Author's Note: Here's Chapter 2. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DXD.
"Rias" - Speech
'Issei' - Thought
[BOOST!] - Sacred Gear Ability/ Ddraig and Albion Speech
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Azazel…The Governor-General of the Fallen Angels…he and I met while he was scouting a town in Okinawa. I was there to relax.
We agreed that it would cause too much damage if we fought, so we parted ways peacefully, although I longed to do battle with him in order to keep a promise, as well as the fact that his well-known fascination with Sacred Gears reminded me far too much of my former master, Amadeus Bael.
The desire to fight him was trumped only by my self-control and concern for the people around us. Should we meet elsewhere, where no innocents could suffer…we will clash.
-Mei Schwarzwald, the Queen of Blood and Betrayal.
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Chapter 2: The Second Move: Gambit
With Azazel, the Canadian Artic, En-Route to Kokabiel's Airship
Most people who know Azazel class him as a very easy-going kind of guy, despite the fact he is one of the most powerful Fallen Angels. This was a guise he had deliberately cultivated in order to hide his razor-sharp and highly strategic mind.
One facet of Azazel's personality that was relatively unknown to anyone outside of the Grigori or the higher-ranking members of Heaven and the Underworld was that he cared greatly for his subordinates. Half the reason he had sued for peace between the three factions in the first place was so his then-Vice Governor could openly marry his pregnant Devil lover.
Therefore, as he flew at breakneck speeds towards the airship, arrogantly called the Morningstar by Kokabiel, he was busy cursing himself for not eliminating Mei when he had the chance three years ago. Oh, there were good reasons for not attacking her -innocent lives would be risked in a battle between him and a powerful Stray Devil who'd somehow managed to resist deforming into a hideous monster- but he still should have taken care of her.
If he had, his former subordinates wouldn't have been injured today. That was the complete and absolute truth. Although he had to wonder at her restraint. Mei had had the chance to utterly slaughter the Fallen within the building, yet she had only dealt just enough damage to disable them and no more than that.
'This doesn't make sense. If she's so greedy for power that she slaughtered her King and Peerage for it, why is she showing restraint against people she has no reason to hold herself back against?' Azazel thought with a frown, before shaking his head slightly. The reason didn't matter. All that mattered was getting to Mei and stopping her.
Azazel spotted the Morningstar in the distance. Kokabiel had fashioned the thing to look like the Hindenburg, the airship that had caught fire at its moorings in 1937, ending the great airship era. What bad taste.
Several explosions dotted the side of the great airship as a lone figure flew from the wrecked remains of an airlock on the black wings of a Devil.
Reaching inside his shirt, Azazel pulled out a drone that he fiddled with for a moment before tossing it into the air. It fell for a moment before stabilising and floating in mid-air. A camera lens protruded from one side of the spherical drone and whirred as it focussed on him.
"Now then…." he muttered as he made for the Stray Devil who had attacked his former subordinates, "Time to punish the wilful Ojou-sama."
With the Gremory Group and Company
Issei was sitting next to Asia and Rias, with Koneko sitting on 'her' seat, aka his lap. The rest of Rias' Peerage was seated around them, with Sona and her Peerage to one side, Serafall keeping a wary eye out in case someone attacked her sister.
Sirzechs and his Peerage sat to the other side talking quietly amongst themselves. When the large TV flashed into life, all eyes flashed to it as it displayed the image of a burning airship and two figures. One was Azazel; the other was the black-cloaked figure of Mei Schwarzwald, both hovering in mid-air thanks to their wings.
Mei looked exactly as she had in the security footage, with two exceptions. First, she had her hair tied back into a ponytail to avoid it getting in her face as she flew. Second, she carried a large case easily in one hand.
"Damn! She got it!" Sirzechs cursed.
"The question is, can she keep it though." Grayfia said quietly, but she fell silent as Mei started to speak.
"Ara, Azazel. Long-time no see." Mei said casually, "How's the arm? I heard you lost it to Katerea Leviathan."
