High School DxD: Inheritor of Malevolence

by dvdryms

There exist infinite universes, infinite possibilities. In one of them, an almost normal first-year high school student will discover that there is more to the world around him than meets the eye following a certain encounter. But where will his path lead him when the forbidden power sleeping within him awakens?

43. Waltz

Chapter 43 – Waltz

"What's going on here? Shouldn't this city be filled with people at this time? Why is there no-one around?"

Lalasyu wondered with a troubled expression on her face, while the troops around her seemed uneasy as well. She and the rest of her compatriots had invaded the Underworld through one of the secret pathways unknown to the current government. Their plan was to conduct a three-pronged attack in order to confuse the forces stationed in this area and catch the Devil Kings by surprise, then destroy the hotel where the nobles had gathered and eliminate as many of them as possible.

Lalasyu and the troops she was leading were supposed to act as the first wave, causing as much damage to the city near the hotel where the Devil King-sponsored party was taking place in order to attract the army's attention. However, once they had arrived at the outskirts, they were met with utter silence and seemingly empty buildings.

"Maybe they sensed our arrival?" A woman in her mid-twenties with long dark blue hair and red-brown eyes that wore a modified hoplite armor and had burn marks all over her body said. "Either way, it doesn't matter. Just say the word, and the Hyperion Sect will turn this city into an ocean of flames."

"It's not that simple, Niobe." Lalasyu said while frowning. "The enemy must have—"

"Ara, so this is where you are. Maximilian-san's eyes are flawless as always."

The members of the Khaos Brigade tensed as a woman of astonishing beauty descended from the sky, her twelve pure white wings seemingly glowing in the night. She had long, curly blond hair, sky blue eyes, a halo hovering above her head, and she wore a pure white dress with no decorations on it.

"Hello, members of the Khaos Brigade!" The woman said in a cheerful manner unbefitting of the current situation. "How do you do? I'm Gabriel, one of the Four Great Seraphs, and I have come here to stop you misguided children from committing any more bad deeds and damning your souls."

"The Seraph Gabriel…" Lalasyu grimaced, but then smirked. "You have a lot of guts coming out here on your own, I'll give you that. However, you can't possibly think you can take all of us here on your own, do you? If so, that's quite conceited even for a Seraph."

"Looks like we have our first catch of the night, everyone!" Niobe said with a cruel smile as her hands were enveloped by flames. "Offering a Seraph's life as sacrifice, that will definitely please our great masters! For our Arcadia!"

[For our Arcadia!]

The Titan Worshippers shouted together as their bodies were coated in flames. At the same time, the Old Devil King Faction Devils conjured their magic circles and aimed them at Gabriel.

"Oh my, that's a lot of killing intent you're letting out there." Gabriel said with a small frown. "Please, won't you consider backing down? There's no need for this to end in bloodshed. You should take more care of your precious one life, you know?"

"What nonsense are you babbling there, you air-headed, overgrown pigeon!?" Lalasyu said, summoning a large number of oversized flies around her. "The only life that will come to an end here is yours, Heaven's top wench! Send her to meet her wretched creator, everyone!"

[Yes!]

The assembled troops roared together as a barrage of demonic power blasts and flame constructs struck Gabriel, raising a huge smoke cloud. However, once the smoke cleared, a large water sphere could be seen surrounding the Seraph, who was unharmed by the barrage. Dismissing it, Gabriel spread her twelve wings wide as she rose up higher into the air.

"You have chosen annihilation then. Unfortunate."

Gabriel spoke with an emotionless tone and an icy expression that was a far cry from her previous jovial attitude. The Khaos Brigade members couldn't help but feel chills go down their spines at this radical shift in attitude and the dense aura coming out of the Seraph's body.

"Power of God." Gabriel said as large amounts of water started gathering around her. "That is what my given name means. Tonight, I will remind you unrepentant sinners why I was named thus."

The water around Gabriel shaped itself into dozens of massive wings that were about fifty meters long. Without warning, she started swinging them, gouging the ground below and smashing any Khaos Brigade members unfortunate enough to get caught up in her attack. Several Devils were able to dodge her water wings, only to convulse and scream in pain as several droplets struck their skin, burning it due to the holy attribute infused in the water.

Seemingly not content with just this attack, Gabriel raised her arm high, forming several giant holy water spears and turning them into ice before hurling them at her enemies. Several terrorists were crushed by the iceberg-sized spears, while others were pelted by a barrage of water bullets and water blades that shredded their bodies.

"Damn it all to Hell!" Lalasyu shouted, her mutant flies forming a vibration barrier through the beat of their wings to shield her from Gabriel's onslaught. "Don't panic, you blasted fools! She's only one person! Focus your attacks and take her down!"

"Who said anything about Gabriel-sama being alone!?"

A female voice said, with a barrage of light blasts tearing though the terrorists' ranks and further disorganizing them. Turning her gaze towards the direction of the attack, Lalasyu noticed a slender girl hovering in the sky a short distance away from Gabriel, with several golden feather-shaped cannons hovering next to her. Said girl had short blue hair with an ahoge on top, almond eyes and a slender figure, with eight Angel wings growing from her back and a halo hovering above her head.

"Leah Cardoso, Remiel-sama's Ace, reporting for duty!" The girl said in an energetic manner. "Today as well, I will do my best! Go, Extinction Crown!"

Responding to her command, the cannons scattered and began bombarding the terrorists from various angles, sowing even more chaos among their ranks. Despite their best efforts to shield themselves through defensive magic circles and flame barriers, the two Angels' attacks had no trouble getting past the terrorists' meager defenses.

A large number of Devils and Titan Worshippers detached themselves from the main group, rushing towards the city's buildings in an attempt to find some cover. However—

"Did you really think you could escape from us so easily, miscreants? If so, your intelligence must be even lower than I estimated."

"Come now, don't be too harsh on them, Inessa. Trying to seize a more advantageous position or retreating altogether from the battlefield are valid options. Unfortunately for our rowdy troublemakers here, we were one step ahead."

Barring the Khaos Brigade members' way were two youths. One was a beautiful young woman around seventeen years old that had a regal atmosphere around her. She had long blonde hair, ruby eyes and a slender, voluptuous body, with eight Angel wings growing from her back and a halo hovering above her head. The other was a handsome young man around the same age as the girl that had white hair and blue eyes, with the right side of his face being covered by a white mask. Like the girl, he had eight pure white wings growing from his back and a halo hovering above his head.

"Greetings, terrorists." Inessa said, making a small bow. "My name is Inessa Fedorova, and the young man next to me is Giacomo Agosti. Both of us are members of the Brave Saints, and by order of Heaven, we have been dispatched to arrest or eliminate you. While you don't seem like a bright sort, I hope you will make the correct choice here."

"Was it really necessary to introduce us?" Giacomo said. "Giving our names to people like these seems like a waste of time."

"Perhaps, but we should adhere to the rules regarding common courtesy even when it comes to individuals like them." Inessa said, flipping her hair. "At the very least, they have the right to know the names of those who judged and convicted them."

"Enough blabbering, lapdogs of Heaven!" One of the Titan Worshippers shouted. "Onward, my brethren! Erase these impure beings, and fear not! Death is only the beginning!"

[Death is only the beginning!]

The cultists shouted as they charged, with the Devils following closely behind with some reluctance. Seeing that, Inessa sighed as she conjured several defensive magic circles to shield herself and Giacomo from the terrorists' attacks.

"…Have it your way then. If by any chance you get reincarnated, I hope you will be a little wiser in your next life!"

Several fish-shaped light constructs appeared around Inessa, rushing forward and going through the enemies' bodies. The effect was almost instantaneous as the Titan Worshippers screamed and fell on their knees, clutching their chests in pain. The Devils fared even worse than them, with their bodies catching on fire and disintegrating the moment the fish-shaped constructs went through them.

"As expected, my Sin Eater is very effective against your kind, which is filled with sins and vices." Inessa remarked while sending several light spears and fish-shaped constructs at her enemies before turning to Giacomo. "Any time you wish to participate, your assistance would be most welcome."

"Patience." Giacomo said while gathering holy power in his palms. "Even the Lord needed three days to return from the land of the dead. Forging my Emeth Cores takes a little time, but I'm almost…done."

Three pulsating crystals appeared on Giacomo's hands, with the young man tossing them on the ground. As the crystals sank into the earth, a rumbling sound echoed as the ground started shaking. The next moment, three large lumps of clay and metal rose from the ground, solidifying themselves into five-meters-tall humanoid constructs with several pulsating orbs embedded on their bodies.

"These are…golems?"

A Devil wondered. The next moment, the orbs on the golems' chests shone, unleashing powerful light beams that vaporized several Devils and Titan Worshippers at once. Not stopping there, the golems generated large swords of light from their forearms and started hacking the terrorists apart, their dying screams echoing across the city.

Some attempted to target the golems, but they formed light barriers around themselves to shield their bodies before blasting the enemies with more light beams from their eyes. Several terrorists took flight, but one of the golems also grew wings and chased after them, shooting them down one by one.

"Not bad, not bad." Giacomo nodded with a satisfied expression as his golems took down enemy after enemy while he took out several rods and planted them on the ground around him, forming a circle. "I could have created more powerful golems if I had more time to further refine the cores, but the result is still acceptable."

At that time, a Titan Worshipper, who had cast an invisibility spell on herself, formed a curved dagger out of condensed flames and attacked Giacomo from behind. However, Inessa was faster, kicking her away with a light-enveloped kick before shredding her body with several light threads that came out of her fingers.

"Don't let your guard down, Giacomo." Inessa said. "A moment of carelessness is all takes for one's life to end on the battlefield."

"If you had paid closer attention, you'd have realized there was no need to worry." Giacomo said, gesturing at the rods he had planted in the ground. "Even if this is the Underworld, I can still turn a small area like this into consecrated ground, so it's safe. As for you, I see you're taking things way too seriously as usual. Was it really necessary to bring out your Sacred Gear as well for these guys?"

Giacomo gestured at the gold metal bracelets, anklets and choker that had materialized on Inessa, with each of them having a glowing orb on them.

"I don't see why I shouldn't." Inessa said. "While Photon Invite's ability to control light is redundant due to my status as an Angel, I can still use it to enhance my abilties and put an end to this more quickly. Like so!"

Inessa clenched her fist, forming an enormous light gauntlet that she aimed at her opponents, smashing several of them with ease. The construct then broke apart into numerous light beams that tore through their ranks, causing several explosions all around the two Angels.

"Merciless as always."

Giacomo chuckled as he directed his golems to hunt down the remaining terrorists. Meanwhile, Lalasyu, who bore witness to her troops being annihilated through her scouting flies' eyes, bit her lip with a frustrated expression.

This is turning into a rout. Lalasyu thought. To think that Heaven would have such capable warriors dispatched here… Not to mention, there's also their unseen comrade somewhere in the distance picking us off one by one.

As she thought so, a sniper round made out of holy fire tore through a nearby Devil's chest, setting her on fire and vaporizing her. At the same time, a Titan Worshipper a few meters ahead of Lalasyu clutched his chest as he vomited a large amount of blood and fell on the ground dead. This scene had already repeated itself several times so far, but Lalasyu had been unable to locate the mysterious attacker.

