Please remember that always, my children.' It is the same words, father. Even the system itself in all probability heard those words so much it might gain consciousness."

God could only laugh heartily at Michael's impression of him. "You've improved! I don't sound that stern though."

"I many of us angels would dispute that claim."

"Alright, I'll admit it. But only sometimes."

"Of course-"

A powerful surge of energy snapped Michael from the memory.

"What was that?" The Seraph clutched his head. "It felt like-"

"Michael!" A melodious voice echoed throughout the seventh Heaven. "Brother!"

Another Seraph appeared in a flash of light in front of Michael. Her curly blonde locks caressed her soft skin as she floated closer to Michael, yet, her body moved gracefully despite her voluptuous figure. The Seraph was misty-eyed, something that Michael distressed greatly.

Michael looked at his sister in concern. "Gabriel, what happened?"

"That surge of power just now," A single tear rolled down the cheeks from the most beautiful woman in heaven. "It felt like Father."

Taira-no-Masakado had seen many things in both his life and thereafter. But two angels, a male looking and a female looking one, appearing and looking like they belong to the higher side of their echelon was honestly not something he wanted to deal with. The two each have twelve wings on their back which they promptly hid as if by magic. Masakado had encountered similar demons in the conception, rather, the memories from his predecessor gave him knowledge of them.

"Fear not, samurai."

"Divines-" The old samurai queried. "No, Seraphs?"

"Yes." The male looking one bowed slightly. "I am Michael."

The female looking one curtsied. "I am Gabriel."

"I apologize deeply for entering your domain, Masakado." Michael's emerald eyes betrayed a distressed gaze, something the old samurai could easily observe. "My sister and I have only one matter we wish to ask you."

"All of Heaven felt it and we narrowed the source in this land." Michael carried on. "It was a very powerful surge of divine energy. We-"

"Do you know from whom it came from?" Gabriel clasped Masakado's hand.

A flash of instinct gave insight to the old warrior. Were these two here for Kashima? The Fiend was the only one he knew who could, and had, emitted a surge of power. The last time Kashima unleashed it was when they spoke a day ago. Masakado was grateful for his mask, else the two would see him looking tense.

But the question remained. 'Why are they interested?'

"I sensed the same." The samurai let go of Gabriel. "But Tokyo is vast, Japan even more so. I could not determine where the source of it is at the moment."

The angels became crestfallen, it was a slight thing but the old warrior noticed. Gabriel, especially, looked at Michael in earnest. But it was no lie, he couldn't possibly know where Kashima was at the moment.

"I see…" Michael looked weary. Masakado gathered this should not be a face he should expect from a Seraph. "It's just that… the divine energy felt very similar to-"

Gabriel interjected. "Not similar, brother. It was him; I just know it."

"Him?"

"Like f-." Michael supplied. "Like our creator."

"God?" Masakado might not be as familiar to the churches affiliated to the Seraphs. But even he knew about the God with no name. "You are looking for him?"

"Not looking." Gabriel let out a breath. "We just thought he might still-"

"Sister," Michael chided. "We thank you for indulging in our wishes, Masakado. But we should be on our way."

Gabriel nodded to her brother. "Thank you, Masakado."

"Wait." Masakado faced the Seraphs. "I have not met your creator. But that surge of power, what will you do if the source was not your creator?"

The two were silent as they vanished. Even if the old warrior was not willing to tell the two about the Fiend, but he could at least do this much.

Nevertheless, Masakado felt like he should not have been told such an information, even inadvertently. He would do nothing about the knowledge. He does not even know who he should be privy with such an information and even then, his honor wouldn't allow such a backhanded act. Yet, from the way the two angels acted the old samurai could only look up into the sky in realization.

'God is dead.'

Michael and Gabriel returned to the sixth Heaven. The leader of the Seraphs stepped close to the entrance of the seventh Heaven before turning to meet his sister. Gabriel had her face crunched into a worried expression; he wasn't used to seeing her like this.

"What if Masakado was right?" She looked down as Michael spoke.

"It felt like his presence."

"I know, I felt it too." Michael rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yet, we might have jumped into the possibility, rather than the plausibility."

"I can't be wrong…"

"We haven't felt father's presence in millennia, sister."

"I…"

"The possibility is thin."

A teardrop fell. "I miss father."

Michael didn't miss a beat and hugged his sister tightly. "I miss him too."

[Deuterocanonical Chapter 6 - Understanding]

…surveillance footage from one of the street CCTV cameras shows the aftermath of the gas explosion in a café earlier today in downtown ikebukuro…

Naoki had blood on his hands. According to the news report, fourteen people were injured in the attack a few hours ago. Eight were killed. Majority of which were inside the bus right outside the café which was crushed by one of the demons that ambushed them. In the time-frame where Naoki was busy being impaled and daydreaming eight lives were snuffed out. Not to mention the fact they were the reason those demons attacked in the first place.

But the worst part was himself. 'I lost myself back there in a bloody rage.'

He was inside a conference room of the Gremory Large building, Rook and Bishop's leader were kind enough to take Naoki and Hikawa in until things calmed down. The entire time Naoki was looking at news reports about the incident in the conference room's television.

"Eight people…" He repeated, his teeth gnashing. "Shit."

"Kashima-san?" Bishop was a seat away beside him. She volunteered to keep him company while Hikawa talked to Bishop's leader. She was silently observing him. Considering when they arrived after the battle Naoki had two holes in his chest, it was a natural reaction.

"It's nothing." He closed his eyes.

"You were thinking about those people, weren't you?" The girl was perceptive, or was he just that obvious?

"I was too busy daydreaming when we got attacked. Thanks to that, those people suffered." Naoki let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"You couldn't have known-"

"I didn't need to." His voice rose. "I was powerful enough to make sure no one would be harmed, even if there were twice as many demons in the way."

Bishop kept silent.

Naoki sighed hard; he must have scared the poor girl. "Sorry, that was-"

"No!" Bishop recoiled in her seat, waving her hands. "I understand how you feel, Kashima-san."

That got his attention.

"You feel responsible for those eight people who lost their lives." She began. "I should have been in the battlefield making sure they were alright. Some of them might still be-"

He looked at Bishop; she was in tears.

"Alive?" Naoki finished.

The devil nodded, wiping her tears. "I'm completely hopeless at fighting. I'm only capable of healing people. And even then, I can't do my job properly!"

"You lack spine…" Naoki looked up, muttering. "Stuff like that is something you can learn overtime."

Bishop was silent.

"In the end, though, we didn't do enough." He continued. "The reason doesn't matter, they still died because of us."

Naoki heard a faint 'I'm pathetic' from Bishop. That got a dry laugh out of him, his arms fell on the conference table and clutched his head.

"We're pathetic." Naoki sighed again.

He heard a faint yet firm 'yes' from her. Bishop was frustrated, yes, but that was hardly a voice of someone who had given up. Something boiled inside of the Fiend as he heard the devil's frustration.

"But we can get back at them, Bishop." He swiveled the conference room chair and looked at the view outside the building. The last time Naoki saw a view like this was when he was with his teacher on the rooftop of Shinjuku Memorial.

"Those things that attacked us, they have masters. Leaders." He could feel Bishop's gaze at him. "And with what they just did. I don't think they give a damn about innocents getting in their way."

Naoki swiveled back and met her gaze. "I don't have a stake in this. But I don't plan on letting those lives die for nothing."

He didn't recreate a world only for infestations like them to trample all over his efforts. They might have already existed when Naoki was still clueless. But if the Conception had parted anything to Naoki, it's that everything begins with whether or not one decides to do something.

And he didn't get anywhere doing otherwise.

"What about you?" He could already see the girl's answer from her eyes.

"Let me join you." The girl stood up.

"Welcome to my party, then, Bishop." Naoki extended his arms.

"Asia Argento," She clasped his hand with both of hers. "I'll be in your care."

"Oh? Are we interrupting something?" Both of them snapped their heads towards the door.

A girl about Naoki's age was holding the conference room door open. Though, looking at her now, she was dangerously close to be called a woman. Even after all that's happened, spending all that time with Isamu before the conception hasn't dulled Naoki at all. He noticed she was extremely well-endowed for her age, especially considering the other two devils he had encountered were Rook and Bishop, no- Asia. To top it all off, she had scarlet hair and a very mesmerizing set of azure eyes.

Naoki, however, was forced to become adept at dealing with attractive women back in the conception. Between the bar owner Nyx and the Lady of the Fount where Naoki would pay them occasional visit, there were different kinds of demons who would try and tempt the Fiend along with any unfortunate weak-willed party members he had with him, Incubus would always come to mind. He could distinctly remember the scorching heat of the desert keeping him from ogling at the first angel he encountered.

That being said, from the tone of the girl's voice. She must have misunderstood the situation.

"P-president!" Asia stammered, letting of Naoki. "We were just talking about earlier-"

"That's right, I suggested what the two of us should do together and she agreed to be with me."

"What!?" A young man's voice echoed in the hallway. "First was that bastard Riser, now this? Why is every guy we come across want to get in with my potential harem!"

What?

Naoki had never heard such an openly ridiculous and perverted sentence in his life. And the one who said it was a young man who just entered the room. He was, judging by the color scheme, wearing the same school uniforms as Asia and the one she called President. He raked his hand across his born spiky hair and locked his gaze at Naoki.

"You-" The young man gnashed his teeth with tears in his eyes.

"This is my pawn, Issei." The redhead sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "His dream is a harem and, well, I think he's threatened and touched by your blunt nature, Kashima."

What?

"I…" Naoki was stumped. "I don't know how to deal with this person."

"This person- she just said my name, you know!?"

Even Isamu of all people wasn't this… odd, and loud.

His words earned another sigh from the young woman. But a familiar voice cut in. "With the likes of Issei-senpai, you just ignore him."

"Rook."

"Koneko." She walked towards him.

"What?"

"Asia told you her name just now, didn't she?" The petite girl bowed slightly. "My name is Toujou Koneko, pleased to properly make your acquaintance."

"Kashima Naoki, likewise." A thought then popped up in his head. "Toujou, huh, thus the 'Rook' codename?"

The girl gave him a slight smile. "No, but it is a funny coincidence."

"Koneko-chan smiled!? Not you too…!"

Naoki winced at the one called Issei's comment. "I-is he always this loud?"

"Unfortunately, yes." The redhead came closer. "That aside, it looks like I haven't properly introduced myself."

"My name is Rias Gremory." She stood straight and made a curtsy. "I am the 'King' of both Koneko and Asia."

"Rook- er, Koneko did mention something about a 'peerage' back in the café. I never did ask about it." Not when Asia pestered him getting healed first, he never got the chance.

"You don't know about peerages?" Rias Gremory looked at him as if he just said something odd. Naoki really should hire Hikawa as his spokesperson or something, this constant slip of the tongue was getting annoying.

"I- well."

"It did seem like he does not know a lot of things a devil should." Koneko interjected. "Especially considering he was exceptional with combat back in the café, even if he is a little unhinged."

The last part stung.

"He reminded me of Kiba-sempai back then…" Koneko muttered.

"Kiba?"

"He is another member of my peerage, my Kight, to be exact." Rias supplied. "He is with Hikawa-san in the interrogation room with the captured, well, I wanted to say Yōkai. It did look just like a Gyūki… but…"

"Its aura didn't feel like anything like a Yōkai should." Koneko added. "Hikawa-san said he knew what it was so the President let him interrogate it. Kiba-senpai stayed for security."

"Why tell me all of this?" Naoki looked at Rias.

"It was part of my agreement with Hikawa-san." She crossed her arms. "A give-and-take relationship of information between us. And considering you helped my servants; I think I trust you enough to tell you too."

He felt the sincerity in Rias' voice, she didn't appear to be the type to do something underhanded too. She reminded Naoki of the Thor from the Mantra army.

"Alright."

"Now, before I explain to you about peerages." Rias hesitated. "How long have you been a devil?"

Naoki sighed. This was one of the few questions he wanted to avoid answering. He doesn't mind anyone knowing about what happened to him, but that doesn't mean he should just tell anyone in earshot. It was a pain. How should he even start answering?

"A few months, I think…" Naoki lost his phone in the conception and he hadn't been wearing a watch since he was in fifth grade. The conception wasn't a good basis for time, at all. The demons judge time by the Kagutsuchi's phase or how many cycles had passed. If Naoki had been paying attention to how long the cycles were in relation to a conventional second, he could have done some calculations on how long a cycle was relative to pre-conception time. But provided he was literally in the middle of a post-apocalyptic wasteland; he didn't bother doing it. If he was a little more book-smart he might have the interest in doing so.

