DISCLAIMER: High School DxD belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi and Star Wars belongs to Disney (Unfortunately). The scenario and original characters are mine.


Chapter IV

Devils and Imperials, United


Near Kuoh Town, Japan, 2012 A.D. (16ABY)

Issei stood behind his master, who himself was seated at a conference table. The table had been stolen from one of the better-off meeting rooms above and all traces of grime or filth had been cleaned. In the table's center, a highly stylized version of the Imperial Crest was burned. Each color of the crest symbolized a part of the Imperial remnants under Vader. The blue and white were for the 501st Legion, the black was for Vader himself, and the gray was for the men, women, and droids who were the Navy, Army, and other personnel from the Executor as well as his former home on Mustafar.

Rias and Sona sat in chairs opposite one another and to either side of his master. Their Peerages stood behind them as well, save for their Queens. The chairs the three leaders sat on were also scavenged from the less damaged rooms. The reason why they'd moved here was to move out of the way of the men and women currently at work doing regular maintenance.

"I believe we're due some explanations, lord Vader," Sona began as she looked up slightly. Issei couldn't blame her considering how tall his master was.

Vader nodded, his hands coming off the edge of the table and onto his chair's armrests. "Yes. I suppose I do owe you that much since I had two of your subordinates kidnapped to bring you both here… where would you have me begin?"

"I can't believe I'm about to ask this, but here goes; are you and your men from Earth?"

"No, we are not. My men and I come from all across the galaxy though my apprentice is from Earth. The reason as to why we came here is simple. We're refugees. We were all members of an empire that controlled the entire galaxy for the past twenty years. That all changed twelve years ago… when I slew the Emperor of that empire."

Rias spoke up then, shock in her and Akeno's features. "You… killed your own Emperor? Why?"

"He was attempting to kill my son. That, and he had made me a slave for his entire reign. Before that empire, the Galactic Empire, was born, it had originally been the Galactic Republic. The Emperor was once the Chancellor of that Republic but he fooled us all. He orchestrated a war that would give him control over the entire galaxy in the span of three years. In the final year of that war, he convinced me he could save my wife if I did his bidding. I betrayed everyone and everything I ever knew at that point so that I could save her."

"Did you? Save her, I mean?" Sona asked this time as a grimace appeared on her face.

"No. In the end, I was the one who brought about her death. The Emperor had twisted my mind to the point that I thought she'd betrayed me. I… killed her in a fit of rage. I've been paying for my actions that day ever since. After I killed her, I fought in a duel and lost. My consequence was being trapped in this suit for the rest of my days. It keeps me alive, yes, but it also keeps me in constant misery. It is a fate befitting one such as I."

"You can't be fully blamed for what happened to your wife. You were tricked into doing it!"

"Perhaps, but I am still the one who killed her. I was the one who crushed her throat… my children survived despite my efforts, obviously. Had they not, I imagine I would still be the Emperor's slave."

"You mentioned earlier that this 'Emperor' was trying to kill your son. Why?"

"Because my son had chosen to become a Jedi. Jedi were champions of peace and justice, the antithesis of an empire built on systemic injustice. The Emperor and I were part of a group that opposed the Jedi, the Order of the Sith Lords. I had tried to turn my son to our side before the Emperor attempted to kill him. I wanted his help to overthrow the man that had caused our family so much pain and take over the Galactic Empire. Instead, he brought me out of the darkness that had taken hold of me."

"And your men, they know this? They agree with what you did to their Emperor?" Akeno questioned this time with a soft gaze.

"I told them everything over ten years ago. The truth about the Empire, about the Emperor and I, and what the Emperor had done."

From there, Issei listened on as each question the heiresses had was answered by his master. They were surprisingly nice to Vader after what he'd told them. It seemed strange. Issei himself had begrudgingly understood why his master did what he did. After a while though, that understanding turned to pity for his master. The man's life seemed like one big tragedy when one looked at it from an outsider's perspective. After they'd exhausted their questions, Vader had begun his own.

His master asked them about everything Raynare had told him. From Sacred Gears to the basic level of understanding of how each biblical faction worked, they answered as best they could. Once that was finished, Vader told them about the prophecy given to him years ago. The return of his Sith master and what he would do to Earth. His master even went so far as to tell them that the Fallen in Kuoh Town had been corrupted by one of his former master's agents already.

