For all that is beautiful

by esdeath's thicc thighs

Across many battlefields, he walked a lonely path. To believe in himself, to rely only on himself. The fate of humanity rested on his shoulders alone. Then one day, as the burden grew heavier, he looked behind him and realized that he wasn't as alone as he thought. They were his pillars, he was their hope. Ichigo Kurosaki shall see that he protects them all.

3. Chapter 3

This Chapter is too Damn Long! DAMN IT ALL!

---

It was a grand room, a place for those of great power to convene on important matters, the long table with 6 seats on each side, with the last one at the head for the most recognized amongst them. Though there was no proper leader amongst the Monarchs, the head of the group was simply the one they all acknowledged the most.

And currently seated at the head of the table was the first of the Monarchs.

Ichigo Kurosaki, Monarch of Victory.

It was a day just like any other, though for some reason one of his comrades, the Monarch of Sentience wished to discuss something with him today of all days away from the others. Though the Monarch of Sentience had always been the most secretive amongst the rest, Ichigo acknowledged him as one of the strongest members of the group as well as the most reliable.

He was also his greatest friend.

"Aizen, what do you need to discuss with me that's so important as to not involve the others anyways." ichigo said as he looked towards Aizen Sosuke, Monarch of Sentience.

"Sorry to call you on such short notice, it's simply in relation to the operation that's coming up." Aizen said as he seated himself next to ichigo.

"I see, well I'm pretty sure we all came up with a suitable plan to deal with the 'Scar' all we have to do is simply deal with the problems as they come but the core of the plan remains the same." Ichigo said as he thought back to their earlier discussion with the rest.

"Yes, this is exactly about that, do you really think it will work." Aizen said as worry slipped into his words.

"I don't see why it wouldn't, after all, I have already 'seen' what's to come." Ichigo said referring to his power.

"That's the part I'm skeptical about, is there really no other way, across all the possibilities you foresaw, this is the best you could come up with." Aizen said slightly tensed.

"sigh, is this what this is about." Ichigo said as a tired look entered his eyes.

"I thought I made it quite clear to the rest of you that this was the only way. No other option exists or that I can think of will work." ichigo said as he has had this conversation with the rest of the Monarchs numerous times.

"Yes, you're right, the possibilities that 'you' saw. I don't quite believe that power of yours is as strong as to completely 'know of' that beast you will be facing." Aizen said skeptically.

"You would be right, I can't exactly see that thing as clearly, but, it is still within the realm of my ability to deal with." Ichigo said as to reassure his friend.

"If you would just give me some time I would be able to come up with a better plan, a way in which all of us can make it back." Aizen argued.

Holding his hand up before Aizen could continue, ichigo began. "I know this isn't easy Aizen, trust me, I more than any wish there was another way, but we simply lack the time to come up with another plan." Ichigo said with a saddened look on his face.

"Even right now as we are speaking, that beast continues to feed on the suffering and carnage happening all across the universe and beyond." Ichigo said as he spoke of the greatest enemy to creation.

"The chances of victory grow smaller the longer we wait. If we don't stop it within the given time it will be too late for us, no, not just us but the rest of creation." Ichigo said, his gaze determined to face what was to come in the future.

"Sigh, if only the rest had listened to us from the beginning, the situation would not have been this desperate then." Holding his head in his hand, Aizen couldn't help but lament the situation.

"Perhaps, but our purpose is to be the sword and shield against the forces that seek to end the tree of creation." Ichigo stated.

"Even if that's the case if those arrogant bastards had not started this Great war, the enemy would not have grown as strong as it had, in the end, all this conflict is due to the selfishness of the gods who waged endless war against each other. Which only ended up giving birth to the monster we have to deal with today." Aizen growled as he thought of those bastard gods that left them with this unsalvageable situation, after all why did it have to be them that had to clean up after their mess.

"You're right, but, it's too late to cry about spilled milk, best we can do is make sure the situation doesn't worsen." Ichigo stated.

"Even if that means it will cost you your life in the end." Aizen said as he looked back to ichigo, his gaze serious.

"…"

"The plan to seal yourself away with the beast in an eternal battlefield is not without consequences, in fact this whole plan relies on you being able to even seal the beast in the first place along with being able to defeat it, yet you think you can do both." Aizen said as he looked at ichigo in slight anger.

"Don't be a fool!" Aizen insulted him.

"That thing has already consumed uncountable amounts of powerful beings, even gods, and yet you think that you alone will stand above the rest! How arrogant!" Aizen roared his frustration. In his eyes this plan was doomed to fail, and his greatest friend would have died for nothing.

Despite Aizen's anger ichigo took it all in stride, his calm expression and gentle smile that had formed on his face halted Aizen as he stared at him, not really understanding why he was looking at him like that.

For a moment ichigo closed his eyes and 'sensed' all that he could. His senses which were also connected with the tree of creation, ichigo could find and feel every being in existence, their state of mind, their emotions, their goals, everything.

Ichigo who was selected as its greatest defender was easily able to access such vast amounts of information without having his head explode in the process.

Sigh.

Looking back to Aizen, ichigo's resolve that could clearly be seen in his eyes surprised Aizen for a second.

"You know" he began. "I recently found out what one of the most underappreciated things in the world can be." Ichigo said. Looking at Aizen's confused expression, ichigo continued. "Do you want to guess what it is." He asked.

"…I don't see how that is relev-" Aizen was about to say before he was cut off by ichigo.

"It's the promise of tomorrow" Ichigo answered.

"what?" Aizen said confused.

"As I said, the promise of tomorrow is easily one of the most underappreciated things in the world. Think about it for a moment." ichigo continued. "We live our lives from day to day, only focusing on the present, yet people also like to talk about the future, of events that have yet to transpire despite the fact that they can't see if tomorrow will come for them or not. Don't you think it's funny." Ichigo said as he laughed a little.

"They fully expect the next day will come despite the fact that they have yet to see the light of the coming morning." Ichigo said as he continued to laugh.

Sigh.

Calming down ichigo looked at Aizen with a serene look on his face. "Don't you think that's beautiful, Aizen." ichigo said as he looked at his friend.

"Our purpose, our reason to fight, isn't just to push back our enemies or protect those we can, but to make sure that the concept of tomorrow be the least of their concerns as they live their lives. Our purpose is to fight for the normalcy of life so that all may live without the worry of impending doom hanging over their heads, where the certainty of tomorrow is assured, where fear is no longer rampant." Ichigo said, a smile forming on his face.

"We were given this power so that we could give hope to others." Standing up from his seat ichigo stood behind Aizen as he sat silently his words clearly having an impact on him.

Putting his hand on his shoulders ichigo continued. "Devotion inspires bravery, bravery inspires sacrifice, and sacrifice…" walking away as he approached the door, ichigo gently opened the door as made his way out though not before imparting his last words onto Aizen.

"Death is not always the end Aizen, sometimes it's just a new beginning, so don't worry so much, we will meet again, I promise." With that ichigo made his exit, leaving Aizen behind who had yet to recover from the words he had just heard.

This was a promise that would surely be kept, after all, ichigo was never one to go back on his promises.

Sigh

"That's enough it's time to wake up." A voice called out through the dream.

Snap*

---

Snapping his eyes open ichigo looked at his surroundings in bewilderment before looking at his alarm clock.

"…"

Panic coursed through his system as he realized he slept in.

"Shit! why didn't my alarm go off." Jumping out of bed ichigo rapidly changed into his uniform as well as brushed his teeth in a rapid pace as he tried to get ready as soon as possible. The dream that had kept him all but forgotten from his mind as he hurried.

Running down the stairs ichigo saw that his family was currently having breakfast before deciding to grab a piece of toast to eat on the way.

"See you guys." Ichigo said as he waved his family goodbye.

"you're not staying to have breakfast." His mom called after him.

"No can do, I'm running late, see ya." With that ichigo ran out the door as he made his way to school, munching on the piece of toast he had on the way.

Sometime after…

Sprinting down the road, it didn't take much for ichigo to make it to class before the gate at the school closed. The only problem being the dirty look Sona had shot him with as she saw his state of dress, though this time she decided to not pursue the matter which left ichigo surprised for a bit. Who would have thought the ever-strict Sona would give him a pass for breaking a rule, one would think the sun was about to rise from the west before that happened. Still not one to look a gift horse in the mouth ichigo safely made it to class without any issues.

Sitting down ichigo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Cutting it a bit close today aren't we." The voice next to him said.

Turning to face Rias, ichigo gave her a once over before scoffing. "Yeah well it couldn't be helped, it seems my alarm didn't wake me up this time." Ichigo explained himself.