"You think?" The President pressed on despite the odd answer. "How about your master, the one who turned you into a devil? Did you even meet them? I know a lot of cases where devils abandon their servants, but-"

"I've met him a couple of times. I even remembered how he turned me into a dem- err, devil." It wasn't something he would be forgetting anything soon. "Lately, though, I haven't seen him."

"He doesn't contact you?" Issei interjected.

"He doesn't. He just… pop up, I guess?" Naoki didn't know how to explain the Amala Labyrinth, especially that strange theatre stage the old man and the lady stayed at so he told the second most prevalent way he meets up with Naoki.

"The guy sounds like a prick." Issei huffed.

"I didn't end up dying because of him, there's that-" Naoki couldn't really dispute the young man's insult though. He was 'chosen' by the old man out of a whim, not really a good indication of the sympathetic master this Issei must have pictured in comparison from being under Rias.

"I see." Rias looked at him with concern.

"Shit, you're like me then?" Issei's voice was low. He was surprisingly earnest, Naoki noticed. Loud and perverted, but earnest. "President here rescued me too when I was lying the ground dying after a fallen angel killed me on our date."

"You dated a fallen angel?"

"She was extremely hot," Issei beamed with pride. "And I didn't know she was one back then too- but that's beside the point!"

Issei Houdou stood in front of Naoki and patted his shoulders with both of his hands. "You may be a threat to my potential harem. But I won't turn a blind eye to a kindred fellow!"

That got a chuckle from Naoki, something he hadn't genuinely done since coming back in the new world. "I appreciate it."

"Good." Issei smiled.

"What's your master like, Kashima-san?" Asia pondered.

"I don't really call him master." Naoki crossed his arms. "He didn't tell me to refer to him as anything so before I knew his name, I just called him 'old man' or 'little kid'."

"Little kid?" Asia cocked her head on one side.

"Sometimes he shows up as a little blonde boy in a black tuxedo." Naoki recalled. "And sometimes as a blonde old man wearing a white tuxedo in a wheel chair holding a goat-designed walking cane."

Issei shuddered. "That sounded a little creepy. It's like you don't even know if that's what he really looks like."

"Funny you should say that…" Naoki mused.

"In any case, this master of yours neglected to tell you about the fundamentals of the peerage system and devils in general." Rias interjected. "I should give you a crash course right now before we head down and join Hikawa-san."

"Right," He might as well get acquainted with the devil's system.

Rias explained the situation between the Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils of the new world very efficiently. Naoki was silently listening to her explanation which only took a few minutes. What stood out to the Fiend was the classification. She distinctly referred to Angels as being different entities to devils. Races exist between demons and beings like seraphs and divines still refer to themselves as demons despite the fact. Was it different in this world because of semantics, like Hikawa suggested? Or were they different entities entirely?

Rias did mention they were unfamiliar to the captured demon's magatsuhi.

"Now any questions?"

"This underworld, well- it's literally hell, right?"

"Yes."

"You can just go there?"

"I suppose you haven't been there, judging from your reaction…" Issei cut in.

Naoki looked at Issei. "You've been there?"

"Of course! Well, once."

"What was it like?"

"We went inside a ballroom and, uh…" Issei scratched his chin. "To be honest, I couldn't really remember. I was too busy defending the President's virginity and fighting a phoenix-"

"Forget I asked." Naoki pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Hey-!"

"Ahem!" Rias, blushing, gained Naoki's attention. "Any more questions?"

"How long has this 'evil piece' system been in place?"

"Around the 16th century or so."

"And devils only fight each other through these 'rating games' since then?"

"There are the occasional rogue devils, strays and such. We deal with them the conventional way." Rias added. "While maintaining secrecy, of course."

"Right." No wonder these devils made quick work of the café incident. They have been at this for quite a while. But questions were nagging in Naoki's head which he was sure the people in this room wouldn't be able to answer: Was all of this the same before the conception? Was this underworld the Amala?

He needed to talk to Hikawa.

Message:

I'll say it again because there seemed to be some confusion about the direction I was going with this fic. I am not putting the Demi-Fiend into a peerage. I never had once thought of it and never planned to.I just found a review mentioning the possibility and I found it surprising I never thought of the idea before. Just because I realized it's interesting idea, doesn't mean I'm slapping it into the story all gung-ho.

Second, I don't understand the review mentioning 'As per the rules of the setting, no gods. No Buddhas.' I never set any rules like that in the setting at all. As far as I made it out in my head, the gods and buddhas of myth are somewhere in the world. If they weren't, there wouldn't be any diversity between nations, religions and culture in the recreated world, would there? The demons in the Amala are the multiversal conceptual constant of what they represent. Having the same gods/buddhas in the new world will not affect the ones portrayed in previous MegaTen entries. The Thor that launched the ICBMs in the first SMT isn't the same Thor who was a member of the Mantra in Nocturne, nor are they both the same as 'Ex-hunter Kyuzou' in IV. The Gabriel who met Aleph in II isn't the same one the Demi-fiend fought in Mifunashiro, and I won't make it that either Gabriel would be the same one in the DxD verse. Having them around wouldn't be breaking established conventions between the fics.

Next, I appreciate the enthusiasm and I understand completely why you'd remind fic writers how powerful Demi-Fiend should be; it's frustrating seeing a character being depowered for no reason. But I'm the last person you guys need to remind about the scale in power of the Megami Tensei verse, don't you worry. Hell, I played smt1 so much I fought David a few times (the violin didn't drop though).

Finally, I don't believe the act of putting the Demi-Fiend into a peerage necessarily 'will ruin the story.' It all depends on what you'll have him do once he's in that situation and the what DxD characters' growth, in response to his presence in that scenario, will be. It'll require good thought and a lot of preparation, something both need to be done to make any good story. That being said, I'm not the one who'll prove it.

[Deuterocanonical Chapter 7 - Mercy]

The interrogation room was big, an entire basement floor of the building with nothing but a white painted wall and a large metal door where they entered from. Rias and her peerage were surrounding the demon being held in the room. Oddly enough, the demon was cooperative enough. It spouted a few insults to them as they entered, but didn't even move its limbs.

It was busy clutching the part of its body where its eighth limb should be.

The demon finally landed its gaze to him. "You!"

Naoki didn't budge when the monster swiftly jabbed its pike-like leg into his face, stopping only a good three inches from his forehead. The Fiend didn't even flinch.

"I knew it, you're like me, aren't you?" The demon's ugly bull like face snarled at him. "Why the hell are you associating with these parodies of our likeness?"

"This Gyūki had been asking for you ever since he was held here, Kashima-san." A blonde young man approached Naoki, bowing. "Me and Hikawa-san hadn't been very successful."

"This is Yuuto Kiba." Hikawa was still holding his prayer beads.

"Rias' knight." Naoki slightly bowed in return. "Gyūki, you say?"

"From the wilder race," Hikawa supplied. "It's a creature that-"

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" The monster bellowed again.

Naoki moved. To the devils who saw, the Fiend moved as if he teleported from beside Kiba and into the side of the prisoner. "Shut up."

He slammed his foot down to the newly healed part where the monster's leg should have been.

"Argh—! Bastard!" The Gyūki, was it? It was annoying Naoki to no end.

"Can't you talk without trying to bust my eardrums off?" Naoki said evenly. He walked up to the other side and held the remaining horn of the demon. "Spit out another annoying sound and I'll break this too."

"Shit— alright, alright already." The demon tried to say it as softly as it could, that is to say, it still sounded like a man calling from across the street. But it'll have to do.

"Holy— remind me to never try and piss him off." Naoki heard Issei comment. "He's worse than Akeno."

"Wait till I tell her about that." Rias giggled.

"Please don't!"

"Hikawa-san and I didn't even get any words edgewise talking to him earlier." Kiba crossed his arms, impressed. "I like his style."

He ignored the peerage's antics, opting instead to talk to the Gyūki. "I wanna ask you something."

"If it's anything those two were trying to ask, forget it!"

Naoki let go of the monster's horn and crouched down, looking at its large bull-like head in the eye. He spoke softly. "I want to know. Are you from the Amala?"

The monster laughed heartily, but when it spoke its voice was a lot less loud. "You wanted to go back, don't you? Only, you don't understand everything enough to move where you wanted to go."

Naoki kept silent; the demon took it as a yes. "The Amala is everything, our greatest enemy. What you're asking is like a fish in the ocean trying to find a drop of water."

"In time, your true adversary will appear before you. Until that day, stay strong…"

Those same words echoed in Naoki's head. "But you know what I'm looking for, aren't you?"

"The Expanse, the demon world, the Abyss, Makai. Semantics! They refer to the same place." It simply said. "It's where all demons exist in relative peace with one another."

"Is it this 'Underworld' these devils told me about?"

The demon gave another laugh. "I've been there for reconnaissance a couple of times. Not too shabby place. But they're trying too hard to be human-like for my taste."

"I'll take that as a no." Every single lead he had is a dead end. He might as well just ask it directly. "How do I get there? To the Expanse…"

"No clue, getting summoned isn't really voluntary for us, is it?" It shrugged.

Naoki exhaled a 'damn it'.

The Gyūki let out a huff. "I haven't seen a demon so clueless. For one so powerful, you're pretty ignorant."

"You're not wrong," There are a lot of things Naoki doesn't know, true. "But that's not stopping me from doing anything."

The Gyūki hummed. After a good moment it spoke loud enough for the ones in the back to hear. "The church is a dead end."

"What?" Hikawa and Kiba chorused.

"About the question you asked earlier," The demon looked at them. "The Church is a dead end; it was one of many traps my summoner set. My fellow Demons and I get to take out anyone snooping around."

"Where's the real base?"

"There is no base." It snorted. "It's just my summoner sitting in random restaurants and cafés, twiddling his thumbs till idiots like you get caught in our web."

"There must be some headquarters! A place the higher ups frequent?" Hikawa crossed his arms, muttering.

"They just use those weird Mani wheel like-things to teleport somewhere every time they meet up. They leave us demons behind so who knows what weird place they end up going."

"Mani wheel lik— drums?!" The otherwise cool Hikawa dashed to the table beside the interrogation room's metal door. He opened his laptop and brought it close.

"Does it look anything like this?" He held the laptop, screen facing the demon.

"The same engravings, yes, but that looks way too big." The Gyūki's large eyes squinted at the screen.

Naoki was looking at the screen the same time as the Gyūki. It showed a paused video of a security camera showing a familiar large drum being hoisted by an Oni. It was putting it inside what it looked like a back of a truck.

"An Amala drum?!" Naoki glared at Hikawa.

The man nodded, unfazed. "Oh, stop that glaring. I didn't tell you because I already chased after this lead. When I arrived at this location the place was already empty."

Naoki crouched back down towards the Gyūki and grabbed it by the horn. "I want to see your summoner."

"You gonna kill him?"

"I need him alive. If he has anything like that drum in that video, he knows how to access the expanse."

The Gyūki hummed. "I'll tell you right now, he's no slouch."

Naoki pulled the Gyūki closer revealing his demonic yellow eyes for an instant. The demon's eyes widened. "You—!"

"I'm no slouch either." Naoki's eyes reverted back.

"There's a warehouse in the docks." It said begrudgingly. "We get thrown inside when there's no job. He always goes there every now and then to keep us in line."

"Will I see your summoner there?"

The demon didn't utter a word, but its gaze told Naoki more than enough. Naoki stood up. "Thanks."

"I didn't do it without something in return." The demon rose.

Naoki could see Rias and her peerage readying themselves. Only Hikawa and him weren't doing anything. They didn't sense any hostility from the demon.

"I have been summoned in this backwater world for who knows how long. My summoner is powerful, but what good is that if all I fight are these halfwit 'devils' that parody the true power of demons!" It roared.

"Kill me."

"What?" He could hear Rias from behind him.

"I'd rather have a fellow demon give me a proper death than humiliate myself in the hands of you!" It bellowed with pride.

"For someone that fought dirty, you seemed to hold a great deal of esteem to yourself." Kiba stepped beside Naoki.

"I'm just getting with the times. Devils don't have any sense of honor."

The snide comment shut the boy up.

Rias cut in. "We will deal with you after we've investigated the location."

"I don't answer to you." The Demon snorted. "What say you?"

Naoki knew it was talking to him. "I might not find anything there; I need you alive till then."

"Why don't I take you there?" It suggested.

"And set up and ambush?" Naoki's brow rose.

"Yes! Ha-ha-ha!" The Gyūki laughed, hard. "Ignorant, but not naïve. I see."

Naoki looked at the demon, it looked pleased with itself.

"I don't really trust you coming back here. In the off chance you'll find what you need and run off," It finally said. "I'll just help myself to my down death—"

It didn't even finish its sentence when its claw lunged towards Asia!