"Hmm…? Oh you mean this?" Azazel held up his artificial left arm, "Yes, Katerea was quite stubborn. She even used one of Ophis' Snakes. It still wasn't enough to defeat me."
"That matches what I heard." Mei remarked, "I was rather disappointed when I heard that you lost your arm. There's no pride in defeating a one-armed opponent, but I see that you used your Sacred Gear research to manufacture a suitable replacement."
"Ara…you think that just because I had lost an arm that you could defeat me?" Azazel asked amusedly, "You may have defeated Sairaorg Bael, but I am far more powerful than he is. Even short an arm; I would have been more than a match for you."
"Sairaorg-sama has grown so strong over the last three years." Mei mused, "I watched the Rating Game between him and Rias-Ojou-sama. It was an excellent fight. Is he well?"
"He is. From what I hear he handily defeated the descendent of the Hero Heracles during Shalba Beelzebub's attempt to destroy the Underworld." Azazel replied.
"Heracles, eh? Well, that's excellent news." although her face couldn't be seen, it was obvious that she was fond of Sairaorg.
"Well then…now that we've exhausted polite conversation…is that what you attacked my former subordinates to obtain?" Azazel asked, becoming serious as he gestured at the box.
"Indeed it is." Mei replied as she hefted the box, "It has a troublesome seal on it, but it's nothing I cannot breech. I do apologise for being rough with your men, but if I am to fulfil my heart's desire, I cannot permit anyone to stand in my way."
"Oh?" Azazel sounded curious, "And what might your heart's desire be?"
"It's a secret." Mei replied, almost playfully, "But now I have this, I can start my plan to acquire the [Boosted Gear] from the Sekiryūtei. As he is right now, he will not be a major obstacle to overcome."
"Underestimating Issei-kun is usually a mistake." Azazel remarked, "Plus, the Switch-Princess will not be willing to allow you to kill her boyfriend."
"Azazel!" Rias shrieked, "Do not call me that! Especially not in front of an enemy!"
Her red face was made worse by Mei actually chuckling at her nickname, given to her by a member of Vali Lucifer's team, Bikō Sun Wukong, after the attack by Diabel Astaroth and Shalba Beelzebub and Issei's subsequent fall into, and recovery from, the [Juggernaut Drive].
"I've seen the dolls, but I never expected people to actually call Rias-Ojou-sama that." Mei chuckled, "I suspect she's going to blast you once she sees you again, Azazel."
"Such is the life of the Advisor of the Occult Research Club of Kuō Academy." Azazel shrugged nonchalantly, "Now, I would appreciate it if you surrendered peacefully. Any chance of that?"
"None, I'm afraid." Mei replied firmly, "Besides…I have a promise to keep. Pardon me for a moment."
She snapped her fingers thrice and three Teleportation circles appeared around her, disgorging a trio of…things. They were slate-grey and the size of a carthorse, with spindly limbs and large wings, with the heads of snarling dogs.
"What the heck are those things?" Issei asked.
"Gargoyles." Akeno told him, "A western subspecies of troll. Usually, you don't see them moving, but they can move fairly quickly when they want to."
"Hmmm…these things look like Gargoyles…but they do not feel like Gargoyles." Azazel mused, "Ah-ha. These are Golems, aren't they?"
"Golems?" Issei was lost again.
"A Magician's construct." MacGregor informed him, "Originally, it was from the Bible…Psalm 136:16, if I remember correctly. We adopted them for simple labour -fetching and carrying, that kind of thing. Traditionally, they are either powered by Shem, a piece of paper with one of the Jewish names for God written on it, placed in its mouth or by having the word 'Emet', or truth, written on its forehead. These have no sign of the latter and, as they are snarling, I can rule out the former."
"If they're simple labour devices, why is she summoning them?" Asia asked in confusion.
"Attack!" Mei commanded, much to the shock of those assembled, as well as Azazel. The Gargoyles roared and flew at Azazel with bared fangs and rending talons.