"Lucky for me, I still made it in time." Ichigo said as he gave himself a pat on the back.

"hmph, I would refrain from doing that, it would lead to developing bad habits if you're only ever in time all the time." Rias chided him.

"Yes, yes, Princess, I'll make sure to be more careful in the future." Ichigo said in slightly uncaring tone.

"As long as you realize the error of your ways." Rias said. Not one to rise to the provocation, she let the little 'princess' comment pass this one time.

Seeing as class was about to start, the two switched their focus to the front as the teacher was about to begin class.

---

"So, ichigo, do you have any plans this weekend?" Rias asked as she turned to her orange haired companion.

"Why do you ask?" ichigo said as he enjoyed the snacks Akeno had prepared.

"Because I was wondering if you would like to join me and the rest of the Occult Research club for a little outing in town this Saturday." Rias said as she looked at ichigo.

"Outing? Where to exactly?" ichigo asked.

Putting her cup down, Rias continued. "It was voted to be bowling" Rias revealed.

"Bowling" Ichigo repeated.

"Yup, it was a pretty even vote between bowling and karaoke, with the final decision decided in a game of rock paper scissors between Yuto and Akeno, and much to my disappointment Akeno lost.

"Are you still blaming me for that." Came the short reply from Akeno as she was preparing more tea.

"I told you to go rock, Yuto always goes scissors first." Rias said as she turned to Akeno in exasperation. Facing ichigo once more, she asked. "So, want to come along." The smile of expectation on her face not dropping.

"…Sure." Ichigo said, not wanting to disappoint Rias. Well that and he had nothing going on, so why not.

"That's great, we will meet downtown then at 3:00 pm this Saturday for some lunch first before we have some fun." Rias said happy that ichigo agreed to come along.

"Sure, though I should really thank Yuto for winning, otherwise I would have cursed your ears with my horrible singing." Ichigo said as he made fun of himself.

"it can't be that bad." Rias said.

"Rias, trust me, I'm that bad." Ichigo corrected her.

"If you say so." Like that the time was spent talking about other subjects and enjoying their meal.

---

It wasn't long before the weekend came along and the decided day for the occult research club to meet with ichigo arrived.

"I'll be going now, see you guys later." Ichigo said as he bade farewell to his family.

"Huh, where you going?" his mother asked him.

"Just hanging out with some friends." Ichigo said.

"Woah! You have friends." Karin said shocked.

"…" ichigo scowled at his sister.

"Karin! That's rude, you know ichigo is just a bit harder to get along with than most." Yuzu said.

"…You're not helping Yuzu." Ichigo said flatly.

"Girls stop bothering your brother." His mom said as she chastised them.

"Well it was about time he finally started hanging out with kids his own age, instead of holing himself up all day in his room." His dad who heard the news said as he came into the room.

"So, where you going, son." His dad asked.

"just going bowling." Ichigo replied.

"I see, well, don't come back until you bring home a girl will ya." His dad said seriously.

"Shut it old man, I don't have time for your shenanigans." Ichigo said annoyed.

"huh, you hear how he talks to me Masaki, at this rate you and I will never have grandkids." Isshin said in faux hurt.

"Sigh, dear what did I say about bringing that up, ichigo's too young still to be thinking about starting a family." Masaki defended.

"Thanks mom, at least someone understands." Ichigo agreed.

"Nonsense! When I was his age, I had girls approaching me by the dozens, in fact I remember this one time when- "he stopped himself as he saw Masaki staring at him.

"I'm sorry dear, I believe I misheard that, do you want to repeat what you were going to say," she said with a chilling smile on her face.

"uh-oh, I mean, what I meant to say was- ah, what were we talking about?" isshin said as he slowly backed away.

Deciding to make his exit, ichigo made for the door before things got more dangerous.
"Wow, look at the time, I really got to go now, bye, don't die dad, see ya." Ichigo said as he ran off.

Bang* the sound of the door slamming shut was heard before Karin snapped to her senses.

"H-Hey, Yuzu you want to go play together upstairs." Karin said she looked to her sister yuzu.

"Wow, really, I thought you didn't like playing with me anymore Karin." Yuzu said excitedly.

"What? No way, c'mon let's go, I'll even get the tea cups." Karin said as she grabbed Yuzu's hand and rushed up the stairs.

Seeing that all his children had betrayed him, isshin could only face his fate.

"So where were we." Masaki said smiling.

"Oh No!"

---

Sometime later…

Having arrived at the location, ichigo looked around before spotting Crimson hair amongst the crowd of people. Making his way over ichigo saw a group of four individuals. First and foremost was Rias Gremory, the president of the occult research club, then next to her was Akeno Himejima. On Rias right, was a handsome young man with short blond hair, blue eyes, and a mole underneath his left eye. By process of elimination ichigo deduced this boy was probably the one Rias referred to as Kiba Yuuto. As for the final member, ichigo saw a little girl standing next to Akeno, she was a petite girl, with white hair and hazel eyes, honestly ichigo got Karin vibes coming off of the girl.

Approaching the group ichigo greeted them as he made his towards them.

"Hey guys, sorry for the wait." Ichigo said as he got to the group.

"Don't worry, we just got here as well" Rias said as she stood up from her seat.

"Allow me to present my club members to you." Rias said as she stood at the front.

"As you know me and Akeno, I'll skip the introduction and move on to Kiba Yuuto, a second year at Kuoh academy." She said as she pointed towards the blond male of the group.

"A pleasure in meeting you. I'm Kiba Yuuto." He said as he gave a nod towards the orange haired man.

"Likewise, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo said as he introduced himself.

"I know, the president has spoken much about you senpai, I hope we can get along." Yuuto said good naturedly.

"All good I hope." Ichigo said as he looked towards Rias.

"What? I only speak the truth." Rias said, though her tone indicated otherwise.

"Funny." With that ichigo turned towards the youngest of the group.

"This one would be Koneko Toujou, a first year at Kuoh academy, and our newest addition." Rias said proudly.

Looking at the unfazed girl before him who might as well be the same height as his sisters, a complex feeling couldn't help but swell up within ichigo.

"She's so damn cute." Ichigo couldn't help but think as he looked at Koneko. Honestly ichigo got the feeling that Koneko reminded him of a cat for some reason.

"…"

The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments until the small girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of candy. Holding it out towards the much taller man before her, Koneko presented her offering.

"For you, senpai." Was all she said, her voice as steady as always.

"huh, thanks." Ichigo said as he took the candy from the girl's palm.

"Woah…"

"Oh my…"

"This is a surprise."

Came the replies to this small action.

"What, why are you all surprised." Ichigo asked, confused as to their reactions. Looking towards Rias, she began to explain. "Simply put that, Koneko here is usually someone who doesn't like opening up to others, much less sharing her candy, even amongst us. As such, we were a bit surprised is all, if anything, take this as a sign that koneko has taken a liking to you ichigo." Rias said as she gave ichigo a thumbs up.

"It seems that our little Koneko has finally taken a liking to someone." Akeno teased as she stared at the young girl.

"You are indeed a great guy senpai, even I took a while before I got Koneko to open up to me." Yuuto congratulated him.

"/" a small blush had formed on koneko's face as she heard her fellow peerage members.

"Alright, let's go have some lunch, then we'll go see about having some fun." Rias said as she took the lead. With that the group of teenagers went out to town for some fun.

---

In another part of town, Bronya who was dressed casually was currently waiting for her friends who have come to visit her after a such a long time. Though outwardly Bronya looked as unfazed as ever, internally she was shaking with excitement. After she had her vacation granted to her by her bastard boss she could finally see about finding sometime to unwind and have fun with the girls again. After all, do to their jobs they couldn't really take much time off, especially when doing their 'side' job.

"it has been so long, I wonder if that idiot has matured a bit." Bronya said as she thought of her friends.

Like that time passed slowly as she waited. Though the sound of the coming train alerted her to new arrivals. Slowing down, the train soon came to a stop as the passengers started coming out. Standing up, Bronya looked amongst the crowd to see if she could spot her friends, though no such luck.

Hands enveloped her face as they blocked her eyesight, surprising her for a moment.

"Guess who!" came the cheerful reply.

Slapping the hands off her face, Bronya came face to face with one of her friends.

"Kiana." Bronya said a little flatly.

"Boo! Bronya-chan is no fun at all, I even went out of my way to surprise you." Kiana said in faux hurt.

"It appears you are the same as usual." Bronya said as she stared at her friend, giving her a once over. Long white hair tied in a ponytail, blue eyes, and a voluptuous body, she was currently wearing some short shorts, with a white cropped shirt that expose her toned midriff, as well as a pair of boots. Compared to Bronya's outfit, Kiana's was just a bit more revealing.