"This situation is the worst, and I can't reach my brother or Creuserey…" Lalasyu muttered as her flies blocked yet another attempt from the unseen sniper to shoot her down by conjuring several defensive magic circles. "No choice then. Niobe, we're leaving this place! If we stay here any longer, we'll be annihilated!"

"Run away on your own if you wish!" Niobe shouted back. "We will stand and fight until there's no-one left alive, regardless of whether that's us or them!"

"Suits me just fine." Lalasyu snorted as she conjured a magic circle and addressed her surviving followers. "Everyone, we're retreating. The Titan Worshippers will remain behind to cover us."

After saying that, Lalasyu conjured a complex teleportation magic circle beneath her, with an eerie purple mist emerging from it and enveloping her body. Though she hated depending on the possessor of Dimension Lost, there was no denying that his abilties were top-notch when it came to infiltration and escape. Soon enough, the few remaining members of the Old Devil King Faction had vanished, leaving only the Titan Worshippers behind.

"Should have known these cowards would turn tail and run at the first sign of trouble." Niobe spat out, and then turned her attention to Gabriel as a crazed smile appeared on her face. "That's alright though. More glory and recognition for us! May our great masters be pleased with the offering of our lowly lives!"

The flames enveloping Niobe's body intensified even more she launched herself towards Gabriel, forming a massive flaming sphere above her that resembled a miniature sun. In response, Gabriel formed even more water wings, with their number exceeding one hundred, and swung them at the charging Niobe. The wings and the miniature sun clashed in midair, generating large amounts of steam.

In the end, Gabriel extinguished the attack, though all her water wings were vaporized. Niobe formed a flaming sword and attempted to attack her from behind using the steam as cover. However, Gabriel was faster, dodging the attack and shooting an ice blade at her, tearing through her heart and sending her corpse crashing on the ground.

"Gabriel-sama!" Leah said as she flew next to her. "Are you alright? Were you hurt? I would have come to your aid sooner, but a bunch of them ganged up on me and I couldn't get rid of them fast enough. I'm really sorry!"

"It's alright, my dear." Gabriel said, her expression softening once again. "I dealt with her, though it's a shame we had to engage in senseless killing once again."

"It can't be helped when your opponent is that obstinate, especially when it comes to fanatics like these Titan Worshippers."

The one who had spoken was a tall young man that had seemingly appeared out of thin air. He looked to be around seventeen years old and carried a modified sniper rifle. He had dark purple hair, dark blue eyes, eight Angel wings growing from his back and a halo hovering above his head.

"There you are, Max-kun." Leah said with a cheerful expression. "Great job as always!"

"It's Maximilian." The young man said with an annoyed expression. "I've told you a thousand times that I hate nicknames, Leah. As for me doing a great job, I wouldn't say that. After all, I wasn't able to get the enemy leader. Neither my rounds nor Phantasmal Grasp were effective against her."

As Maximilian spoke, a thin whip-like crimson arm briefly emerged from his back before vanishing.

"Her defenses must have been top-notch if she was able to avoid your Sacred Gear." Leah said. "That's OK though. We'll get her next time for sure!"

"By that point though, she will have killed who knows how many of our comrades." Maximilian said with a frustrated expression. "I knew I should have used my Balance Breaker from the start."

"That's no good, Maximilian-kun." Gabriel wagged her finger in front of the young man's face. "Your Balance Breaker places a lot of strain on your soul, so it should be saved for truly dire circumstances. Your father, Uriel, would be sad if something happened to you, just like I would if something happened to my dear Aria. Same thing with Raguel and Leah-san here."

"My father…" Maximilian grimaced. "Right."

"Ahaha…"

Leah let out a nervous chuckle. At that moment, Giacomo and Inessa joined the other three Angels in the sky.

"Mission complete, Gabriel-sama." Giacomo said. "There are no more enemies left in this area. Let's hope the people responsible for the other two sides are as diligent as us."

"There's no need to worry." Gabriel said. "Both Grigori and the Underworld have dispatched some of their best agents to handle this situation. We can leave the rest in their capable hands. Now, let's get back to the hotel. I can't wait to meet Serafall-chan again after so long~."

[Oh, dear…]

All four Angels let out a collective sigh as they said so, following after Gabriel.

---

"There they are. I should express my gratitude to the Vali team later for the information they provided."

Shemhazai remarked as he watched the line of Titan Worshippers and Devils of the Old Devil King Faction making their way towards the hotel through the nearby forest while he hovered above it, his eyes letting out an eerie light.

"The ones leading this raid are…Creuserey Asmodeus and a high-ranking member of the Iapetus Sect, eh?" Shemhazai said while focusing on the members of Khaos Brigade. "However, can I capture all of them in my technique from the start? I suppose we'll find out soon."

Shemhazai let out a small smile, nodding to his comrade in the distance as he raised his hand high and spread his twelve black wings to their full length. The next moment, a large dome of pure darkness materialized all of a sudden, enveloping a section of the forest below and capturing about half of the terrorists within its confines, with Shemhazai descending inside it.

"What in the name of our great ancestors is this!?" Creuserey, who was in the rearguard and had avoided being caught in the dome along with the other half of the attacking force, shouted. "Have they—!?"

Creuserey's next words were drowned by a sudden violent tempest that uprooted a large number of trees and sent several terrorists flying. At the same time, holy lightning started raining from the sky, burning several Devils and Titan Worshippers. One of the Devils standing next to Creuserey, a tall man with black hair and reddish-brown eyes, conjured a cube-shaped barrier in haste, shielding himself and Creuserey from the barrage of attacks.

"An ambush, eh?" The servant Devil said, clicking his tongue in irritation. "They've been expecting us."

"I would seem so, Darius." Creuserey said while frowning. "Moreover, that manner of attack… It's you, isn't it, Lightning of God!?"

Creuserey directed his hate-filled gaze to the sky, where the Fallen Angel Cadre Baraqiel hovered. He had spread his ten black wings and was shooting lightning bolt after lightning bolt at the Khaos Brigade members below him.

"Take him down!"

Followng Creuserey's shout, the Devils aimed their magic circles at Baraqiel while the Titan Worshippers brought out spears as an eerie aura covered their bodies. However, another blast of wind scattered the terrorists and sent them tumbling on the ground before they could attack.

"It's not just Baraqiel-sensei! We're also here as well!"

The one who had spoken while emerging from the ruined forest was a beautiful young woman with light brown hair that was tied up, brown eyes, and a slim and voluptuous figure. She wore a combat uniform with the Grigori's insignia on it, held two pistols, and next to her, a beast with the upper body of a four-winged falcon and the lower body of a lion hovered.

The beast let out a screech as it released several wind blades that slashed apart several Titan Worshippers, while the girl evaded the Devils coming at her with deft movements, aiming her pistols at them and filling their bodies with light rounds. Meanwhile, the beast flapped its wings, with the large volume of wind it generated crushing a nearby group of terrorists and turning them into a bloody pulp on the ground.

Using its claws next, it tore apart two Titan Worshippers that aimed their spears at it. Its wielder vaulted over a charging Devil, blowing his head of with a well-placed shot. Dashing forward while evading demonic power blasts from two more Devils, the girl slid on the ground while shooting at them, her rounds tearing through their bodies.

"Hoh, looks like Birdbrain is feeling really motivated today. We can't afford to fall behind here, Byakusa!"

The one who had said so while walking with a confident stride was a handsome, burly young man with spiked up dyed brown hair and grey eyes that wore the same outfit as the girl. A large saber-toothed tiger walked next to him, its fur crackling with electricity as it wagged its many tails in a lazy manner. Two of them wrapped themselves around the man's arms, forming two spears that were enveloped in electricity. At the same time, the man enveloped his body in Touki as a savage grin appeared on his face.

"Samejima Kouki and Byakusa. Here we come!"

Kouki leapt forward alongside Byakusa, his two lances tearing through the enemies' bodies with ease and his kicks sending them flying. Byakusa supported its wielder by letting out thunderbolts from its body or using its many tails as whips to strike the Khaos Brigade members, turning their bodies into charcoal.

Several Devils launched a variety of elemental attacks at Kouki, but he merely pointed one of his spears at them, letting out a condensed blast of electricity that tore through their attacks and vaporized them along with several trees in its path. Sensing danger behind him, Kouki turned around in haste, only to be met by a grotesque sight.

"What the Hell…?"

Kouki muttered in shock. Despite the lethal wounds they had received, the Titan Worshippers that he had taken down had risen once again, with dark aura enveloping their bodies and their eyes having turned pitch-black. The same phenomenon was repeating itself all over the battlefield.

"Z-Zombies!?" The girl shrieked. "Nobody told me about this! How are Griffon and I supposed to take them down like this!?"

The undead warriors leapt at their two foes, but at that moment, a small, four-horned beast with white fur that wore a crimson and gold mask emerged from the trees, opening its mouth wider than it should have been possible for such a small creature and devouring several zombies. At the same time, eerie green flames shot forward and enveloped the undead, with their bodies starting to tear themselves apart in a violent manner before vanishing.

"Through the blessing of Iapetus, who used to rule the Underworld, these fellows can revive themselves as undead warriors, huh? Too bad that even a Titan's blessing isn't a match for Blitz's Flames of Chaos."

Stepping out from the shadows as he said so was a young man with black hair, which had touches of golden highlights, green eyes, and several scars on his right hand, who wore the same outfit as the other two youths. A dog-like creature with black fur which covered its eyes, an elongated body and four small wings made out of green flames stood in front of him, letting out a low growl.

Next to him stood a beautiful young woman with traces of both Japanese and European descent that had long blonde hair that was tied in twintails using ribbons, and was also tied in a braid looking a lot like a crown. She also had heterochromia, with her right eye being blue and her left being black. The white-furred creature rushed to her, with the girl taking it into her arms and caressing it.

"Good job, Poh-kun." The girl said in a low tone. "The bad guys didn't give you indigestion, did they?"

The creature cried out 'Poooh' in response, nuzzling against the girl's chest.

"Nice timing, Koga-kun, Shigune-san!" The other girl gave them a thumbs-up. "I can handle a lot of things, but the undead are a no-go for me!"

"Don't mention it, Minagawa."

The boy nodded. Meanwhile, Darius had a troubled expression on his face as he turned to his master.

"Minagawa Natsume, Nanadaru Shigune, Samejima Kouki and Hyousuke Koga." Darius said. "There's no mistaking it, these youths are the possessors of the Four Fiends, the most powerful non-Longinus Independent Avatar-type Sacred Gears. If the rumors are true, their strength is equal to that of the Sacred Beasts used by the heads of Japan's Five Principal Clans, and they are among Grigori's top combatants. Our situation is bound to get worse with them present, especially since Ephialtes is still trapped in that darkness barrier along with half our troops."

"I'm aware of all that." Creuserey said, a frustrated expression. "Still, I refuse to retreat without at least taking Baraqiel's head. Katerea's death must be avenged no matter what. Can I trust you to hold the line in the meantime, Darius?"

"This is a rather tall order, my master." Darius said with a bitter smile, gazing upon the chaotic battlefield. "Still, on my honor as a member of the Xaphan clan, I shall do my utmost to meet your expectations. May the fortunes of battle be with you."

