BOOOM!
The Circle of Hoia Baciu was engulfed in a large explosion. Or it would have. The ball of blazing energy contracted rapidly, swirling and converging into a single point until it completely disappeared. Beelzebub held his hand out, absorbing the remaining portion of the energy. His eyes narrowed when he saw that his adversaries had vanished.
He looked around his surroundings, seeing nothing around him. A low chuckle escaped from his mouth. "Not bad for a bunch of brats, using a smokescreen like that however…" he turned around and punched the air behind him.
The spell was shattered and Issei let out a pained gasp as cracks began to appear in the midsection of his Scale Mail.
"You'll have to do better than that!" Beelzebub yelled.
"Aniki! Haaah!" Mitsuki appeared above him and swung her blade in a downward spiraling arc toward Beelzebub.
Beelzebub lazily glanced over his shoulder and caught the blade between his fingertips.
"Humph. You've returned and yet you're rushing into this so fast…," Beelzebub said. "But whatever… I'll oblige you."
A sadistic grin appeared on his face and a burst of demonic power exploded from his body, shattering the ground and sending Issei and Mitsuki flying.
"Ise!" Rias cried out, dropping the invisibility spell.
Ingvild and Irina appeared in the air, catching the two before they could fly any further.
Issei gripped his side as chunks of his Balance Breaker fell off his body.
"Hahaha! Feel free to struggle as much as you want. Whatever the outcome of this battle, the Trumpet shall be sounded as planned and herald the countdown to the new world!" Beelzebub exclaimed. "I'd hate to kill a bunch of kids like you… er, no I don't."
Six pairs of dragonfly wings appeared on his back and a misty black halo manifested above his head. A second pair of arms made of pure shadows appeared on his body. The shadows around them began to grow and cracks appeared in the air, forming mouths in the sky.
"Kch! Everyone get down!" Rias said. Several magic circles appeared around her, charging large amounts of demonic power.
A swarm of various insects streamed out of the mouths and flew toward them, intent on devouring them down to the very bone.
Rias swiped her arm, firing a salvo of destructive red bullets at the swarm.
Her bullets punched holes in the swarm, thinning their numbers.
"Go! Go! Go!" Rias barked as she continued.
Yuuto and Xenovia shot forward, slicing through the swarm and bridged the gap between them and Beelzebub in a matter of a second.
The two swung their blades, slicing through him.
However, their blades had no effect. Beelzebub turned his head, a grin distorting his face. His yellow eyes glowed and a blast of concussive telekinetic force slammed into their bodies, launching them through the forest.
Koneko darted into Beelzebub's personal space and swung her fist, digging it into his torso. A large shockwave violently ripping through the Earth and creating a large crater in the forest clearing.
Koneko's eyes widened in horrified surprise when Beelzebub stood in the clearing, unfazed by her monstrous strength.
"My turn then, Kitty," he said.
With surprising speed, he instantly grabbed her head, lifting her off the ground effortlessly.
Koneko struggled in his grip, trying to break his arm as his iron claw tightened around her skull.
"I wonder. I've never popped anyone's skull with my bare hands," he said. "Only with my boot so this will be a first. Is this your first time too?"
"Let her go!" Irina screamed.
She kicked off the air and launched Malkuth from its sheath. "Suisen!" She thrust her sword forward, driving forward toward the Lord of Hunger with tremendous speed. The air shattered as Malkuth pierced right through Beelzebub. Or it should have.
His body faded into thin air and Malkuth made contact with the ground, causing a large cutting rift to travel across the entire forest. A thin ravine as deep as the eye could see was carved across the Earth where Malkuth landed.
"Where…?" Irina turned on her feet and swung her blade.
"Hmm…" Beelzebub created a dagger out of shadows and blocked the Divine Key. His eyes narrowed when his shadow dagger began to crack. "A Divine Key… and Malkuth. I haven't seen this weapon since the Great War and when Sandalphon used it but…" a grin appeared on his face. "You're half baked. Your skill with the sword is not as great as hers, Girl!"
He parried the blade and drove his fist into her torso. A sickening crunch resounded through the clearing.
"G- Gahk!" Blood came out of Irina's mouth as she flew across the clearing.
"S- Shidou!" Koneko said in concern.
"I'd be more concerned about yourself, Kitty," Beelzebub said.
She jumped up and raised her fists.
Suddenly, a burst of water erupted from the ground and swallowed Beelzebub, sending him into the air.
"Go!" Ingvild yelled, raising her hand.
Koneko jumped back. Ingvild's eyes turned red and demonic power surged from her body. She clapped her hands together. "Blood Dragon Ascension!"
She slit her palms and slammed them into the ground, causing it to rupture. Red liquid erupted from the earth, forming eight red dragon heads. Ingvild landed on top of the heads, staring at the pool of water that encased Beelzebub.