"Still, it's been a while hasn't it." With that Bronya gave Kiana a small hug.

"Hehe, I missed you too, Bronya-chan" Kiana said happily.

"Hmph, it seems the more things change the more they stay the same with you don't they." Bronya said as she released their hug.

"is that so? Well from my perspective, you look like a completely different person, it's almost a miracle I even recognized you. After all, what happened to that small little girl who used to go on adventures with us, not only are you taller, but you also got BOOBS now." Kiana said as she pointed at Bronya's knockers.

Hugging her chest so as to hide them away, Bronya looked at Kiana like she was an idiot. "Don't say that out loud you pervert, did you think I was going to stay that little girl forever or

something." Bronya said defensively.

"Haha, Bronya has really grown in the time we haven't seen each other." Kiana smiled gently as she looked at her dear friend.

Ehem*

A sound suddenly caught Bronya's attention as she switched her focus to the other women that stood a little off to the side. Long dark hair, bright purple eyes with a tinge of blue, and wearing a casual outfit that hugged her voluptuous body. Bronya quickly identified her as Mei Raiden, her other friend.

"Mei" Bronya called out. Seemingly just noticing her as she stood off to the side.

"Hello Bronya." Approaching the silver haired woman, Mei gave Bronya a hug.

"You've grown so much in the time we haven't seen each other." Mei said as she gave Bronya a once over.

"Yeah, she went from 'hello ma'am nice to meet you' to "your son calls me mommy too' in the few years we hadn't seen each other." Kiana cut in as she agreed with Mei.

"…" Bronya looked at Kiana flatly as she said that.

"…Right, don't listen to her Bronya, we're just so happy to see you again. We have a lot of catching up to do." Mei said so as to get the conversation back on track.

"Of course, I'm happy to see the both of you as well, why don't we go out to eat so as to catch up with one another, you must be hungry after such a long journey." Bronya said, happy to be reunited with her friends.

"Only if you're buying." Kiana said as she stood next to Bronya.

With that the trio of friends departed, after a long time apart from one another, they could finally take some time to unwind and hang out like they used to.

---

"And I was like, you're just sending me in alone! Then he went with his usual cold expression, 'if you can't even handle this how are you worthy of carrying the Kaslana name' honestly gramps is just too much sometimes." Kiana said as she told her story.

Taking a bite out of her food she continued. "I mean, yeah, I knew I could take that thing on, but still, it was a goddamn Vasto Lorde class hollow, who hell fights those things without some backup." Kiana complained. "That was also just a few months after we graduated from the academy at that too." Taking another bite from her meal, Kiana shared her woes.

"hmph, serves you right." Bronya said as she listened to the story.

"What! You should empathize with me Bronya, after all, wasn't your first assignment also to lead a squad and fight a Ruler-class Horror." Kiana reproached.

Cringing at the memory, Bronya couldn't help but feel a chill down her spine. "Ugh, please don't remind me, that bastard boss of mine was too heartless." Bronya said as she remembered that battle.

"hahaha, you poor things, it must have been hard on you." Mei laughed a little at their ill fortune tales.

"That's just mean Mei, not everyone can have a great boss like yours." Kiana said as she turned to Mei. Bronya also agreed with a nod of her head.

"What do you mean? Elysia-sama is simply a fair individual, she knows what we are capable of, and where we need to improve, she only assigns tasks to us that she knows we can handle. There is simply no need to unnecessarily place those under her in danger with tasks she knows they can't handle." Mei said as she explained to her friends. After all, the Monarch of Origin was a great individual, and deeply loved by all within the organization.

"Sounds to me like all you guys need is a career change." Mei advised.

"Nah, Administration isn't my thing. I much prefer the combat division, I mean sure gramps is harsh, but, I'm sure somewhere deep down he cares…probably." Kiana said as she talked about Kevin Kaslana, Monarch of Finality, and progenitor of the great Kaslana family. Amongst the Organization, the Kaslana Family is one of the oldest and most respected families as they descended from one of the revered Monarchs. They also held prominent positions in both the organization, more so the military branch, and in the human world.

What about you Bronya, want to join me." Mei offered.

"I'll also have to decline, Mei" Bronya said. "Though Urahara Kisuke is a pain in the ass, he's still a great boss, besides, I like the work and the people there to, so it works out just fine for me."

Bronya said as she talked about her boss, Kisuke Urahara, Monarch of Reason.

"Oh, that's right, you joined the Research and development division didn't you." Kiana said as she looked to Bronya.

"That's my main job, at the moment I'm merely been posted at the human world to test out certain new inventions in one of the hidden facilities here." Bronya explained.

"Ok, miss 'game developer,' that's your fake occupation as of now isn't it." Kiana said as she held air quotes.

"Yes, so don't go blowing my cover. After all, I quite like it." Bronya said as she crossed her arms.

"Alright Ms. Secret Agent." Kiana said as she went back to her food.

"Anyways, Bronya why were you posted in this town anyways, not to say that there isn't anything to see, just feel that it's a waste of your talents is all." Mei said as she thought about the situation.

"Is there perhaps another reason aside from testing new technology." Mei asked.

Staying silent for a moment Bronya deliberated if she should tell them or not. "It's ok if you don't want to tell us, after all, if you were ordered by the higher ups to keep hush, we won't ask anymore, last thing I want is to get you in trouble." Mei said as she saw Bronya face struggling.

"…no, it should be fine. If it's you guys I know I can trust you guys to keep quite." Bronya said, though after thinking about it for a moment she added. "Well I can trust you, Mei, to keep quiet." She said as she avoided looking at Kiana.

"What is that supposed to mean!?" Kiana said as if she had been wronged. Ignoring that, Mei looked at Bronya as if telling her to continue. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed." Taking that as her cue, Bronya told her story.

"To begin, it was after I had already arrived here, the original purpose of my visit was to test some new experimental sensors that could be used to detect certain Paracausal entities." Bronya began.

"We didn't really expect much at first, just to see if it was working as intended, a simple test run." Bronya said. "So, imagine my surprise when the alarms start beeping as it detected something entering our solar system." Bronya announced. The shocked looks Bronya received was just what she expected.

"Do you know what it is?" Mei asked.

"Short answer. Yes. Long answer. No. it appears to be a simple comet at first glance, nothing unusual about that. It's only when the machine starts reading the energy it's giving off that it becomes…strange." Bronya said.

"Kind of energy?" Kiana said as she listened to the story.

"The stuff that gods are made of. That simple comet is surrounded by a layer of divinity. As to how divine power got on it, I have no clue." Bronya revealed, shocking her friends once more as well as drawing a slight gasp from Kiana.

"I relayed this discovery to the Monarch of Reason, but, he's decided to take a 'wait and see' approach to it. As far as we're concerned it shouldn't even come close to us based on its trajectory, in all honesty it might just leave the solar system just as quickly due to how unusually fast it seems to be moving." Bronya explained.

"I see, so that's why they've been keeping you here, makes sense." Mei said, understanding the situation.

"I don't get why we don't just blow it to smithereens." Kiana said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"…when dealing with things of the divine, provoking them is usually the final option, though in case it decides to switch its trajectory for earth, then we were given strict orders to obliterate it with extreme prejudice before it can reach us." Bronya said, explaining on the off chance it moves towards earth.

"And if it doesn't work." Kiana said as she thought of something.

"Then we enact Plan B and make sure we keep the damage to a minimum as well as destroy or delay whatever comes out of that thing, if that doesn't work either than as a final resort one of the Brave Souls will have to deal with it." Bronya finished.

"Woah, a Brave Soul! isn't that a bit overkill." Kiana couldn't help but say. After all, a Brave Soul was someone who has accomplished great achievements in their years of service to the organization, they were usually composed of powerful individuals capable of rivaling the greatest beings in the universe, even gods. Upholding the values and goals of the organization, they were usually given the title of Brave soul after pledging their allegiance to a Monarch of their choosing that after approval by three other monarchs, was formally 'Knighted' in a grand ceremony where the Monarch would imbue the Brave soul with a piece of transcendence. As such Brave souls were few in number, as monarchs don't appoint just anyone, they have to prove themselves. Do to this the Brave souls are considered the pride as well as goal of anyone within the organization.

Prestige, honor, glory, and power. What more could someone want.

"Well, as I said, it is in the worst-case scenario. Personally, I don't think that there is that much need for concern, but as the saying goes, better safe than sorry." With that Bronya ended the conversation and decided to switch the topic to a more lighthearted one.