Creuserey nodded as he spread his twelve bat-like wings and took flight, having already ingested Ophis' snake beforehand to boost his strength like the rest of his fellow descendants. Making his way to Baraqiel, who had just finished dealing with a squadron of Devils that had flown up in the air and challenged him, Creuserey shot a demonic power blast at him. Baraqiel conjured a lightning saber in response, cutting the attack in half and causing it to dissipate.

"You have shown yourself at last, Creuserey Asmodeus." Baraqiel said, pointing a lightning spear at him. "I do not suppose you have come to announce your intent to surrender?"

"As if I would surrender to the likes of you, Fallen Angel scum!"

Creuserey snarled as he formed several pitch-black blades made out of condensed demonic power and hurled them at Baraqiel. The Fallen Angel Cadre responded by forming a large number of lightning spears around them and shooting them at the incoming blades. Both volleys collided in mid-air and exploded, raising a smoke cloud.

After that exchange, Creuserey gathered demonic power around his body, forming a semi-transparent black sphere around him that began expanding. Baraqiel frowned as he flew backwards while launching lightning bolts at his opponent, making sure not to come into contact with the sphere.

Starsend Moment… Baraqiel thought as he dodged the black tentacles that formed out of the sphere's surface and aimed at him. The Asmodeus clan's ability allows them to remove the five senses of those who come into contact with their unique demonic power, as well as magnify pain and pleasure to nigh intolerable amounts. They can also trap their opponents in an ideal illusion by making eye contact, so that's something to watch out for as well. I should exert myself more if I don't want to end up as the prey here.

Forming electric arcs at the tips of his fingers, Baraqiel extended them for several meters, slashing through the incoming tentacles and destroying the sphere that had surrounded Creuserey. The noble Devil was forced to dodge in haste, with Baraqiel forming a lightning halberd next that almost bifurcated his opponent. Creuserey responded with a volley of demonic power blasts, with Baraqiel forming a lightning barrier around him to shield himself.

Raising his hand high, Baraqiel called down a lightning storm that bombarded Creuserey, who formed a multitude of defensive magic circles to defend himself. Taking advantage of his opponent being locked in position, Baraqiel gathered a large amount of lightning in his hands, forming a ten-meter long lightning spear that he hurled at Creuserey. A massive explosion ensued, letting out an intense brightness that almost turned night into day and forcing all combatants below to shield their eyes.

"Hm?"

Sensing danger coming from behind, Baraqiel formed a lightning blade on instinct and swung it, clashing against Creuserey's demonic power blade. Turning around, he was caught by surprise as several eyes had grown on Creuserey's chest, staring at him with an eerie glow.

"Damn—"

Baraqiel didn't manage to finish his sentence, his eyes glazing over and his body slackening as he fell under Creuserey's spell.

"I don't know what sort of dream you're having, but whatever it is, it's too good for a lowlife like you." Creuserey sneered, his body riddled with small burns and part of his clothes ruined. "Not only did you almost get me with that attack, but I also had to rely on these Titan Worshippers' techniques to mimic the traits of Argus, the hundred-eyed giant, in order to trap you."

Creuserey formed a blade of demonic power as he approached the still Baraqiel.

"I would have preferred if you were conscious for this, but this works for me as well." Creuserey let out a sinister smile. "Rejoice, Baraqiel, for you are about to be reunited with that human sow of yours. Farewell!"

Creuserey swung his blade, aiming at Baraqiel's throat. However, just as he was about to behead him, the Fallen Angel Cadre turned into a mass of lightning, vanishing from that spot.

"What!?" Creuserey cried out. "Impossible! Where did he vanish to!?"

"You… Don't you dare insult Shuri with that filthy mouth of yours!"

Before he could understand what had happened, Creuserey was struck in the back. Next thing he knew, he had received a blow in the face, then in his abdomen, then in the back again, and then two more in the face. If he hadn't been enveloping his body with a dense sheet of demonic power, he was certain he would have been turned to ashes by now due to the holy power imbued in those blows.

Letting out a savage howl, Creuserey released a barrage of demonic power blasts in all directions while enveloping himself in a dense pitch-black sphere of demonic power once again. Having gained some time to compose himself, Creuserey was finally able to see what it was that had attacked him.

"This is…!"

Creuserey muttered through gritted teeth. What was hovering there was a mass of lightning in the shape of a ten-winged Fallen Angel. If one took a closer look, they would see Baraqiel's features on that luminous being.

"What is that form?" Creuserey said. "No, to begin with, how did you escape from my illusion!?"

"A simple spell designed to overstimulate my nervous system that I cast on myself beforehand." Baraqiel responded. "The intense pain was enough to snap me out of it. As for your first question, this is me being serious. I considered capturing you at first, but I changed my mind. Forgive my immaturity, but I simply cannot tolerate insults towards my late wife."

"Don't get too cocky, you filthy crow!" Creuserey bellowed. "The likes of you could never kill me! I won't die until I have avenged Katerea's death!"

With that, the two leaders charged at each other once again, the flashes from their clash illuminating the night sky. Meanwhile, inside the dome of darkness in the forest below, Ephialtes, a burly dark-skinned man with long brown hair and almond eyes who was the commander of the Iapetus Sect members, was unable to do anything but wander blindly in the dark as the screams of his dying comrades echoed all around him.

A large number of light orbs hovered above them, but weren't illuminating the surroundings at all for some reason. They would only release rays of light almost too fast for the eye to see, shredding any unfortunate terrorist that was in their way. Some of them had tried to take flight and escape to the sky, but they were mercilessly shot down before they could even reach the halfway point.

"Gah!"

Ephialtes grunted as he fell on all fours, his knees pierced by several light rays. While the members of the Iapetus Sect could shut off their sense of pain due to the blessing of their patron Titan, that was of little use here. All of them could also revive from death as undead soldiers to keep serving their masters, but for some reason, none of them had seemingly returned after their death.

"Why…?" Ephialtes said through gritted teeth. "What in the name of our masters is going on here…?"

"You want to know? I wouldn't mind explaining a bit as a parting gift."

Shemhazai said so as he walked towards the enemy commander with slow steps, his voice ringing loud and clear despite the cacophony of screams all around Ephialtes.

"It's ironic since this is my technique, but I don't particularly enjoy being in this space." Shemhazai continued. "It reminds me a lot of Dudael, the lightless prison Deus Trinity tossed us Fallen Angels in after we began teaching forbidden knowledge to humanity. I can't say I blame him though since the consequences of our act were dire. Moreover, this imprisonment is what allowed some of us Cadres to develop our unique traits."

"Where are you!?" Ephialtes shouted. "Show yourself, coward!"

Ephialtes threw his spear at the direction he thought Shemhazai's voice was coming from, but missed him by a wide margin. Paying no heed to that, Shemhazai kept talking.

"Azazel, through his fascination and desire to understand the mechanics of the prison, ended up assimilating its darkness into his body, which enabled him to generate and manipulate it." Shemhazai said. "Kokabiel, who longed for the stars, had his holy power attain traits from the various constellations. Baraqiel, who desperately tried to illuminate the darkness, had his trait of holy lightning strengthened. As for me, who sought to see through the darkness, find a way out of it, I gained these special eyes."

Shemhazai pointed at his glowing eyes, letting out a small chuckle as he realized Ephialtes was unable to see this gesture.

"The Eyes of the Watcher." Shemhazai said with a groan. "Not the name I would have chosen, but Azazel started calling this ability so, it caught on, and I had no choice but to give up in the end. These eyes of mine can see a lot of things, such as the composition of techniques, the souls of living beings, the weak points of structures, beings and formulas, and a lot more. Oh, did you know that our early Sacred Gear-analyzing equipment was based on my ability since I could determine whether someone carried a Sacred Gear or not? Fascinating, isn't it?"

"Who cares about all that nonsense!?" Ephialtes roared as he struggled to stand up. "Face me in battle head-on if you dare, Fallen Angel!"

"What you see all around you is my way of fighting." Shemhazai said. "My skills lie in controlling the distribution of light over a wide area and converging it in those spheres you see hovering above you. While the opponent wanders around blindly, the rays of light coming from the spheres pierce through them and shred them into numerous pieces."

Shemhazai came to a halt behind Ephialtes, with several light rays piercing his elbows next, causing him to fall on the ground face-first.

"Hm, I got a little carried away with my monologue." Shemhazai said. "It's not often that I have the chance to stand on the front lines like this, so I got a bit excited. My skills lie more in management and organization, to the point where I'm basically running Grigori's day-to-day operations. Unfortunately for you terrorists, the few times I went out to fight during the Great War—there were no survivors from the enemy's side."

"You think any of this matters!?" Ephialtes started laughing. "Kill as many of us as you want, but the end result will be the same! We are the chosen ones who shall be ushered into Arcadia! Death—!"

"Death is only the beginning, our great masters will give us rewards beyond our wildest imaginations, we will be the ones privileged enough to enjoy the coming Golden Age, and so on and so forth." Shemhazai said with a bored tone. "I have heard that drivel before, and I'm not interested in your deranged philosophies. Consider this though, Titan Worshipper. In all those millennia that I have been alive, I have never witnessed a greater being reward their subordinates for failing a task. Chances are they will let all of you rot in whatever dark pit your damned souls end up if they were ever to return. As things stand though, you'll end up being cellmates in Tartarus with them until the end of time. I do not envy your position at all."

"Damn you, Fallen—!"

A barrage of light rays bombarded Ephialtes' body, turning it into mincemeat in a matter of seconds.

"Ah, I forgot to mention." Shemhazai said as he wiped a few drops of Ephialtes' blood from his face. "If you destroy the body beyond a certain degree, it's impossible even for a Titan's blessing to reanimate it. Well, if it was the leader of your sect, who receives a greater amount of power from your patron Titan, perhaps things would have been different."

After saying so, Shemhazai clicked his fingers, with the area around him returning to normal. A short distance away from him, the possessors of the Four Fiends were busy mopping up the remains of the terrorists. Natsume was riding Griffon and shooting at the enemies below with her guns, while Griffon was releasing violent tempests from its wings to blow away the Khaos Brigade members. Kouki was using his electrified spears to tear through opponents that escaped Natsume while Byakusa supported him with its thunderbolts.

Next to him, Shigune had pulled out several paper talismans from a purse on her waist, releasing fire waves and metal spikes at the terrorists while Poh was busy devouring them along with whatever magic they were trying to cast. Finally, Hyousuke was casting Gravity Magic to immobilize his opponents while Blitz was shooting needles made out of its fur at them. Anyone who was struck by seven needles would collapse on the ground as what seemed to be their souls left their bodies.

"Looks like they've got it all under control there." Shemhazai said, turning his attention to the sky, where Baraqiel and Creuserey were fighting. "Baraqiel seems to have the advantage, but he won't be able to maintain that form of his for much longer. Best to give him a hand and end this."

Shemhazai formed an oversized light spear and took aim, shooting it at Creuserey. However, a dense rectangular barrier appeared in its path, blocking it and causing it to dissipate. Darius, who was responsible for forming the barrier, came to hover next to his master, forming barrier after barrier around the two of them to keep Baraqiel at bay.