The heiresses didn't believe it at first. Why would they? Vader had no proof of his claims. That was until Raynare was let into the conference room. The Fallen recoiled at the sight of the Kuoh Town Devil leaders and she immediately tried to bolt out of the room. A single order from Vader kept her there, however. The Devils collectively gasped at her new appearance.

After Vader had uncorrupted Raynare, remnants of that corruption appeared as she recovered from their duel. Her right eye was permanently scarred into a Sith yellow coloration, her skin was far paler, and a portion of her hair had gone completely white. The skills her dark self had used against his master were still there and her strength had also increased greatly. She was able to lift a pair of speeder bikes with one hand each, both weighing about four hundred pounds. Vader surmised that her strength was due to how hard her dark self was pushing to break free of his Force grip.

"As you can see I am telling the truth. Your Bishops in particular can attest to this, heiress Sitri, as they watched her duel with Issei." Vader remarked as Raynare went to stand behind Vader.

"If this former master of yours is returning, how are you to stop him? You can't seriously think you can do it alone?" Sona asked incredulously after getting a nod from her two Bishops.

Vader shook his head before replying. "I have been told as such by the Force itself. It has, in point of fact, tasked me with finding allies. That was the reason behind my vision of Kuoh Academy it seems. Getting into contact with both of you."

"Why us?" Rias questioned pointedly, one eyebrow raising as she folded her arms.

Vader was silent for a long minute until he leaned back in his chair and answered. "That I do not know. Perhaps in time, that answer will be revealed. My only question now is thus: will we forge an agreement to end my former master when he returns, or shall we go our separate ways? I will not force this fight on those who do not wish to fight it."

The heiresses mulled over his master's words for a long time. Issei could feel that they were conflicted about what Vader had told them. He wasn't all that surprised by this. After all, when Vader had told him about the prophecy, he didn't want to believe it. He was just some kid from Earth. Why did he have to be the one to destroy the returning evil space wizard? He had a life of his own, dammit!

Issei realized now that he was the only one who could stand up to Palpatine besides Vader and his men. If what Vader had told him all those years ago was true, he was the only one on Earth who could use the Force. That's also not to mention the fact that Earth and its solar system were far removed from any contact with the wider galaxy. It was practically impossible for anyone from the wider galaxy to help them. When the Devils turned back around, he had a suspicion they wouldn't be joining forces when Sona began to speak.

"Look, lord Vader, while we can appreciate the dire threat of Palpatine's return, we simply have other more pressing problems. We are still technically at war with the Fallen and the Angels. Once the war is over we could join forces? For now, though, we simply can't fully commit to it. That doesn't mean we can't be allies."

"What do you propose?" Vader asked as he steepled his fingers.

Rias answered with a confident smile. "A partnership. Think of it as a way to build trust between us. You're telling us about you, the prophecy, and the corrupted Fallen is a start, don't get me wrong, but that only grants you so much trust. We only just met you after all. It would be foolish to completely trust you over the span of one conversation."

"And what would be the terms of this 'partnership'?"

"In exchange for your help dealing with any Stray Devils that appear here in Kuoh Town and information you can provide on the corrupted Fallen, you will be provided with resources from Gremory Large Enterprises. It'll most likely be money. I'm not entirely sure what you'd be able to do with travel agencies, hotels, or the film industry. I'm sure Sona can also have the Shitori Medical Group provide you with discrete medical facilities should the need ever arise."

"Of course, though I'd also like to ask you about medical technology or practices you brought with you. I'm sure you have medical personnel already?"

"Yes. I am unsure, however, how much you will be able to replicate here. Earth hasn't reached our level of technology yet."

"I'm sure magic can solve that problem. Are we all in agreement to create a partnership between ourselves?"

"You already know what I would decide, Sona," Rias said with a smirk, "so what do you think of the 'partnership' idea, lord Vader?"

"Trust is a long process, and the only way to truly begin earning one another's trust is by understanding who we are dealing with. To that end, I agree to the partnership."

The two Devil heiresses and Issei's master stood and shook hands. Vader then allowed them to leave, as Issei no doubt guessed his master sensed his unease. Raynare took one of the open seats and stretched before placing her new boots on the table.

"You believe telling the Devils of my past was a mistake, my apprentice?" Vader commented dryly as he sat back down.

Issei frowned before he answered. "To put it frankly, master… yes. Can we really risk the possibility of making enemies before we're ready? There's no way you could have known how Sona and Rias would have taken your past."