"Hoho? A Balance Breaker? On a Pure Blood?" Beelzebub's distorted voice came from the sphere of water. The water sphere shattered and Beelzebub hovered in midair. His eyes glowed slightly and he raised his hand, forming an array of large shadowy dinner knives in the air.
He threw his hand forward, launching a barrage of weapons at her.
Ingvild threw her hand forward. The eight dragon heads opened their mouths and fired beams of red energy at the knives.
"Mitsuki! Issei!" Ingvild yelled.
Mitsuki and Issei appeared above Beelzebub.
Mastema! Ddraig!
[Final Dragon Shot.]
"Imachizuki!"
Issei fired a beam of black and red energy at him.
Mitsuki coated her body in lightning and performed an aerial backstep. She summoned several electric clones of herself and launched them forward at Beelzebub.
"How foolish! Did you forget I could do this!?" Beelzebub exclaimed.
He raised his hand and froze Issei's attack mid-flight. The attack swirled and condensed as he began to absorb it.
"As for your clones…" Beelzebub raised his other hand and created two large steak knives out of pure darkness.
The knives flew at the clones, dispersing two of them.
The rest converged on Beelzebub, all swinging their weapons at once.
He grinned and opened his other hand, summoning a black and red sphere.
That's… Rias's attack! Issei thought.
"The Keter Shel Aclanut is the Power of Original Sin that does two things. It can absorb all non-physical attacks, allowing him to absorb even natural phenomena such as lightning from the sky or burning flames, and all forms of magic. However, he can also release them and amplify those same attacks as many times as he wishes," Mastema explained.
[Truly, this is a power fit for one called the Lord of Hunger. But to someone who bears the Heavenly Dragon, that power means nothing to you, Partner.] Ddraig said.
"Mii-chan!" Issei yelled.
"Got it!" Mitsuki flew forward, joining her clones. She rested her finger on Yorihime's trigger. Silver aura exploded from her body and her bangles began to glow. Her body vanished from view and she shot past Beelzebub with her blade drawn.
"Heh…" She heard him chuckle.
She quickly turned and raised her hand, aiming it at the orb of destruction Beelzebub had fired at her.
The orb curved, moving downward toward the ground.
"Telos Karma…," Beelzebub said.
"Code: Verdandi." Mitsuki became clad in her Balance Breaker and held her sword tightly.
"That's the spirit! Fight with the new life you have been given to its fullest!" Beelzebub said, extending his arms.
Mitsuki clenched her jaw and darted forward, slashing Beelzebub with extreme speed.
Beelzebub grinned and summoned a large dinner knife in his left hand.
He met her swings with his own, parrying each of her attacks with exact precision and skill.
"Haah! Don't count me out yet!" Issei joined the fray, launching a barrage of punches and kicks.
Beelzebub turned in mid-air, parrying Issei's blow and Mitsuki's simultaneously. He danced around the two, dodging and blocking their attacks.
"Your teamwork is impressive but it's hopeless against someone the likes of me. Kids like you should just stay down and let the adults handle all the work!" Beelzebub parried Mitsuki's blow and swung one of his shadow arms into her side, sending her skipping across the forest floor.
"As for you…" he grabbed Issei by the throat, lifting him higher into the air.
Issei choked and began to struggle against his grip, thrashing and beating against his arm. His eyes widened in horror when he felt his powers being sapped away.
"I didn't think Sis was betting on you to be our champion horse. But you're too stupid to lay down and let the world run as it is meant to. So she might forgive me if I send you down there a little early, don't you think? Putting down a racehorse has become my specialty in the past five minutes." Beelzebub gave Issei a warped, fanged grin.
"I'm not a horse, you damn… fly!" Issei choked out.
"Heh… it was a metaphor, you brat. But I guess you're more accustomed to dogs. I guess dogs do work better since I'll feel a little bad killing you. I did grow quite attached to you running around like a perverted puppy that humps everyone's leg. It'll be just like putting down Old Yeller," Beelzebub said. "Except you're red."
He held his hand out, summoning the absorbed Power of Destruction into his palm. The orb grew in size until it was about the size of a basketball.
"Any last words?" he asked.
"Eat shit," Issei said.
"You got balls, kid. I have to admit that at least-"
Beelzebub suddenly felt a blade go through his neck. He let go of Issei and stumbled around, his head falling off his body.
Irina was behind him, eyes glowing and Malkuth swung in a downward diagonal slash. She tightened her grip around the blade before swinging it furiously multiple times. The sheer speed of her swings left visible trails of red light around her.
"Ougi: Mankai!" Irina thrust her hand forward, unleashing a massive jet of flames that streaked across the sky.
The flames died down, leaving nothing behind but pieces of Beelzebub's clothing, and a wispy smoke remained.
"Did we…?" Rias asked, helping Koneko to her feet.
"Rin, that was…"
"Stay on guard. It's not over!" Mastema warned.
But?
"I have to admit."
Everyone turned to see the faint wispy smoke wafting slightly above the ground like a low fog.