"We have to retreat, Creuserey-sama!" Darius said with an urgent tone, beads of sweat running down his face as he struggled to maintain the barriers against Baraqiel and Shemhazai's combined attacks. "The battle is lost, and I cannot contact the others! There is no choice but to leave this place at once!"

"Curse them all…!" Creuserey hissed with a murderous expression. "I swear I will have my revenge for this humiliation! Let's go, Darius!"

"Yes, my master!"

Darius formed several complex teleportation magic circles, with the mist of Dimension Lost emerging from it and enveloping the two Devils. In a matter of seconds, they had vanished from the area before the two Cadres could destroy the barriers shielding them.

"They got away." Baraqiel remarked as he returned to his normal state, a disappointed expression on his face as he descended on the ground. "Weren't the anti-teleportation wards in the area supposed to prevent them from escaping?"

"The possessor of Dimension Lost must be a very skilled Magician." Shemhazai said in response to Baraqiel's question. "He combined several high-level formulas along with his Longinus to circumvent our own spells and allow the Khaos Brigade members to escape. However, I assure you that the same trick won't work twice."

"It had better not." Baraqiel said as he turned his attention to the four Sacred Gear possessors. "Excellent job, you four. My apologies for calling on you after you had just finished a difficult mission, but we needed as many capable fighters as possible here tonight."

"Eh, don't sweat it, Sensei." Natsume smiled. "We're used to such requests after four years in this business."

"As long as this leads to a lasting peace, I don't mind exerting myself a bit." Hyousuke said while rubbing the scars on his right arm. "Not to mention, I have a score to settle with these Khaos Brigade bastards for what they did to me and Nanadaru back then."

Next to Hyousuke, Blitz let out a low growl.

"Still, I'd like to get some shut-eye if possible." Kouki said, stifling a yawn. "Any chance we might crash at one of that fancy hotel's rooms over there?"

"Some food would be nice as well…" Shigune said. "Both Poh-kun and I could use a refill."

"That can be arranged…is what I want to say, but there's something else we need to check out first." Shemhazai said, a frown on his face. "Someone has erected an isolation barrier further inside the forest. I didn't notice it before, but it's standing out like a sore thumb now. We should check it out and make sure the terrorists haven't left any surprises for us. Baraqiel, could you notify the Devils at the hotel about it? We might need reinforcements."

"I'll see to it at once." Baraqiel said as he spread his ten wings. "Be careful, all of you."

"Will do."

Shemhazai nodded as Baraqiel took flight while he and the four humans rushed deeper into the forest.

---

"You rotten bastard. To think you would show yourself before me in such a brazen manner…!"

Shalba growled, his hate-filled gaze locked on Ajuka Beelzebub, who was standing a few meters away from him and his troops with a playful smile on his face.

Following the plan that he and his comrades had agreed upon beforehand, Shalba and those who followed him had taken position in the small hills to the east that overlooked the high-class hotel where the Devil King-sponsored party was taking place. However, when the time came to move out, they found their way barred by none other than the current Devil King Ajuka Beelzebub.

"They've sent only a single person to stop us?" A tall, lanky man with messy green hair, sunken brown eyes and deathly pale skin that wore an ornate dark blue cloak said. "They're looking down on us a bit too much, aren't they, Shalba Beelzebub?"

"That man is arrogant enough to believe he can take us on all by himself, Phineas." Shalba said with a snort before addressing Ajuka. "If you are here, Ajuka Astaroth, that means someone betrayed us by leaking our plans to you fake Devil Kings."

"If you believe that's the case, then you are clearly underestimating our intelligence and foresight." Ajuka said while grinning. "With so many high-profile targets present in one place, it was a given you Khaos Brigade members wouldn't be able to resist launching an attack here. That's why we, the leaders of the Three Factions, took several precautions after anticipating your moves."

"How fortunate for us that you being placed here was one of these precautions." Phineas said, a sinister smile on his face. "Because of that, the Oceanus Sect will have the honor of taking the life of the renowned Ajuka Beelzebub. Our masters will surely give us grand rewards for such an accomplishment!"

"If you are aiming for the pretender's head, get in line, cultist." Shalba said while glaring at his comrade. "Ajuka Astaroth will die by my hand tonight, and the birthright he stole from me will be mine once again! The name of Beelzebub will not be sullied any further by having someone unworthy of its great importance bear it!"

"Arrogant and foolish as always, I see…" Ajuka sighed in exasperation. "How boring. Everything about you is dull to the extreme. That's why I said that Sirzechs should have been here instead of me. Then again, he would have wasted everyone's time by trying to reason with you fellows. Plus, I should perform duties befitting of a Devil King once in a while lest he starts nagging at me. That's why, I will deal with you here."

"Don't look down on me, you damn impostor!"

Shalba bellowed as several oversized flies appeared around him, with one transforming into an organic cannon-like construct and attaching itself to his left arm. At the same time, the Devils around him conjured their magic circles and the members of the Oceanus Sect along with Phineas formed ice and water constructs. The terrorists unleashed their attacks at Ajuka, but he merely lifted his finger, forming a small magic circle that started spinning in an erratic manner. Then, all attacks heading at him froze in midair all of a sudden.

"What happened!?" Phineas shouted with evident agitation. "Why did our attacks stop!?"

"This is…" Shalba grimaced. "Don't tell me, this is the rumored Kankara Formula?"

"You should be aware of my ability, and yet you seem surprised that your attacks are ineffective." Ajuka smirked. "I know you are a delusional lot, but did you actually believe that your power could reach me simply because you received a boost from Ophis or because you draw strength from the Greek Titans? I am sorry to say this, but it's impossible for you. Here, you can have these back."

Ajuka manipulated the magic circle, with the demonic power blasts and water constructs that had frozen in midair changing direction and bombarding the Khaos Brigade members. Shalba cursed as one of his flies transformed into a shield and attached itself to his right arm, forming a barrier to shield him. The troops around him also shielded themselves with their own techniques. Those who weren't fast enough to react received the attacks head on, letting out agonized howls as the blasts and constructs tore apart their bodies.

"From my point of view, all the laws and phenomena in this world can be defined and manipulated through calculations and equations to get the desired result." Ajuka said. "You see, I have always enjoyed doing calculations ever since I was a child, and perhaps that is why my demonic power obtained such curious traits. Understanding and sympathizing with people though…I'm afraid that was always beyond me. Maybe that is why your point of view and ideals seem so ridiculous?"

Ajuka let out a derisive chuckle before continuing.

"In any case, the difference in power should be clear." Ajuka said. "Your choice is clear; surrender or die."

[Don't joke with us!]

The Khaos Brigade members howled, their fury overriding their fear. The Titan Worshippers conjured several summoning magic circles, with monsters resembling humanoid sharks and anglerfish emerging from them along with water elementals.

Following their example, the Old Devil King Faction members summoned their familiars, which ranged from hellhounds to large winged serpents, with the army of creatures charging at Ajuka. Shalba also summoned a large number of flies that surrounded Ajuka from above, releasing powerful soundwaves from their wings. At the same time, the Khaos Brigade members launched a barrage of attacks once again at their sole enemy. However—

"Useless."

Ajuka said as he manipulated the magic circle before him once again, altering parts of it with a relaxed expression on his face. The soundwaves changed direction, striking the mutant flies on the air and pulverizing them. Moreover, the demonic power blasts transformed into holy power blasts while the water constructs and attacks turned into lightning spears, with the altered attacks flying back to the terrorists with three times the speed and power.

At the same time, the water elementals turned into fire elementals and small magic circles appeared on the foreheads of all summoned creatures, with them turning on their masters.

"Our demonic power turned into holy power!?"

"That bastard overwrote the subordination spells on our familiars!?"

"S-Stay back! Stay back!"

"It hurts! Someone, put out this damn fireeeeee!"

Such agonized shouts and screams could be heard all around as the terrorists' ranks fell into utter chaos, having received massive casualties from their reflected attacks on top of having to deal with their rampaging summoning creatures and familiars.

"How…can this be…?" Phineas, who had been heavily wounded by one of Ajuka's reflected attacks, muttered as he fell on his knees. "How can anyone…be allowed to wield…such absurd power…?"

These were the cultist's last words as a fire elemental struck him with its fist, incinerating his body in a matter of seconds. Meanwhile, Ajuka, who was observing the scene of carnage with an impassive look, frowned a bit as he realized that Shalba was no longer present.

"Did he run away amidst the chaos?"

Ajuka wondered. At that moment, Shalba, who had attached a mutant fly with a saber-shaped stinger protruding from its rear to his arm, attacked Ajuka from behind while using several other flies around him that refracted light and sound to make himself undetectable.

However, just he was about to bury his blade in Ajuka's back, a magic circle flared to life, altering the vectors and redirecting the force of the blow back to Shalba the moment the blade struck it. Shalba howled in pain as the equipped fly was destroyed and two deep gashes opened in his arm and chest.

"There you are." Ajuka said without turning around. "Trying to catch me off guard wasn't a bad idea. It's a shame that my defenses are a little too complex for you. Now then, I will—"

A dense cloud of poison enveloped Ajuka all of a sudden, with him dispersing it in haste by generating a wind barrier around him. Taking advantage of this small distraction, a tall man with waist-long white hair and dark green eyes that had a pair of butterfly wings sprouting from his back landed next to Shalba, forming an elaborate magic circle formation beneath them in haste.

"Apologies for taking the initiative, my lord, but I will have us retreat from this place before you lose your life."

"Victor…you…"

Shalba wasn't able to say anything else as purple mist enveloped the two Devils. Ajuka attempted to take control of the formation, but wasn't able to decode its protective measures fast enough before the two terrorists vanished from this area.

"That was quite sophisticated for terrorists." Ajuka remarked with a hint of admiration in his voice. "However, now that I have seen this formation, you won't catch me by surprise next time. Moreover, that Devil that interfered, was he a member of the Rahovart clan, the Extra Demon clan that serves Beelzebub? I thought all of them had been exterminated during the Civil War, but it looks like we missed one. As for the rest of them…"

Turning his attention to the troops Shalba had brought with him, Ajuka noticed that all of them had been killed, with their summoned creatures standing there now that their targets had been exterminated. With a flick of his hand, Ajuka set them all on fire, vaporizing their bodies in a matter of seconds along with the corpses. He then formed a teleportation magic circle beneath his feet, vanishing from this area with a flash of light.

Meanwhile, Tannin and his Peerage, who were hovering high above the battlefield, had been watching the proceedings with keen eyes and had remained silent the whole time.

"Did we even need to be here?" Bova asked his father. "I know those were the Devil King Lucifer's orders, but from the looks of it, the Devil King Beelzebub didn't need our help at any point. With strength like that, it's no wonder he became a Devil King."

"Strength like that?" Tannin chuckled. "Boy, if the rumors are true, what you saw just now was a mere fraction of that man's true power. While it's true that our presence here wasn't necessary in the end, you should engrave the scene you witnessed today in your mind and remember this; in this world, there exist monsters that neither you nor I will ever hold a candle to. Challenge them, and the only thing awaiting you is an early grave. Now then, we should take our leave as well. There's no reason to linger here any longer."

The other Dragons grunted in ascent and followed after Tannin. Bova, however, didn't immediately follow after them, his gaze focused on the scorch marks on the ground, the only sign that a battle had taken place just now.