"Ara…I'm being underestimated." the Advisor of the Occult Research Club remarked as he created a spear of light. In three quick slashes, the Gargoyles were cleft in twain by Azazel, who looked as relaxed as he did while playing Tekken Tag Tournament.
A flash of light from Mei drew their attention. She was sinking the large box that housed Project Fallen Terra into another Teleportation circle.
"The Gargoyles were only a distraction!" Issei cursed.
"Now, now…none of that." Azazel scolded Mei as he sent a large barrage of light spears at her.
With another absent click of her fingers, Mei summoned a flock of Gargoyle golems to block the incoming rain of spears, a task they proved most able to perform. They blocked every single spear that Azazel sent at them.
"Tch. Pesky things." Azazel muttered.
"You're being rather harsh to my poor Golems." Mei remarked as she flew high above the Gargoyles, who crumbled to dust with a gesture, her hands now empty, "They try hard, you know."
"Do tell how you created them." Azazel said, "I cannot see any carvings on them, nor has any parchment or paper fallen from any of the destroyed bodies, so I confess to some curiosity as to how they function."
"When I slew my former master, I stole outlines for an Artificial Sacred Gear that he had been working on." Mei replied, "Behold the power of the Artificial Sacred Gear [Dragon's Tooth], otherwise known as the [Blood of Enkidu]: unlimited Golem creation."
"Wait…her former master?" Issei said with a frown, "The researcher from the Bael Family?"
"Amadeus Bael was a Devil who possessed a brilliant mind, although not as much so as Azazel's." Sirzechs, "He was fascinated by Sacred Gears, which is why every person in his Peerage, barring one, possessed one, to aid in his research."
"So…stealing from others is it?" Azazel asked lazily.
"Hah! He couldn't complete it. I finished it, so quite a bit of the credit goes to me for figuring out where Amadeus-teme went wrong." Mei replied with a shrug, "Now that my hands are free…I can fight you myself."
"Is she nuts?" Irina asked in confusion, "Does she really think she stands a chance against Azazel-sensei?"
"Mei is quite possibly one of, if not the, most powerful Stray Devil in history." Grayfia said softly, "She has a cunning mind and never entered a fight without a plan. If she's challenging Azazel so brazenly, she has a scheme in mind."
"Oh? So you aren't going to run?" Azazel sounded honestly amused, "I survived fighting against the Seraphs, the original four Maō and the two Heavenly Dragons at their most powerful. Do you seriously think that you can stand against me?"
"I can…with the aid of an old friend." Mei replied confidently. She spread her arms wide before calling out, "I invoke the brave soul of Takanome Arisu, my ever faithful Bishop! Your mistress demands your presence!"
A blue glow covered her body, before a silver necklace appeared around her neck, a sapphire pendant hanging from it, carved into the shape of a snarling dragon's head.
"The [Fangs of the Blue Dragon]!" Serafall exclaimed, white with shock.
"What the…I take it that isn't her own Sacred Gear then?" Issei asked.
"No. It originally belonged to her Peerages' second Bishop, Takanome Arisu." Sirzechs replied, "She was a hanyou before being reincarnated as a Devil, half-Yōkai and half-human. Her mother was a Yuki-Onna and her father was a hiker that she rescued on a mountain. Her Sacred Gear is also known as the [Frozen Fangs of Purgatory], as the only thing colder than the Ice Magic that it creates is the icy depths of the Cocytus River."
"This is why we're guarding So-chan." Serafall explained, "The Water Magic of the Sitri Family is useless against that Sacred Gear."
"Using the Sacred Gear of your slain former comrade?" Azazel asked angrily, "How low have you fallen?"
"You have no idea what you are talking about." Mei replied, "You have no idea what my sisters meant to me, what they still mean to me. Now stop talking and fight! [Fimbulwinter]!"
A howling gale of ice and wind descended upon Azazel, sending him tumbling in the air, Mei followed up with a barrage of ice spears that Azazel countered with his arm's built-in holy light gun.
"Tricky." Azazel hissed, "But not tricky enough!"
