NMHA Ch. 61 - Values


A/N -

My car broke down! Yaaaaaay!

Control arm for a wheel went bust after I hit a pothole badly. Hooray for repair and tow fees! God that's a pain...

Also, my new job started at the turn of the month. Holy smokes it's a lot to take in all at once, but I will admit, I feel pretty welcomed. It also helps that it's pretty WFH.

Battles not pertaining to the Devils? The world is way bigger than the Devils, even if I have been giving them a focus, and between fleshing out the mystery of Ulan and making the DxD world as full as possible, I've definitely been focusing more on the widespread stuff lately. That being said, I do agree that it's time to zoom back in, and boy is the timing right for that!

For those of you who are waiting for the payoff, I understand the buildup getting old, but I promise that the next arc is where it all comes together. The conflicts, the grudges, the accidents, the mistakes, and the plots... oh yeah. It's gonna be goooood~

This is going to be the arc I've been waiting to make!

But we got one more chapter before we kick off that clusterfuck. We're starting to deviate again, in some pretty major ways.

Anyways, the show must go on!


As Issei walked to Masaomi's house, something that echoed was the difference of the world around him. Kuoh, while it was sleepy, usually had a little bit of noise to it, whether that was the ambiance of his hometown or even the wildlife.

He heard nothing of the sort. As he passed the midpoint between Kuoh Academy and the apparent forward base of Heaven, all he heard were faint wingbeats and the sound of sirens in the distance. As Issei walked by, he noticed a trio of Angels shifting the wreckage of a building, pulling out someone from the debris.

He paused, tempted to call out and see if they were okay, but as the Angels set the townsperson on the ground, as one of them set a hand over that person's face, the brunet turned away.

Another casualty. Another victim.

Issei's hands clenched into fists, and he forced himself away, continuing to walk.

It was quiet, and every damaged house that he passed by left his blood running hotter and hotter.

How? How could someone justify this? How could anyone want this?

This was war, he knew. This was the result.

'And this is what she wants?'

"Issei."

That was Masaomi, walking up to meet him as Asia's house came into view. And beside him was a woman - an Angel, undoubtedly - that under normal circumstances would have made Issei drool on sight.

These were not normal circumstances.

'...W-whoa.'

Even so, the vision of divine beauty beside the priest elicited a brief moment of pause from the brunet, a visage that, even if his mind was less than pure, washed away the rage, frustration, and sorrow for that brief period.

They returned, however, but even the moment of respite was enough for him to take a deep breath and focus back on the things that were important.

"Masaomi-san." He glanced at the Angel, struggling to find words under the weight of her... not judgmental, but rather thoughtful gaze. "Is... that...?"

"Indeed. Be not afraid, for you are welcome in this place." The seraphim in question made a slight bow, lips rising. "I am Gabriel, Seraphim of Heaven and the second in Heaven's hierarchy - beneath our Father - as it stands now. I wish that we could have met under better circumstances, Hyoudou-san, but even so allow me to offer my gratitude in saving as many lives as you did."

Interestingly enough, the rush of frustration and the subsequent wave of serenity that rose up to meet it helped him focus - the frustration as the impetus, and the serenity as the voice of reason. "It still wasn't enough."

"It wasn't," the angel agreed, shaking her head once as she rose back into a full stand. "Yet that is the case with us all. We are all children of God, and thus all are prone to missteps and mistakes. That is natural."

Again, his temper flared, and this time, it started to gain an edge over the effects of the Seraphim's peaceful aura on his sensibilities. "This is not natural," Issei said sharply, gesturing to the lands around them.

Masaomi rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Issei-"

"Your age is showing old man," he interrupted, stepping forward. "Have you seen the hellscape we're in right now!?"

"More than you have," the priest rumbled, lowering his fingers to level a hard stare at the brunet. "I have not slept ever since Luna blew up Kuoh - I've been helping coordinate the rescue missions, non-stop."

"You mean the retrieval missions for the bodies."

"That too," Masaomi admitted.

"How many people have died in this part of Kuoh alone?"

"Two thousand, seven hundred, and thirty-two dead, three thousand and forty-four injured." That was Gabriel, expression unreadable as she stared into the sky.

"Thousands dead, thousands more hurt - and there's going to be more people hurt as long as she lives." Issei lifted a fist at the black-haired man. "How can you justify that, old man? How can you justify so many innocent people suffering because of Lunarunn, Masaomi!?"