"On the contrary, young Hyōdō, I already knew how they would take it. Do not forget that the Force allows us to see into the thoughts and feelings of others. I knew both girls were quite compassionate. It was highly unlikely that either would resent me for my part as a manipulated and used pawn."

"You yourself have mentioned we shouldn't rely solely on the Force."

"Yes, I have. Speaking to them was also what made me honest. The way they conducted themselves and how they treated their servants, particularly in Gremory's case, is what ultimately led to my decision."

"Seeing as how it worked I'm inclined to agree with your judgement. In the future, though, could you at least consider keeping some of your cards close to your chest, please? It would mean a lot less stress on me if you did."

"I will consider it. Now, we must turn to other matters. Raynare?" Vader dismissed while turning to the Fallen Angel.

Said Fallen Angel instantly got her feet off the table and sat up straight. "Yes, lord Vader?"

"Were you able to disguise your new appearance?"

"Yes. It was fairly easy to look like my old self given enough concentration. I'm a little worried though. If the others somehow suspect I'm no longer on their side, what's to stop them from corrupting me again?"

"Such thoughts will only lead to your ruin. Remember that your corrupted self was made from darker aspects of your personality. Those darker aspects should be able to deceive the other corrupted, and the one who corrupted you. Keep that in mind and your mission will be successful."

"Right. Could I ask a favor, Vader?"

"Yes?"

"Allow me to convince my corrupted comrades to take the nun's Sacred Gear. It'll keep her alive long enough for them to extract it. In that time I can try and identify who corrupted them and I in the first place, as well as any other possible agents amongst the Kuoh Fallen."

"Very well, but on one condition."

"Condition?"

"You will contact us the day before the extraction is to take place. We cannot take the chance that her death will restart the war."

"I think I can manage that. One other favor?" Raynare asked as she stood from her chair, Issei's master gesturing for her to proceed, "When I find the one who forced me to become like this, I want to be the one to kill them, in my own special way."

Vader nodded once as he began to stand. "Agreed. Now, go and carry out your orders."

Issei saw the Fallen Angel grin ferally, her heterochromatic eyes glinting, before she turned and left.


Kuoh Town Outskirts, Japan, 2012 A.D.

Kalawarna watched the Stray Exorcists with disinterest as they prepared for Argento's arrival. The stupid girl was four days late already and her master's plans could only be pushed back so far. The girl was to be killed during the upcoming purge of Devil Contract Requesters led by that insane fucker, Freed Selzen. If anyone were to ask Kalawarna about Selzen, she would have recommended he was a huge liability.

Why her master let him live was a mystery to her. In her master's past, he usually disposed of men who were deemed far too unstable to be of use. Freed fit that description to a tee. His mind's stability was questionable at the very least. His loyalty was even worse, though. He had no loyalty to anything besides whoever let him kill without any restrictions or restraint. How long would it be until he realized he didn't need anyone to allow him to do that? She took comfort in the fact that her master's Servant already had a plan in place to deal with Selzen should he ever get out of hand.

The Servant, no one knew his true name, had the same powers as her master. That meant he was far stronger than she was, even though he was human. She would be annoyed by that if her master hadn't also been human. The power they both had access to trumped anything she might try and use against them. She'd learned that the hard way sixteen years ago.

When she'd first been brought into the fold by Kokabiel all those years ago, she'd mistakenly been loyal to Azazel. She'd tried to attack the sixty-year-old human before her with a casual slash of a Light spear she'd summoned. Imagine her surprise when the man dodged so fast she thought he disappeared. She saw him out of the corner of her eye before purple lightning engulfed her. Kokabiel himself was about to gut her when her master stopped him. The time between that moment and the end of that day was a blur, but she didn't care. Her life was much better being a subordinate to her master.

The Servant could use that same lightning ability but the color of his was blue rather than purple. She didn't know what that meant exactly. In her spars with the Servant, however, she found out that the lightning was just as potent as her master's was. That was also not mentioning the weapon the Servant wielded. She'd read about a similar one in a strange report from some Stray Exorcist named Chiodini. Apparently, the weapon the Servant and the being in the report used were stronger than Light Swords, able to slash bodies apart with ease.

When she sparred with the Servant, his black and red blade managed to block every hit from her spear. The blade also hurt a Hell of a lot worse than getting stabbed with a spear. She remembered a particularly painful session in which she'd been stabbed through the gut with that blade. It burned for hours as her body healed itself, the burning sensation ending a day later. She was determined to never let that happen again.

"How go the preparations, Kalawarna?" a muffled voice asked from behind her, the voice itself sounding about as bored as she felt.