Rias' peerage was too slow to react, by the time the claw was a good meter away from her they were still starting to move. Kashima, however, step between them and caught the claw with his arms, he twisted his body and threw the monster across the room.

Not giving the monster any room to breathe, they saw Kashima dashing towards it. Before the Gyūki could even slam itself on the interrogation room's walls he was already inches away. It visibly gasped as Kashima lunged his entire body, arms out in an 'x' in front of him, ramming the demon while it was still mid-air. The demon slammed into the walls even harder, the sound proof layer caved deep revealing the cement beneath it.

The devils were in awe. Koneko noticed a difference in the way Kashima fought. He had a finesse in how he carried himself compared to when he fought back in the café. But what surprised all of them was before the Gyūki could catch a breath from the force of Kashima's attack, it was stabbed by a thin purple spear of light. Its body didn't even drop down to the floor, the light construct was holding it in place.

Issei was dumbfounded. "H-he's a devil, right?"

"President—" Kiba didn't take his eye away from the young man.

Their king was silent.

Kashima was standing idly in front of the skewered demon. Red lightning electrified his limbs. They felt a sinking pressure from him.

"Good," They heard the Gyūki laugh heartily between gasps. "Now, finish me off."

Kashima didn't reply. He raised his hand and unceremoniously clawed at the demon; Rias could swear she heard the sound of struck metal as Kashima's attack landed. The Gyūki was decimated along with the wall it was pinned on. The building on top of them shook along with the attack.

Three vertical lines of dug out cement on the wall down to the ground was the only proof Rias needed to see the fury behind Kashima's strike. But in the second he summoned the light construct and his attack; she could swear she saw a mark over his face. The devil shook her head, there were a mountain's worth of questions she wanted to ask him.

And she will, in time.

For now, they saw Kashima walking back towards them. The demon fell when the light construct disappeared, as its corpse fell lifelessly and a red floating liquid-looking energy slowly evaporated up before being absorbed by Kashima's body. The sinking pressure dissipated.

The young man must have read the tension in the room because he stopped when he looked at them.

"Kashima-san," It was Kiba who first spoke. "Those spears of light of yours…"

"Spears of— my summoned swords?" He asked.

"Is that what you call them?"

"Someone called it that once, it just stuck." They saw him look one way, as if remembering something.

They had a lot on their minds but before anyone else could ask, Hikawa stepped in. "I know which warehouse the demon was talking about. If we go there now, we might be able to stake the place out."

Rias stepped in front of the metal doors. "Before I can allow you to go there, I want to ask a couple of questions from the both of you."

The atmosphere of the room dropped. Hikawa frowned and Naoki didn't look like he wanted to stay and chat. But Rias didn't want her questions unanswered. "We have been listening you talk with the Gyūki, Kashima-san."

"Step aside, Rias." Kashima looked at her evenly, something that unnerved her. The only time she had heard him talk like that was when he was interrogating the Gyūki just minutes earlier.

"We can come with you anytime, Kashima-san." Kiba tried to reason with him. "But we just need to know. We can't help you if you won't tell us anything."

She stepped closer. "The expanse? Demons? And that sword of light you just used—"

Explaining will take up more time. With how little these devils know about the things that happened between this world, the conception and the existence of demons? He tried telling them earlier and realized then how long it took to explain so little.

Now, time wasn't on his side.

The summoner should have already heard the news, or turned on a TV. And with two of his demons not returning, it wouldn't be hard to put two and two together. If what Hikawa said about them earlier is any indication these cultists were pedantic. They might already be trying to clear the warehouse.

Naoki didn't have the patience to deal with this, even to people who were hospitable.

"I have an obligation as a Gremory to report any potential threat to the underworld. If this cult is as dangerous as you say, you will have full support from us." Rias said in earnest.

"Please, Kashima-san. I—" Asia pleaded.

Kashima stepped back. "You guys are good people. If this was anything else, I'd stand down. But I don't have time to explain."

Rias and her peerage saw red lightning electrifying Kashima's limbs. The sinking pressure was back in full force and Kiba was the first to react, he summoned two swords and stepped in between his allies and Kashima, expecting him to do the same lunge attack.

"Damn!" Kiba didn't even blink and he barely saw Kashima move. He appeared mere inches from Kiba's face, grasping his swords by their blades. Kashima's eyes were pale yellow and black tattoos were on his skin glowing a faint green on their edges. The sight made Kiba's eyes widen.

But Kashima wasn't planning on giving him room to react. He opened his mouth and exhaled a cold thick smoke enveloping around the room.

"What the heck is this!?" Kiba heard Issei exclaim.

"I-it's mist?" Rias extended her wings and flapped them hard. But the thick fog returned to its thick shape quickly. "It's magic, be careful!"

Kiba felt his swords lighten, Kashima let them go. Kiba tried to focus, trying to find— there! The knight swiped at Kashima to no avail, the young man didn't even move. The fog was so thick it was like trying to spear a small fish from on top of the water. Kashima exhaled another batch of fog making the room even colder.

After Kashima exhaled the fog was dissipating! Kashima was slowly walking towards the door past Koneko, who only noticed him as the fog thinned.

"Wait," Koneko moved.

She tried to grab his arm. But, like Kiba, her aim was inches off. The rest of the peerage saw what happened and realized the fog never lifted, it only became clearer. But its effects were worse than before!

"You won't be able to help me." Kashima stopped walking.

"I know what I said earlier, Asia." He added, seeing the widened eyes of their Bishop. "Honestly, I thought I could open up to you a bit and get you to come with me. But—"

"If you can't even land a hit with just this Fog Breath in the way…" Kashima hesitated and looked at each of them. "You guys will just be dead weight for me against demons."

"Oh yeah?!" Issei was inches away from him. He cocked his right arm, a crimson scale-like gauntlet adorned with a single emerald crystal on the back of his hand, was glowing. "Take this!"

Issei's punch missed like the others. It was inches off.

But the brunette wasn't giving up! Instinctively, he opened his palm. "Dress break!"

Like the move said, Kashima's already torn jacket and shirt was decimated into nothing!

But the only thing it did was create even more questions for the devils. With his upper body entirely bare, Rias and her peerage saw Kashima's black tattoo extending throughout every part of his skin. They were ominously glowing green on the edges, pulsating as if they were also alive.

"I knew you were open being a pervert, Issei." It looked like he didn't expect Issei's attack. "But what the heck kind of attack was that?"

"I don't normally use it on men!" Issei exclaimed. "I didn't really want to hit you with my Dragon Shot so this was my only other option."

"You should've tried to hit me with it." Naoki's golden eyes locked with Issei.

He turned his back to them and walked. As he passed by Rias, she didn't do anything. Kashima looked at her.

"I relent," She sighed in resignation. "I know when I'm outclassed. You didn't even attack anyone and I feel defeated."

Kashima walked past her; Rias noticed a horn on the back of his neck. Another question that would never be answered unless she could convince him.

"Rias," He said, not looking back. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Hikawa walked past her with his briefcase joining Kashima as he walked away. Their voices echoing in the hallway.

"Right now, your look is oddly nostalgic."

"Shut up, Hikawa."

Message:

About that review mentioning the Demi-Fiend ending up as Rias 'boytoy', unless I missed something to prove otherwise, I honestly never pegged her as someone who'll seduce people who she just met.

DxD's story is primarily in the perspective of Issei who became her servant. There's a layer of intimacy for her to Issei (Rias being someone culturally raised as both a Devil and a Noble) even in the early volumes. In comparison to Demi-Fiend who, to her, might never interacted with highly esteemed devils like the Gremory before. She's representing the image of high-echelon devils, in this case, and I think she wouldn't want to tarnish the image even if Demi-Fiend, to her at that point, is some stray.

Tl;dr— It wouldn't be out of character to just the Demi-Fiend, it'll be out of character for Rias too.

[Deuterocanonical Chapter 8 - Dress-up]

Gabriel turned in her bed. 'Huh?'

It was the same surge of power as before. The same sure of power she only felt when she was with God. "Michae— no."

She can't rely on her brother like always, he was too busy with the system and keeping the other angels in line. Gabriel noticed when they talked to the samurai in the mortal realm. Her brother looked weary and she wasn't helping him by reminding him of their father.

She couldn't do that to him again.

She should look into the matter herself and report to him. A tinge of excitement surged through her. 'What if it's father!"

The seraph waved her arms and like magic a long white sundress draped over her otherwise bare form and a small golden tiara appeared in her forehead. She waved her arms a second time and a Cheval glass with a cloud-like frame materialized. The chief angel of chastity twirled before the mirror and examined herself head to toe. The dress she just made was modest but elegant. Her golden locks of hair flowed gracefully; her emerald eyes were brimming again with purpose! Gabriel smiled at herself in satisfaction.

Six pairs of wings spread out gracefully from her back as she stepped out of her room.

'Don't you worry, brother.' She pumped her fists together, hyping herself up. 'I'll get to the bottom of this!'

She disappeared in a flash of light.

Issei was restless. The rest of his peerage was unflinchingly calm considering it's been minutes since Hikawa and Kashima left. Their President, especially, was crossing her arms looking outside the conference room's view of the sun setting down Tokyo.

"President," Iseei began. "I know badly we were outclassed by Kashima, but we can't just sit here and do nothing!"

Rias smiled at him. "I'm surprised it took this long for you to complain, Issei-kun."

"Huh?"

"Honestly, I'm almost impressed." Kiba agreed. "Considering what happened with Asia, I expected you to run off and chase them down."

"I— well," He hesitated. "A lot of things had happened, and I know when I can't beat someone."

Issei looked down. "When I went up and beat up Riser, I prepared a lot of stuff to get even with him. But with Kashima…"

"It was as if he was pitying us." Rias finished. "His fog breath attack was less for him and more for us. He knew completely how outclassed we were and tried to break off without being forced to disable us."

"He could destroy that demon with a claw attack that caused the entire building to shake," Kiba added. "He didn't use it against us."

Issei slammed the table. The room's atmosphere sank.

"When I agreed in meeting with them, it wasn't without a back-up plan." The peerage's king said smugly. "Akeno is tailing them as we speak."

"What?"

"Honestly, I didn't completely trust Hikawa-san." Rias shook her head. "I wanted Akeno to tail him back after our meeting here. But I didn't expect things to happen the way they have."

"So, she's—?!"

"They're walking in the direction to the station, she last told me." Rias reported. "Once Akeno narrows where they'll be headed, we'll fly down there and help them."

Rias saw her pawn grip his hand. The boy must've felt humiliated. With the things happening lately, it had been a constant theme with him being belittled by everyone they end up fighting. Outright telling them they are weak by Kashima must've struck a chord to the boy.

"We're wasting time!" Naoki ran a hand across his hair.

"No, we are buying you a new set of clothes." The man frowned at him. "I will not subject myself to any more embarrassment from you, second-hand or otherwise."

"The station's a block away, we can just—!"

"You expect to be inconspicuous with that outfit?" Hikawa scoffed. "It's already a miracle someone hasn't called the police on you for public indecency."

Naoki grunted in frustration and looked outside the clothes shop they were in. It was an expensive looking place and Hikawa was adamant they go to this place instead of the literally dozens of other shops in the area.

"Here, go and wear these." It took a good five minutes of Naoki idling around for Hikawa to finally come carrying two large bags with the shop's logo on the side.

"Can't I just buy a shirt?"

"Haven't you noticed the presence of a devil close by?"

"It's just probably one of Rias' servants. We did walk out on them."

"We need to lose whoever it is following us."

"I don't care if they follow. I already warned them," Naoki shrugged, but Hikawa noticed a tinge of regret on his face. "If they can't see the risk even after I showed how weak they are, then it's on them."

"If you don't care, then humor me who does." Hikawa pushed the bag closer. "Now that we have a solid lead, I don't want these devils knowing our every move."

Naoki was wasting time and Hikawa looked like he already paid for the clothes. He might as well agree. He huffed and took the bag Hikawa was holding in front of him. He opened it and took a peek inside.

"These look expensive." He said the first time that popped in his head.

Hikawa was already walking towards one of the dressing rooms when Naoki looked up. "Stop wasting time, get changed."

Naoki didn't like it when he's being told what to do, it reminded him of his gullibility in the vortex world. But the man was right.

Akeno Himejima was standing in the side of the shop beside the one Rias asked her to tail if ever he walked outside the Gremory building. He was with another young man who was present in the café incident. Akendo didn't know much about him; only his name and the fact he was a reincarnated devil.

And that he was strong.

'It's been ten minutes already, are they stalling?' But then the realization dawned on her.