"Monsters you should never challenge, eh…?" Bova muttered. "I wonder, what would that irritating Devil say if he saw and heard what I did?"

Bova wasn't sure why he thought of his rival, but the answer was obvious. A Devil as obsessed with victory as Ryuugamine Takeshi wouldn't stop until he found a way to become an even greater monster than the one that stood before him. He would go through Hell and back, let nothing stand in his way, and somehow grasp the strength needed to confront the obstacle before him and defeat it in the end. Bova was certain of that much, and perhaps such an attitude was why he had yet to defeat him.

"Perhaps there is something of value to learn from the way he lives…"

Bova murmured before flying away from the area as well.

---

"You dance well, Evil Dragon User! This is the most fun I've had in a while!"

"The feeling is mutual, Monkey Boy! Perhaps we'd get along well if you weren't a terrorist!"

Takeshi said as he batted away Bikou's extending staff and created several rock spikes around him that aimed for the monkey Youkai. Flying around on a golden cloud, Bikou evaded them and dashed at Takeshi, his staff increasing in size and mass as he swung it at his opponent.

Takeshi's shields swung forward, generating several thick rectangular barriers that blocked the incoming staff, though Takeshi grunted as he was sent skidding backwards a bit.

"How about this then!?"

Forming several thin disk-shaped barriers between his hands, Takeshi shot them at Bikou as he said so. Enveloping his body and his weapon in Touki, Bikou spun his stuff, scattering the projectiles. Several rock claws suddenly erupted from the ground and threatened to close around Bikou, but he shot upwards with a burst of speed, escaping from the trap.

The claw chased after him, but Bikou increased the density of Touki surrounding his staff and extended it once again, shattering the incoming claw. The staff then curved, striking Takeshi in the back and almost forcing him on his knees.

Heavy… Takeshi thought. Damn Monkey Boy is quite strong.

"That was close, that was close!" Bikou exclaimed with a wide smile. "Since you're doing so well, how about we raise the difficulty level a bit, Evil Dragon User!?"

After saying so, Bikou pulled several hairs from his head and tossed them in the air. Each hair transformed into a clone of Bikou that seemed indistinguishable from the original, with all of them aiming their staffs at Takeshi as they charged.

"One of Sun Wukong's techniques, eh?" Takeshi grinned under his helmet. "Relying on numbers won't do you any good though, Monkey Boy!"

The five drone-like units detached themselves from Takeshi's armor and flew forward, generating drill-shaped barriers around them that began spinning. An intense battle began between several clones and the drones, while the rest of the clones focused on Takeshi. His eyes darting around so as not to miss any of the clones' moves, Takeshi formed several rectangular barriers around him to stop their attacks and push them back.

At the same time, several mud geysers erupted from the ground, showering some of the clones who weren't fast enough to avoid them. Encumbered thus, they were unable to avoid the rock constructs in the shape of Ladon's head that erupted from the ground, their fangs tearing through their bodies and causing them to vanish.

[Even though…you unlocked them recently…you are using…my abilties…very well…] Ladon said. [If it wasn't…for that sickening morality…of yours…you might have…made a somewhat decent…Evil Dragon…]

Thanks for the roundabout praise, but don't talk to me right now! Takeshi thought. I have a battle to win here!

Having kept track of the real Bikou's position, Takeshi had three of his drones move behind him and form a triangular barrier. Unable to change his course in time, Bikou slammed into it, with the barrier pushing him towards Takeshi, who had enveloped his right gauntlet with several thick barriers. He delivered a powerful straight at the monkey Youkai, sending him flying backwards and crashing on a tree.

That's odd. Takeshi frowned under his helmet while huffing from the exertion. His body felt almost rubbery when I struck him for some reason.

"I bet you have a really stupid expression under that creepy helmet of yours right now." Bikou grinned as he stood up and dusted himself, looking none the worse for wear. "Guess you didn't know that apart from strengthening the body, Touki can be used to make it softer and more malleable in order to absorb blows and mitigate the damage. Should have used a bladed weapon if you wanted to hurt me, Evil Dragon User."

"Noted." Takeshi said as his drones came to hover around him. "That was a mistake I won't make twice."

After saying so, Takeshi pressed one of the smaller gems on Cataclysm Zone's buckle.

[Add!]

A grey-colored aura travelled down his right arm, solidifying into the form of Mayhem Striker. Bikou's expression fell when he saw Takeshi brandishing his axe.

"Me and my big mouth…"

"Round two, Monkey Boy." Takeshi made a 'come-on' gesture as the gems on his drones shone. "I won't be as gentle with you as I was until now."

"Oi, oi, you call your rampage so far being 'gentle'?" Bikou groaned as he increased the amount of Touki. "Vali is one thing, but you're quite the nutcase yourself, Evil Dragon User!"

The two of them started their fight once again. Meanwhile, a short distance away from them, Koneko was busy chasing after her sister, who was using clones made through Youjutsu to confuse her. Despite her attempts however, Koneko would always zero in on the real Kuroka, aiming punch after punch at her.

"Ara, looks like it's no use." Kuroka smirked as she evaded yet another Touki-infused punch from her sister. "I can't confuse your senses with only this much, Shirone. Not to mention, with that second tail out, your physical abilities are much higher than before. In that case, big sis will start getting serious, nya~."

Kuroka tapped her foot on the ground, with several oversized vines exploding from it and aiming for Koneko. She launched several ki bullets at them and destroyed them, only to jump back in haste as several oversized fists made out of entangled tree roots aimed at her from several directions. Intensifying the flow of Touki around her hands, Koneko formed several long claws, using them to tear through the incoming fists and heading for Kuroka once again.

The black-haired Nekoshu smirked as she made a gesture with her hand, causing the numerous leaves around the area to levitate as white aura surrounded them. Clapping her hands together, she directed them at Koneko, who increased the density of Touki around her body on instinct. Thanks to that, she avoided being sliced into pieces by the razor-sharp leaves, though a couple of them opened two small cuts on her leg and arm.

The ground below Kuroka then rumbled as six enormous flowers erupted from it, opening their petals to reveal spores as large as cannonballs and shooting them at Koneko. She showed an alarmed expression as she increased the concentration of Touki on her legs, dodging the artillery barrage by a hairsbreadth. Once they had exhausted their spores, the flowers charged forward, with fangs growing on them as they attempted to chomp on Koneko. Forming a Youjutsu barrier around her to protect herself, Koneko chucked several fireballs at them, turning them into ash.

"…Manipulating and altering plant life through Senjutsu?" Koneko said with narrowed eyes. "Your skills have advanced that far, Kuroka?"

"That's right, nya~." Kuroka winked at her sister. "Even doing something like this is child's play for me now. Thanks to my mastery over Senjutsu, everything you see around us can easily become a weapon for me. That's why, don't you think it's about time to quit this pointless resistance, Shirone? Come with me, and you and your friends won't have to go through an…unpleasant experience, nya~."

"…Don't make me say it twice." Koneko glared at her sister. "I won't come with you no matter what. Moreover, I will capture you here and force you to tell me what really happened back then."

"Stubborn, aren't you?" Kuroka smirked. "That's to be expected, I guess. Our family was always like that. However, since you keep defying your big sister, I will have to punish you a bit, Shirone!"

A large amount of Touki enveloped Kuroka's body, causing Koneko to tense. Much to her shock though, Kuroka didn't stop there as she conjured flames around her hands, which spread throughout her whole body and mixed with her Touki. In this state, she appeared to be wearing a dress made of flames with a floating flaming scarf on it, giving her an otherworldly appearance.

"…This is…!" Koneko muttered in astonishment. "What kind of technique is that…?"

"One usable only by a skilled Senjutsu master like yours truly, nya~." Kuroka grinned. "Infusing your Touki with specific elements can increase your power by a large margin. Here, let me give you a demonstration!"

Flames erupted beneath Kuroka's legs, propelling forward. Koneko tried to strike at her abdomen, but her hand was scorched by the raging flames surrounding Kuroka. The black-haired Nekoshu aimed a kick at Koneko, causing a large explosion upon striking her and sending her tumbling backwards with several burn marks on her skin.

Before Koneko could stand up, five fireballs materialized above Kuroka and began rotating, forming a large ring of fire that Kuroka hurled at Koneko. Releasing a burst of ki from all four of her limbs, Koneko barely managed to dodge the incoming attack, which caused another large explosion that shook the area.

Strong… Koneko thought as she stood up. For a moment there, it felt like my insides were burning. My sister really is on a different level compared to me. Even so, in order to learn the truth…I won't back down here!

"That look on your face tells me you insist on being difficult…" Kuroka sighed. "So be it, Shirone. I'll play around with you a bit more until you're satisfied, nya~!"

Kuroka said as she hurled more fire wheels at Koneko, who evaded them as she dashed at her. At the same time, Rias was busy fending off Milena, who kept sending ice spears at her through her broadsword. Gathering the Power of Destruction around her fingers, she launched a barrage of laser-like blasts that vaporized the incoming ice spears and headed for Milena. However, she transformed her body into mist, causing the attacks to pass through her harmlessly.

While still in her mist form, Milena slid next to Rias and solidified her body once again, swinging her broadsword at her opponent. However, a crimson glow enveloped Rias' forearm, with the blade striking it, but failing to inflict any injuries. Two clawed arms made out of Destruction energy sprouted from Rias' back next, aiming at Milena. Although she dodged the first, the second vaporized her left leg, with Milena letting out a hiss of pain as she flew backwards.

"Not bad, princess." Milena smirked as a new leg formed from her stump while she deposited her sword inside a magic circle that appeared next to her. "I feared you were the type who left everything to your subordinates while you gave orders from the back, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Using the Gremory's clan fabled Lock Control to 'lock' your skin's cells in place and make it impenetrable, and also expertly using the Power of Destruction, all that tells me you have a lot of potential."

"Why, thank you for your praise." Rias said, forming a Destruction bow in her hands. "I don't suppose that means you're willing to give up though?"

"Perish the thought." Milena said, licking her lips. "The fun has only just begun after all!"

Small cuts appeared on Milena's skin, with rivulets of blood flowing out of it. Said blood solidified into numerous small blades that flew towards Rias. She wasted no time in shooting down most of them with a rain of Destruction arrows while evading the rest. Forming a thick lance of solidified blood around her hand next, Milena charged at Rias, who formed a Destruction lance to counter it. Much to her surprise, the blood lance withstood her demonic power and wasn't eliminated upon contact.

She has solidified her blood and reinforced it with magic to the point where my Power of Destruction can't break through it. Rias thought as the two girls exchanged attacks. In that case!

Crimson aura formed around Rias' other hand as she aimed to 'unlock' the bonds holding the lance together with her other trait. As if expecting that, Milena's lance vanished, turning into red mist that enveloped Rias. She formed a dome of Destruction around her to eliminate it in haste, but Milena took the chance to dive into the dome, delivering a powerful punch to Rias and sending her flying backwards. Although shocked that the Vampire girl had dived into her Destruction field, Rias was even more surprised when she saw that Milena's body was covered in scales.

She used the Vampires' transformation ability to cover her body in Dragon scales. Rias thought as she stood up while grabbing a nearby fallen branch. Coupled with her regeneration, it's no wonder she was able to make it inside and strike me without incurring too much damage.