"Anyways, I believe I have talked enough about myself, what about you Mei, how's life been treating you." With that the trio stirred the conversation to more mundane things as well as shared incredible and funny stories in the time they have been apart.

---

At the same time…

In another table not far from the trio, a group of teenagers were also having their lunch as they conversed with one another.

"And that's how me and Rias met." Ichigo said as he told his story.

"Oh, I see, that's surprisingly normal, much better in terms of when me and the president met." Yuto said absentmindedly.

"huh."

"I mean! It was a unique meeting, I'm very grateful to have met the president when I did." Yuto said as he quickly corrected himself. Having noticed the looks his peerage members shot him, Yuto almost brought up an awkward topic that did not need to be discussed.

"Ok…" ichigo said noticing the weird vibe.

"A-Anyways Senpai." Yuto began.

"Just call me ichigo, after all, any friend of Rias is a friend of mine." Ichigo said so as to make yuto feel more comfortable.

"in that case ichigo-senpai, I hope I haven't inconvenienced you while at your time in the academy." Yuto said rather awkwardly.

"What do you mean?" ichigo questioned, confused as to what he was referring to.

"huh? Oh, you don't know, in that case I'm relieved." Yuto said as he let out a breath of relief.

A tug on his shirt switched his focus to Rias who whispered something to his ear, ichigo soon understood what the problem was, the awkward face he put on afterwards made both him and yuto uncomfortable for a second.

"Ah yes, the rumors. Ehem* honestly, if it's ok with you I rather forget that ever happened." Ichigo began. "And besides I already found out who started it and taught them a lesson they're probably still feeling to this day." Ichigo said with a more relaxed look on his face.

"What? You found out who." Yuto exclaimed.

"Yup, apparently it was the perverted trio who started the rumor." Ichigo revealed. At that Yuto gave Rias a look, this caused a sigh to escape from Rias as well as a look of slight disappointment to flash across koneko and a giggle to come from Akeno. Confused at their reactions, ichigo felt like he was being left out of something he didn't know.

"I'll give him a stern talking to when the time comes." Rias said. with that the peerage members expressions reverted back to normal. Not knowing what Rias was referring to, ichigo decided it wasn't any of his business and let it go.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, let's quickly finish our meal so we can go have some fun." With that the teenagers enjoyed their food.

---

"By the way, I don't know if any of you have noticed yet or not, but I'm currently sensing non-human presences around us, you know anything about that Bronya." Kiana said as she had finished her meal.

Without turning to face the source, Bronya knew what Kiana was talking about. "That would be the residents of this area, apparently this town has fallen under Devil control, specifically under the Gremory and Sitri clans." Bronya revealed.

"I see. It wouldn't happen to be them over there would it." Kiana said as she looked at the group of teenagers getting ready to leave. Looking at the head of the group, a beautiful Crimson haired woman led the group as four other individuals walked behind, consisting of three girls and two boys.

Having already become aware of them months ago, Bronya didn't need to look to see who they were. "According to the information, that would be the heiress of the clan Gremory, sister to Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the current lords of the underworld. Based on reports, she has been attending at Kuoh academy and posing as a student there, as for why a devil would attend a human school, I have no clue." Bronya explained.

"They haven't done any harm to the human population here right." Mei asked.

"Hardly, if anything, it's their role to make sure nothing bad happens in this town, while they are unaware of our presence, we have a sort of understanding with the leaders of the underworld to not interfere with one another. As such, it's fine as long they mop up whatever strays or troublemakers crop up around here, on the off chance they can't handle it, we're under strict orders to give them a helping hand as long as it doesn't jeopardize our presence here." Bronya said.

"After all, if something happened to the sisters of two of the four great Satans, heads will roll and I sure don't want it to be mine." Bronya finished.

"I see…well I'm just curious as based on what I'm seeing, one of them appears to be human." Kiana added.

"Human?" Bronya repeated, clearly confused.

"Yeah, definitely human. Perhaps he is simply unware of their nature, after all, they are all masquerading as students." Kiana wondered. "Still, hmmm, yup, quite the handsome fellow, especially that orange hair, so exotic." Kiana said as she enjoyed the eye candy.

Slap*

"Ack!" A cry of pain escaped Kiana as she rubbed her arm in pain, the sting of Mei's slap leaving a print on her fair skin.

"What was that for!?" Kiana said as she turned to Mei in outrage.

"You were ogling too much." Mei simply said with her arms crossed.

"Ogling!? I was simply appreciating the view, enjoying the finer things in life and all that." Kiana said shamelessly.

"He's a kid." Mei argued.

"Kid? Hahaha. Mei, you're too funny sometimes. From my point of view, he can't be any less than 17 or 18, that's no kid, that's a man. Also, what are we 2-3 years older than him, we're barely out of our teens ourselves, in fact last time I checked the legal age of consent was 16 in japan." Kiana argued.

"That's not the point." Mei defended.

"Shut it, we went our whole life attending an all-girls school, I will not hear this from someone who hasn't even interacted with the opposite sex outside of work." Kiana countered. "Besides, girls our age usually think about finding a man, and living the better part of their years having fun and making mistakes." Kiana said with a smirk as she looked at Mei blushing face.

"Kiana stop spouting nonsense! Wait till your sister hears about this!" Mei said scandalized at what Kiana was insinuating.

"NO! don't tell Bianka, she'll kill me." Kiana said as she went to hug Mei.

"Get off me!" Mei said as she attempted to pry Kiana's hands off her.

"Never! Besides at this rate you and I will die alone if you keep up with that kuudere behavior." Kiana said as she hugged Mei.

"Nonsense! What kuudere behavior? stop making stuff up!" ignoring the bickering duo, Bronya was currently stunned silent as she heard what Kiana said previously.

"Orange hair…isn't that…" thinking about it for a moment, Bronya turned around in her seat as the group walked past them, looking up, it was at that moment of staring that silver eyes met brown eyes, a look of recognition flashing in them as they both stared at one another.

"Ichigo…" Bronya said absentmindedly, not expecting to meet the young man here of all places, much less in the presence of devils.

---

"Bronya! Why is she here?" thinking to himself, ichigo did not expect to meet an old acquaintance of his here of all places, not after their first meeting a little more than a week ago. Honestly ichigo thought that would be the last time he would ever see the women, and yet here and now she stood before him. How fate is such a funny thing.

"Bronya…" ichigo couldn't help but say her name.

Still despite meeting each other here by coincidence there wasn't much they could say to one another as they were only acquaintances, so the moment they both shared prolonged as they couldn't find the words to talk.

"…"

"…"

"…it's been a while, how have you been." Ichigo finally decided to speak first after a moment of awkward silence.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Bronya responded. "I've been great, what about you?" she asked.

"I've been fine, school keeping me busy and all that, though currently I'm hanging out with some friends." Ichigo said as he gestured to Rias and the rest as they watched the interaction between the two in curiosity.

"I take it you're here for the same reason." ichigo said as he looked to the two other ladies that were with Bronya.

Noticing that Mei and Kiana had stopped bickering with one another Bronya decided it was a good time to introduce her friends. "Yes, allow me to introduce you to two of my longtime friends." Gesturing to the dark-haired women who looked at him curiously, Bronya introduced her. "That would be Mei Raiden" she said. Pointing to the other girl with white hair, unlike the more mature aura that surrounded Mei, this one had a playful grin as she looked at him, along with a more mischievous aura that surrounded her. "And she would be Kiana Kaslana." Bronya said as she finished introducing them.

"A Pleasure/ nice to meet you" came the replies after Bronya introduced them.

"Likewise." Nodding his head in acknowledgement, ichigo turned back to Bronya once more.

"It's nice to see you again Bronya, but I got to get going, I have prior arrangements with the guys behind me. I'll see you around, so take care." Ichigo said as he smiled at Bronya.

"huh, ah, yes, see you around ichigo." Waving farewell, ichigo left with the group of devils, leaving a slightly disappointed Bronya behind as well as two curious individuals.

Sigh*

Sitting back down in her seat, Bronya held a hand to her chest as she calmed her racing heart.

Ehem*

Turning to her two friends, Mei looked at her with an expectant look where as Kiana had a Cheshire grin on her face.

"What?" Bronya asked.

"What do you mean What? Spill the beans, how do you know tall, broad, and handsome over there." Kiana said as she watched ichigo leave the restaurant.

"…"

"Sigh, what she means is, how did you and ichigo meet." Mei said as she sighed at Kiana's choice of words.

"…We met at an arcade." Bronya began.

A few moments later…

Having told her story, Mei and Kiana couldn't help but stare at Bronya incredulously.

"So, you lost how many times against him, I'm having a hard time believing it." Kiana said with denial on her face.