Akeno dashed inside the shop ignoring the attendant's greeting. There were a few patrons inside but the two were nowhere to be found. There was a hallway going towards the back and she promptly went through it.

It let her to the shop's back room and she found a fire exit leading into an alley behind the shop. The alley was empty. It was a complete rookie mistake.

She lost them.

Hikawa and Naoki were on a Yurikamome Line train and planned to step out near the harbor. Naoki adjusted the cream-colored turtleneck he was wearing. His outfit consisted of the turtleneck alongside a buttoned light grey peacoat. He also sported a pair of black slacks and brown leather shoes. It was a far cry from the jacket and short ensemble Naoki would usually wear.

"I think I look even more conspicuous in this." He grumbled.

Hikawa ignored him. The people in the train weren't paying them any attention, so the man might have some sense in fashion. Naoki stole a glance at his company. Hikawa ditched his suit and was wearing a full tuxedo outfit complete with brown suit, vest and slacks over a white dress shirt. A stripped tie adorned his neck to finish the whole thing.

"What is it?" Hikawa must've noticed him.

"I honestly don't think you picked these at random."

"You mean our clothes?" The man crossed his arms.

"Only someone like Isamu would wear something this… outrageous." Naoki adjusted his turtleneck again, his neck was getting uncomfortable.

That managed to get a laugh out of Hikawa. "I can see why you would say that, considering your choice of clothing."

"Meaning?" Naoki hissed.

"Get mad all you want; this is a vast improvement to the outfit I've seen you wear in both back in the vortex world and this new one." The man took a glance at Naoki and nodded approvingly at himself.

"I didn't even have a shirt in the vortex world—!" Naoki paused, noticing a few glances from the other passengers. He pretended to look at the window.

"Precisely my point, I always hated that pair of shorts you wore." Hikawa let out a breath, as if uttering a closely guarded secret.

"What, you bought me this just because you didn't like my pants?"

"I might as well do so!" The man scoffed. "It was a perfect opportunity to both loose the one tailing us and open your eyes some semblance of fashion."

"Right…"

"Must you think so ill of me? I do have hobbies besides the occult and I am happy to share my knowledge to the fashionably inept." Hikawa was uncharacteristically pointed, and with fashion out of all things.

Naoki shrugged, leaning back. "And we're all buddy-buddy now?"

Hikawa laughed again, crossing his legs. His expensive looking brown and white leather oxfords clacked as the man moved. "We have an even more meaningful relationship than mere friends."

"Uh-huh?"

"We quite literally butted heads declaring our most inner reasons and resolve, ended up agreeing to disagree and tried to eliminate each other."

"Trying to off each other wasn't us 'agreeing to disagree'." Naoki deadpanned.

"Nevertheless, we did so with understanding far deeper than any superficial friendships." Hikawa leaned back. "Even now I have some understanding of you, have I not?"

How was Naoki supposed to follow up to that? It was a twisted way of viewing their relationship. But it had some sliver of truth to it. They had a begrudging mutual sense of understanding between them, even if they had figurative swords ready to stab each other anytime.

"Now that we are in the topic of friendships." Hikawa glanced at Naoki. "Why abandon them? I don't buy your explanation about the devils earlier."

Naoki didn't answer.

"I have been a demon summoner for a while, you know. I know how oddly social demons are. I talk with mine from time to time back then, as well."

He wasn't going to give Hikawa the satisfaction.

"Was it your way of unconsciously trying to get companions like in the vortex world?" Hikawa theorized.

Naoki closed his eyes, crossed his arms and leaned all the way back to the seat's foam back, completely silent.

The cold Tokyo wind didn't help the already impending sense of dread Rias and her peerage felt. They were grouped up standing over the Tokyo Gate Bridge. Their queen, Akeno, had lost Hikawa and Kashima. They have spent the few hours finding leads from the station closest to where she lost them to the nearest possible places.

No luck.

Rias crossed her arms. "The demon mentioned a harbor, if it's any one in this bay. We'll be the first ones to respond."

"I can't help but feel like this plan is a little luck reliant," Kiba muttered.

"I know. But unless we had a good lead, that station was all we had." She ran a finger over her ear, letting her hair blow freely.

Akeno sighed. "We're reduced to such an aimless tactic because of me."

"You already apologized, Akeno-san." Kiba consoled her.

"A lot." Koneko added.

"We don't blame you at all!" Asia smiled reassuringly at her.

The peerage felt there was someone who hasn't said anything since they perched on the bridge. Koneko felt a lecherous gaze from beside them and turned. Issei was crouching down with a stupid grin on his face, he was looking at the rest of the girls' skirts being blown by the wind. The man didn't even notice her seeing him, he was too absorbed in his own world.

Koneko quickly flew behind him and slammed both of her legs on his back sending the Pawn flying into the bridge arch's edge.

"What'd you do that for, Koneko-chan…?!" Issei said, still clinging on the metal arch. "Help!"

"I'm guessing you were trying to look up their skirts?" Kiba shook his head.

"I couldn't help it…" Issei slowly climbed up.

"Eep—!" Asia yelled.

"The wind really is blowing hard, huh." Akeno observed.

"We are way up here." Kiba looked down at the cars crossing the bridge.

"Back to the topic at hand," Rias crossed her arms. "We can look up the harbor closest to here then split up from there."

Her peerage nodded in agreement.

Thankfully Hikawa didn't press the matter any further making their ride towards the Tokyo harbor uneventful. Naoki welcomed the mutual silence between them. The duo were quick to sneak inside the facility. By the time they arrived it was already a few hours before midnight. The moon fortunately was covered by clouds helping them as they moved under the cover of darkness.

"I haven't explained why I pinpointed this specific place to be the source, have I?" Hikawa spoke softly as they walked closer at a large but typical looking warehouse.

"I think I already have an idea." Naoki was already sizing up the location. There was a large concentration of magatsuhi swirling from outside the place making its way inside. It was a slow looking process compared to ones in the vortex world but Naoki guessed Hikawa had detected the concentration and kept note on it.

"Very well," Hikawa stepped in front of the warehouse. There was a huge metal door in the way. The man gestured Naoki towards the door.

"Damn slavedriver." The Fiend punched the metal door sending it flying inside of the warehouse. They both stepped inside and found the place completely pitch dark.

"Doesn't your tattoo glow?" Hikawa indirectly suggested.

Before Naoki could retort an ugly screeching echoed suddenly, he couldn't move. This feeling… it was bind! A familiar purple flame quickly spun around the duo, not a fraction of time later an ominous purple magic circle enveloped the ground!

"Shit—!"

Naoki spun around and lightly kicked Hikawa sending him reeling out of the circle, the action forced the bind spell to tighten forcing Naoki to kneel from the pain. Naoki then felt a full weight being slammed on top of him! The magic circle detonated and the death spell exploded in a crackling purple mist that enveloped the entrance of the warehouse.

Hikawa recovered from being slammed into one of the metal beams. The man couldn't see a thing except for the faint remnants of the Mamudoon, the ones ambushing them were quick to use the darkness to their advantage. After Kashima kicked him, he heard the spell activate. But between that he also heard an ugly crash in the young man's location. What worried him was Kashima took the brunt of those attacks without unleashing his Demon form.

"Did we get him, boss?" A deep ugly gurgled voice echoed in the warehouse; it was a familiar voice.

Pinpointing the voice's location within the pitch-black darkness was almost impossible, Hikawa couldn't see who or what it was. A surge of power then enveloped the warehouse and Hikawa was more than relieved to feel the familiar sense of dread from the Fiend.

Hikawa saw a faint white light from where Kashima was and without ceremony a thin exploding beam of light shot up to the sky obliterating the warehouse's roof! The sheer power of the beam blew the rest of the warehouse aside and the mountains of metal containers stacked beside where the warehouse should be. The beam's force was heavy enough to dig a crater, shaking the ground in the process.

The man didn't waste the opportunity and tried to find their enemies. The light from the beam brightened the vicinity well enough for the man to see them. In close formation was a party of demons consisting a Gyūki, a Tao Tie, three Abaddon and two Behemoths. In the center of the formation was a man in a black suit holding a golden adorned crosier, likely the summoner. In front each of them was a mirror like shield protecting them from the force emitted by the beam.

'Tetrakarn?' Hikawa knew none of the demon present could naturally learn the spell, but the summoner might have access to fusion. Or was he the one who casted it? 'Either way, they already showed one of their most game-changing spells.'

That being said he had done the same. The same mirror-like surface was between Hikawa and being obliterated. The only reason he was able to quickly cast the spell was he recognized the skill being used.

'Divine shot,' Hikawa saw the beam slowly thinning. 'It's even more powerful than I last saw him use it.'

Just from being in close proximity to it is causing damage.

The powerful attack ended, a pregnant pause shortly followed as Hikawa and the summoner's party were gauging each other. The Divine shot's blast had cleaved the night sky open letting the moonlight to illuminate them. The summoner knew the beam wasn't from one of his demons, Hikawa was looking at the man eye the crater where the beam shot out from.

A good second passed and someone jumped from the crater! Hikawa saw Kashima land between him and the summoner's party. The Fiend was grasping a Behemoth's head and dropped it lazily in front of them as he dusted himself off. Kashima was brimming with pressure as red lightning electrified his limbs. His shamanistic tattoos showing on his hand and face were accented even more ominously under the pale moonlight as a red glow pulsated from it.

"Congratulations," Kashima adjusted his turtleneck. "You pissed me off."

Message:

Free imaginary cookies if you can guess Naoki and Hikawa's outfit references.

Also, I could've sworn I remember Issei using dress break a couple of times with just a flick of his fingers. If that's not the case then it's on me.

Finally, to Cryocene, analyze away.

Analysis is literally the backbone of the MegaTen fandom for years, especially if we wanted to know how accurate the original Japanese texts are compared to the official/fan translations (Lord knows I played Devil Summoner 1 that way. No, not the Raidou one. The one where the MC dies and possessed a dead summoner's body for the rest of the game.).

But if you end up making a more amazing plot in your head than what I'll actually put out, you will end up getting disappointed. Just a heads up.

[Deuterocanonical Chapter 9 - Ripple]

All of Tokyo and beyond saw the Fiend's divine shot.

The light emanating from the few seconds of the attack's beam was bright enough to reach as far as Kuoh Town. In one of the multistory apartments in said town housed the governor general of the fallen angels, Azazel. A chill ran down his spine as he stared wide eyed at the beam of light.

"What is happening out there…" He hissed. "First, there was that incident with Kokabiel. Now, I'm seeing something that's impossible."

He might have been a fallen angel for more than a few centuries, but he could never have forgotten the feeling of being under his creator's light.

"Something impossible?" Another person in the same apartment as the fallen angel voiced. "I don't know what you're talking about. But whatever caused that beam of light is strong. It's actually making my blood boil…!"

"Vali—" Azazel warned. The warning was not just because of the White Dragon Emperor's bloodlust, but because he knew if the boy would fight whatever this divine energy originated, he would be killed.

Before the fallen angel could elaborate, the White Dragon Emperor was already in his Scale Mail. The boy flew out of the apartment and went towards the beam's source!

"Damn it, kid!" Azazel flicked his fingers and, as if my magic, his bathrobe transformed into a full tuxedo. The fallen angel couldn't do anything else but try and catch up to the unhinged dragon.

Back in Tokyo, Chiaki was riding a train when she saw the beam. She looked outside the window, a worried frown crossed her face. "Nao-kun, what have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Elsewhere in the same city Isamu was walking on the sidewalk, fresh from a night at the arcade, when he saw the beam from behind him.

"Shit, it's like the Vortex World all over again!" The young man threw his bag on the pavement. "Why can't you just let everything go, Naoki?!"

The young man uncharacteristically screamed in the direction of the beam; Isamu would have been given weird looks by the people around him but they were too busy seeing the incident themselves. He took a breath.

"That has nothing to do with me anymore…" He hissed; his voice slightly hoarse.

Isamu leaned his hat slightly forward and quickly picked up his bag. He gritted his teeth as he turned around walking away from the beam's light. "Shit."

In the Underworld, the four great Satan were in a meeting when a sudden wave of ominous dread hit followed by a feeling of familiar raw oppressive power. Each of them shuddered as they felt it. One of the four, Sirzechs Lucifer, stood up from his seat.

Not a second later the double doors in the room they were in burst open. A woman with silver hair in a maid outfit stepped inside. "Sirzechs-sama!"

"Grayfia?"

"Is it somewhere in the edge of our territories? It sounded like trouble." Another of the four, Ajuka Beelzebub, spoke.

"The surge of power came from the mortal plain." The woman said gravely. "From the city of Tokyo."

"All the way out there?"