"I didn't expect to be struck in the back like that. It appears that I humored your little tactics so I'll begin kicking it up a little." the smoke began to swirl, converging into a single dot where it had fallen. The cloud swirled and took the shape of a man, condensing into bones and forming the skeleton. Tissue and sinew began to cover it and veins and arteries began to snake their way across the muscle fascia and connect to the organs that were forming inside his abdominal cavity. And finally, the skin grew over the muscles and organs until Beelzebub fully reformed. His clothing reformed as well, making it appear as if nothing had happened at all.
"W- What? I… I destroyed you. That technique didn't even leave ashes behind. Not even a full-fledged member of the Phenex House can survive that!" Irina yelled.
"No way," Yuuto said.
"I would be hard-pressed to be called a Demon Lord if I couldn't survive something as simple as that," Beelzebub said, cracking his neck.
Mastema? Issei asked.
"The Original Devils as you've seen possess vast regenerative capabilities but Prime Demons are special. Unlike regular devils who need to enter Qliphoth Form to recover from discorporation, they do not need to do so," Mastema said.
Then… how do we? Issei asked.
"Aniki, focus!" Mitsuki slammed into Issei, knocking him out of the way as a bolt of black lightning streaked past him and through the forest. In the distance, a large explosion occurred in the distance, vaporizing a mountain in a single blow.
"Mii-chan," Issei said.
Mitsuki gave him a smile before focusing her attention back on Beelzebub. Her blazing red eyes focused on his still nonchalant stance.
"He's not even taking this seriously," Mitsuki said.
"Now… shall we get on with it?" Beelzebub asked, levitating off the ground.
She watched on in the distance, sitting at the edge of a building from the nearby city. Her younger brother had gone on quite the killing spree. Dead vampires littered the floors of the building she sat on. Various explosions occurred in the distance and she saw a streak of fire engulf the clouds.
"Are you just going to watch?"
She turned around and saw Leviathan standing behind her.
"You're in your child form again," Lilith said, turning her gaze back to the action in the far-off distance.
"I like this form but Sis, are you just going to sit here and watch?" Leviathan asked.
"Beel is a big boy. He can handle this. Besides, I have utmost faith. Sink or swim, the Trumpet will go off no matter the outcome," Lilith said.
"You're just letting him have his fun," Leviathan said.
She said nothing but kept her gaze situated on the forest.
"And if Issei dies?" she asked.
"He won't die. Before the killing blow will be dealt, I will interfere and transfer him to the club room," Lilith said, checking her nails for dirt.
"Ah, but the others?" Leviathan asked.
"Rin and Mii-chan will be safe. I can save them too. The rest… well, the rest are… of no consequence whether they die or not. I'm sure Apollyon can take care of the others as well as soon as she finishes getting what she wants from the Satan Lucifer and his wife," Lilith said.
"And if Beelzebub loses?" Leviathan asked.
Lilith pauses, contemplating her next answer. "If he does… then it will have been a sacrifice on his part, no?" she said. "The sounding of the Trumpets is necessary for our next goal. He knew this the moment he began taking part in the plan."
Lilith stood from her spot. "But if he does go down, then I have all the more motivation to pay them back a hundredfold."
"Even if that person is Issei?" Leviathan asked.
"A life for a life. That is the deal he made," she said.
"... Are you sure you aren't too over-attached to those three? Just because you looked after them when they were younger? You even went so far as to…," Leviathan asked her older sister.
"I will do what I have to," she replied.
"Mmmm. Well then, I won't stop you. Not that I can anyway," Leviathan said.
Apollyon landed on the ground, panting slightly.
Sirzechs gripped his arm and glared at the masked devil. An aura of destruction radiated from his body, eating the very earth underneath him.
Grayfia stood next to him, her hand outstretched.
"You've gotten old," Apollyon said, straightening herself. "Your skills have dulled as well. I guess peace has made you soft… but…" she glanced down at her arm. It was ruined. She clenched her teeth and pulled the arm off, tossing it to the ground before her.
"A fake?" Sirzechs narrowed his eyes.
Apollyon stood before them. The star pattern in her eyes spun lazily as she gauged their next moves. She spread her legs slightly before shooting off toward them. Apollyon thrust her hand toward his chest.
Sirzechs dodged the attack and threw a Power of Destruction-infused punch at her midsection.
She phased through it and followed up with a roundhouse kick. However, Grayfia moved faster than she did. Apollyon phased through Grayfia's attack and darted away, gaining distance from them.
"..." she landed on the ground, slightly annoyed.
Sirzechs and Grayfia stood next to each other.
Apollyon stood across, preparing her next attack. Without warning, she rushed towards them with lightning coating her body.
"Khhh…! Haah!" Ingvild swung her arm, sending a jet of pressurized water at Beelzebub.
Beelzebub grabbed the water, absorbing it into himself.
Yuuto appeared behind him and swiped the Sword of the Betrayer at his nape.