With a gesture from the former Governor-General, Mei was assailed by spears of light from all around her, englobing her for all angles. Mei countered with a globe of ice around her that shielded her from the assault.
"Only a matter of time before my spears breaks through your armour…" Azazel chuckled.
"[Icicle Assault]!"
From the frozen ground beneath the fighters, a massed array of ice spears flew up to attack Azazel, who dodged them with some difficulty due to the sheer number of them.
Mei took this opportunity to appear via a Teleportation Circle behind Azazel and try to impale him with a sword made of ice, which Azazel blocked with his artificial arm.
"Schweinehund!" Mei snarled as she pushed the arm back.
"Now that wasn't very nice." Azazel noted as he sent her flying.
Mei recovered from her flight and shook her head. "I have to say Azazel; you are quite the irritating opponent."
"I get that a lot." the Fallen Angel shrugged, "Ready to give up?"
"Not quite yet." Mei replied, "[Frost Dragon]!"
With a spike in the already chilly air, the shape of a large western dragon took shape beneath Mei's feet. A long sinuous neck, a pair of massive wings, four sets of razor-sharp talons and a long whip-like tail combined together to form a very scary looking beast that dwarfed Azazel by a considerable margin.
"…crap." Kiba said faintly.
"That dragon is a mere caricature, a shell of a true dragon." Sirzechs said bracingly, "Even empowered by the [Fangs of the Blue Dragon], it stands no chance against Azazel. I wonder what she is planning…?"
"Ara…this is interesting." Azazel said carefully, "I can detect some actual draconic power from that Sacred Gear now."
"Well, the name of the Sacred Gear does give away the fact it has the power of a dragon inside it." Mei deadpanned, "The [Fangs of the Blue Dragon] has the power of a Norse Frost Dragon sealed within it. The power only, not the mind."
"So you are incapable of using the [Juggernaut Drive] or [Breakdown the Beast]." Azazel said with a nod, "Good to know."
Issei shuddered as the Fallen Angel uttered the name of the forbidden technique he had fallen into after he had thought Shalba Beelzebub had killed Asia. The blond ex-nun noticed his shudder and hugged him in an effort to alleviate his bad memories.
"Thanks Asia." Issei patted her on the head in gratitude.
On the screen, Azazel was dodging tooth, talon and tail from the faux-Frost Dragon, as well as a hail of icicles from Mei. Azazel looked intrigued by this for some odd reason.
"Looks like he's wondering the same thing I am." MacGregor said grimly, "'Why is she not using her Gravity Magic or her own Sacred Gear?'"
"Yes, I have been wondering this as well." Sirzechs agreed, "There is no possible way she could have mastered the [Fangs of the Blue Dragon] in a mere three years. What we are seeing is impressive, but hardly the pinnacle of what the previous wielder could accomplish. Arisu was taught personally by Serafall in the use of her Ice Magic."
"Ehhh?! By Serafall-sama?!" Issei gaped at this.
"Eh-he-he!" Serafall grinned, "Arisu-tan was an eager student. Her heritage as a Yuki Onna made the magic of the Sacred Gear even more powerful than normal. No one has ever wielded that Sacred Gear with more skill than her."
"As fun as this is, you can't beat me at this level of power, Mei." Azazel remarked as he smashed the head of the Frost Dragon, "You know that was well as I do."
"Indeed. It seems I shall have to raise my game somewhat." the Stray Devil replied, "I had hoped that this wouldn't happen for a while, but…oh well."
Adopting the same pose as when she summoned the [Fangs of the Blue Dragon], she called out, "Takanome Arisu, by my will and power, I call you forth in my time of need. Fight in my stead and grant me victory!"
The blue glow returned and covered Mei's body completely, hiding it from sight. When the light faded, a completely different person stood floating in her place. Wearing a blue yukata with snowflake decorations, long blond hair with blue highlights mixed in fluttering in the breeze. Her black eyes gazed at a stupefied Azazel with a smirk on her face.
"Arisu…-tan…?!" Serafall whispered in disbelief at the sight of her former student.