The other three Satan looked at Sirzechs. They knew his sister was living in the town of Kuoh, just a shy away from the bustling metropolis. The devil in question was keeping his composure. Grayfia could not afford to sugarcoat the situation.

"This feeling…"

"I know what you're thinking, Sirzechs. How this pressure felt like the devils of the great war." Ajuka muttered. "But it could be something else entirely—"

"You are correct, Ajuka-sama." Grayfia hesitated. "It is something else…"

The room was filled with a pregnant pause.

"There was an attack in a café close to the Gremory Tokyo building." She continued. "Lady Rias took one of the perpetrators into our building's interrogation room and this was the footage I found. This happened a few hours ago."

The four waited in anticipation as Grayfia opened the large screen on one side of the room. A recording of a camera in one of the interrogation room's corners showed Rias' peerage, a young man in a torn jacket and another man in a suit. A large spider-like creature was in the middle of the room.

"Isn't that a yōkai?" Serafall Leviathan voiced.

They heard the creature from the video speak.

"I knew it, you're like me, aren't you? Why the hell are you associating with these parodies of our likeness?"

"Parodies…?" Ajuka took note.

They next saw the two unknowns talk with Rias' knight. They seemed to exchange greetings but was constantly interrupted by the creature, screaming at them. They saw the young man suddenly disappeared from his place and appeared beside the creature.

"The camera didn't pick up his movements, interesting." It wasn't something too surprising to Devils of their level. But Sirzechs having no idea who they were considered it a red flag. "Who are these people?"

"I could only get their names; the man is called Hikawa and the younger one is Kashima Naoki."

"Just 'Hikawa'? Nothing else?"

"I had our information network look up the two, for now that is all we have about them." Grayfia added. "Well, that and this…"

She gestured to the monitor. The young man called Naoki was very close to the creature, talking to it.

"I want to know. Are you from the Amala?"

"The Amala is everything, our greatest enemy. What you're asking is like a fish in the ocean trying to find a drop of water."

"But you know what I'm looking for, aren't you?"

"The Expanse, the demon world, the Abyss, Makai. Semantics! They refer to the same place. It's where all demons exist in relative peace in existence with one another."

"Is it this 'Underworld' these devils told me about?"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! I've been there for reconnaissance a couple of times. Not too shabby place. But they're trying too hard to be human-like for my taste."

The five of them listened intently with the conversation of the young man and the creature. Each exchange of words made the room's atmosphere sink. After the two on the screen's exchange was over the four great Satan were again silent.

"They're Demons like the ones described in the Tome of Miroku." Ajuka, who broke the silence, leaned back in his seat in disbelief.

The highest-ranking devils would never dream to hearing that word again.

Demons.

They were a taboo topic amongst the devils who experienced the Great War. Serafall shuddered at the mere mention of the name.

"Whether or not this is a possibility is up for debate, you know?" The fourth of the Satan, Falbium Asmodeus, added. "It's been a good week after Kokabiel's rampage. It might be another fallen angel trying another angle at inciting mass panic."

"Whatever the source is, we can't ignore it!" Serafall smacked the conference table in front of them in finality. "Why don't we pay a quick visit in the human world, Sirzechs?"

"You two?" Ajuka's brow rose.

"I'd like to make sure my sister's alright," Serafall smiled. "And I'm sure he'd want to see Rias-chan too."

"If it doesn't concern the Underworld, I'll just stay here and manage things." Falbium muttered.

Ajuka sighed. "Very well, I will stay with Falbium."

Grayfia, listening to their conversation, nodded in affirmation. The high-class devils have decided, two of the Great Satan are coming to the human world.

Michael had been hit by the same feeling of divine energy emanating from the mortal realm a few times now. The first time it happened he and his sister went down to investigate the source but he couldn't afford to leave the system unguarded so, with a heavy heart, he had to come back. The second and third surge was in very close intervals. Michael was no Uriel, but his patience won out and he did not pay it any mind.

This was the fourth time now. And Michael's every being wanted to go down there to see if his father was the source, despite his hope being unfounded.

"Michael!" Uriel's voice echoed in the seventh heaven.

"What is it, Brother—?"

"Gabriel is not in her room!" The fellow Seraph said. "I think she went after that surge of power you two tried to investigate."

"I should have kept her close…" Michael said in resignation. "I knew she wanted to know just as badly as me, but…"

"I will go down there and—"

Michael held out his palm. "This is my mistake, brother. I will go down there and get her back."

"I will maintain a vigilant watch to the system." Uriel offered.

"Please," Michael hugged his brother tightly. "Thank you."

"Michael, I—" Before the Seraph could let go and be on his way, Uriel whispered to him. "Please find out if it's really father."

Michael couldn't help but smile warmly. The chief angel of Patience wasn't above desires and yearnful hope, it looked like! Uriel wanted to go down there and find out himself. Michael let his magnificent wings spread out as he set out for the mortal realm.

"T-that beam looked even bigger than that attack Kokabiel did to destroy the school gym…" Issei was wide eyed.

The rest of his peerage didn't answer. As they flew closer to the source, the devils could feel the beam's air-pressure opposite to the wind direction pushing them back. Whatever made that attack was disgustingly powerful. Rias suddenly felt an instinct to back away from it, but she fought against running knowing it might have something to do with Hikawa and Naoki.

By the time they were flying above the harbor the beam already dissipated. But the noise of battle was evident. Rias and her peerage saw Hikawa and Naoki fight who they could only guess as the summoner of the demon they had just interrogated. But the summoner wasn't alone, it was accompanied by a slew of different creatures.

"Demons?" Kiba tried to guess.

"Wait, you're saying that those hippo looking things are also demons?!" Issei was looking at a Behemoth.

But their banter was interrupted by Ice pillars the size of houses suddenly erupting in quick succession! The pillars were shielding Hikawa and Naoki between the summoner and the demons.

"Let's go!" Rias took the opportunity and flew down. Her peerage followed after her.

Hikawa was the first to notice them diving down. The man laughed at himself and looked at Naoki. "All that effort in trying to get them away? Gone, the moment you decided to use your divine shot."

Naoki was busy clutching his stomach, Rias noticed. The young man's markings were glowing red instead of green, as well.

He looked at them, his expression less than thrilled.

"Do not get in the way," He hissed. "These aren't the same level of demons we fought in the café!"

Naoki's voice rattled them, they never heard him scream up until now. Koneko tried to keep Naoki up by holding his shoulder. "We know, but we can help."

The young man huffed 'damn it' and leaned on her.

"Heal up," Hikawa suggested to Naoki. "I will try and buy some time."

The man didn't even let them respond before going around his ice pillars, baiting the Demons.

"Let me—!" Asia quickly stepped closer. A green glow shined from her palm as she held Naoki's chest. The young man's markings changed its glow back into its pulsing green again.

"What happened?"

"We got ambushed," Naoki grumbled. "I got ganged up before I could figure out what happened."

"That beam of light…" Kiba asked. "Was it the one that it you?"

"That was mine, I got hit by something cheap." Kashima huffed. "Are you done, Asia?"

"Almost…" She focused even more, the green light getting brighter.

"Seriously?!" Issei leaned in. "That was some serious fire power! I knew you were holding back but—"

A loud crash sounded and they saw Hikawa being thrown above them into the water. Akeno flew up quickly and caught the man. When the two flew down towards them the saw the man visibly roughed up.

"You look like hell," Naoki quipped.

"I look informed!" Hikawa retorted.

The rest of them was silent, eager to hear what the man had to say.

"They aren't attacking us because right beside the summoner is a Spinning Drum of Amala. He is cloaking it, but I managed to see it for a second. It was activated." He began. "I am guessing they are holding off till reinforcements arrive."

"We need to kill them quickly," Naoki said as a matter-of-factly.

"I can't summon demons," Hikawa bluntly stated. "And my damaging skills are mostly ice-based."

"What are the rest of your skills then?"

"The '-nda' ones, Debilitate and Shields." Hikawa answered. "I have high-level healing spells, but I feel like I would faint if I cast it now."

"Tarukaja it is then," Naoki ran a hand across his hair. "I can take them out faster—"

"…by myself!" With the last line he looked at Rias and her peerage. It wasn't a request.

"You lot can form up and defend me." Hikawa suggested, trying to keep them from wasting any more time arguing.

Rias hesitated at the unorthodox plan, yet, the two sounded experienced against Demons. She and her peerage might have bitten more than they could chew with this fight, but running away at this point was out of the question.

"Akeno, Kiba and I will take the front row." Rias ordered. "Asia, heal Hikawa-san. Koneko, guard our rear. Issei, boost Hikawa-san's magic."

"Yes, ma'am!" Her servants quickly formed up.

Naoki looked at her and nodded approvingly. The gesture flashed an image Rias' father congratulating her for a job well done. That gave a pause out of her.

"I'm going."

Rias got out of her stupor when she saw Naoki stand up and faced the direction of the summoner. There was an explosion and the ice pillar Hikawa conjured was destroyed. A very large Hippopotamus looking Demon was sitting in the debris of ice. Even with its ridiculous appearance, it looked dangerous. The only thing keeping them from being overwhelmed by the enemy demon's pressure was the familiar oppressive killing intent from Naoki.

It was oddly reassuring.

With a strong stomp forward, making the ground tremble, the Fiend then started the battle with a blood curdling War Cry.

Message:

Funny you noticed that, Cryocene. I based it on a random encounter that killed my end-game Demi-Fiend way back on my first playthrough.

[Deuterocanonical Chapter 10 - Demon Battle]

It was seven against one.

There were two hippopotamus looking demons that looked like the one Naoki melted it with his divine shot. He never encountered them before. The others were ones he knew: a Gyūki much like the other two he killed, a Tao Tie, and three Abaddon. Their ambush earlier, while cheap, was effective. It completely caught him off guard.

'This world's turning me soft, I did it twice now…' He thought as he took the first step forward to the battle. 'Let's fix that!'

Naoki let out a blood-curdling War Cry.

The cry demoralized the summoner's demons. Naoki could feel their pressure waning. The demons tightened their formation, finally realizing how seriously they should treat him. The sight was nostalgic.

He let out another War Cry. 'C'mon…'

The first to crack was the hippo demon sitting on the Ice pillar's remains. It jumped down between its companions and Naoki. It released a foggy Dark Breath. Naoki didn't let the opportunity go and opened his mouth, his Fog Breath leaking out spreading around them.

The three Abaddon suddenly erupted from the ground! Their bald looking heads and angel-like wings on top of it peeked out as the three opened their mouths, releasing a red wave of demonic energy.

"Hades Blaaaaaassst!" The three chorused.

Naoki heard Hikawa yell a 'Fly!', probably addressed to the devils. The young man didn't have the time to look back, getting struck by the demon's attack. The harbor's artificial structure was starting to collapse from underneath them! The hippo demon was suddenly beside Naoki.

'This thing's fast!'

It followed through after the Abaddon and slammed its entire body sending Naoki flying across the harbor and into one of the large metal harbor cranes littered in the area. The Fiend crashed on the crane's structure and crippled one of its pillars. He tried standing up but the crane collapsed, noisily falling down from its own weight into the young man. The area around him was filled with dust, but Naoki easily shrugged off the metal structure.

"Hades Blaaaaaassst!"

Naoki, trying to dust his head off, jumped aside before one of the Abaddon could follow up and hit its Hades Blast again. It screamed, breaking one of the protruding metal-beams down into the concrete ground. Failing to hit Naoki successfully, the demon looked around frantically.

"On your left—!"

It heard him shout and turned quickly. "Hades Blaa— ah?!"

Naoki, however, was on the right side of the demon already swinging a dozen-meter long metal piece of the crane's pillar! The young man had a shit eating grin as he sent one of the Abaddon back flying into the Hippo demon as if he was playing in a batting center. The demons were thrown back into the wall of the warehouse beside the one they destroyed. The beam Naoki hit the Abaddon with was broken in half from the force of the Fiend's swing.

"Don't shout your attacks, idiot." Naoki's grin wasn't going away soon.

"Hey, second-rate summoner." He looked at the summoner, dropping the metal beam he was holding. "You've got a good set of demons. Caught me off guard twice too. But they're kinda green with head-on fights, aren't they?"

"Oh?" That got a dry laugh from the man, but there was little amusement in his expression. "Compared to a lot of demons from my peers, they are very experienced."

"I've only fought your demons, so I can't really compare." Naoki lifted an even bigger metal beam like he was holding a javelin. He moved forward, his steps skipping like a javelin-throw athlete. "But so far? I'm not impressed—!"

With a grunt, Naoki launched the forty-meter-long metal pillar straight into the summoner!