"Because I do know her," he replied, crossing his arms. "I've seen her at her worst. This, and that, and the circumstances surrounding them, could not be any more different."

Gabriel took a quick glance at Issei and stepped in, turning her gaze to Masaomi. "Please elaborate."

So he did: "Do you think she meant to cause so much collateral damage?"

The brunet paused. "No, but she did so anyway. Intent doesn't matter, not here. Not when so many people were hurt because of a choice she made!"

"A choice she made, from what I hear, under intense duress, pressured by one of my strongest wayward brothers," Gabriel pointed out. "Her life was in jeopardy, so she unleashed her power."

"You're defending her?!"

"No; I mean to offer an alternative perspective." The Strongest Woman in Heaven crossed her arms beneath her bust, a contemplative expression upon her face. "I would hear her explanation from her own lips, as well as what she intends to do to atone, before I render judgment."

"Maybe you would, but not me." Issei did a one-eighty, turning away from his girlfriend's father and the divine beauty he apparently served. "You said it yourself; we're all prone to making mistakes. Even suggesting there's a good reason for all this is a big one."

He could imagine that Gabriel's face fell, just by her tone. "You would not even give it thought? Even Father tried to understand his greatest foes before facing them."

"Then it's a good fucking thing I'm not a Christian!" he growled back, before stiffly walking off.

Masaomi stepped forward, but stopped when Gabriel put an arm out to block his path.

"He is afraid," she explained, quietly. "Give him time to process before you approach him again."

"...Alright." Masaomi bowed his head. "I just... I'm with you - I want to know why from Luna herself."


He was really getting sick of seeing collapsed buildings already. As Issei walked the rubble-ridden streets toward the 'downtown' of Kuoh, where he knew the hospital and the Youkai faction would be, his mind continued to stew on the destruction around him.

It reminded him of those visions. Way, way too many of them. All of them ending in death.

'Just what am I missing?' he mused. 'Why am I so... so affected by this?'

Beyond the fact that he still wasn't sure what happened with his parents. The street lights were nonfunctional, and neither was his phone. At least his phone was still operable, but without service or seemingly power sources, the brunet was loath to use it, even to take his mind off of the ruined town around him.

He continued onward, noting more people hurrying by as he approached the city center, Issei watching with a growing sense of disbelief as Youkai and humans alike rushed by, whether that was in ambulances or with stretchers.

Finally, Issei found the center of all the mayhem, the hospital itself, in surprisingly decent shape given the destruction around it. The sound of sirens was ubiquitous now, as were the people rushing in and out of the hospital doors - all of them - civilians and paramedics alike.

Some cried. Some were shouting. Most were silent.

Issei was among the silent as he stepped inside and walked up to the front counter, where a receptionist sat, face in her hands, arms propped up on the counter.

He idly noted that there was power here; hospitals did have backup generators, maybe that had something to do with it?

"Er, hi," he started, waving sheepishly before clearing his throat. "I'd... rather, do you know if Miki or Gorou Hyoudou were admitted? I'm their son, but I haven't seen them in a day-"

"Hyoudou?" The receptionist looked up, though Issei could see that she was tired; baggy eyes, frizzled hair, and rumpled clothes all suggested she had been doing this for a while. "Give me one moment- we're completely filled up and then some - so many rooms have been converted to triages, most of the time we just discharge them as soon as they're stabilized-"

"Would you still have them on record, then?" the brunet tried.

"Right. Records." The woman let out a hollow laugh. "Hyoudou-san, I've been working this job for a dozen years, and this is so far beyond anything I've seen before. I might be able to point you to someone who might know, but anything more-"

"Look, are they here or not?" he interrupted, perhaps too harshly. Issei didn't particularly care. "Or if not them, then maybe Asia Yaegeki or-"

"He's with me."

"Oh, Yuuma-san." The receptionist bowed her head, clearly relieved at handing off another incensed visitor to someone else. As Issei turned around, that someone turned out to be Raynare, dressed in scrubs and a mask, though her hair was only tied up in a bandana rather than given a cap. "Go right ahead then. Thank you, and I hope you find your parents, Hyoudou-san."