"Well, milord. The Strays are working slowly, but progress is steady," she answered, turning to the Servant.

The Servant was a lean young man with fiery red and yellow eyes. His hair was a gray-black color while his skin was as pale as fallen snow. The dark robe he wore did nothing to hide the metallic armor he wore underneath, nor did it hide the wicked cylinder he wore. If Kalawarna remembered right, it was called a "lightsaber".

The saber the Servant had was far different in design than the one she'd seen on her master. Four equally incredibly sharp blades surrounded the lightsaber's emitter. Each held blood stains from times when the Servant sated his more primal bloodlust. The design on the hilt was angular yet at the same time rounded. The pommel of the saber was a round knob capped with a spike. The spike was quite clean in comparison to the emitter blades.

"That isn't good enough. Our enemies are on the move. Vader's apprentice has already met with Gremory and Sitri, and no doubt they've already met Vader himself. We must act quickly. Have them work faster. I must leave on a mission of my own. Apparently, some of our other members have started to doubt our master's vision."

"How long will you be away? Dohnaseek, Mittelt, and I can only keep the other Strays in the dark for so long even with the Strays loyal to our cause."

"At least a week. Our disaffected elements are in South America, after all. You know how dense the jungles are there."

"Yes. As for the other Strays?"

"They are ultimately only here to help fuel the fire for resuming the biblical faction war. As soon as the girl arrives, kill them. Dump their bodies near the park."

"As you wish."

"Oh, and before I forget, see if you can locate Raynare. We've lost contact with her."

"Of course. Have fun, milord."

"Oh, I certainly will," the Servant answered darkly as he walked out of the abandoned church's basement.


Near Kuoh Town, Japan, 2012 A.D.

Sergeant VF-48106/22, or "Devar" to his friends, rubbed at a nonexistent smudge on the small Imperial Crest he'd painted onto his helmet. It was in the center of the blue wedge on the helmet's forehead which was itself flanked by a pair of stripes to either side. The two stripes ended just above his helmet's vocoder, like the main stripe underneath the small Imperial Crest.

He'd spent the better part of the last hour performing an equipment check, as had the rest of Lieutenant Hornet's unit. This would be the first time any of them would be seeing combat outside of simulations they had at their home's hodge podge firing range. Those simulations were a great way to build unit cohesion and kept them sharp, but they weren't really a challenge. It was pretty easy to run through them since the targets are cardboard cutouts. Now they were to accompany Issei and the Kuoh Academy Devils to take down a "Stray Devil", whatever the Hell that was.

Thankfully they wouldn't need to venture into Kuoh Town itself. The Devils reported their target was staying in an old industrial complex nearby to his and the other Imperials' home. That brought on its own set of issues in the former 1st legion Sergeant but said issues were alleviated due to their mission objective. The objective of the mission was rather simple: terminate the "Stray Devil". Sounded simple enough to Devar and his fellow Stormtroopers.

He put on the helmet and grabbed his primary weapon, the double-barreled E-22 Blaster Rifle, before slinging it onto his back via the rifle strap attached to its barrel and stock. He then stuffed his secondary, an SSK-7 Heavy Blaster Pistol, into its holster on his right leg. The SSK-7 wasn't standard issue but he couldn't part with it. It had saved his life from a pair of Rebels on Sullust, and throwing it away seemed like a huge waste of a good pistol.

As soon as he'd moved his hand away from the pistol Hornet stepped into the room and called the men together. Devar and the rest of the ten-man squadron formed a semi-circle around their commanding officer, with the Stormtrooper Sergeant standing in the front ring. The Clone Lieutenant glanced around and made sure everyone was there before speaking.

"We all know the general objective of this mission, so I'll skip over that part of the briefing. Our specific orders are to watch and learn how the Devils deal with a Stray one of their kind. Commander Hyōdō will be joining us on the mission and is to be our mission lead. Knowing him though, he's going to shunt that responsibility off on me…"

The men chuckled at the jab towards Issei, Devar included. In the Stormtrooper Sergeant's opinion, he was a good kid, but he wasn't quite ready to be a leader. The kid wasn't all that well-versed in overall strategy. Issei was one to improvise always unless given a plan created by Vader. If that were the case, he would act according to how Vader ordered in the plan. There was hope for him though. It would just take more field experience with Devar, Hornet, and the rest of the squad before then.