However, one of Beelzebub's appendages moved in an unnatural way and caught the blade. The arm swung forward, bringing the blade and Yuuto down into the ground in a brutal fashion.
Beelzebub raised his foot and brought it down, intent on caving in Yuuto's skull with a single stomp, however, his foot missed, hitting the ground next to Yuuto's head.
"Tch, Telos Karma."
"Haaah!" Mitsuki swung her sword at Beelzebub's eyes, hoping to temporarily blind the demon lord.
However, Beelzebub blocked her attack. "What? Are all the chances of me being affected a perfect zero?" he asked mockingly.
"I'll show you a perfect zero. Emerald Divine Clock!" she called out.
A green, glowing clock formed, engulfing the entire clearing in its emerald light.
"Now try to absorb this, you overgrown maggot!" Mitsuki raised her hand and grabbed his face, charging a Moonshadow Beam in the process. In a tremendous flash of violent, violet light, the beam pierced through his skull, completely obliterating his head.
She jumped off his headless body and did several jumps back.
Yuuto and Ingvild cleared the area.
Beelzebub's head began to rapidly reform. "Hahaha… Didn't I tell you already-"
"You did. So we just have to make sure to do a better job!" Rias clapped both her hands together.
"Mmm?" Beelzebub turned, sensing a massive increase in demonic power inside Rias. "Oh?" He took a step toward her but leaned his head back, narrowly avoiding a slash from Xenovia and Durandal.
"Like you'll get over," Xenovia said.
"We'll squash you before you do." Koneko's stoic voice echoed out as she slammed into him, digging her fist into his skull.
"Hah… ahaha! How amusing!" He threw Koneko off and jumped into the air, grabbing her by the head and attempted to slam her into the ground.
"Hands off, creep!" Issei slammed his shoulder into Beelzebub's side, forcing him to let go of the petite cat girl. "Oooaaah!" Issei threw a barrage of punches at Beelzebub, peppering him with numerous blows.
"Good, good! That's the spirit!" Beelzebub caught the next punch in his hand. "Get that fire going! It's making me work up an appetite. Maybe at the end, I can have you watch as I turn your friends into my next five-star course to enjoy!"
"Like hell that'll happen!" Issei threw another punch.
Beelzebub raised his hand and caught it as well.
"There's no stopping this, Issei. Whether I lose here, or I defeat you and slaughter your friends, it will happen no matter what. You being here was nothing more than…" Beelzebub kneed Issei in the torso. "SUICIDE, BOY!" He grabbed Issei by the head and violently slammed his skull into the dirt.
He raised his fist to pummel Issei's face, only for Mitsuki's katana to lop it off. The hand regrew in an instant and one of Beelzebub's other arms grabbed Mitsuki by the leg before she could escape.
"Haah!" Mitsuki coated her body in lightning and cut the fingers, allowing herself to escape.
"As long as this field is active, you can somewhat take my attacks? Interesting." Beelzebub said, keeping Issei's head held down.
"Tch! Let him go!" she yelled, jetting toward him. She sheathed Yorihime and placed her finger on the trigger. Green-light began to swirl around the sheath as she got closer. As she was mere seconds away, Mitsuki pressed the trigger.
"Mangetsu!" she shot past him, with her blade extended.
The added electricity bypassed Beelzebub's Keter Shel Achlanut. An event that was nothing short of a miracle. But that was the ability of her Balance Breaker. The ability to harvest [Miracles] from reality. And so, an event that should have had an astronomically low chance of happening happened.
Beelzebub's head exploded in a shower of blood, ripped apart by the coursing lightning of Mitsuki's blade.
"Aniki! Rias! Now!" she yelled. "While I can still…" she held her hand out, maintaining the circle.
"Ise," Rias said, charging her demonic power. She clapped her hands together, focusing all of it into a single point.
"Got it." Issei placed his hand on her shoulder.
[Transfer]
Rias bit her lip and let out an erotic moan that made everyone on the battlefield do a double-take. Rias's eyes widened and her face turned red. "S- Shut up!"
"No one said anything, Prez," Yuuto said.
"Mm… A…" she closed her mouth and focused on charging her newfound amplified power.
One shot.
She was going to do this all in one shot. The density of the power in her hand was beginning to have effects on the world around her. The ground cratered underneath and plants and small bits of earth began to levitate into the air.
"Lord of the Flies, have you, in your long life, ever bore witness to a dying star?" Rias asked, channeling demonic power to her eyes to make them glow for added effect.
She threw her hands forward, firing a small incredibly dense sphere of blackness. The sphere shot forth at high speeds, tearing up the earth around it, sucking it into oblivion. Light warped and everyone felt its irresistible pull.
"Bear witness, my New World Singularity!" Rias said.
The sphere hit the recovering demon lord and rapidly expanded, releasing a pulsating wave that knocked everyone back. The trees at the very edge of the treeline were flattened before a large vacuum began to suck everything in, causing winds on par with that of a typhoon.