"Yeah, I'm with her on this one, there's just no way." Even Mei in all her calm and dignified self couldn't help but scrunch her face in disbelief.

Blushing a little at their incredulous faces, Bronya couldn't help but feel a bit of embarrassment overcome her. "It was a bad day, it happens from time to time, I even had a new pair of heels I bought break on me." Bronya defended herself.

"haha, still never thought I'd see the mighty Bronya lose to anyone but me at a game." Kiana boasted.

"Last time I checked I never lost to you, in fact I even keep a record as to how many times you've challenged and lost to me." Bronya said.

"Clearly you must have dreamed it because I don't remember that ever happening." Kiana denied.

"Is this what they call selective memory, cause clearly you have it." Bronya insulted.

"Why you! You wanna go!?" Kiana challenged.

"Bring it. I'll take you on anytime." Bronya provoked.

Clap*

Snapping out of it, the two women turned back to Mei as she looked at them with a chilling smile. "Alright settle down you two, we're in a restaurant, I don't want to have to explain why half the block got obliterated." Mei said as she calmed them down.

Seeing the two sit back down, Kiana and Bronya huffed and crossed their arms as they faced away from each other.

"We wouldn't have gone that far." Kiana defended.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have need to gone that far to take care of this idiot." Bronya taunted.

!

"what was that!" the look of challenge she threw at Bronya seemed to be the start of another fight.

"Alright that's enough girls, let's get back on topic." Mei reasoned.

"Huh, oh yeah, we were talking about Bronya's boyfriend, never thought she had it in her, but what do you know, spring has come early for her apparently." Kiana giggled seemingly forgetting their earlier quarrel.

"He's not my boyfriend." Bronya denied. "He's just a guy I met while I was out in town, I wouldn't even go as far as calling us friends, more acquaintances if nothing else." Bronya said.

"heh, your case would be convincing if it wasn't for that blush on your face." Kiana mocked as she looked at Bronya who was slightly red in the face.

"T-That's just your imagination!" Bronya exclaimed as she went to hide her face.

"Haha, little Bronya has really grown up now it seems." Kiana laughed.

"You idiot I already told you he's not my boyfriend." Bronya said sick of Kiana's endless teasing.

"Ok, ok, he's not, still that's a good thing, it means he's still available in the market, so if you don't want him I'll take him." Kiana said as she looked at Bronya with a smirk.

"No. You can't have him either." Bronya said as she stared at Kiana seriously.

"What? So, if you don't want him, and I can't have him, what do we do, give him to Mei." Kiana asked as she pointed to Mei who had snapped out of her thoughts after she heard that.

"HUH! Why are you bringing me into this, I never said I was interested in the first place?" Mei denied.

"Is that so" scoffing. "you say that but your eyes tell me something else, after all, don't think I didn't see you ogling at him." Kiana smirked.

"I wasn't ogling at him you idiot, I was simply making an observation, it just so happens that I got a sense of familiarity from him, like I've seen him somewhere before." Mei explained.

"hahaha, Mei, no one uses that pick-up line anymore nowadays." Kiana teased.

"I'm being serious here, I do feel like I've seen him somewhere before…I just can't remember where exactly." Mei said as she rubbed her head in thought.

"Sure, sure, I'll use that line when I'm trying to woe someone." Kiana grinned.

"Sigh, forget It, let's go." With that the trio of friends paid for their meal and left the restaurant.

---

Strike! Strike! Strike!

Watching ichigo make strike after strike, Rias was a bit bewildered as even she couldn't do that with her devil enhanced perception.

"I thought you said this was your first-time bowling." Rias said.

"it is" ichigo simply said as he readied another shot.

Strike!

"Could have fooled me, you haven't missed the whole game." Rias exclaimed.

"Well…it's all in the wrist. Just got to watch how much strength you're using and the rest is easy." Ichigo smirked.

Strike!

"Show off." Rias said as she shook her head.

Looking at the scoreboard, the ranks were as:

1st place: Strawberry (ichigo)

2nd place: Princess (Rias)

3rd place: Knight (Yuto)

4th place: 'S' Queen (Akeno)

5th place: Rook (Koneko)

Honestly, Rias almost banned Koneko with how hard she kept throwing the balls, pretty sure she saw an indentation on the balls with how hard she was gripping it. Aside from that, Akeno wasn't taking the game seriously and was just having fun, whereas Yuto simply couldn't keep up with her. Still, she didn't think she would end up losing to ichigo of all people, talk about the underdog of the group being the dark horse.

"Well that's my win, you know what that means!" ichigo said as he looked at Rias.

"Sigh...ok, ok, drinks are on me." Rias said, though she said 'drinks' it wasn't anything alcoholic. A mere bet between ichigo and Rias, with the loser having to buy drinks for everyone else. Rias didn't really expect to lose, but, she was surprised in the end with ichigo's hidden skill…or luck.

"Alright I'll be back." With that Rias went to get some beverages.

Taking a seat next to Yuto, ichigo waited patiently.

"Hey ichigo, if you don't mind me asking, were those people you met at the restaurant friends of yours." Akeno asked suddenly.

"Huh, oh, you mean Bronya. I wouldn't really call her a friend more of an acquaintance I met by chance while I was at an arcade." Ichigo admitted.

"I see, what about the other two." Akeno asked further.

"I have no idea, first time I ever seen them, though Bronya said they were friends of hers." Ichigo explained.

"Oh, I see, that's good." Akeno seemed joyful about it for some reason.

"What do you mean by that?" ichigo asked confused about her relieved expression.

"Simply put, a certain friend of mine would be sad if she saw her favorite strawberry be eaten by someone else first." Akeno replied amusedly, the double innuendo not escaping ichigo who blushed a little at the comment.

"haha, please don't joke like that Akeno, someone might misunderstand." Ichigo said awkwardly.

It was at that point that an annoyed huff sounded behind ichigo as Rias appeared with the drinks. Letting the employee set them down, the man excused himself afterwards.

"Oh my, Rias you're back already." Akeno said, acting coy.

"Akeno you…sigh, don't let her get to you ichigo, she just loves to get a rise out of people, you could even say it's one of her kinks." Rias said as she glared at Akeno.

"I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it, so let's just play one more game while we enjoy our drinks." Ichigo mediated.

"hahaha, I don't know Rias, if I were you, I best act quick, lest they get him first." Akeno warned, though the slight giggle she gave only seemed to annoy Rias more.

"I know what I'm doing." Rias said, though ichigo seemed confused as to what they were referring to by 'get him first' or whatever that meant.

"Anyways, Yuto, restart it, this time I'll win for sure." Rias said as she turned to ichigo.

"Heh, dream on." Ichigo smirked.

Like that the teens enjoyed the rest of their day.

---

The sun was setting, and it wouldn't be long before night arrived. A group of teenagers were currently saying their farewells after a day of fun.

"Well it's starting to get dark, I'll be heading home now guys, I had a great time." Ichigo said to Rias and company.

"I'm glad you think that, we too had a great time. Still, would it have killed you to gone easy on me." Rias whined as she, despite her bravado, lost the game anyways.

"No can do, otherwise you'll never improve." Ichigo shook his head in amusement.

"tsk. If I really had wanted to I could have beaten you while I was blindfolded and an arm tied behind my back." Rias boasted.

"HA! Can't even win with both eyes wide open and here you are saying such outrages things." Ichigo mocked her.

"Still, I had a lot of fun Rias." Ichigo said as he gave Rias a small smile.

"Me too, ichigo." Rias said, a smile forming on her face.

There was a moment of silence as the two stared at each other.

"…I'll see you at school, stay safe on the way back." Ichigo simply said, his gaze on Rias.

"I should say the same about you. Still, see you later." With that ichigo and the occult research club parted ways as they headed back home.

---

Taking in the night breeze as the sun had already set, ichigo felt the most relaxed he had in a while. Having spent his whole life as a loner, ichigo didn't quite know what it was like to have friends or to hang out with them. As such ichigo had a great time with Rias and the rest, from Akeno's teasing nature, Yuto's kind disposition, Koneko's silent yet cute attitude, and finally to Rias charming personality. It was a fun day, ichigo couldn't help but think to himself.

With only the street lights to illuminate his path, ichigo continued down the road, leaving the crowded streets behind, never noticing the stalking shadow and feline eyes that followed after him.

Sometime later…

Despite leaving the crowded streets, it appeared unusually dark and quiet to ichigo as he continued on his way home. The crescent moon doing nothing to illuminate the sky, and no stars in sight to see. For a brief moment one of the street lamps even started to flicker before regaining its illumination. With only the sound of his footsteps to keep him company, ichigo checked his surroundings for a moment before proceeding forward, not quite liking the ominous feeling crawling up his back.