"Alright, that's enough. We're to meet the Devils at the intersection. From there, they'll lead us to where the Stray Devil lives, and we'll act as backup as need be. Any questions?"

A hand went up. "Sir, should we be concerned with discovery from any locals nearby?"

"Negative, Corporal Myrie, for all intents and purposes the complex the Stray is living in is abandoned. Any other questions?"

"Are there any locals close enough to the target site that'll get curious about the blaster fire?" another trooper asked, gesturing to his rifle for emphasis.

"I don't actually know Bolt. From what the Devils told us, they usually lure civvies into their homes. People would notice if someone went missing if said home was close to Kuoh Town, but I haven't seen or heard any 'Missing Persons' reports from the police force. I'm guessing it's far enough that they'll be a non-issue. Does anyone else have a question?"

No one else raised their hand or spoke up. Hornet nodded once just before he ordered Devar and the rest of the squad to form up behind him. As one the squadron marched out of the barracks area and toward the entrance of their collective home.


Kuoh Town Outskirts, Japan, 2012 A.D.

Devar had seen a lot in his time as a Stormtrooper. It wasn't all that surprising, considering he'd been one of the first human recruits, back during the Project War Mantle days. He'd spent over thirty-six years as a Stormtrooper if one considered his current service under Vader. In all that time he'd never seen a group of people pop out of a giant red glowing circle on the ground.

In all honesty, it wasn't really that shocking to him, but it was still surprising to learn teleportation was a thing. He was rarely shocked by anything anymore. He'd seen a lot in his years as a Stormtrooper. From the Jedha invasion to the Star Destroyer incident on Raxus Prime to Alderaan's destruction, his shock threshold steadily went higher and higher until he was reasonably certain he couldn't be shocked anymore at this point.

The Devils bowed in greeting as the circle faded away with Hyōdō doing the same. Devar and his fellow troopers bowed with varying degrees of success, having never greeted someone by bowing before. Most of the galaxy used handshakes when greeting others rather than bowing. Handshaking was also common on Earth from what the Imperials knew of the planet but it was one of many ways of greeting.

"Is this everyone?" the red-haired Devil asked as her eyes scanned Devar and the other Stormtroopers.

Hyōdō nodded before gesturing for Hornet to come forward. "Heiress Gremory, this is Lieutenant Hornet. He is the overall commander of the troopers behind me and is my second-in-command. Lieutenant Hornet, this is heiress Rias Gremory of the House of Gremory. She'll be leading the mission since she's got more experience dealing with Stray Devils. I trust that won't be a problem?"

"Negative sir," Hornet began as he held out a hand towards Rias, who took it immediately, "Any specific orders for me and my guys, ma'am?"

"I'd like you and your men to stay back and let us handle the Stray. I'm sure you are all highly trained soldiers, but Stray Devils are extremely dangerous to humans. Watch how we deal with one and try to apply it to your own tactics the next time you face one," Rias explained as she turned and began to head toward the Stray's lair.

Devar wasn't sure how the other troopers in their squadron felt most of the time, they were at that level of cohesion just yet, but he had an inkling they all felt the same at that moment. This teenage girl just casually dismissed members of the 501st. That was not something people did. He could forgive her just a little since she had no idea of their reputation, but to suggest a bunch of teens could do a better job than Stormtroopers? That was insulting.

Their Op Commander noticed his men's rising indignation immediately. "Guys, try not to take what she said as an insult. She has no idea what you're all capable of yet. I'm sure she's right about Stray Devils. We haven't exactly fought one before, have we?"

"We haven't, sir, but you can't say it's not insulting to be dismissed out of hand simply because we're human," Hornet replied calmly, used to such dismissals in his time as a member of the Stormtrooper Corps. The other Clones in their unit grunted in agreement with their Lieutenant.

Hyōdō acquiesced to Hornet's comment before turning to Devar with an unspoken question. Devar wasn't going to cause a problem over something so trivial, but it was still insulting to him. The Stormtrooper Sergeant nodded without speaking before the unit followed after the group of Devils. It only took a few minutes until they too entered the Stray's lair.

The interior of the complex smelled like an abattoir that had been left to rot. Devar's helmet MFTAS switched on his night vision while also highlighting more vague shapes in the darkness. Pools of dark liquid appeared all across the floor while more haphazard spatters and stains covered some of the walls. The Stormtrooper Sergeant didn't need to guess what the pools, spatters, and stains were. He'd seen them over the entire galaxy. It was blood.