"Kh!" Mitsuki stabbed Yorihime into the ground.
Ingvild erected a barrier of water and froze it to the Earth, keeping herself and everyone around her from being sucked in.
The sphere expanded to the size of a house, sucking in the light and causing the surroundings to go as dark as the night sky. The only source of light was the faint red light the mass of pure annihilation was giving off.
As they began to believe victory was in reach, a small crack appeared in the sphere. The sphere trembled before rapidly contracting. The sphere shrunk until it was the size of a small marble that hovered above Beelzebub's hand.
He gave them a glance before looking down at the small orb in his hand. Without warning, Beelzebub closed his fist, absorbing the remains of the attack. His eyes glowed slightly as the wounds on his body began to heal at a rapid rate.
"You used too much energy," Beelzebub commented.
"W- Wha…? Even that? He could absorb that too?" Rias asked, shocked by what she had just seen.
"I have to admit. That was rather creative what you did. Condensing the amount of power you had to a single point and rotating it in a rapid fashion to produce a vacuum-like effect. I've never seen such ingenuity in an attack from Devils of this generation before," Beelzebub said. "You honestly deserve a round of applause." he clapped his hands together.
Rias felt a vein pop in her head. "Are you just here to mock us while playing with your food, Lord of Hunger?"
"Take it how you will. Food is always best when you tenderize and season it first just like fattening up an animal before slaughtering it always produces quality meats," Beelzebub said.
"What's in this for you?" Rias asked. "What can you possibly hope from creating this new world? Do you think us or the Gods will stand aside and let you trample upon all of us?"
Beelzebub raised an eyebrow. "I've been getting that question a lot but I'll broil it all down to this. Living is a form of killing. In order for one to prosper, others must suffer. A truly perfect Eden no longer exists. Take you, for example, Hyoudou Issei. The thought of killing Lance must have brought you joy, right? Made you feel really big.
"That is the true nature of the Gods. Of Devils. Of humans. Of even the Angels. The delight in watching life being snuffed out. The methodical process of constant consumption at the expense of someone else. Even your reincarnation methods and alliance is a paltry attempt at saving yourselves. You do not want peace but rather security. A tolerance that is built on the realization that you as a species are a mere flame that is on the verge of being snuffed out.
"My sister realized this in her travels. In her attempts to change this world for the better, she realized how futile it was to restore a rotting corpse and deigned herself to burning it instead so that she can build a truly new world from its ashes. From it, labels such as God and Man will no longer exist. Life will no longer prosper at the expense of each other. You will no longer seek conflict because all life will be living in a single paradise. An Eden that will truly last an eternity. Now, wouldn't that be swell?" Beelzebub said.
"You're wrong," Rias said. "If what you say is the truth, then why has our laws and civilization persisted after all this time? Why is peace finally within our grasp?"
"Riddle me this, little girl. If living things truly had love and the capacity for understanding in their hearts, then why was the world not a better place to begin with?" Beelzebub said.
He shifted on his feet and disappeared in a burst of speed. Beelzebub reappeared in front of them with a malicious smile on his face. "If you cannot come forth with an answer, then you deserve to be washed away with this world!"
"Prez!" Issei shoved Rias out of the way and took the blow, catching Beelzebub's arm before he could land a punch on Issei that would have killed him.
"Oh?" Beelzebub pushed forward, relishing in Issei's struggle.
"Aniki!" Mitsuki dashed toward them.
Yuuto, Xenovia and Irina followed closely behind, all of them with their weapons poised and ready to strike.
Beelzebub glanced over his shoulder and his eyes glowed.
Their bodies froze mid-sprint, restrained by an unseen force.
"Gya… Gyasuke…"
"R- Right!" Gasper said, activating his Sacred Gear.
"Ah ah. No interfering," Beelzebub chuckled. He snapped his fingers.
Gasper felt a sharp pain impact his gut as a mass of solid darkness slammed into his torso. The sound of ribs crunching and bones fragmenting echoed through the battlefield.
"Ahahaha!" Beelzebub cackled before spikes extended from the mass, puncturing Gasper's body. Black lightning traveled through it and into Gasper's body, eliciting agonizing screams.
"G- Gasper! You! You!" Rias yelled. She unleashed a hail of destructive bullets at him.
"Have you learned nothing?" he asked.
He raised his hand and absorbed the magic.
A swirl of black chains erupted from the ground and restrained Koneko, Ingvild, and Rias.
"T- Tch!" Rias clenched her fists. "Asia!"
Asia nodded and ran toward the downed Gasper, working immediately to heal him.
"Now…" Beelzebub pushed forward and grabbed Issei by the throat, lifting him into the air. "I'll send you down first since you were so ready to rush into death, how's that sound? Oh but don't worry. I'll let them see me do it. Every agonizing second. They will hear every sound of your bone breaking, your flesh ripping, and you will hear their screams of grief as they watch the light leave your eyes."