Dark shadows cast themselves on the road as he made his way home. The tall buildings and bustling streets being replaced by small household buildings and quiet suburban streets with the passing of cars and street lights for illumination. Still despite that, ichigo who has grown accustomed to the sound of a barking dog, the sound of wildlife or insects, even the sounds of traffic in the distance, he couldn't hear any of it at this moment, the area was eerily silent today, something which ichigo found odd.

Standing underneath a street lamp ichigo gazed at the flickering light as the sound of the bulb humming and buzzing as it once more regained its will to continue shining. Walking past it, ichigo decided to stop dawdling and make his way home before things started to get weirder.

Step* Step* Step* Step*STEP*Step*

!

Turning around abruptly ichigo thought he felt a presence behind him for a moment. Though only the darkness, and empty road greeted him.

"…Am I imagining things." Ichigo said as he took in his surroundings. Staying still, ichigo concentrated for a moment as he watched and listened for the slightest sound and movement, yet nothing came after a couple of seconds, the only thing being the sound of his own heartbeat intensifying for a moment. Releasing the breath, he had unknowingly been holding ichigo thought it was his mind playing tricks on him.

"Get it together ichigo, you're too old to be afraid of the dark now." Ichigo said under his breath as he continued his walk, only this time with a slight haste to it.

Still, the foreboding feeling that was swelling up in him didn't lessen in the slightest. In fact, dark clouds even started shrouding whatever light the moon could spare, making the darkness that much more prominent. Still, as ichigo continued walking he failed to notice that his own shadow seemed to have gained a pair of eyes as it stared back at him, a hungry look in them as they narrowed.

Walking by the park, ichigo noticed a vending machine next to it, the neon glow catching his attention. Thinking that perhaps a drink would calm his nerves ichigo walked up to it. Still looking over the selection all ichigo could see was alcoholic beverage options left as the softer drinks had already been emptied out. Feeling slightly disappointed icnigo mulled over it for a second. "Screw it, it's only 5-10% alcohol content, might as well get something since I'm here anyways." Inserting some yen, the sound of the coins slipping inside the machine was all he heard as he typed in the numbers for his selection.

Vroom* TssT*

Reaching down to grab his drink, it was at that moment that a looming shadow appeared over him. Startled, ichigo stood up immediately, dropping his drink in the process as he took a few steps away from the figure in front of him. Having made some distance between them, ichigo warily inspected the person in front of him.

A young woman, average height with short white hair, bangs that covered her forehead, Golden eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dark, and dressed in what appeared to be a black trench coat and a pair of black knee-high boots. The heels giving her an extra few inches in height. It was also as that moment that the woman decided to speak.

"Oh my~ did I startle you." She said a little flirtatiously. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it, you see, I'm a little new in town and thought I could ask you some questions. She said jovially, a playful grin forming on her face.

"…Who are you?" ichigo couldn't help but ask, still wary of the woman.

"haha, now, now~ I don't bite! much~" she said as she sashay towards ichigo. Standing his ground, the women was now within arm's reach, though that wasn't exactly a good thing for ichigo.

"Still if you wish to know my name, how about I hear yours first, Boy~ The strange women said, not taking her eyes of ichigo.

"The name's Ichigo, ichigo kurosasi." Though he didn't want to tell her his name, ichigo thought best to not test the strange women before him, after all, the ominous feeling he got seemed to increase the moment she appeared.

"Hmm, ichigo~ my what a cute name for such a handsome boy~. Tell me ichigo, do you want to have some fun with me~" The strange women said as she stepped even closer to him, with the distance only measured in a couple inches of distance. Ichigo for his part wanted to take a few steps back, but, for some reason his legs wouldn't listen to him, something about the strange woman's eyes had him rooted in place and that freaked ichigo out somewhat. Still, keeping his calm, ichigo maintained a straight face despite how the women was now literally pressing herself onto him.

"…You never told me your name." Ichigo managed to get out between the suffocating presence he was feeling that made speaking difficult.

"My name…right, I forgot." Leaning closer to him, she whispered sensually into his ear. "Call me, Evelyn." She said. "After all, you and I are about to get really well acquainted~" she said as she started to unbutton her Coat.

Blushing, ichigo couldn't do anything as if some unseen force was holding him in place, almost like he had lost control of his body. The only thing he could do was respond to the woman before him and watch as she basically harassed him.

"Say, Boy~" she began as she finished unbuttoning her coat. "Have you ever seen a naked woman before." pulling the two ends aside, she revealed fair skin underneath, a toned body, and a pair of big bouncy breasts as they were freed from the confinement of the coat, the woman wore absolutely nothing underneath the coat. Ichigo who couldn't help but look, blushed harder than he had ever done in his life.

"Y-You! Are you a pervert or something! What are you doing walking around like that!?" Ichigo couldn't help but say as he looked at the shameless woman before him.

"My~ how innocent, I guess that answers that doesn't it." Pressing herself against ichigo. The woman continued. "You know something, Boy~ I really like pure boys like you unsullied by others." She confessed. "Hah~ the thought of corrupting and twisting that look of defiance into a broken mess just fills my body with all kinds of sensations." She said as a lewd expression came over her face.

Hearing that, ichigo Strained against whatever was holding him in place, attempting to break himself free to no avail. Feeling a hand touching his face, ichigo opened his eyes to stare into the woman's golden ones.

Haah~ I really love that look on your face Boy~ so beautiful, so defiant, I can feel it washing over me, I can taste those emotions on my tongue, simply majestic!" The insane woman said.

"Urgh! Let go of me, you crazy bitch!" ichigo yelled angrily as he stared at the woman.

"Bitch!? That's not very nice of you, Boy~" slamming ichigo against the wall, the women pinned ichigo's hands above his head, letting whatever force hold him in place.

Recovering from the slight pain to his back, ichigo's unfocused gaze soon recovered and were met with golden eyes, only this time, the pupil that should have been round were now vertical, like a cat. Also, the hand that was now gripping his jaw was covered in a layer of white fur, with sharp claws at the end that almost seemed to pierce into his face. the wolfish grin the women was giving him was filled with sharp teeth that looked to be able to pierce and tear flesh easily. For a moment ichigo couldn't understand what he was looking at, the woman had a layer of white fur in each of her limbs, with the legs only reaching the bottom thigh area and arms covered to the shoulders. Along with a pair of cat ears coming out of her head.

"W-what the hell are you!?" ichigo exclaimed, not understanding what he was looking at. The woman who he thought was just an exhibitionist turned into a monster in a split second, how the hell does that make any sense. Fear slowly started to wash over ichigo as he stared at the monster in front of him, the malicious aura was simply to consuming.

"Hoh~ despite your fear, you can still look at me with those defiant eyes of yours, Ah~ I can't take it, I just want to gobble you up right this instant" she said as she drooled a little.

"Still, I'm the kind of person who saves the best for last." Giving him a once over the women grinned with a sharp toothed smile as she continued. "Say Boy~ why don't we continue where we left off, after all, this place is all nice and quiet, and no one should be coming over anytime soon with how dark it is now." She said as she dug her hand underneath his shirt and started to slowly caress his body.

"Don't…touch…Me!" Ichigo said as he struggled to form the words. The woman's grip on his face making it difficult to speak.

"Settle down~" she said as she continued to roam her hand over his abdomen. "I got to say, you have a nice body, looks like you take care of yourself very well, a shame that I'll soon devour it with not a trace left." She said with a hungry look on her face.

"This fucking freak! She's gonna rape me and then eat me! What the hell!? I can't die like this!" Ichigo's mind was currently in overdrive as he continued to struggle against the unseen force binding him.

"Like Hell I'll Let Some Freakshow Do Me In Like This!" It was at that moment when something buried deep inside ichigo started to swell up to his need for survival. Like a dam that held a vast ocean, a crack appeared in this dam, just enough to respond to the will of its master.

As the women continued to explore ichigo's body with a lascivious smile, she noticed that the seemingly ordinary human started to be coated in a layer of golden energy. It wasn't until the golden energy contacted her hand that she felt an intense burning sensation course through her causing her to let out a cry of pain as she quickly released the boy and stepped back.

"Argh!" Letting out a cry of pain, the women clutched the bleeding hand in front of her face, for a second it felt like something had stripped and burned the flesh from her hand, leaving tear and burn marks on it. Still, despite the injury it wasn't long till her regeneration kicked in to heal the wound. Though much to her surprise the lingering energy that coated her hand seemed to halt her regenerative properties. Giving the boy a fierce look, the women was done playing with her food.