"While we wait for our host to arrive, I'll explain the basics of a Stray Devil. This would've probably been better to do before we came here, but the Archduke marked this Stray as a priority target," Rias explained as she faced the Imperials while her fellow Devils fanned out. The red-haired Devil took a breath before she started her explanation, "To begin, Stray Devils start out as Reincarnated Devil servants. They become Strays when they kill or betray their masters, which are Devil Kings like myself."

"Sorry, ma'am, but 'Devil King'? Aren't kings usually male?" one trooper, a fellow Sergeant with a pair of blades painted on his helmet, asked. She seemed taken aback by his voice for just a second before answering politely. Devar was sure it was because the other Sergeant was a Fett Clone, which meant he had the same voice as Hornet.

"For us Devils, it's merely a title. Now, where was I? Oh yes. Stray Devils usually kill their masters so that they can fulfill their own selfish desires. Without a master to regulate their powers, though, the former servants lose control of their powers and in turn, become twisted and warped by them."

"Define 'twisted and warped'," another trooper said as she readjusted her hand around the grip of the DLT-19 she held. She then took one hand off of her weapon and fixed the bandolier across her chest plate.

"Their power completely overtakes their minds. This room is a good example of that. If you didn't realize it immediately, this is where she lures humans in for eating. This causes a problem for us because their wanton slaughter of humans is completely barbaric and could expose the rest of the supernatural world to humanity. We can't have that happen. That is why all Stray Devils or creatures like them are to be killed on sight."

"President, it's here," Koneko said shortly as she and the other Devils readied themselves for combat. As she said that, Devar saw a figure appear from out of the darkness ahead.

The figure looked like a young woman, and with the body she had, one wouldn't be surprised if they'd found her in any one of the many unsavory brothels found throughout the galaxy. She didn't look diseased surprisingly. The woman was quite beautiful until Devar realized she was a little too high up… by about ten meters. He still couldn't get a good look due to how dark the room was, but something told him he should get ready to start blasting stuff.

"What is that delectable smell? No, wait, it smells like fucking shit… will it taste as sweet as honey? Or will it be as sour as spoiled milk?" the woman questioned to herself.

Rias glowered at the new arrival with barely hid disgust before speaking. "Stray Devil Viser. You killed your master, have allowed yourself to be corrupted by your desires, and have lured and eaten humans here. For these crimes, you have been sentenced to death by order of the Duke of Gremory. Would you like to be given an easy death or would you rather prefer to die in agony?"

"How about a third option? I paint the room crimson with you and your Peerage's blood, you little slut shitstain, and eat the human buffet you kindly brought me after?" the woman snarked back as she stepped closer. Devar felt sick to his stomach as soon as the woman's lower body came into view.

The woman's lower half, at least from the hips down, resembled an Earth lion's body. The front legs of the body were not legs at all. They were instead massive arms that ended in clawed hands. The lower half's rear portion was more lion-like apart from the snake tail. Finally, a massive slit, almost like a mouth, ran vertically from the lower half's navel to just before the two massive arms. So that was what Gremory meant by "twisted and warped"…

A spear began to form in the Stray Devil's off hand, and in return, Devar and his fellow Stormtroopers snapped their rifles to their shoulders. Glowing red circles appeared on the barrels of each blaster rifle and distracted the Stormtroopers while Viser finished summoning her spear.

"Now that your guns are taken care of, time to begin the bloodbath!" the Stray shouted as she lifted her spear up and into the proper position for throwing. She never got a chance to throw it though.

"Kiba!" the Gremory heiress called, and the blonde boy responded. He began pulling a sword out of a sheath that Devar hadn't noticed before and seemed to vanish, "Not to worry, he didn't disappear. He's merely moving fast. Kiba is the one Knight of my Peerage. The attribute of the Knight is speed if that wasn't obvious."

Kiba stopped for a moment before slicing off one of Viser's arms in a single blow. He tried getting them both but from the flash Devar had seen, the Stray Devil had blocked the strike enough to save her spear-wielding arm. Kiba jumped back as the white-haired Devil, Koneko if Devar remembered right, brazenly walked forward. Devar was about to let loose a few shots on the Stray before Hyōdō held up a hand.

The spear lunged for Koneko, but the girl merely caught it and tossed it aside. She then sent an uppercut into the Stray's face. The blow knocked it back a step before Koneko was grabbed by one massive arm. The troopers readied their rifles again only to look on in shock as the small girl broke the massive hand's fingers from the inside. She then hopped away as Rias spoke again, this time highlighting that Koneko was her Rook and that their attribute was simply overwhelming strength. She then called the black-haired Devil, Akeno, forward for her turn.