"Muu…" the girl on the screen pouted, "Honestly, Mei no Aneki. You just didn't want to have to fight him anymore, didn't you?"
"Mei?" Azazel asked carefully, "Is…is that still you?"
"I'm not Mei no Aneki." the girl huffed, "I'm Arisu. You've been pushing Aneki around without even trying, so she brought me out to fight you. Prepare yourself, Azazel. [Balance Break]!"
"WHAT?!" yelled everyone in the room, including Serafall and Sirzechs. On the screen, the Fallen Angel looked stunned as well.
Arisu, at least the being that claimed to be Takanome Arisu, was enveloped by an icy wind that ruffled her yukata and made her hair dance in the grasp of the breeze. The form of the necklace changed into a large silver collar, with countless thin and delicate silver chains draped down the front like chainmail. From the back, a long white cape emerged and attached itself to silver bangles and anklets that appeared on her wrists and ankles.
For a moment, all was silent as the wind died down, and then Arisu spoke.
"[Fangs of the Blue Dragon Balance Breaker]…[Heart of Frozen Purgatory]."
"Impossible…" Serafall whispered, "This is impossible…Arisu-chan died…I saw the body myself…so how is she there right now using her Balance Breaker?!"
"[Frozen Leviathan]" Arisu declared. In an instant, a large serpentine creature twice the length of the airship nearby was created. Raising its great maw, the Leviathan roared its defiance to the heavens.
"This attack was one of the first I created after I gained my Balance Breaker, in honour of Serafall-sensei." Arisu said as she raised a hand and pointed at Azazel, "Vanish beneath the icy depths as I decree…[Absolute Ice Age]."
The leviathan roared and started to circle in the air before unleashing a massive blast of Ice Magic that literally froze everything in its path. Even the air wasn't spared, creating a massive glacier that grew at a frightening speed.
Azazel snapped out of his stupor and launched an endless number of light spears at the growing glacier, shredding it as if he was carving a mountain. As fast as the spears destroyed ice however, the ice just kept growing, relentlessly and inexorably closing in on Azazel.
"It's pointless to resist, you know." Arisu remarked as she idly played with her hair with one hand, "The ice will grow, grow and grow until it swallows its target whole."
The next minute, she stiffened. "Damn…at my limit already…aren't you lucky, Azazel…?" she gasped out as the ice stopped growing and started to crumble, as did the Leviathan, "I'll retreat for today, but we will fight again!"
In the flash of a magic circle, Arisu vanished, a look of anger and frustration on her face.
Azazel's voice came over the TV's speakers, sounding irritated. "Sirzechs, what the hell? How is it that she was not only able to use the Sacred Gear, but also change her appearance and use the Balance Breaker of the previous user?"
"I have no idea." the Maō Lucifer replied via the microphone he had that linked to the built-in radio on Azazel's artificial arm, "Serafall here is almost catatonic with shock at seeing her former student when she should be dead these last three years."
"Could she have been cloned?" Azazel pondered, "…no, that can't be it. Cloning technology is primitive at best and only creates a body with no soul. The person I just fought definitely had a soul."
"This can wait until later." Sirzechs sighed, "Get in that zeppelin and find out what it was that she took. We have to know at least that much so we can plan how to protect my future brother in law."
"On it." Azazel replied. His image on screen dived into the open airlock that Mei had emerged from as the screen faded to black.
"What the hell is going on!?" Serafall was scowling at the wall, "How was Mei able to do that? An illusion?"
"I would very much like to see an illusion that could affect an angel, even one of the Fallen." Sirzechs shook his head, "Something is more than slightly off here. Grayfia, go to the Bael Family and request the presence of Sairaorg Bael. He spent quite a bit of time with Mei before she went rogue. He was also familiar with Amadeus Bael. If you can, request the presence of the survivor of Amadeus' Peerage from Lord Bael as well."
"Understood." Grayfia nodded before she vanished in a Teleportation Circle.
"Rias, you, Akeno and Issei-kun cannot go out without protection." Sirzechs said seriously.