Rias winced at that moment as she touched her aching abdomen, narrowing her eyes at the sight of blood in her hand. Meanwhile, Milena was drinking something with an ecstatic expression on her face.

"Thank you for the meal." Milena said, wiping a few drops of blood from her mouth. "It's a shame that you're not a virgin judging from the taste of your blood, but that's alright. I can make this work regardless."

The Power of Destruction appeared around Milena's arms, causing Rias to grimace.

"The Vampires' ability to replicate someone's abilties by drinking their blood, eh?" Rias said. "What a bother…"

"You're a wealthy princess-sama, so it shouldn't be a problem sharing a few of your belongings with me." Milena smiled. "Then, here I come!"

Milena released several streams of Destruction energy at Rias, with the latter using her Lock Control to force them to disperse. Sliding on a pool of her own blood, Milena dashed at Rias, but just as she was about to strike her with a solidified blood gauntlet, the Gremory heiress channeled her Lock Control on the ground below, causing it to break apart below.

As she fell and Milena passed over her, Rias jabbed the branch she had picked earlier, which she had shaped into a stake through her demonic power, at the Vampire girl's chest. Her aim was true, with the stake piercing the area where her opponent's heart was. Milena let out a strangled cry as she crashed on the ground, her body coming to a stop after rolling a couple of times.

"Since she's a Pure-blooded Vampire, this shouldn't kill her, but she should be out of commission for a while." Rias said as she turned her attention to the others. "Koneko looks like she's struggling, so I—"

Rias abruptly stop talking, her instincts screaming at her to move. Jumping to the side, she avoided having her arm chopped off just in time, though she wasn't able to dodge the attack completely, with several gashes opening on her back. Turning around, she was astonished to see Milena standing, her right arm having morphed into five bat wing-shaped blades and the stake still protruding from her chest.

"How…?" Rias asked while wincing due to the stinging pain from her back and abdomen. "Even a crude stake like this should have been enough to incapacitate you for a while."

"Perhaps you should have paid more attention to your brother's words back at the conference, little princess." Milena grinned as she pulled the stake from her chest, with the wound closing shortly afterwards. "A stake would have been enough normally, but I'm no common Vampire thanks to my dear grandmother and the forbidden ritual she performed."

"Ritual?"

"By sacrificing twelve Pure-blooded Vampires and consuming their hearts, Elizabeth Bathory became immune to most weaknesses plaguing Vampires." Milena explained. "Since she was pregnant with my mother at the time, that trait was passed down to her, and later to me as well. Because of her act though, which was considered a severe crime in Vampire society, the Carmilla Faction hunted down and killed my grandmother. They also exiled the rest of my family and striped us of our noble titles, calling us abominations no longer fit to be called Vampires. My dear father was in a similar situation, having being exiled from his family and the Tepes Faction due to his radical views. I wonder, does that make me a double-exiled child or something?"

"Is that why you are a member of Khaos Brigade?" Rias asked. "Revenge against the Vampire society that shunned you and your family for something beyond your control?"

"Like I said before, I don't care about that sort of thing." Milena said. "I left my house because my parents' whining about their lost status and privileges was starting to get on my nerves. I wandered around Europe looking for some excitement, and I happened to come across Vali, who had finished training with the renowned Scáthach at the time and was touring Germany along with Azazel. Dragons are beings that attract powerful enemies to them, so I was certain I wouldn't be bored if I followed him. Him beating me in a fight and his handsome face were also big factors in my decision."

"I see." Rias said. "It seems the White Dragon Emperor has a knack for attracting oddballs like you and your friends. That doesn't matter to me at all though. All I care about is keeping Koneko safe from her sister. To do that, I'll go through all of you if need be!"

Rias' aura intensified, enveloping her body and forming a giant four-armed skeleton with six eyes around her. However, this time, a second layer resembling muscle fiber formed over it, horns protruded from the head and legs grew from its bottom half, forming a large, demonic-looking humanoid that was about seven meters tall. A shield with an ornate bow on it, a broadsword, a lance and a floating magatama-shaped shuriken forming in its four limbs.

"Nice!" Milena let out a beatific smile. "That's one scary technique you've come up with there, Rias Gremory! Looks like I can't afford to not take you seriously if I don't want to end up annihilated here!"

After saying so, blood began flowing out of Milena's body, shaping itself into a crimson suit of armor with four bat wings growing from its back that was overflowing with dark aura. Brandishing her razor-sharp blades that were enveloped by Destruction aura, Milena jumped at Rias just as she brought her sword down at her.

"Is that all there is to your skills, Kiba Yuuto? If so, I can't help but be disappointed."

"Don't worry, what you've seen so far is just me getting warmed up, Arthur Pendragon!"

Some distance away, Yuuto and Arthur exchanged these words while their duel raged on, blade clashing against blade in a furious and deadly dance. It wasn't long before Yuuto's blade shattered once again from Arthur's quick thrust, with the young Knight forming yet another blade to block the enemy swordsman's slash. This scene had repeated itself a couple of times already, with Yuuto bringing his blade up to deflect Arthur's lunge, staggering a bit due to the force of the blow.

"I have to say though, that Holy Demonic Sword is an interesting object indeed." Arthur said, his quick and methodical slashes driving Yuuto back. "You've been using it to siphon Caliburn's holy aura from the start and reinforce its own, haven't you? From the looks of it though, it still can't match my Holy King Sword."

"That seems to be the case!" Yuuto said, evading Arthur's thrust and aiming a diagonal slash at him, forcing him to take a step back to evade. "I'm curious though, why aren't you using the other sword you're carrying? Trying to give me a handicap?"

"Not at all." Arthur said, swinging his blade and unleashing a wave of holy aura that Yuuto blocked by summoning three Stalwart Forts before him and forming several barriers around him. "I'm not a two-sword style practitioner. The only reason I'm carrying this Excalibur Ruler with me is for situations that might require its use."

"Did you say…Excalibur Ruler?" Yuuto said with evident surprise as the two of them briefly locked blades before pushing each other back. "Wasn't that fragment lost during the Great War?"

"It was, but agents of the Khaos Brigade unearthed recently and I took possession of it." Arthur said as he brandished Caliburn. "Now then, don't you think it's about time you showed me the full power of your Holy Demonic Sword? I believe we've already established you can't beat me through pure skill with the blade."

Instead of answering, Yuuto stabbed his sword on the ground, transforming it into swamp. Arthur jumped up to avoid sinking in it, but a wind blast from Yuuto's Cyclone Call sent him flying towards a nearby tree while several drill-shaped blades with the explosive properties of Blast Ogre flew at him.

Much to Yuuto's astonishment, Arthur swung his sword and opened a rift in space, slipping into it and vanishing. Another rift appeared behind Yuuto at the same time, with Arthur emerging from it and aiming a thrust at his opponent. Yuuto dodged the attack and summoned Smoke Signal in haste, letting out copious amounts of smoke to obscure Arthur's vision.

Smirking, Arthur increased the aura around his sword and swung it seemingly at nothing. The next moment, several slashes appeared on the sky, with glowing objects resembling giant rock fragments falling from them and bombarding the area around Arthur. Startled by this unexpected manner of attack, Yuuto spread his wings and took to the sky, only to be surprised at the sight of Arthur running after him in midair as if there was a slope leading to Yuuto below his feet.

Forming a Grudge Dent and a new blade that had a handlebar-like hilt and exhaust ports on the guard, Yuuto dashed at Arthur with higher speeds than before, bombarding him with a series of heavy blows that caused the bespectacled swordsman to furrow his brow in concentration as he struggled to parry his opponent's attacks, taking a few steps backwards in midair.

I can't afford to give him a chance to take control of the battle's flow, and I also can't let him use that bizarre attack again. Yuuto thought. That's why, I'll give it all I've got!

A violent storm of holy and demonic power enveloped Grudge Dent as Yuuto forced it into a rampage state by destabilizing the balance of the two forces. At the same time, he revved his second blade's handlebar-like hilt, forcing Over Drive to further overclock his body. Yuuto became a blur as he began attacking from various directions, with his increased power and speed forcing Arthur on the defensive.

At the same time, several Holy Demonic Swords appeared and hovered in midair around the two combatants, unleashing lightning and fire waves, while others aimed and shot their blades at Arthur. Despite the barrage of attacks that were seemingly driving him into a corner, there was a wide grin on Arthur's face as he blocked the incoming attacks with Caliburn or evaded them by slipping into dimensional cracks he created with his swords.

"Good, very good, Kiba Yuuto!" Arthur said as he vaporized a rain of Holy Demonic Swords falling down on him with a holy aura wave from Caliburn while evading Yuuto's charge. "It's been a while since I've met a swordsman worthy enough to display Caliburn's full power!"

After saying so, Arthur increased the amount of aura enveloping Caliburn and swung it, with numerous large cuts appearing in the surrounding area and shattering all of Yuuto's blades. The strange luminous objects from before appeared once again from them and flew towards Yuuto. Weaving through them while blood trickled from his mouth, Yuuto aimed a thrust at Arthur. However, an intense light came from his left arm, solidifying itself in the form of a white and gold kite shield with the image of the Round Table engraved on it.

Grudge Dent struck the shield, but was unable to damage it, with Arthur's riposte shattering Yuuto's blades. His next slash would have taken his right hand if Yuuto hadn't summoned Instant Swap in a hurry, switching his position with that of one of his broken swords in the distance. Forming a new Holy Demonic Sword, Yuuto came to hover a few meters away from Arthur, a wary gaze on his face as he focused on his opponent.

"I didn't expect a shield at this point." Yuuto said, a lopsided smile on his face. "Does it have something to do with your trick of standing in midair like you're on solid ground?"

"It does indeed." Arthur said. "This is Pridwen, my illustrious ancestor's shield. Thanks to its ability, I can walk on any surface, and even air, as if it were flat ground. Very useful in certain circumstances, don't you agree?"

"I do." Yuuto said, brandishing his sword. "Unless it hides some other abilties though, a shield won't be enough to take me down."

"True, but you don't look like you can keep this up for much longer." Arthur pointed out. "It's clear as day that summoning all these swords and putting so much strain on your body through their effects has taken its toll on you."

"Right back at you." Yuuto said, having taken note of his opponent's perspiration and somewhat haggard expression. "I don't understand the mechanics behind that strange attack of yours, but it's obvious it's not something you can use without regard. Am I wrong?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not." Arthur said with a small smirk. "Either way, I—"

Arthur cut off his words, frowning as if sensing something. Taking advantage of his distracted state, Yuuto charged at Arthur, his blade aimed at his torso. He brought up Pridwen in haste to block the attack and swung Caliburn in retaliation, with Yuuto flying back and summoning several Gravity Nails around him, launching them at Arthur after increasing the gravity around them.

"Time to put an end to this, Monkey Boy!"

Takeshi, who was still fighting Bikou directly below the two swordsmen, declared as he cut his opponent's staff in half with Mayhem Striker before detaching one of his shoulder-mounted shields and having it bash Bikou. He then pressed Cataclysm Zone's buckle twice.

[Dual Charge! Calamity Overflow!]