As Akeno walked forward, Devar caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look and saw the severed hand leap up and pounce at the Gremory heiress.

"Gremory, get down!" the Stormtrooper Sergeant called as he raised the E-22 and pulled the red-haired girl away from the oncoming hand. The Gremory heiress landed with a grunt as she was deposited on the floor. With her out of the way, Devar turned back to the threat.

The Stormtrooper Sergeant exhaled as he acquired the hand in his blaster sights and depressed the trigger. A stream of blaster bolts shot out of both barrels, the top barrel shooting just before the bottom one. The burst hit the palm of the hand dead center and blew it apart. Viscera hit anything nearby, some even managing to land just shy of Rias, though most landed on the Stormtrooper Sergeant. She looked down at the mess of flesh and bone that had originally been the Stray's arm before looking back at Devar.

"T-Thanks," Rias said, stunned at the power the weapon had demonstrated. There was something else there too, almost… confusion?

Devar nodded as he placed the rifle barrel on his shoulder. Both of the barrels were smoking, and he couldn't help but grin underneath his helmet. He'd always wanted to save a girl with a move like that. He watched as Rias dusted herself off and glared at the downed Stray.

"Akeno, finish the bitch off."

That was an unexpected phrase, coming from her, but then again none of the troopers or Hyōdō were surprised. Anyone would be angry if they were nearly sneak attacked. The smile on Akeno's face, however, was concerning to the Imperials, as was what she said next.

"A naughty girl who tried to hurt our beloved president like you deserves to be punished~," the black-haired Devil said, almost giggling, before letting a torrent of yellow lightning loose on the Stray.

Rias smirked as she watched Akeno before speaking to the Imperials again. "Akeno is my Queen, or in other words, my second-in-command. She has the attributes of all other Peerage members. She mainly uses attacks with demonic magic attached to them, plus… she's a total sadist."

As the Gremory heiress finished her explanation, the Queen began laughing sadistically, a blush appearing on her face. The squadron of Stormtroopers noticeably took a step back and all shared a concerned look underneath their helmets. After another minute or two, the Stray looked like a scorched piece of meat.

"I think she's done Akeno."

"Aw, and I was really starting to get into it~…"

The black-haired Devil walked back to the Imperials while Rias approached the downed Stray. A red and black ball began to form in her right hand as she stopped just before Viser.

"Any final words before I end you?" Rias questioned lazily while raising the red and black ball.

"Just one. DIE!" the Stray Devil shouted as both of her massive arms shot out towards the Gremory heiress. They never reached her though.

A spinning lightsaber blade soared through the air and spun directly through both arms. The Stray screamed in pain as the Stormtrooper squadron rushed forward and poured fire directly into it. Blaster fire lit up the room and echoed throughout it, making the Devils cover their enhanced ears. The fire ceased five minutes later as the blasters overheated and stopped to cool. The body was barely recognizable now, and when Devar turned to look at Hyōdō and the Devils, he noticed they were all covering their ears. He wasn't surprised. Blasters were damn loud without their helmets on.

"Little bit of warning would be nice next time," Rias muttered as she rubbed one ear while summoning the ball again. The Imperials stood back as she glanced down at the now barely living Viser, "Checkmate."

The Stray disappeared into dust before that too vanished. The arm from earlier dissolved into goo as soon as Viser was dead, and the Devils turned to regard the Stormtroopers and Hyōdō.

"You, with the three-lined helmet, what is your name?" Rias asked as she pointed at Devar.

"VF-48106/22, ma'am," Devar said immediately, coming to attention.

Rias shook her head with a smile before looking back up at him. "Thanks again for what you did. You didn't need to go out of your way to shoot that arm for me."

"Think nothing of it, ma'am. Simply doing what I or the other guys in this squad would do for a teammate, even if you aren't on the squad."

"Still, you have my gratitude. How would you like me to repay it?"

"A simple request: don't treat us like we're just human. We're Stormtroopers, ma'am. Not only that, we're the 501st. That means we're the best of the best of the best. All I want is equal participation in these ops. Does that work for you?"

"That's completely fine with me, VF-48106/22… is there a shorter name I can use? Your name is a bit of a mouthful."

"Just call me 'twenty-two'. We're not to real name status just yet."


Kuoh Town Park, Japan, 2012 A.D.