The summoner raised his crosier casting Tetrakarn. The beam exploded when the spell's mirror like shield activated. His eyes widened when he saw Naoki behind the launched metal pillar, only a good foot away with his hands clasped together. The Fiend slammed his hands hammering the summoner to the ground, forcing him to kneel on one leg.

"Behemoth!" The summoner called.

'Is that what it's called?' Naoki took a measured step back as the Demon slammed its body forward between its summoner and him.

The demon quickly grabbed Naoki with its arms, actually managing to lock him down. The demon was six meters high; Naoki was looking up at it. It started to tighten its grip on Naoki, slowly crushing him. But looking up at it like he was, directly behind the demon was nothing but the night sky. Not wasting the opportunity Naoki clawed with one hand to break slightly free off the Behemoth, enough for him to clasp his hand in front of the demon's snout.

He gathered energy towards his head, red lightning crackled around him as white light focused around his palm. Before the demon could realize what Naoki was trying to do the Divine Shot hit the Behemoth point-blank!

The beam was as big as the one earlier and cleared the clouds above even further. But Naoki's attack was cut short when an Abaddon erupted from the ground, wrapping its tongue around his neck like a rope and pulled him off the Behemoth. By the few seconds the beam hit the Behemoth it was already enough to melt its head off, along with its body up until his chest area. Its body slammed lifelessly in front of the summoner.

Naoki slammed his fist down the Abaddon choking him. "Your tongue stinks like hell!"

His punch connected and the demon sunk down, reeling from the force. Even more of the harbor's structure shook and collapsed from Naoki's attack. The young man hadn't been paying attention to the collateral damage, too focused on thrill the battle had given him. This was how it had always been for Naoki back in the vortex world. There was just him, his enemies and the question of who was going to be on top.

Just like then. He was now getting lost in the thrill of it all.

Another of the Abaddon jumped out and tried to bite Naoki, but the young man lunged his entire body slamming the demon head on. He grabbed the tongue that was choking him and swung the dizzy Abaddon slamming it to the second. His mouth morphed into a smile and the Fiend clicked his tongue, a flickering flight sparked out of it. Naoki grabbed the two Abaddon he bodied by the wings on their bald heads and aimed his mouth close to one of the demon's yellow glowing eyes.

"Eat this—" Naoki breathed hellfire out of his mouth!

The Abaddon howled in agony as its eyes melted, the second one followed suit as he gouged its eyes out like he was pulling weeds out of the ground.

The flying devils and Hikawa, who was lifted up by Kiba, was having a hard time seeing an opportunity to jump in and help. Rias, especially, had seen many Rating games before but was still overwhelmed by the unflinchingly primal way the demon battle had unfolded.

Issei was as straightforward as ever. "He can breathe fire!?"

"W-was he always like this?" She addressed to no one in particular.

"I thought he was fine when he fought in the interrogation room, but he's losing himself again." Koneko muttered. "It's just like back then."

"Tarukaja," Hikawa raised his hand with his prayer beads glowing. "So far, I have only seen him use his low-level attacks. He is holding back considerably."

"Seriously!? That beam that could split the city clean in half is a low-level attack?" Issei deadpanned.

"Compared to what I've seen him do?" Specifically, the level of attacks the young man personally used against Hikawa in the Tower of Kagutsuchi. "This is child's play to him."

The man had known Naoki the longest out of them. The devils could only imagine what would 'letting loose' entail if unleashing power stronger than a fallen angel's attacks left and right was him holding back.

Whoever this enemy was, there was one thing clear in the summoner's mind. This demon is something he should eliminate quickly. The summoner was an Adept-level summoner within their ranks. There were few in their organization who could summon a demon of this level. The man who was with this demon wasn't its master, that much was clear. The man had little to no handle of subjugation to the creature, it was more like a companion rather than a summoned demon. This begged the question, who summoned it?

The summoner touched the, still cloaked, spinning drum of Amala and telepathically resummoned close to him his remaining demons not busy with distracting the enemy: the third Abaddon, last of his Behemoth, the Gyūki and a Tao Tie.

'Gyūki, Abaddon, back the others up.' The demons moved without question. 'You two, form up with me.'

He quickly relayed his plan and his demons did little to question him. After all, the law of subjugation was at play, who were they to question his will? Their Demon enemy was fast, but the summoner noticed it was easily distracted when his demons fight it. It was battle hungry, and it was something the summoner was going to easily take advantage on.

The enemy made quick work to the rest of his demons. The summoner was looking at it, trampling over the Gyūki's lifeless body while holding the two Abaddon by their wings on each hand. The demon's glowing markings were pulsing an intimidating green while its pale-yellow eyes were staring daggers at him.

"I got bored and finished them off," It spoke.

The summoner hummed. "I see, I suppose I'll do the same to you."

He tapped his crosier once to the ground to signal his plan and casted a spell at the same time. He spoke softly. "Shibaboo…"

The enemy demon was forced to let go of the dead demons it had been holding, unseen chains wrapped around its body tightly. It could only tighten on its every miniscule movement. The demon huffed in annoyance. "This again?"

The Tao Tie was quick to pinch the enemy with both of its hooves. It released a death skill, releasing an ugly aura as the Tao Tie eyes its Hell-like Gaze to the enemy. But the demon rebuked by breathing fire straight at the summoner's demon! The Tao Tie fell down and squirmed at its slowly melting face. But the Behemoth was quick to follow through and slammed its entire body weight sending the enemy demon flying across the harbor even further than it did earlier.

It went past the area by the cranes and metal crates through the harbor's parking area and into one of the Passenger terminals.

The summoner uttered. "Tao Tie, finish it off. If you fail, Behemoth will follow up."

The two grunted and went after the unknown demon enemy.

Naoki really hated cheap attacks like bind. Each small movement bit back tenfold. It's like when your legs fall asleep, a very bad case of it and it's all over your body. He could move if he'd use a magatama to nullify the effect. But that was hardly something Naoki wanted to do if he could help it—

"Hey, you alright?!" It was a voice he had never heard before. "What the heck is with these tattoos?"

Naoki craned his neck slowly to the source, cloud of dust from whatever wall he slammed into dissipated. Where did all of these people come from? He was surrounded by civilians! It took him a good second of eyeing his surroundings when he realized he was at the tip of the harbor. In a large Passenger terminal building filled with innocent people!

A loud noise could be heard from outside.

"You heard it too, right? Bunch of awful noises out there." The voice belonged to a man on his thirties wearing a grey suit. "The guards said one of the cranes fell."

"No no no—" Naoki grunted. "Get away from me."

He tried to stand, struggling from the spell. But the man held him from his shoulder. "It's alright, the wall already fell over."

"You were unlucky, no one else was around the wall when it happened." He moved quickly, doing what Naoki assumed was an inspection around his body. "Don't worry, I'm a nurse. I want to know if it's safe for me to move you around."

"No large visible lacerations, that's good…" He muttered as he continued.

"Is he alright?" "Oh my, he looked hurt!" "Hey! Call the guards!" "What the heck happened?" "Doctor! Is there a doctor around!?"

There was already a peanut gallery forming around them, but that was hardly the concern for Naoki. He was concentrating on listening if one of the demons had—

"Look, mom! That sheep is floating!"

"Sheep—!? I'm a Vile you worthless human!"

There was a loud pop and a woman's piercing scream shortly followed. The people were suddenly in a panic, Naoki could see from the corner of his eye the Tao Tie slowly floating toward him.

'Damn it! I should've been careful!' Naoki balled his fists and tried standing up. 'Screw the drum, I won't let this monster harm them!'

Naoki suddenly smelled rusty iron in the air as more people screamed. When he looked back at the demon his face warped into a hateful glare from the sight. There was already a literal path of bodies through where the Tao Tie was walking through.

"You piece of—!" Naoki caught his breath, the bind bit back and he could only afford to roll over.

"What the hell is that!?" The man beside him hissed, slowly dragging Naoki with him into one of the larger pieces of rubble from the wall that fell over. "I'm sorry in advance if that broke something, kid."

"No…" Naoki grunted. "The people…"

"You don't understand." The man looked over the rubble, speaking as softly as he could. "There's a monster… I don't care if you're some delinquent… I— just trust me, you do not want to go out there!"

Naoki gritted his teeth. Should he ingest a magatama?

'Just a fraction of a second, just enough for the Masakados to void the bind effect…' He tried to reason with himself. But deep inside Naoki knew it was a death sentence for the city if he let himself loose.

"See all of this, little human? Think a measly sheep can do this?" He heard the familiar voice of the demon.

"Shit, that's a child!" Naoki heard the man curse at himself. "I can't do anything against that thing! What the hell is happening…"

Naoki clawed with one hand enough for half of his head to peek out of the rubble again. In one of his hooves was a child being stabbed through the chest. The Tao Tie was casually floating around waving its free hoof at the bloody scenery it painted. "I admit, I might not look much. But I'm pretty scary when I'm mad."

Naoki stood up, but fell in one knee. His entire body screamed. Everything felt like he was being doused by lava, but the sheer hate the Fiend felt from seeing a bloodied child in the hands of a demon flashed a very ugly memory:

It was the holy shrine of the Manikins, Mifunashiro. Lifeless bodies of Manikins were thrown over the bottomless pits like garbage. One of the bodies he saw was a Manikin child. It was the one who gave him the Geis magatama, the annoying Puzzle Boy who challenged him. Naoki's memory lingered at the times the boy would pester to play with him even after he solved the puzzles, it was something he appreciated. Being treated normally.

The man whispered a 'What are you doing!? Get back here!' before hiding back again when he saw the demon face their direction.

"Oh, there you are." The Tao Tie spoke casually. "Not so hotblooded now that you're tangled by my master's bind, eh?"

The Fiend was completely absorbed by the memory that he instinctively conjured two of his summoned swords.

"You unfeeling swine—!" Naoki growled. His voice, while soft, was completely fuming.

With a quick step Naoki was in front of the demon. It tried to shield itself with the child but the Fiend was quick enough to cut its arm off with a clean upward stroke. It screamed from the pain, but Naoki shut the demon up by stabbing its chest with the second sword.

The Tao Tie quickly retreated. Naoki wanted to chase it down and kill it but the people was now his first priority. He caught the child and held her in his arms. The Tao Tie's arm was lodged through the child's chest and—

Naoki felt a sudden presence behind him! From the large shadow emanated from the building's light he could tell it was the Behemoth. The child was mortally wounded and Naoki knew if he would dodge, the child would suffer from the whiplash of his inhuman movement. Naoki felt a heavy blow from his back amplified by the still lingering effect of the Bind. He can shrug off a few blows—

Slam!

Naoki didn't move, clutching the child closer in his arms.

Slam!

The Behemoth slammed both of its arms against Naoki's back again. The young man was forced to kneel on one leg.

Slam!

His bloodlust got the better of him and again innocents were paying the price. He was powerful enough to deal with these devils without incident, but his hubris led to this pathetic performance.

Slam!

Was it even worth the lives of the world he restored so he could pursue his selfishness?

Slam!

The blow didn't connect with his back.

"Enough blood has been spilled," A firm feminine voice echoed from behind Naoki. "Stop."

Naoki turned and saw a woman. The Fiend blinked twice from the sight of a glowing blonde girl who was wearing a white dress. Her emerald eyes trailed from the Behemoth's arm she stopped with one stroke she punched the demon's arm up, breaking it with a pronounced cracking noise.

The demon squealed like a boar.

Naoki didn't waste the opportunity! He quickly laid the child down and jumped over the Behemoth's head. While still in the air Naoki grabbed the demon by its long ears and, with a heave, threw it across the harbor back in the direction of the summoner!

Naoki let himself fall into the pavement but was caught by the woman— no, the angel. Twelve wings were sprouting from her back beautifully and a small halo was cutely hovering over her head. She held him as if she was holding a child, smiling as she did so.

Speaking of which…

"The child!" Naoki rolled off the angel's hold and dashed towards the wounded child.

Said child, however, had been completely healed. Their clothes had a hole punched through but there wasn't even a trace of a scar. The angel sat down beside Naoki and caressed the child's hair.

"She was still alive when you held her," She clasped the child's forehead, as if checking for a fever. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't say the same to the others."

Naoki was looking at her the entire time she was talking. He saw a single tear roll down her cheeks as her eyes looked at the dozens of dead.

She locked her eyes with his. "I'm so sorry I took too long to arrive."

In his life, Naoki had never met an angel like her before. He blinked and shook his head. "No, I should've been able to handle this."

"I-is that an angel?" "Then w-was that thing the devil?" "T-this is isn't some prank, right?" "She's glowing!"

The man who helped Naoki was cautiously walking towards them. "I-is the child alright?"

The people slowly went out of their hiding spots. The angel stood up and turned at them. The entire time, her feet were stepping on the dusty floor. "Excuse me…? Would any of you happen to be the parent of this child?"