Following that announcement, a large number of small circular barriers appeared around the two combatants, while Mayhem Striker was surrounded by a storm of corrupted draconic aura.

[Twin Impact!]

Takeshi hurled his axe at one of the barriers, with the axe ricocheting off it and aiming for Bikou. Enveloping his broken staff with Touki, Bikou deflected it, but Mayhem Striker ricocheted off another barrier and came at him with greater speed than before. The previous scene repeated itself a couple of times, but eventually, the axe became too fast and too strong to deflect, with Bikou receiving several cuts on his body before the axe struck him head-on and sent him flying backwards. Thanks to him increasing the density of his Touki, Bikou avoided a fatal blow, but still received a lot of damage as he fell on his knees, cradling his damaged chest.

"Victory was never an option for you." Takeshi declared as the axe returned back to his hand. "Once I make sure you won't interfere, I—"

Sensing danger from above, Takeshi formed several dome-shaped barriers around him. The next moment, a large number of glowing, boulder-like objects fell from the sky all of a sudden, bombarding the entirety of the battlefield and forcing the various combatants apart. The members of Vali's team gathered together, while Rias' Peerage did the same.

Looks like everyone had trouble with their respective opponents. Takeshi remarked upon seeing the condition of both sides. Bikou wasn't easy to beat either. Makes sense though, since there's no way Vali would have unskilled people following him.

"Hey, why didn't you get in my way, Arthur?" Kuroka complained. "A little longer, and I could have brought Shirone back with me, nya."

"Yes, what gives?" Milena said with a pout. "I was having so much fun with Rias Gremory before you butted in."

"No complaints…here…" Bikou said as he stood up with some effort while wincing. "Damn Evil Dragon User…almost turned me to mincemeat…"

"Time's up." Arthur said. "The Devils and members of Grigori are rushing here as we speak. We can't afford to stay here any longer."

After saying so, Arthur opened a large tear in space with a slash from Caliburn.

"It can't be helped then…" Kuroka sighed before turning to Koneko. "Our reunion was cut short, but I'm not giving up just yet. I'll have you join me one of these days, Shirone."

"…Never." Koneko said. "President's Peerage is where I belong."

"This was an entertaining bout, Kiba Yuuto." Arthur said. "Could you also give my greetings to the Durandal user in your team? Also, I'd appreciate it if you could do the same with the Red Dragon Emperor, Evil Dragon User. He may be Vali's rival, but I want to test his skill with the blade at some point."

"Quite the audacious attitude you've got there, Arthur Pendragon."

"I won't deny that." Arthur smiled at Takeshi's comment. "Well then, farewell, everyone."

"Let's meet again soon for another thrilling battle!"

Milena waved at everyone in an enthusiastic manner as the members of the Vali team entered the spatial rift and vanished from the area. A few seconds later, the barrier enveloping the area vanished, with a large number of guards, the rest of the Gremory Peerage and the members of the Slash Dog team accompanied by Shemhazai rushing towards the four Devils.

---

Later…

"Finally, this mess is over…"

Azazel remarked with a sigh as he took a sip from his cup, with Shemhazai, who was sitting next to him, nodding in ascent. The two Fallen Angel leaders were currently in a large conference room along with Sirzechs, Serafall, Michael and Gabriel, going over the events that had transpired not too long ago. Though he was amused by the death glares Serafall directed to Gabriel, who remained oblivious to them from the looks of it, he couldn't afford to enjoy the situation as much as he would.

"Thanks to everyone's efforts, the terrorist attack was averted, though we were forced to cancel the party just in case." Sirzechs said. "Allow me to express my gratitude to Grigori and Heaven for the assistance they provided. It's a shame though that we were unable to capture the enemy's leaders. Furthermore, while I'm also thankful for the accurate information the Vali team provided regarding the terrorists' plans, I'm not certain I understand why they attacked my sister's Peerage afterwards. Do you know anything about it, Azazel?"

"Haven't been able to reach Vali yet, so I can't give you an answer to that, Sirzechs." Azazel said. "From what I understand though, Vali's teammates are all rowdy fellows who love getting into trouble. I wouldn't be surprised if they challenged Rias' Peerage out of boredom."

"Perhaps, though the fact that the infamous SS-class criminal Kuroka is a member of his team raises some concerning questions." Shemhazai said. "Thoughtless and impulsive acts are Vali's forte, but letting a known fugitive join his team is a little too far even for him. He needs to explain himself regarding that as well."

"Trust me, he's getting an earful once I get a hold of him." Azazel said. "Now, when it comes to—"

"Oh, the leaders of the Three Factions all gathered together without trying to murder each other! Now that's a sight to behold! Another sign that the times have begun changing once again!"

The one who had said so with a booming voice as he stepped into the conference room was an imposing elderly man with a muscular body that was wearing a pure white chiton and a golden laurel on his head. His hair and beard were stark white and reminiscent of clouds, his eyes were sky blue and his skin seemed to be letting out a faint glow. In his hands, he held a golden metal staff in the shape of a lightning bolt that was crackling with electricity.

"Lord Zeus." Sirzechs stood up as he greeted the newcomer. "You are here earlier than expected. My apologies that no-one was there to greet you, but—"

"Ah, don't sweat the small things." Zeus made a dismissive gesture. "I only came here sooner because you fellows were having fun beating down some terrorists or something, so I wanted to join in. Too bad I didn't get here fast enough to do so."

"No, I wouldn't say we were having fun or anything like that…"

Michael said, but Zeus ignored him as he approached Azazel with a wide grin on his face.

"There he is, my old partner in crime!" Zeus said, giving a light slap to Azazel's back. "Life's been treating you well, you old crow? Still single and all that?"

"Yeah, still haven't settled down." Azazel grinned. "Too little time for that, I'm afraid."

"Trust me, you dodged a bullet there." Zeus said with a grimace. "It's hard to fool around with beautiful maidens like we did in the old days when you've got a cranky wife breathing down your neck and threatening to cut off your genitals. Speaking of beautiful maidens, what's up with this strange appearance, Serafall?"

Zeus' gaze focused on Serafall, who let out a bright smile as she twirled around once.

"Ara, haven't you heard, Zeus-dono~?" Serafall said as she struck a pose, making a peace sign. "This is a magical girl's outfit, something very popular in the country my little sister is studying in~."

"Hoh, so that's the current fashion among young people?" Zeus said with a lewd smile as he rubbed his chin, his eyes glued on Serafall's legs and barely visible panties. "Yes, yes, very nice. Humanity's ingenuity when it comes to erotic stuff never ceases to amaze me. Now, if we could get the gorgeous Angel next to you to also wear an outfit like that…"

"No way!" Serafall made an X with her hands while pouting. "Magical Girl Levia-tan won't stand being upstaged by this white-feathered skank! …No, now that I think about it, perhaps she should wear one and have a contest to determine who's the cutest? In a battle like that, Levia-tan absolutely won't lose!"

"There's no need to get upset, Serafall-chan." Gabriel said with a wide smile. "I'm afraid such outfits wouldn't suit me as well as they do you, so I'll have to decline Zeus-dono's suggestion."

"That's too bad." Zeus said with a downcast expression, but then a sly smile appeared on his face. "How about this then? My attendants have brought several beautiful dresses with them, so why don't you two come to my room tonight and we can figure out which ones fit you best? I believe—"

"I believe you should learn how to exercise restraint, you old horndog."

An elderly man said so as he entered the conference room, a scornful expression on his face. He had long, grey hair, a matching waist-length beard, and his sole visible eye was blue in color. His other eye was covered by an ornate monocle, and he wore a simple dark blue robe, a thick brown cape on top of it and a frayed cold hat. In his hands, he held a long ebony-colored walking stick with a large number of runes engraved on it. Two ravens were also perched on his shoulders, their unnerving blue eyes darting around. Despite his frail appearance, he radiated power that wouldn't lose to Zeus'.

A couple of steps behind him stood a beautiful young woman with long, straight silver hair, aqua-colored eyes and a voluptuous figure who appeared to be in her late teens. She wore a set of Valkyrie armor, which consisted of a white breastplate with gold and pale blue accents and matching fingerless gauntlets, boots, hip guards, and wing-shaped hair clips.

"What's the matter, youngsters?" The newcomer said. "Don't have time to greet an old man?"

"If it isn't the All-Father Odin himself!" Zeus said with a wide grin. "I couldn't believe my ears when I first heard you'd be coming as well. Thought you were determined to stay cooped up in that remote fortress of yours until the world froze over or something."

"I didn't have much choice in the matter." Odin said while rubbing his beard. "If I allowed an old lecher like you to act unsupervised, you'd tarnish the reputation of us Gods for sure with your perverted acts."

"Well, sorry for not being an old prude like you who only gets a hard-on when he stumbles upon new knowledge." Zeus said with a huff. "If I had a band of female warriors devoted to me like you do, I'd be showing them a good time every night. The lovely Valkyrie next to the old fart, how about it? Want to share my bed tonight and experience pleasures you never thought existed?"

"Erm…your invitation honors me, Lord Zeus, but—"

"Ignore that sex-crazed buffoon, Rossweisse." Odin said. "Even though you're a stuffy Valkyrie who can't get a boyfriend to save her life, offering yourself to that has-been will only degrade you."

After Odin said so, Rossweisse broke into tears.

"Y-You went and said it, Odin-sama!" Rossweisse wailed as she started hitting a nearby wall with her fist. "A Valkyrie whose age is equal to the years she hasn't had a boyfriend, you think I wanted to turn into that!? I also want a boyfriend with a promising future ahead of him, damn it!"

"Oh, dear, there she goes again…" Odin rubbed his neck with an annoyed expression on his face. "Everyone, this is my attendant, Rossweisse. Forgive her outburst just now. The subject of boyfriends is a sensitive one for her."

"Lord Odin, it has been a long time." Sirzechs said before Zeus could speak again. "We are delighted to have you and Lord Zeus here. I hope this will be the first step towards better relations between our respective factions."

"Don't get your hopes up, Sirzechs." Odin said with a stern expression. "I accepted your invitation because I was curious about these Rating Games of yours. Cooperation is a difficult prospect as things stand. Still, I can't help but pity you a bit. Not only did the descendants of the old Devil Kings show up again to cause trouble, but you also have to deal with Lucifer's rebellious great-grandkid, who's the current Vanishing Dragon. The future of Devils seems difficult."

"Perhaps, but we will strive for a better one nonetheless." Sirzechs said with a smile. "The situation isn't as bleak as you describe."

"As for the Greek Pantheon, we're willing to work together with the Three Factions to an extent despite past grievances." Zeus said. "These Titan Worshippers have been a real thorn in our side for a long time, so if we can get rid of them via joint effort, we can't ask for anything more. Plus, there's Ophis to consider as well."

"Yes, there's that major headache too…" Odin sighed. "The Ouroboros never involved itself with the world before, so why would it associate itself with this Khaos Brigade? If we could divine its motivations, perhaps we could entice it to our side."

"We're working on that." Azazel said. "A certain troublesome brat from our side is trying to get closer to it from the sides."

"Hoh?" Odin grinned. "Looks like you've got another crafty plan in mind, Fallen Angel brat. Old habits die hard, I guess."

"Even if that doesn't work out, we can still resort to 'that' solution." Michael said with some reluctance, turning his attention to Zeus. "We will require access to Cocytus for that plan though."