Raynare leisurely walked back to the abandoned church she and the other Fallen called home. Her human disguise still worked flawlessly as she passed through the milling groups of Kuoh citizens in the park. Why there were so many at this hour was strange, considering it was a school night. Sunday was still a couple of days off.

Her thoughts wandered on her journey back for only one reason; thinking about the traitor who'd corrupted her caused her to become so angry that her magic didn't function properly. It was a strange new quirk she'd noticed after being uncorrupted. Whatever the corruption did also corrupted her powers to an extent. Whenever she became enraged, her powers became stronger but had the distinct downside of being unstable. She'd found that out the hard way in a training session Vader had put her through after she'd woken up.

It also didn't help that every now and then she'd get strange twinges or feelings. They weren't necessarily bad, but they were weird all the same. The feelings and twinges seemed almost prophetic in nature. The first time she'd felt them had been during the training session when she'd been pitted against a pair of robots. Vader had called them "Commando Droids". During her fight with the droids, she'd somehow known where strikes were going to land before they even happened. It didn't help when halfway through the prophetic twinges stopped.

She'd taken a number of hits after the twinges stopped. That was when she'd noticed something kind of creepy. During the whole fight, Vader had never said a word, and he seemed to be focusing more on her after the twinges had occurred. The only sound she'd heard from the man was the mechanical breathing. She wasn't sure she'd ever get used to that noise.

Raynare was snatched out of her thoughts when she heard a yelp a few feet from her. She looked over and spotted a young woman in a dark teal nun's uniform with light blue accents. Next to her was an open suitcase, which must have opened on impact with the ground. She was muttering in Italian as she sat up.

The young woman had long blonde hair, half of which was covered by her wimple, and brilliant green eyes. She had the aura of someone who needed to be protected at all costs. All in all, the girl was quite adorable. That didn't detract from the power Raynare sensed from the girl. When she looked at the girl again, she seemed familiar.

Her memory clicked into place as soon as she recognized what the power was: Twilight Healing, and more specifically, the connection between that Sacred Gear and the girl's overall appearance. Raynare had just stumbled onto Asia Argento. As soon as she realized that, she walked over to the still-sitting Asia.

"Hey, are you okay?" Raynare asked as she held a hand out to her.

The Argento girl smiled as she took the offered hand. "O-oh me? Sì, sto bene- er, I mean yes, I am fine. Sorry, my Japanese is not good."

"That's alright. I can speak Italian if that would be easier for you?"

"Grazie signorina…", Argento started before waiting for Raynare to finish.

Raynare smiled as she answered in Asia's native tongue. "Yuuma Amano. And you are?"

"My name is Asia Argento, miss Amano. Do you think you could help me? I'm kind of lost…"

"Of course. I'm assuming you want to go to the church?"

"Why yes, how did you know?"

"The outfit was telling, and there is really only one church in this town. I'd be careful going there if I were you. All sorts of nasty people live there now."

"I'm sure I'll be fine. Now which way is the church?"

"I'll show you the way. Follow me," Raynare said, turning to hide the scowl that formed on her face. So much for trying to warn the girl. The scowl went away when she realized that this would be the perfect excuse to come back to the church.

Spin some story about trying to find the Argento girl after killing Hyōdō, wait until the day before she's meant to die to contact Vader, then kill her corrupter. What could go wrong?


Author's Note: Been a while since the last chapter, huh? Sorry about that. Got sick with something then I had to begin working again, so I didn't have a whole lot of time to work.

So, for those confused by why the blasters weren't disabled by magic, it's quite simple. Guns and Blasters are not the same thing. They may be treated the same way, but mechanically and chemically, they aren't. As an example, the projectiles both use are completely different. Bullets are made of finely ground powder on top of a primer that detonates when struck and pushes the bullet out of the gun.

Blasters fired concentrated packs of high-energy particles, which needed a power pack and a cartridge of energy-filled gas (i.e. Tibanna). When a blaster is fired, a small portion of that gas is supercharged, compressed, and then focused to make the blaster bolt.

In short, the process of firing a gun (from an inside perspective as both are easy to use on the outside) is far simpler than firing a blaster.

Also switched up who met Asia first simply due to me not finding a good explanation for Raynare to have when she came back to the church.

Hopefully, this next update won't take for-fucking-ever next time.

Sorry, there isn't a new chapter yet. Fanfiction is acting weird. Wouldn't let me rename this chapter so I had to delete it and then post it again. Sorry again!