As for ichigo, he had released himself from whatever had restrained his movements. Golden energy shot to the sky like a pillar, pushing whatever dark clouds had covered the sky and illuminating it as if day time had arrived briefly, catching the attention of anyone who was outside as they stared confusedly at the sky. A few moments later this was also followed by an overwhelming pressure that covered the entirety of Kuoh for a moment, crushing anyone and everyone in the town, briefly paralyzing the city in fear as some unknown power had washed over them briefly.

---

At the same time…

"W-what the hell!" said Rias and her peerage as they felt a heavy weight crushing them briefly, with Yuto who had been standing almost falling to his knees under the pressure.

…

What is going on!? Exclaimed Sona as she and her peerage had just been getting ready to go and fulfill some contracts were suddenly assailed by an unknown force bearing its weight on the world.

…

Holding onto her greatsword, Kiana struggled under the weight that abruptly crashed unto her shoulders. With Mei widening her eyes as she had been sitting on the couch and a crash being heard from the bathroom as Bronya had been taking a shower.

Looking outside the window, Kiana captured a pillar of golden radiance piercing the sky, blinding her briefly despite how far away it was. If only for a moment the night had given way to day, and the heavens bore its weight on the world, crushing all those underneath it's might.

---

Back with ichigo…

Ichigo despite having freed himself, could do nothing as the rampaging energy that had come from him was slowly crushing him from the inside out.

"Gah!" a cry of pain escaped from ichigo as he tried to stand, yet the overwhelming pressure he radiated held him down.

"WHAT'S GOING ON, WHAT IS HAPPEINING TO ME!" ichigo internally screamed as he felt something within him surging. Looking around him, the monster that had tried to sully him had disappeared after his power came crashing down like a meteor, so despite the pain, ichigo felt a slight feeling of relief as one problem had been taken care of.

"Now then…how the hell do I turn it off!" Ichigo screamed out once more as pain wrecked his body.

Sigh*

"Calm yourself" A voice said suddenly as ichigo was being flattened like a pancake.

"HUH! Is someone there, please help! I can't stop this!" ichigo yelled as he thought someone had come to check out what was going on.

"No one is there, so stop yelling and listen to me, for both our sakes." The voice said once more.

Not really understanding what was going on, ichigo didn't have much time to think on it as another wave of pain overcame him.

"Urgh! Alright just tell me what to do!" ichigo said as the force crushing him continued.

"Alright, listen closely, first remain calm, your rampant emotions are making the energy around you run wild, in fact you're probably not the only one feeling this crushing force right now." The voice informed him.

"What!" ichgio was surprised at that bit of news.

"Don't be surprised and concentrate, feel the energy around you and guide it back into your core, let your mind clear and emotions calm, think of it like breathing, it should be an effortless action for you." The voice advised.

"I don't even know what I'm trying to feel for so how do I even begin." Ichigo said frustrated.

Sigh*

"Let me show you for a second then." It was at that moment that ichigo felt like he had been transported to the bottom of the deepest ocean, a black hole of extreme pressure, he could see, feel, touch, smell, and taste the energy around him, it was a transcendent feeling as he gazed and sensed the magnificence before him.

"What is this." Ichigo asked shocked as he gazed in wonderment.

"That is your soul. Now that you know what you are looking for, guide the sliver of energy back into your soul before everyone in this city dies from the pressure." the voice warned him.

Gulping, ichigo went to work.

A few moments later…

It didn't take long for ichigo to guide the energy back now that he knew what he was looking for, sure he struggled to grab a hold of it do to how rampant it was, but like a cook getting used to the heat of the kitchen, ichigo managed to calm the energy, enough to control it, and guide it back to his soul.

After a few more tries, the golden energy that had assailed him, finally let up and disappeared back inside of him.

Huff*

Out of breath, tired, and sweat covering his bruised body, ichigo could finally say that the worst was over.

"sigh* thank you" Ichigo said as he thanked the voice.

"Don't thank me, after all, that was only to be expected, for we are destined for greater things." The voice said, sounding rather indifferent.

"Still, without you, I would have probably destroyed the town." Ichigo said.

"…If you feel that way. Still, knowing you, it wouldn't have happened." The voice said, brushing off the compliment.

"If you say so." Ichigo didn't feel like arguing at the moment, feeling both tired in mind and body, and maybe soul as well know.

"It would be best to get up and leave now, your flashy display of power has caught the eye of all supernatural forces here and beyond, they will come looking for answers, and it will be in your best interest to leave while you still can." The Voice warned.

Urgh! Flipping himself over, ichigo made to stand up, using the cracked wall as support as he made his way home. As the voice had warned him, ichigo didn't want to stick around and find out if some other terrifying or crazy monster came along to fuck with him.

So, with a bruised and tired body, ichigo walked home slow and steady. Not bothering to look behind at the devastation he left.

As for what ramifications would come after such an event, ichigo would soon find out the coming morning, but for now as he arrived home to his family, who looked at him with worry as he reassured them that everything was fine, ichigo had his father patch him up, and soon enough he crashed onto his bed, letting his tired body rest. He was alive, he was safe now, he survived.

---

Rias and Sona stood within the occult research club as they discussed what had happened.

"As much as I want to investigate what that surge of power was, I don't think you and I are enough to handle the consequences of what we might find." Sona said, shooting down the idea.

"Than what should we do? sit here with our arms crossed! we are the rulers of this town! if some bloke thinks they can just come into our territory and start trouble well they've got another thing coming I tell you that." Rias argued.

"sigh, letting our emotions get the best of us and charging head long into trouble will only get ourselves killed, if anything I suggest we let our families handle this." Sona suggested.

"You're saying we should ask Lord Lucifer and Leviathan for help? That is out of the question, that would only make us appear weak and incompetent in their eyes if we run to them for help at every problem we run into." Rias Objected, not liking the idea of asking their older siblings for help.

"I understand where you're coming from Rias, but, this is simply too much for us. You felt it too didn't you, that overwhelming pressure as if we were nothing but bugs caught in the wake of its power." Sona said as a shiver ran down her spine.

"Ugh, don't remind me, I still get shivers down my spine just thinking about it." Rias admitted.

"Then you understand why we can't right." Sona Urged.

"…Fine, I'll inform Lord Lucifer about this." Rias finally relented.

"And I'll inform Lady Leviathan" Sona said as she felt relieved to take this problem of her hands.

At that moment, as both peerages were about to leave, a sudden beeping appeared as a magic circle appeared in front of both Rias and Sona, confused both activated the circles as a paper fell into their hands.

Looking at it, the two widened their eyes as they looked over the information.

It was a bounty letter, along with orders.

"It appears an A-Class Stray devil has made their way into our territory." Rias as she looked at Sona who had also read the contents.

"So, it would appear, funny really, a stray appearing into our territory just as that wave of energy came crashing down on us." Sona said as she adjusted her glasses.

"You don't think it's a coincidence." Rias asked.

"Do you." Sona shot back

"No." Rias replied.

"Me neither, whatever happened, it probably has something to do with this stray." Sona theorized.

"Still, whatever the case may be, we should inform our leaders before acting." Rias informed her.

"Yeah, for now we'll proceed with caution and hope we get some answers soon." With that the meeting ended as Rias and Sona returned to their respective bases.

Dropping onto her seat, Rias sighed as she thought to the troubles ahead. Still one thought persisted in her mind as she looked at the worried gazes of her peerage members.

"I hope ichigo is alright." With that thought, Rias went to contact her brother, Sirzechs Lucifer.

---

Shooting across the sky like a shooting star, Kiana wreathed in her battle armor; code name- Flamescion, arrived at the scene where she had seen the pillar of light shoot up into the sky. It was only a few moments later that both Mei and Bronya arrived at the scene in their armors, with Mei's armor; code name- Rainy Springtide, and Bronya's armor; code name-Silverwing.

As the three-woman looked around the devastating scene, the cracked road and walls, ruined park that looked like it had been flipped over, power cables sparking and trees that fell over not being able to support their own weight. It looked like a hurricane had passed through the area.

Still, the rampant energy that Kiana saw definitely came from this area, hell, the energy here had yet to dissipate. Looking at the small lingering particles of golden energy that clung to the debris. Kiana went to touch it.

Smack*

"What!?" Kiana exclaimed as Bronya smacked her hand. Frowning at her, Bronya went to explain, "I wouldn't touch unknown energy signatures if I were you." Bronya warned her.

"Well how else am I supposed to know what this is." Kiana explained. "After all, based on just the feeling, this doesn't feel like anything I have ever seen, it's not holy or demonic, hell it's not even magical." Kiana argued.