"He hasn't even taken Rias-Buchou's virginity, let alone mine." Akeno pouted with a teasing glint in her eyes as both Issei and Rias flushed red, "So I think protection won't be needed for a while."
Sirzechs' lips twitched in amusement. "Granted, but I was thinking of guards rather than condoms. You three are not to go anywhere without a pair of guards from your Peerage."
"Onii-sama, I understand why Issei has guards, but why do I and Akeno need guards as well?" the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess asked.
"In the last three years, there have been numerous attacks against Peerages that have been tentatively attributed to Mei." Sōji replied, "She tests the Queens and crushes the Kings. Almost always, the symbol of the Queen is left at the scene of the crime."
"Why?" Akeno asked with a frown.
"She seems to have taken it upon herself to punish those like Diabel Astaroth, who mistreat their Peerages and collaborate with the Khaos Brigade." Sirzechs replied, "She carries a grudge against Kings and punishes them severely. She tests the Queens and punishes them severely should they fail."
"So…she's been helping the Underworld?" Kiba said slowly as he processed this.
"In a manner of speaking, yes." Serafall said with a frown, "It could be a form of atonement for the murder of her master and Peerage, but regardless of that, what she has done is irredeemable. No act of supplication can ever forgive the transgression of killing her master, let alone her Peerage."
"She called them her sisters." Issei noted, "What was her Peerage like?"
"Allow my companion to answer that, Sekiryūtei." a familiar voice said from the doorway. Standing there was a tall young man with black hair and violet eyes.
"Sairaorg!" Issei greeted his rival/friend warmly.
"It is good to see you, Sekiryūtei." Sairaorg said with a smile, "I hear that your [Boosted Gear] is disempowered."
"Ah…yeah…" Issei materialised the red gauntlet on his left arm, "I can use the basic abilities and the basic Balance Breaker, but not the techniques I used against your Peerage or you."
"That isn't a good thing when your opponent is Mei." Sairaorg said grimly, "Has your body recovered from your resurrection?"
"Pretty much." Issei replied, "Why?"
"I'll start training you." the man declared, "If your Sacred Gear isn't up to scratch, I'll increase your basic physical abilities. If nothing else, you'll last longer against her once Ddraig recovers."
"Yeah, but who knows how long that will take?" Issei sighed as he dismissed the [Boosted Gear], "I mean, has there ever been a case of this happening in the past? Of one of the Two Heavenly Dragons overusing their powers and sleeping within their Sacred Gears?"
"To the best of our knowledge, no." Sirzechs admitted, "Usually the wielder uses up their life-force and sanity long before the [Divine Dividing] and [Boosted Gear] even come close to approaching their limits. Perhaps Azazel will have an idea once he gets back. In any case, you should all hear Mei's story from one who knew her. Sairaorg, did she come?"
"Yes. She should be here in a moment." the Heir to the Bael Family replied, "She wasn't happy to hear about Mei."
"Understandable." Sirzechs sighed.
A girl walked into the room just then. She had long brown hair tied into a pigtail and wore the clothes of a retainer of the Bael Family. Her black eyes scanned the room before she bowed slightly at the two Maō.
"I come at your summons, Maō-sama." she said in a quiet respectful voice.
"You have my thanks, Chiaki-chan." Sirzechs nodded, "Your former-Queen, Mei Schwarzwald, has attacked two Fallen Angel institutions and has declared her intent to steal the Sekiryūtei's [Boosted Gear]. Issei-kun and my sister, as well as the rest of her Peerage and Sona Sitri's Peerage, need to hear Mei's story from one who knew her. Will you help us in this?"
"Mei-nee-sama…" the girl breathed, "I'll help you, Maō-sama, but then I'm going to track her down and avenge my sisters!"
She turned to the rest of the room. "My name is Amakusa Chiaki, formerly a Pawn in Amadeus Bael's Peerage, and the only survivor of Mei Schwarzwald's massacre. I will tell you her story, as much as I know of it, as she told it to me."
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Next Chapter: Third Move: Queen
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