The people were silent. The nurse beside Naoki looked downcast as he walked closer.

"Please, fear not." She smiled. "I may look odd to you, but I just wanted to—"

"Miss Angel?" He was checking on the child as he looking up at her. "Her mother is probably…"

He looked at the litter of corpses. The angel, wide eyed, sat clasping the child and cried silently.

Wordlessly, Naoki stood up.

The bind spell's pain was ever-present but his chest was hurting even more. There was something from seeing the angel crying her heart out for the child that struck a chord in Naoki. He had never seen such as sight in his life. He had only seen angels vying for power or actively trying to kill him. Even the ones he had summoned were entirely opposite to the crying girl he was seeing.

Naoki huffed as he slowly walked.

Every person present were eyeing Naoki, not that the young man noticed. He was busy walking towards the bodies, the strong metallic smell of blood getting stronger with each step. Naoki hadn't been able to see who the mother was, but he was more than able to sense who it was. There was a corpse of a woman who looked as if she was trying to reach out towards the direction where the Tao Tie moved, in contrast, the rest of the corpses looked as if they were running away from it.

Naoki lifted the body of the woman and walked back to them. He laid her a few paces away from the child, who was now awake. The man quickly checked the woman's body.

"I don't know how you found her—"

"She was trying to reach for the child."

"Shit." Naoki saw the nurse rub his temple before reaching over. It only took a few seconds before the man stopped his inspection and let out a heavy breath.

"It's no use, she's gone."

By the time the man announced it, the people were already close. There were a couple of gasps. But the voice that broke through the murmurs was a lone voice of a child.

"Mom?"

"Oh no." The man moved closer to the child. "Please, rest for a bit, okay? I—"

"Mom!" The child pushed herself away from the angel and the nurse, she sat beside Naoki.

The people around them were silent. There was no one willing to say anything. There was nothing left to be said. Naoki was looking at the child. This wasn't a question of whether he should or shouldn't, was it? If it wasn't for his selfish actions for the past few days, she should have been able to carry on with her life. The same with the people in the café.

When had he become so arrogant, he's now easily weighing people's lives against his selfishness just because he was the one who restored the world? Or is it just proper idiocy on his part to ignore the effect of his power in the world at large?

It was all of it, he was sure. Naoki didn't like this newfound negligence

"I'm no better than them." He cursed at himself.

He leaned closer and released a surge of demonic energy. The bind was in full force, but Naoki pushed through despite the hellish pain. The child was hugging her mother's dead body.

"Don't cry," Naoki caressed the child's hair, imitating how the angel did earlier. "Your mom's just asleep."

"Huh?"

Naoki took the woman's hand and a gentle glow lit up the woman's body. The light's gentle rays reached the people who were looking at the event in disbelief, each ray that hit them made them feel a feeling of motherly warmth.

The light dissipated transforming into glowing feathers which rose up into the night sky. Not a moment after the glow dissipated the woman drew in a heavy breath! She sat up and began coughing. Naoki supported her, holding her by the shoulder. "W-what happened!? Nanako…my daughter, young man—"

"Mom…? Mom!"

It wouldn't be just her.

Naoki stood up and walked past the man and the angel, kneeling close to each of the dead. Each glow of Naoki's Samarecarm made the people look at him in awe. But the gaze Naoki took notice the most was from the angel. She was looking at him as if she was in a trance.

"I-is he reviving them?" One of the people asked. The sheer silence of the people around them made the person's voice cut through the crowd.

Naoki was feeling the fatigue of constantly reviving three dozen people while fighting the effects of bind. The angel and the man helped the people who were revived into recovering. After the first dozen people were sitting around the building the people who kept their distance started to help Naoki and laid the rest of the dead properly aligned. After the twenty-fifth person was being revived, the angel had Naoki's arm over her shoulder.

"This will be the last. You need to rest before carrying any further." She insisted.

"Before that oversized hippo comes back, I need to finish this." Naoki hissed.

The child whose mother Naoki revived walked closer to him and hugged the angel. "Please listen to Miss Angel…"

Her mother was close behind. "You've already done more than enough, young man. We might not understand how you're doing this, but even I can tell it's taking a toll on you."

"C'mon, take a break." The Nurse patted Naoki's shoulder. "Miss Angel, please take care of him."

Naoki grunted as the angel helped him up.

"They look calm despite all this, huh." Naoki muttered as they found a place to rest.

"They're confused, afraid and tired." She answered. "I can feel their cluelessness. But after seeing the child reunite with her revived mother, I think they wanted to push through the confusion and help."

Naoki looked back at the people. This was the world the reason-bearers failed to see. The potential in humanity, something that could easily be buried underneath the stains of the surface.

Naoki let out a heaved breath as he sat a few paces away from the spot where he was reviving people. Each fragment of time he loses his concentration, the bind's power gets stronger. After the few minutes of his work no less than thirty people were revived, but it was still two thirds of the total casualties and Naoki had no way of getting rid of this damn bind.

The angel was fussing around his body.

"It's this lingering curse causing you pain, isn't it?" She asked. "I can feel the malignant grip of this curse on you, but I can't purify it. I don't know why…"

"Can you cast Me Patra?" Naoki asked.

"Me Patra?" She parroted.

"What kind of demon on your level doesn't know what Me Patra is?" Naoki muttered.

"Demon!?" She recoiled at the word. "Isn't my wings proof enough? I'm a seraph!"

Naoki looked at her like she was crazy.

"Wait, demon…" Her face was warped in thought. "You mean like ones from the Tome of Miroku!?"

"Tome of— the Miroku Scripture?" Naoki huffed, leaning against her. "That stupid book still exists here?"

Naoki could feel a shift in the aura from where the summoner should be. "Let's talk after this is over, seraph. We need to make sure these people are safe first."

"I have a name, you know."

"Does it really matter at a time like this."

"I would really appreciate it," She looked at him, resolute.

He sighed. "Let's hear it then…"

"It's Gabriel." She beamed as she helped him up.

As they walked back towards the people, Naoki was thinking. That wasn't a name he expected to hear from someone who was sincerely helping him and humans.

"You wouldn't happen know angels who are called Uriel and Raphael, would you?"

She smiled wide. "You know your angelology!"

"Not really, I—"

Both of them felt an unbridled surge of power aimed right at the building.

"Brace yourselves, everyone!" Gabriel managed to scream as let she go of him, standing between him and the source of the power.

Gabriel shielded herself, the young man and the people with a couple of barriers of light.

Suddenly, the building was blown away by a force so powerful Gabriel knew it could only come from one of those demons. Vehicles, metal containers and other different debris bounced off their shields as the barrage of the explosive force kept for a few seconds. In the end, her shield was able to hold out. The people's chorus of worry and fear dug through the seraph's ear as the explosion ended.

The Seraph let out a heaved breath as she fell on her knees. In her millennia of existence, she had never encountered an explosion so powerful since the Great War. Gabriel's body felt heavy, but she turned to looked at the young man and the people. She saw some had fainted but the others were quick to help them. The young man was looking forward, his face was warped in anger. But the curse was taking its toll him, Gabriel noticed his body subtly shaking from the pain in moving.

Collective gasps from the people shortly followed as the lights suddenly went out. The blast was powerful enough to cut the city's power lines, it seemed. There were two sources of light was then present, Gabriel and the young man's tattoos.

"Miss Angel, are you okay?" The child called for her.

Gabriel could only smile back at her. As the angel opened her mouth to answer the harbor's already cold atmosphere dropped. It wasn't from a sudden cold in the air, but Gabriel felt every inch of her body screaming to get out of there! There was a sudden bright bluish white light emanating from behind her. The light flashed so suddenly it didn't even reach a fraction of a second before another surge of demonic energy swelled. Gabriel quickly looked back and a blueish wave of energy expanded outwards, part of it was heading towards them!

The seraph had her body jolted from the young man suddenly grabbing her by her by the hips and putting himself in front of the blast. Gabriel put up a shield around them and the people again.

But when the wave passed them, the seraph saw the wave burning through her shields. The shields didn't break, the energy passed it as if her light shields were mere illusions! All of the people numbering a few hundred. The nurse who helped them. The mother who was just resurrected. The child.

"Noooo—!" Her mouth was agape as she screamed.

Gabriel helplessly saw the wave burning the people she just protected minutes ago, her body instinctively tried lunging to them but the young man's grip over her was firm. Her scream didn't die even when the almighty explosion dissipated. It warped from a gasping cry and into a heart wrenching sob.

The young man let go of his hold on Gabriel, the angel fell lifelessly on the ground.

Gabriel wept.

She went on for a good few seconds before an ugly desire for revenge could be felt from behind her. She turned and saw the young man was looking at the empty area where the people he had rescued should have been.

Gabriel noticed his clothes, his coat especially, was ripped apart by the blast. His black slacks were tattered, revealing more of the young man's pulsing green markings. He was silent, as if giving a prayer to the dead. The young man turned towards the source of the blast. With a single pull he ripped his coat and turtleneck leaving it to be blown by the night wind. She looked at the young man's eyes as they turned from the earlier pale yellow to a menacing blood red. His entire disposition changed.

If it wasn't obvious then, it was now. He had the presence of the demons during the Great War.

Gabriel stood up. Her tear smeared eyes was filled with sadness, but her face was warped in a scowl. Her body glowed a harsh gold and her white dress was draped over a golden gilded metallic armor covering her body. A larger glowing halo was now circling over her head and her twelve wings spread out, glowing fiercely. She stepped closer to the young man. He looked over her from head to toe and blinked once.

"I won't take no for an answer." The seraph said firmly, Naoki's eyes narrowing at her words.

In sync, Gabriel summoned a golden glowing light-spear holding it with both her hands and Naoki conjured a single long summoned sword letting it rest over his shoulder.

"Let's go." His demonic voice projected straight into Gabriel's mind.

With his words Gabriel floated a few inches off the ground and was side-by-side with Naoki as the two of them moved towards the enemy.

They were out for blood.

Message:

To the guest who asked, he's a composite Demi-Fiend.

I find it unnecessary to limit his move-set, especially in a lore-leaning fic like this one. As an example, one of his 'moves' is lunge. That's 50% raising your arms and 50% slamming your opponent with it and the game is seriously telling me he actively forgot the capability to do that move because he already stacked 8 ones in his 'stock'? I get gameplay balancing, but the heroine gets a utility belt's worth of spells in SMT1 and she was absolutely fun to have in the party.

Also, Cryocene, his title is Chaos King. I even made Masakado call him that in the first chapter.

Finally, I'm just putting this out there to limit confusion:

I put in the fic description, and even laid out allusions to it all over the fic, that the Demi-Fiend resurrected their universe and made a 'world of freedom'. That doesn't mean he is the play-by-play freedom-ending Demi-Fiend in the game. The Demi-Fiend I thought of when I came up with the fic was someone who was someone gullible enough to get roped into the events in the game but was never a stagnant character. I try to portray the Demi-Fiend here as someone who already had a character-arc in the vortex world and the values he learned there are challenged in the new one. It's like a little Epilogue of his character arc, hence the fic's title.

[Deuterocanonical Interlude - Wish]

The conception as an entity had grown on the Demi-Fiend. He had first thought of it as just the ruined leftovers of the world he lived in, with its familiar buildings donning their very familiar names. Despite the districts being called by their names as he remembered it, he had thought it was a dead world where he would eventually end up dying in. It took only a few cycles of living in it for him to quickly change his purview.

The conception quickly became a hateful world. It was a world who did not wish for its inhabitants to survive, and where everything was turning on each other to survive. Its hatred was suffocating. From its scorching hectare-spanning sandy fields to its demon-infested buildings who tried to kill him for the simple reason of nature.

Back in the bottommost pits of Amala, killing a single Preta was a battle that left him battered and bloodied. Now, four gods become mere additions to many deities who already fell by his hands. The Demi-fiend's latest exploits were four Buddhist gods who were said to watch over the direction of the world. They were the Four Heavenly Kings.

The Demi-Fiend had walked his path in this world and inevitably left his mark. Now, he was sitting on the edge of a plateau that was once called Ōtemachi where he had just done just so.

The Demi-Fiend's demons, his allies, were at the grave of Masakado a good distance away from the edge he was sitting on. Having defeated powerful foes would always turn to celebration, especially to demons. They were rowdy, but they were far enough for the Demi-Fiend to be alone with his thoughts. It was moments like the one he is in right now was the most afraid of himself. Moments where he had the time to think.

Three individuals were quick to notice the Demi-Fiend's tendency of keeping to himself. One of them wanted to do something about it.