"hmm, perhaps it is spiritual energy." Bronya contemplated.

"Certainly, feels that way, though not exactly…" Mei said as she stared at the particles.

"Any ideas Mei." Kiana asked.

"Well…it, perhaps…I feel like I've seen this somewhere before." Mei Admitted.

"Huh? Really." Bronya asked.

"Yeah, a long time ago, after I graduated and started working with Elysia-sama." She informed them.

"Well spit it out." Kiana urged.

"I was just getting to that! Anyways, as I was saying, it's something I've seen that only miss Elysia could do. For you see this small golden particle here is something she called 'primordial' energy." Mei said as she revealed the type of energy it was.

"Primordial Energy?" Bronya questioned.

"Yup, supposedly it's some really ancient stuff, the kind that not even gods are capable of using, only those that have existed since the beginning, even before creation. This Primordial energy as Elysia-sama put it, was the stuff that created all there was to create, as well as the source of power that the Monarchs are capable of using." Mei informed them.

"I see." Bronya said as she mulled over the information.

"So, what you're saying is that one of the Monarchs was just passing by here and decided to what? throw a tantrum all of a sudden." Kiana said incredulously.

"No, you idiot, what she meant to say is that some ancient being or artifact was probably responsible for that outburst of energy. As for why this town of all places, now that's beyond me." Bronya explained.

"Ah, I understand now, well, that's just fucking great, you're telling me that some old fossil came from whatever hole they been in since a bajillion years ago and decided to screw with this place for shits and giggles well that just something isn't it." Kiana said sarcastically.

"…I feel like you're starting to take after Himeko-sensei a little too much." Bronya said.

"Thanks!" kiana smiled.

"That wasn't a compliment." Bronya sighed.

"Alright that's enough let's get out of here, it appears our time is up." Mei said gravely.

"What do you mean?" Bronya asked.

"Yeah, I don't feel anyone near us." Kiana informed them.

"…" Without answering, Mei simply pointed her finger up.

High in the sky as all three looked up, was a presence, they couldn't see it, couldn't sense it, but they could feel something up high staring down, not particularly at them but at the entire town.

"Damn…" Kiana said as she withdrew her gaze.

"Shit, the lab personnel are probably going crazy right now." Bronya said as she too lowered her gaze.

"Yeah…let's go before things get even more troublesome." With that the trio left back to Bronya's Apartment.

A good call too because high up in the sky above. Though not exactly in the sky, but watching them from a different dimension was a pair of eyes. Many in fact. They observed everything around and within the town, for what the trio had felt was the gazes of the gods passing over them. That's right, the many gazes that were now focused on this town were the gazes of the gods as they had felt a sliver of primordial energy appear in this town. How that was possible they did not know but they sure would find out. After all, primordial energy was something that simply couldn't exist here.

---

High up in a skyscraper, standing on the roof of the tallest tower of the town, Evelyn the stray devil watched the city below as they reeled from the terrifying effect that the sudden display of power caused as it washed over the town. Even know sirens of emergency vehicles and response teams resounded throughout the area as panicked people called their loved ones and asked if they were safe. Many accidents occurred throughout the area, as well as many areas that were without power. The city had been struck and no one knew the why or how.

Still, as Evelyn looked at this, all she could think about was that boy, his face, his body, his sudden display of power.

Ah~ she couldn't help but moan in pleasure as she thought about it. Licking her lips, Evelyn couldn't imagine that she would encounter such delicious prey on her first day here. It seems that call of running to the joint Gremory and Sitri territory was the right call after all. Though she had become a stray, she had maintained her reasoning as she was a stronger devil, so she could support herself for some time. Still, she would need to hunt for prey if she didn't want to lose herself and become like that idiot Viser who had since lost her human form and reasoning.

No, she would rise above the rest, and when she was stronger she would go back and kill her master who had made her suffer for too long.

Still, above everything else.

"Haha~ My lovely ichigo~ you can run but you can't hide forever. After all, I have already marked you, no matter where you are or where you hide I'll always find you~" Evelyn said as she gazed towards the distance.

"I wonder? Will you taste as delicious as a strawberry, hmm~ well I guess I'll have to find out wont I! HahaHAHAHAHAhahaHA." Laughing like a maniac, Evelyn flushed face as she thought of her most recent hunt excited her beyond reason.

---

Looking at the seal in place, the figure noticed that it had been damaged, a slight crack had appeared on it. How that was possible, he couldn't even imagine.

"Still, to think this would happen so soon, it seems that he exceeded my expectations a little, should I perhaps move things ahead of schedule." He contemplated.

"Hmm, Yes, if he is anything like I expect him to be he will be more than ready for what's to come." He said after a moment of deliberation.

Placing his hand over the seal, the being restored it once more to what it was previously. After all, if the seal was to be destroyed before the time was right, the energy that was within would run rampant and without anyone to control it, forget the city. The entire planet along with the solar system and beyond will be taken out in an explosion of primordial energy.

That would be unfortunate now wouldn't it.

"Well I've done what I can, soon you will begin your training ichigo, and one day, the glory of the past will be reborn. The Monarch of Victory, may his name be sung again."

---

Authors Note:

AAAAARRRGGGGGHHHHHH!

Fuck! FUCK!

Sigh*

Alright I'm done.

Hello dear readers, to those who managed to get through this chapter I applaud you for making it this far, way to go champs!

Honestly, I did not expect I would end up making this obscenely long chapter. Simply put, I just couldn't find a good stopping point without getting all I had intended for this chapter to go through. Hence the long ass chapter you guys received.

I think I had to charge my laptop 5 times just writing this chapter throughout the five days I worked on it.

Ignoring my mental breakdown.

There are many things we should discuss about this chapter.

1st: I hope you guys enjoyed seeing Kiana and Mei join the story. Hooray! Now if Kiana appeared slightly OC to you guys, that's because I always imagined an older Kiana to be slightly like Himeko while retaining a bit of her childish side. Now I don't know if I captured that or not, but oh well I tried, I'm no expert.

2nd: DAMN! ICHIGO! Did I almost get him raped! WHAT THE FUCK WAS I ON!

Ok, that's why I have an M rating in this story, besides DXD itself should already be classified as an M rated series, I mean shit what are kids doing reading this story. When I was your age…

Alright I'll stop.

Yeah, this is simply going on to show that I'll touch on sensitive topics, yet don't fret, I'd like to think that a more serious story while maintaining moments of lightheartedness is a good blend. At least that's my opinion on it.

Let me know what you guys think.

Introducing an OC character, I made up to play the role of antagonist in my story, I present to you! EVELYN THE YANDERE! cough* I Meant to say EVELYN THE STRAY DEVIL!

Some interesting facts you should know is that I based her design off of Uzaki Hitomi from the anime Killing Bites, with a few small differences. Those being that she has cat girl features instead of honey badger features.

Is it a step down or an upgrade for you furries out there? Don't tell me I don't want to know.

3rd: Hollows were finally mentioned, now for those unaware, here is the ranks of hollows based on how strong they are.

Arrancar (Depends on previous evolution"

Vasto Lorde (Can be on equal footing with Arrancars)

Adjuchas

Gillians

Regular hollows

As for those who were paying attention, you might have noticed the term "Horror" I threw around. That would be the second enemy type that will appear in my story. You could say that they are remnant enemies left behind after the "Great War." This is how I rank them based on power.

Emperor Class

Ruler Class

Commander Class

Warrior Class

Servant Class

I completely took this Ranking system from a Chinese Light Novel called Versatile Mage if anyone is curious.

4th: Alright what else am I forgetting? Oh right! So, what do you guys think of this "Primordial Energy" that I completely made the fuck up. No! I couldn't have just stuck with Spiritual energy could I, had to go the extra mile to make ichigo more special then he already was. Well if ichigo is supposed to be a Monarch chosen as a Savior of the Universe and all of existence. Y'all best believe I'm giving him powers straight from the SOURCE of EXISTENCE to WHOOP ASS.

5th: What is that thing that crossed into our solar system that Bronya detected, hmm, I really wonder what that is? Oh, heavens what could it be.

6th: Updating the list once more…

Monarch of Victory – Ichigo Kurosaki

Monarch of Finality – Kevin Kaslana

Monarch of Origin – Elysia

Monarch of Sentience – Aizen Sosuke

Monarch of Reason – Kisuke Urahara

(Note: Even if you guessed the other Monarchs in the comments, I won't put them into the list until they are mentioned in the story, still awesome that you figured it out for some of them.)

I believe that is all I had to say.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and will continue to enjoy the story.

Till then.

Have a great day.