"F- Fuck you!" Issei rasped.
"That's the spirit!" Beelzebub said.
Without warning, he slammed his fist into Issei's liver, causing blood to spurt out of Issei's mouth.
He let go of Issei, using his telekinetic abilities to hold him in place.
"S- Stop!" Mitsuki yelled, watching Beelzebub landing blow after blow on Issei.
"You monster! Let him go!" Irina screamed.
Yuuto struggled against his binds while Xenovia tried with all her effort to break free.
Issei felt every blow. He felt every detail of Beelzebub's fist as it hit him. Every vibration. Every impact traveled through his body.
"Let's mix things up a bit."
Issei's eyes widened and he let out a howl of pain as a tendril made of shadows pierced through his leg.
Mitsuki watched in abject terror as Beelzebub mutilated and bludgeoned Issei. She began to struggle with greater fervor.
"Stop it…"
Beelzebub paid her no heed as his grin began to grow wider.
"Stop…"
Issei's blood splattered across the grass, staining it with a fresh coat of red.
Her eyes glowed brightly as the image of Issei being tortured before her began to grow more and more vivid. The world around her faded away until it was the only thing she could see.
Something inside her snapped.
"RRRAAAAGGGGHH!" she let out a warped, animalistic scream.
Beelzebub paused mid-blow and turned toward them. He was met with a wall of demonic power that slammed into him. The force of it caught him off-guard and sent him sliding back a considerable distance.
Issei fell to the ground and the others were released from their bonds.
"W- What!?" he raised his arms, covering his face from the buffeting winds.
Static filled the air and his nostrils were filled with the smell of ozone.
"W- Wha…?" a hand filled his vision.
Mitsuki had moved with such speed that even Beelzebub had a hard time following. She grabbed his head and violently drove it into the ground.
Beelzebub grabbed her wrist, staring wide-eyed into her glowing red eyes. Red lightning arced off her body, causing his skin to tingle. Her hair had become an ashen gray. A stark contrast from her silvery-white hair granted by her Balance Breaker. A pair of wispy horns crowned her head.
Qli- Qliphoth Form? Beelzebub thought.
Mitsuki let out an animalistic growl. The gem of Telos Karma shifted to a deep violet-red. She raised her hand and created a large iridescent violet-red claw. The world glitched around it as impossibilities began to collapse and occur around it.
Mitsuki roared and drove the claw into the ground, erasing it from existence. Yet, she did not land a single blow on her quarry.
Beelzebub reappeared in the air, rubbing his jaw. His wings were spread and he glared down at the girl.
"Hrrrrrhggghhh…" Mitsuki's head snapped up as she caught sight of him.
"It is a Qliphoth Form but it's incomplete and it looks like it's influencing your Longinus," Beelzebub commented.
Mitsuki opened her mouth, letting out a jet of steam. She pulled Yorihime from its sheath, engulfing it in violet-red flames. The flames and lightning danced around her body, coalescing into various blades.
She shot off the ground, rupturing it violently.
Beelzebub narrowed his eyes and raised his hand, blocking her advance.
Mitsuki slammed into an invisible wall before being thrown back into the ground.
"What is…?" Irina asked, watching her best friend repeatedly assaulting Beelzebub.
"Qliphoth Form. It is a form accessible to Devils, both Pure-Blood and Half. A form that releases their body's natural limiters and unleashes a flood of demonic power that drastically amplifies a Devil's strength, speed, durability, power, and healing ability. You can sense it, can't you? How much stronger she's gotten?" Ingvild asked.
Irina nodded. "How's Ise?"
"Issei is okay," Asia said, healing Issei.
"That monster dares torture one of my family. He'll pay with his life," Rias said bitterly as she held Issei in her lap.
"I think Mitsuki might beat you to it," Irina said, turning her gaze back to the fight.
Beelzebub raised his hand, erecting another telekinetic barrier.
Mitsuki roared, slashing it with Yorihime. His defense suddenly collapsed like a house of cards and the blade cut through his chest.
He gritted his teeth and kicked her back in order to gain some distance.
She cut through it? It must be part of Telos Karma's effects. To think that I would need to…
Beelzebub straightened himself. "It looks like I need to… kick things up a notch, wouldn't you say?"
Mitsuki growled and lunged toward him. She thrust a clawed hand at him, intent on skewering his skull.
"W- What…? Where am…?" Issei awoke, finding himself in an all-too familiar abyss.
[You're back inside, Partner. The Lord of the Flies gave you quite the beating.] Ddraig said.
"I know. I felt every hit. Damn it. To think that even with all that training with the Old Man and Mii-chan, I still can't…"
"Do you want some help?" Mastema asked.
Issei looked up at her.
Mastema sat with her legs crossed atop Ddraig's head. She smiled, causing her mismatched blue and red eyes to gleam.
"How?" Issei asked.
"For now, let's save your sister. I can do what I did back at Centralia so you just sit back and relax. I can give you guys five minutes to regroup," Mastema said.