"Hm, Hades won't be happy about this, but I'll arrange it if need be." Zeus said, and then clapped his hands. "Enough about these dreary matters though! There's a game taking place soon, no? I'm looking forward to see how your younger sisters will fare when confronting each other, Sirzechs, Serafall."

"From what I understand, these two are close friends, no?" Odin grinned. "How cruel of you to make them fight each other while knowing that. As expected of Devils, I suppose."

"Rias should be able to overcome this for the sake of her future as a Devil."

"Sona-chan's victory is a done deal~. Even if the opponent is Rias-chan, she won't let anything stand in the way of her dream~."

Both Sirzechs and Serafall said so, each of them looking convinced of their sibling's victory in the upcoming game. As the conversation shifted to lighter topics, Azazel excused himself and went to sit down on a sofa in the hallway to take a break. After a couple of minutes, Sirzechs also joined him, having slipped out of the meeting.

"What's the matter, Sirzechs?" Azazel asked. "Got bored of these two already?"

"No, I wanted your opinion on something." Sirzechs said. "If you were in Sona's place, how would you deal with Rias' group?"

"Worried about your sister, eh?" Azazel smirked. "I can't blame you for that. However, I'm afraid I can't give you a definite answer. I don't know how much Sona's group has grown during their training, and the rules of the game will play a large role in devising a strategy. It will certainly be interesting though."

"Yes, that much is certain." Sirzechs said. "I confess I'm a little conflicted though. As a Devil King, I want Sona to win in order to take a step forward, however small, towards her noble dream. As a brother though, I want Rias to triumph and demonstrate her strength even further."

"Don't worry too much about it, Sirzechs." Azazel said, patting Sirzechs' back. "These girls are strong. Neither of them will be discouraged by something like a single defeat. Well, Takeshi might throw a major fit if Rias' group loses though."

"That's true, I guess."

Sirzechs chuckled as he and Azazel kept making small talk until it was time to return to the meeting.

---

"Ah, you're back, brother, everyone! Oh dear, what happened to you, Bikou-san? You look terrible!"

Upon exiting from the tear in space Arthur had made, the four members of Vali's team found themselves in the mountainous region their team was camping in, with a young girl rushing towards them while speaking in a hurry. Said girl bore a resemblance to Arthur and had a slim body, shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a sorceress-like dress, a cape with pink flowers on it and a huge blue hat.

"Hey there, Le Fay…" Bikou greeted the young girl while grimacing. "Don't worry about this. It looks worse than it actually is."

"I'll be the judge of that." Le Fay said as she took out a wand and pointed at a nearby rock. "Sit down, so I can have a look at you."

"No, there's no need to—"

"Just indulge her, Bikou. She was really worried when you guys didn't show up at the appointed time, and so were the rest of us."

A handsome young man with a light tan, black hair and matching eyes, who had a gentle expression on his face said so. He wore simple leather armor, had a shining silver pendant around his neck and carried an ornate crimson bow almost as tall as him that let out an intense aura.

"Arash." Arthur nodded at their comrade. "Where is Vali?"

"He's meditating over there." Arash gestured at a rock formation in the distance. "You had best go and explain yourselves to him. Fair warning though, he's very annoyed, most likely because he suspects you caused some trouble."

"Can't be helped." Milena said with a sigh. "Let's get this over with."

Arthur, Milena and Kuroka headed for the area Arash had pointed at, arriving there after a couple of seconds. Sitting cross-legged on top of the tallest boulder was Vali, Divine Dividing's wings spreading from his back and beads of sweat running down his face. A silvery-white aura surrounded his body, giving him a mystical appearance.

"Oh, you guys finally returned, huh? Did you lose your way here or something?"

The one who had spoken while lying on top of several sleeping bags at the bottom of the boulder Vali sat and reading a fashion magazine was a beautiful young woman with a perfectly symmetrical body that looked almost divine. She had light pink hair, hazel-colored eyes, and wore a simple white dress along with a hair ornament resembling a crown. Lying next to her was a crimson spear that was letting out a sinister aura.

"Hey, that's my sleeping bad over there, nya~!" Kuroka complained with a furious expression. "Who gave you permission to use it, Medb!?"

"So is mine, Bikou and Arthur's." Milena said with a frown. "Like Kuroka said, I don't remember saying you could use them, Medb."

"Well, you can't expect me to lie on the cold, hard rock like that." Medb said, her eyes focused on the magazine. "My beautiful skin might get scratched, and that would be a tragedy. Since you fellows were running late, I helped myself to your sleeping bags as well to create a comfortable space for me."

"You conceited little girl." Kuroka growled. "Why, I ought to—!"

"Enough. Before you start bickering, you have some explaining to do."

Vali said as he opened his eyes, with the aura around him dissipating.

"I see you're still trying to control and refine the Juggernaut Drive." Milena remarked. "Any progress on that front?"

"I was able to seal the consciousness of two more past possessors, but there's still a long way to go." Vali said. "That's not important right now though. Azazel has been trying to contact me, something which I assume is related to your tardiness."

"Kuroka wished to bring her younger sister back with us, some members of the Gremory Peerage interfered with that, and we ended up fighting them." Arthur said. "You'll be happy to know that your friend has unlocked Ladon's Balance Breaker and did a number on Bikou. My sister is checking out his injuries as we speak."

"I expected nothing less from Takeshi." Vali said with a pleased expression. "He will surely reach a level of power unseen before once he subjugates all seven Evil Dragons. Ah, this is truly a fine era to live in with all these talented rivals and opponents around."

"Isn't he even more handsome when he's all giddy like that?"

Medb said with a playful smile, having appeared next to Vali and nuzzling up against him.

"You're too close, Medb." Vali said, pushing Medb away before turning his attention to Kuroka. "Why did you want to bring your sister with you, Kuroka? You should have known this would have only caused problems for us. Not to mention, by making your presence and affiliation known to the Devils, you've made my position more difficult. Azazel will demand explanations, and saying that I trust you because I believe you had a good reason for killing your master isn't going to fly with him."

"I only wanted to keep Shirone safe." Kuroka said with a forlorn expression. "Both from whatever trouble the red-haired princess' group finds themselves in…and from the past. That's my duty as the elder sister, and that's all I can say right now. If the Governor demands explanations, pin all the blame on my whims or something, nya."

After saying so, Kuroka took her leave, with Vali letting out a deep sigh.

"She's in one of her moods again, which means I can't expect more than that…" Vali said as he formed a communication magic circle. "What a troublesome cat. Azazel is going to give me Hell for this, I'm sure."

"Even though you're so harsh with your enemies, you can't help but show your soft side to your teammates." Medb smiled as she inched closer once again. "That's why my Vali-chan is the best and the cutest."

"Again, you're too close."

"Aw, don't be like that. I know you love this deep down~."

"Hey, if this is 'coming on to Vali' time, then let me join in." Milena said while licking her lips as turned into mist and appeared on Vali's other side. "I want some affection from him as well."

"Help yourself then, Milena." Medb said with a grin as she embraced Vali's right arm. "The more, the merrier. Together, we'll pull him out of his shell for sure~."

"Will you two give it a rest already!?"

Vali shouted with an irritated expression on his face while Arthur sighed at that familiar sight. He could also swear Bikou's laughter could be heard from further back.

---

"In the end, the assault was a failure. Such a shame."

Inside what appeared to be an old Greek temple that was falling apart, Memnon was addressing five figures wearing dark robes with their hoods pulled up, obscuring their features.

"Was there ever any doubt about that?" One of the robed figures snorted. "Shalba and his ilk are a prideful lot that talks big, but when the time comes to act, their incompetence shines through."

"True, but as long as we can take advantage of them as distractions, that's none of our concern, Nestor." Memnon let out a sly smirk. "What matters is that we accomplished our objective. The seed has been planted and awaits nurturing."

"Oh, that means it's time for our wayward child to return to our ranks?"

"In a manner of speaking, that is the case, Electra." Memnon nodded. "As the leader of the Oceanus Sect, I'm certain you're eager to avenge the loss of your followers, and the same probably holds true for Cleon and Timaeus over there. You only need to be patient for a little longer. The next plan is underway, and if all goes well, we'll finally have the means to open a rift to Tartarus and free our masters from their unjust imprisonment."

"The promised day is almost upon us." Another robed figure said while cackling. "At last, we'll be ushered into Arcadia and live a blissful, eternal life!"

"It's as you say, Aristea." Memnon said, a beatific expression on his face as he spread his arms. "Ready your followers and prepare for the final battle, my brethren. Death to the decadent order, and glory to the Titans!"

[Glory to the Titans!]

All robed figures shouted together before teleporting away from the temple, with Memnon following after them, leaving the ruined temple empty.

---

This concludes Chapter 43. Plenty of battles with several participants took place here, which is why the chapter ended up becoming far larger than anticipated once again.

In regards to the Angel side, Gabriel had the chance to show her abilties as the second-in-command of Heaven. Since Gabriel is associated with the element of water in some texts, I gave her the ability to manipulate holy water here. It also draws a nice parallel with her rival Serafall, who comes from the Sitri clan that also manipulates water and she controls ice. Four more subjects of the Theotokos Project were also introduced here, and with their appearance, all Miracle Children that were a result of this project have shown up (I suppose Aria is an exception though since only her voice was heard in Chapter 40).

As for the Fallen Angel side, Shemhazai also had the chance to shine a bit here. Since his name is associated with sight, the Eyes of the Watcher ability I gave him here that enables him to view things unseen to others reflects that. His main offensive ability, the redistribution of light over a wide area, also takes advantage of his unique sight, allowing him to strike down opponents inside the field of darkness while they wander around blindly. As for the number of his wings, the novel says he has ten of them if I'm not mistaken. I raised them up to twelve here because I thought it was more fitting.

The Four Fiends from the Slash Dog novels were also introduced here. In regards to the fourth member, Hyousuke Koga, and his Sacred Gear Blitz (the Fiend of Chaos Hundun), I took some creative liberties with their abilties since they only made a brief appearance in Slash Dog's second volume, with Koga mostly using an artificial Balance Breaker created by Satanael. Blitz's first ability here is the Flames of Chaos, a green flame that throws techniques and formulas into disarray, and also causes living beings to tear themselves apart and self-destruct when used on them. The second is a curse that allows it to separate an individual's soul from its body if it strikes them seven times with its needle-like fur (inspired from a parable in the Zhuangzi, where the Emperors Shu and Hu bore seven holes on Emperor Hundun's face that lacked orifices, resulting in his death).

When it comes to the Devils, I also took some liberties regarding the Asmodeus clan's unique trait, Starsend Moment. Since we have no details about it apart from its name, I decided to imagine it as an ability that can target the five senses and is capable of trapping an opponent inside a pleasant illusion, leaving them helpless. As for the Beelzebub clan's Lord of the Flies, I improved it a little by enabling them to create and summon mutant flies with a variety of abilties through it.

Well, that's all for now. The next chapter (or chapters depending on the size) will focus on the Gremory vs Sitri game, which will be much different from canon since I wasn't really a fan of how it played out in the novels. As always, please read, review, favorite, follow, but most of all, enjoy!

See you all next time!