"There's something bugging him." Said a black cat, its green eyes locked at the half Fiend.

"Some time to oneself is precious." A young man clad in the regal uniform of Yumizuki High was holding a clay cup. "I am tolerant of you, Gouto. But others might not be, especially if you pry."

"I'll understand if it's a gloomy kid like you, Jōhei." The talking black cat huffed. "But I didn't peg Naoki a brooding guy, why start now?"

The cat's rebuke made the young man let out a resigned sigh. But the black cat kept on his badgering.

"Why don't you go, Mr. Devil Hunter?" The cat turned to a white-haired man clad in red.

"Why not ask him yourself?" The man took a swig from a gourd. "Huh, that Masakado isn't much of a host. But I'd lying if I said this thing doesn't give a good kick."

"A mere mortal's liquor is enough for you, Dante? How disappointing."

"Ha! Are you that petty, you decrepit fly?!"

Gouto-Douji sighed and walked towards the Demi-Fiend. Gouto had to do it himself, all of the other idiots were too busy celebrating to notice. And the ones that did, didn't think much of looked at the Demi-Fiend again. Naoki was sitting, having one leg hanging on the edge while the second had its knee raised where his head rested on. Gouto was getting closer when he noticed there was something between the Demi-Fiend and his raised knee.

It was a pixie.

There were little to no rules in how demons take one form to another, always depending on who was enacting the rituals. Yet, Gouto was mystified by the transformation of this particular demon. From her evolution into more powerful demons, she was regressed back into her pixie form and became even stronger than gods. Simple, it was her bond with his. Dante's words would always follow. But more importantly…

'Those two, they should've just told the demon dame was here.' The cat shook his head. 'I would've taken the hint.'

"C'mon, with how long we've been together. The things we've gone through?" The Pixie's bubbly, yet, oddly soothing voice cut through. It seemed Gouto was close enough to hear them. "You think I can't handle a little complaint from you?"

"I—" The Demi-Fiend raised his head at her, the Pixie's hands were holding his cheeks.

"Nao, tell me."

"I hate it."

"Hate what?"

"This, all of this…" He said slowly.

"I hate how I don't feel sick when I rip a demon's limb off anymore, I hate how I don't feel surprised every time I realize a new angel, demon or god comes out to try and kill me…! I hate being a monster, Pixie." His last sentence became almost a whisper.

"Nao…"

"I don't think even demons have killed as many as I have!" He hissed. "I wanted to restore the world; I still do. But can I really live there after I've done it?"

"Alright! My turn!" The fairy nestled her tiny forehead over the half-fiend's and spoke in her soothing voice. "Let me tell you something I also came to hate."

The Demi-Fiend was silent.

"I hate how your human side came to grow on me." Pixie's voice was the sweetest it has ever been.

"…"

"I'm a demon. Even after I knew you were human before, I always thought to myself 'he'd never gone as far as he had if he wasn't transformed'." She giggled. "I still think that way too, but should it really matter if that was the case? Human nature isn't as rigid as a demon's, you know that. Yet, it can be a strength too. Being with you? I realized that! And, well, I came to love that part of you."

"…my human side…"

"Yeah, I fell for it."

"…"

"You know what's crazy? I never felt that side of you disappear, Nao. Even after you've become powerful, even after that dumb cripple said you've become a 'true' demon. Whatever that means."

Naoki let out a chuckle, a longing smile shortly followed.

"I wish I can bring you with me." Naoki words weren't shaking, but the old feline felt something in him broke when he heard the young man.

"I don't need to be there to know you'll be doing fine. But…" The fairy paused and bit her red lips. "See? This is why I hated loving your human side."

The Demi-fiend waited for her to continue with baited breath.

"Being a human, going to that human world you always told me… that's something I can never be able to do!" She finished with a faint sniffle.

Pixie clasped his cheeks and looked at him in the eye. "I wish I could be there with you too, Nao. I really do."

'I overheard something I shouldn't.' Gouto-Douji purred, walking back to the commotion. 'I really can't stand seeing someone cry. Especially if I can't do a thing to help. Damn.'

The cat's dour feeling from seeing Pixie and the Demi-Fiend's moment wasn't alleviated by the smug expression the Devil Hunter was giving him. It looked like the Devil Hunter was done with his quarrel with one of the Demi-Fiend's demons. Gouto jumped back into his partner's shoulder as he waited for the man to gloat.

"What?"

"You might be older than me, the kid and Jōhei combined. But you aren't as slick as you make yourself out to be, eh?" Dante took another swig at a larger gourd, likely stolen from the defeated demon.

Gouto was about to give a rebuke, but the man continued. His tone suddenly losing its mocking flair. "How was he?"

The cat huffed, half chuckling at Dante's disingenuousness. "It'll be a hard goodbye."

"Damn," Dante sighed, taking another swig off the gourd.

Gouto's partner let out a breath. It was almost a laugh, but the stoic young man kept his cool. "You two really should just talk normally."

"Hell, no." "Are you kidding?" The cat and the Devil Hunter agreed for once.

Within this hatful world that was the conception there was room to grow, to wish and to hope. There was a possibility for hatred, for rivalry and for love. There was room for life. Even knowing this, restoring the Demi-Fiend's dead world was something he needed to do. Even at the cost of what he gained.

It was, for a lack of a better word, his reason.

Message:

I set an interlude aside to writing some events in Nocturne that needed fleshing out, particularly Pixie and the Demi-Fiend's relationship. Yeah, I put both Raidou, Gouto and Dante here too. I already planned since the start. Why not? They offer a different lesson to the Demi-Fiend, and them together should be a good influential force for him to not totally buy into Lucy's sales pitch.

Something I've always found amusing when reading on the lore is a lot of fan discussions take Lucifer's words (and any of his other versions) at face value and treat it as fact when, you know, the guy is literally THE devil. His lore-dumps should be taken with as much salt as the other characters who say they 'know the truth' of everything.

[Old Messages]

2021, August 25

Message: (I'll take this message out after I recover or otherwise.)

My father had symptoms of Covid and both he and my mother have been running a fever for a week now. They've been swabbed but the result won't be in a couple of days (third world health care is slow). My temperature isn't alarming but I felt heavy for the last few days. I've been advised by work to stay home.

This might be nothing, but I just wanted to put this out there just in case. I've suddenly gotten some free time now, though, and I'll work on the fic if I get better. I, however, have cleaned up the previous chapters before all this happened. I'll put them up, if I haven't yet.

I'll also change the image. I nicked an image I found on google that'll fit the tone of the story. Also about the reviews, I'll read all of them afterwards as well.

2021, September 15

Message:

It was covid.

Apparently, the symptoms stay with you for a good while even after the incubation period, the coughing especially, but I'm otherwise alright. It took three weeks for me and my family to get rid of the symptoms (severe fever, ugly coughing, breathing troubles, etc.). Work's been piling up since I started back in the 8th so I haven't had ample room to dive in fic-writing but I think I can get something out this week along with this message.

Additionally, about the recent reviews, I feel the need to put out a message to put out the misunderstandings(-ish) about my plans about the fic.

Lastly, to the well wishes among the reviews, thank you.

2021, November 12

Message:

I'm leaving this here to reassure you I haven't died nor planned on abandoning the fic. It's just when I was re-reading the previous chapters I felt my prose is just kinda 'there.' I don't write professionally, far from it, but I don't plan of half-assing this fic neither. So, I took the time to improve my writing.

SMTV's release is also a milestone to every Megami Tensei fan out there. It's a bit sad I couldn't get it (for now). Since getting covid there were some expenses. The hospital room used for covid patients left in the hospital my parents stayed at were the most expensive ones. They were forced to take the room because the doctors said needlessly transferring covid patients was apparently dangerous and no other rooms were available. It was easy for them to say that, they didn't pay 11k a day for 3 weeks (I don't know how much that equates to dollars). I was pissed, but still had to pay for the thing. Buying a switch on top of all that isn't on my bucket list but I won't say anything more, I already sounded like I'm venting. Sorry.

To you guys who did get it, I sincerely hope it will exceed the hype and have a blast playing it. I doubt the Demi-Fiend will have a big story role there except being DLC, so I hope nothing I planned won't just get thrown under the bus with whatever happens in that game.

Finally, to the reviews (there are still some popping up, I'm surprised). I'll say my thoughts: (This is basically rambling so feel free to ignore it if you're not interested.)

To the well wishes among the reviews, thank you.

.

To the Guest/s who asked (and was worried about) the Demi-Fiend being nerfed and despite having a dozen ways of getting rid of that bind he didn't use them. I understand you. But I'm nerfing him by design for the story, and when the 'why' of it gets revealed, I just hope you won't get put off.

I'll just say this to shed some light a bit. It boils down to how 'Naoki' as a character here perceives being 'more demonic'. After all, he thinks his humanity burns away the more he embraces his demonic nature. Does him showing his horns and tattoo counts as demonic enough? Are the city-crushing attacks being him a true demon again? There are old TV shows he might have watched as a kid that does those things yet are still human, that line of thinking does matter to someone with an identity crisis. Or does it go even further? Every curse, affliction, debilitating effect demons inflict on him being reflected or shrugged off like it's nothing; like, even his body physical form is so twisted and freakish that it would finally sink to 'Naoki' that he no longer human. Such a thought would send him even deeper to the realization that his humanity (as a concept) no longer holds value and reels his 'true demon' nature coming to the surface, wouldn't it? It's a tipping scale and he, personally, doesn't want to let go.

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Next, to Cryocene, about the Almighty element and how I treat DxD's magic in comparison to Megaten. I know about meat shields and being able to protect against almighty with it. I literally wrote the Demi-Fiend acting as a meat-shield for Gabriel when he realized the almighty attack went through her barrier. Yes, '…there is no reason DxD spells will follow completely identical logic as Megaten's…' is true. which also means there is no reason Megaten's spells will follow completely identical logic to DxD's. Why it went through Gabriel's barrier instead of damaging it was also by design. Pierce is a thing. And its description is 'the user's attack bypasses all resistances, except for Repel.' I interpret that as ignoring their defenses. As to how that particular almighty attack has pierce, the chapters on its way. Hahaha.

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Finally, to the very long reviews from someone who's only named as 'Guest01', you hit the nail on the head. By that I meant the Last Bible part; I knew someone who had played it would pop up eventually. I'm glad you see how I set up the DxD characters' part. 'Dignify' is a good word, I always give these characters the room they need to 'breathe' (for the lack of a better word). They will have time developing even further.

The rest of it I don't think I'll say much. The alignments would be somewhat blurred in this fic. It was that way in Nocturne (through the reasons) and while I liked their place in smt I & II, it shouldn't be as clear cut as they made it out to be. To your concerns about my portrayal of Stephen and the Great Will? It'll depend on how you like some aspects in the later mainline. Personally, I never liked the held-back philosophical direction they went with in IVA. With Stephen, especially, I never liked his portrayal in IVA and in the DLC. His boss fight just dumped the image crafted for him in I & II and I didn't like it one bit. I never pegged him as a fighter. That doesn't mean he's weak, in the conventional sense. He's more along the lines of the Buddhist concept of 'achieving Nirvana'. He's a human who achieved transcendence, his whole character was for progress and understanding (he's modeled after Mr. Hawking for crying out loud) and upon reaching that epiphany he helps nurture humanity's potential. The direction I will go with the Great Will (and in extension the characterization Stephen, Lucy, etc. will go through) is similar to his concept in Last Bible, Nocturne and Megami Tensei 2 where it centers on the Great Will's multiverse of death and rebirth (or the Amala, as it's called in Nocturne).

2021, December 22

Message:

It's been almost a week since super typhoon Odette (Rai) and this is the first time I've gone online since then. You might already guessed where I'm from since the storm only hit our country(to my knowledge). I don't know the storm's details, you can look that up. I only know it was hell when it tore through here.

I'll be frank. I won't be able to update this fic in a (or two) month/s.

The province I'm in hit the fan; more than three neighboring towns have been completely flooded, ours (only half flooded) were slightly luckier. Water's been rationed around and electricity won't be back in a month (a statement from our provincial powergrid). It's not even a metaphor when I say people have been beating each other up for food/water rations and with the limited fuel (there were talks of companies hoarding the remaining supply) deliveries for relief goods are scarce. And, as always, Covid cases are as high as ever. I'm rambling now, but this might give you some idea.

Honestly, I don't know if my PC still works. All of my files were there (new chapters included). I might try and see when power comes back. I've written this from my dying phone along with texts to relatives.

I'm not fishing for pity; this is just a status update. My family and I will live through this. It'll be a long wait for you guys, though, so apologies in advance.

If you're hit by the storm reading this (or just in some similar tough situation), take it from me:

Laban lang.