"Wha-"
"I'll see you on the flip side, Ise-chan~! After all, who can help you but a girl as beautiful and caring as me?" she said.
"Wait… what are you-"
Issei's eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of red and blue eyes. He shot to his feet, knocking Asia aside and surprising everyone.
"I- Ise?" Irina asked.
"In the flesh~!" Issei said. "Wait… is that how he talks?" he mumbled. "Whatever. Time to save Mii-chan~!"
"Issei, wait!" Ingvild yelled.
But her words failed to reach him.
Issei kicked off the ground and darted toward Mitsuki and Beelzebub.
Mitsuki let out a gasp of pain as Beelzebub clotheslined her, sending her into the ground. She panted. Sweat dripped down her head and she lifted her head, giving him a feral glare.
"Looks like I was right. Your Qliphoth Form is half-baked. Can you even think for yourself?" Beelzebub asked.
"Shut up!" Mitsuki teleported in front of him and swiped her hand, using Telos Karma to drastically increase her chance of landing the blow.
Her hand slashed Beelzebub's eyes, taking off a majority of his face and skull in the process.
She landed on the ground a slight distance behind him and looked over her shoulder.
Beelzebub stumbled briefly. Smoke poured out of his skull, swirling and reforming his head. He stretched his neck, eliciting a satisfying pop before smiling. "My turn."
His leg hit Mitsuki's side, breaking her ribs.
Mitsuki gasped in pain before flying across the clearing and sliding across the dirt. She shakily got to her hands and legs, wincing as her body rapidly stitched itself back together. Her hair began to fade back to brown as it lost its ashen sheen.
"Now now, are you really tuckering out this fast?" Beelzebub asked.
"Beel~, that's not a nice thing to say to a cute girl, now is it?"
"Huh?" Beelzebub turned to see Issei's face dig into his skull.
W- What is this…!?
The force shattered the ground around them and Beelzebub plowed through the entire forest before impacting a building in the city nearby.
Beelzebub stared wide-eyed at the sky, seeing the shopping center collapsing around him. "I'm… in Hoia? But how…?" He clenched his jaw and vanished from his spot.
In a split second, he reappeared above Issei and threw a powerful downward hook.
Issei smiled and sidestepped the attack.
What? How? Beelzebub threw a volley of punches, all of which Issei expertly parried.
"Tch! Haah!" Beelzebub kicked Issei.
Issei raised his arm and blocked it before wrapping his arm around Beelzebub's leg. He threw Beelzebub into the air, catching the Demon Lord off guard.
"How the…"
"I didn't think you'd still pull off the same moves, Beel~!"
That was when he heard it for the first time. The inflection and the way the words were being used. The tone in which his name was being said.
This voice… Beelzebub raised his hand into the air, creating several shadowy dinner knives. He snapped his fingers and the knives multiplied until the sky was filled with them. Beelzebub lowered his arm, sending a swarm of shadowy blades at Issei.
Issei grinned and snapped his fingers. The world turned gray briefly and became packed with words.
Knife.
Kni/fe.
The word slashed in half and the world returned to its normal state.
"Wha…!?" Beelzebub gawked at the sudden turn of events.
"Behind you."
Beelzebub quickly turned around only to see Issei driving his elbow into his skull.
Beelzebub violently hit the ground, feeling the air getting knocked out of him.
Issei raised his hand into the air and created a massive black and red blade.
That's… There's no doubt about it. Hyoudou cannot have mastered Megiddo in such a short time! Beelzebub thought as he rolled out of the way.
The blade hit the ground, splitting the Earth and forest in half in a single stroke.
Issei didn't let up and followed up, barraging Beelzebub with relentless blows.
"Tch! You-!" Beelzebub grunted.
Issei cocked his fist back. However, a sharp pain shot through his body and he paused for a split second. Before Beelzebub could notice, Issei continued the motion and punched through Beelzebub's torso, causing the Demon Lord to gasp.
He pulled his fist out and kicked Beelzebub in the side of the head, sending him skidding across the clearing.
"Tch… Ise-chan's body is still too weak to contain me when I take over," Issei muttered.
"A- Aniki?" Mitsuki asked, shakily getting up.
"Mmm? Oh right…" Issei said.
"Ise-chan. This is our limit for now. Any further and I'll rip your body apart," Mastema said.
Wait… what?
Issei felt himself regain control of his body. Almost immediately, he doubled over and vomited a considerable amount of blood. Pain worse than what he felt with Beelzebub coursed through his muscles and bones, setting every nerve he had on fire.
"W- What…?" Issei gasped for air.
"It will pass but you have bigger concerns at the moment," Mastema said.
[Beelzebub is getting back up, Partner.] Ddraig warned.
Issei clenched his teeth and fought through the pain, slowly getting up.
"Aniki?" Mitsuki asked, limping over.
"Yeah, are you alright?" Issei asked. He noted that Mitsuki's body had several electrical burns across her arms and neck.
"Yeah. But… it looks like we won't be," Mitsuki said.
The two looked over to Beelzebub, who slowly got to his feet. He wobbled slightly. "So to think… That's how it is. Your power as an Ascendant will only grow…"
Beelzebub took a step forward. A wave of black miasma was expelled from his body and surged past them, causing everything to wilt and die.
Mitsuki raised her hands, covering her face from the buffeting dark winds. Her eyes widened when she saw her own skin being corroded. She quickly applied a magical barrier around them, protecting them from the corrosion.
"Everything's dying," Issei said.
"This is the weight of a Prime Demon's power. Devils en masse or powerful enough Devils can cause anomalies to their surroundings but a Prime Demon is powerful enough to generate enough power to do that by themselves.
"However, Prime Demons are not petty imps who seeks to satiate their greed and elevate their social status. Nor are they crows who fell from the High Heavens due to lust. Prime Demons are malice primeval. Their very demonic power is capable of contaminating their surroundings and bathing it in an aura akin to that of nuclear radiation. If he's doing what I think he's doing then… all of Europe will be swallowed by the contamination and everything will wilt," Mastema explained.
"We have to stop him," Issei said.
"Right, we have to keep his power from growing. At this rate, he'll unleash his Qliphoth," Mitsuki said.
"Though the light may hide thee…" Several mouths and eyes appeared in the air around Beelzebub, chanting ominously as a shroud of darkness began to encase his body.
"Everyone stop him!" Mitsuki yelled. She lowered the barrier and rushed forward.
The ground erupted and several wispy hands reached out to stop them.
The hands were erased by Rias's Power of Destruction and cut down by Irina's Malkuth.
"Though the eye of Holy Man, thy glory may not see…" the mouths chanted.
The eyes all turned to face them. They glowed brightly and fired bolts of black and green lightning.
"Keep going!" Ingvild yelled, raising a barrier to defend them.
"This is the end. Cease your struggles, Vessel of my Mother's power. You are the lamb destined to be offered at the End for the arrival of a new world," Beelzebub said.
"Only thou art sacrilegious…"
"There is none beside thee perfect in power, in hate, and impurity…"
The cocoon of darkness exploded, sending them all flying into the tree line. The Earth trembled and shook. Lightning danced across the sky and the sun was eclipsed, bathing the entirety of Europe in a darkness that mimicked that of the night.
"We're too late," Mitsuki said, getting up.
"Now…"
Beelzebub stood in the middle of the crater where the clearing once was. His entire form had changed. There stood a humanoid mass of shadows. His build was thin and lithe, resembling that of a man who had been starved for centuries. His upper torso and lower half were separated with a dark orb in between them. Six pairs of wispy, shadowy dragonfly wings unfurled and extended from his back. His black halo became more pronounced and a dark aura rushed forth, causing the Earth to tremble as it shook the tectonic plates.
He smiled, showing a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Saliva dripped from the side as if he had spotted his next meal.
"Let's move on to the main course, shall we?" Beelzebub asked.
Blacklight Dossier: File #6281
File: Qliphoth Form
A unique transformation used by Devils and Half-Devils which releases the natural limiters on their body and unleashes their innate supernatural potential. The effects of thsi form vary but it is a form that grants its wielder enhanced strength, speed, magical power, durability, and an enhanced healing factor that allows a Devil to recover from discorporation. Though, it should be noted that initial transformations are detrimental to the user despite the boost it gives.
Addendum: Agent Moon Halo achieved an incomplete version of this form, leaving us to wonder how exactly it is triggered.
Eye of Providence: Oi, Silver Archivist. Tell us the trigger mechanism!
Silver Archivist: No.
Alright! One more chapter left until the second arc is over then this story will go on break! The diverging point between this and the old versions are after this because... we never dealt with Loki in the first two.
To answer a review, the third iteration will make it past the second volume. Also, yes, I will find every opportunity I can to break Issei and Mitsuki. And I will try at least to add intimate moments of romance between the serious moments so don't worry about that.
And the Qliphoth Form makes its return but this time, with Beelzebub and Mitsuki! Yes, Mitsuki can activate it. If you remember in the first run, Mitsuki is supposed to have it after the end of the second volume because yada yada, blood pact with Issei. In the second one, she never had it. In this one, she does and it got triggered after watching Issei's face get pounded in by Beelzebub's fists.
On the note of Beelzebub, he still retains it though, the form has gone through two versions. And I warped and added the Holy! Holy! Holy! hymn. The original one was...
Holy, holy, holy!
Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man
Thy glory may not see
; Only Thou art holy;
there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in power,
in love, and purity.
If you're wondering where I got the idea of using distorted Bible verses for Demon Lord Qliphoth Transformations, I got it from a manga called Make the Exorcist Fall in Love, which is where I drew some more ideas for Beelzebub from.
Anyway, I'm rambling. I'll see you guys in the final chapter of this arc.