"C'mon. Sachi-san's already had to deal with enough people throwing tantrums." The scrub-wearing Fallen grabbed Issei by the wrist and pulled him away, to one of the adjoining hallways. "Let's not add the vaunted 'Hero of Kuoh' to them."

"Raynare?" Issei's eyes narrowed, and he yanked his arm out of her grip as they walked along. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What does it look like? I'm trying to be what little help I can be," she replied shortly, pulling Issei to the side as a pair of Youkai strode past, a groaning, bloodied human in the stretcher they carried with them. "God knows I'll just be passed around like a hot potato if I stayed in the Grigori part of town."

"No, you're not that selfless," The brunet denied. "There's something else going on. Spit it out, Raynare."

"Yuuma."

"Yuuma, then." He rolled his eyes. "I thought you were done with that name?"

"Well, that's the name I'm going to have to live with, now that I'm all but kicked out of my old organization."

He peered at the raven-haired Fallen, who just smirked sardonically at him as she guided him into a stairwell, climbing up and casting a quick privacy ward.

"What, you expected that I'd be able to stay there after I followed Lord Kokabiel for an unsanctioned mission, first to observe the Sacred Gear wielders in Kuoh, then to block the populace - you and Asia included - from the influence of the Dark Moon while he tried to kill her?"

"Unsanctioned?"

"Yep." Raynare shrugged as they continued upward, the flow of people passing by lessening the higher they got. "We figured trying to keep Kuoh safe while Lord Kokabiel went after the Dark Moon was important enough to risk losing our homes for. Unfortunately, now that this has all gone to shit, Azazel's gonna be forced to exile us all. He'd do it even if we weren't though; he does hate it when others won't play by his rules."

Issei stared. "And you're... what, you're fine with that?"

"Better to be left adrift for doing the right thing, instead of being part of the fucking sheep who sit by and do nothing." Raynare shrugged again. "Besides. I wasn't doing anything right in the Grigori anyway. I was a burden. A liability. At least here, I'm doing... something. Even if it's as basic as running carts and guiding people to their families."

"You're not that selfless," he flatly rejected Raynare's explanation again. "Enough dancing around the topic, tell me what's really going on."

She paused their climb to glare at him briefly, before her expression slackened and she turned away, moving once more.

As they climbed up, someone passed by them, posture slouched. They gave Issei a brief glare, but it wasn't until they had already left the stairwell that it clicked for Issei.

'Wait, was that Motohama?'

Before he could go after his previous friend though, Raynare spoke again.

Her voice was tight. "...Did you know that I worked with three other Fallen?"

"The ones that we'd already met, right? Dohnaseek, Kalawarner, and... did I ever meet the last one, actually?"

"Mittelt. She was the one to look after your parents while Lord Kokabiel and the Dark Moon duked it out."

A few more seconds passed, before Issei began to put the pieces together. "Something happened to her."

"...Your barrier was strong enough to block most of the blast, but the Dark Moon's explosion was still too much." Raynare took another breath. "Your house was destroyed."

His mouth went dry. "Did... are my parents okay? What happened with Mittelt?"

"She did her duty." The words were tossed out almost airily, but Issei didn't have to see her face to notice the way her shoulders hunched up.

"Hey." Issei's hand reached out to grasp her wrist, both of them pausing on the steps even as Raynare reached for the door.

"I'm fine."

He shook his head. "I might be an idiot, but even I know that isn't true."

"And what do you know?" she huffed. "You've been unconscious for a whole day, and you still don't know what happened to your parents."

"Which is why I want to know more." He gestured to her. "You're bottling things up, but maybe we both have something to gain from you sharing what happened."

"Maybe I don't want to share."

Issei's grin was perhaps a bit toothy to be considered friendly. "Well I don't want to be the Red Dragon Emperor, but here we are."

Raynare took a deep breath, and was silent for multiple seconds before she spoke again.

"Mittelt was an absolute bitch."

"Pot talking about the kettle," he fired back, with little actual heat to it.

"Her mouth could put sailors to shame."

"Uh-huh."

"I hated her."

"I can tell."

The young Fallen Angel turned back to Issei, expression pinched and eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"I was gonna kill her one day, y'know. I should have been the one to run her through, not... not some stupid human plumbing pipe!"

Issei wasn't sure what to do. When Asia got like this, she usually liked hugs, but considering they were friends and Raynare... wasn't, he was pretty sure that would only make things worse.

So instead his grin faded, and he squeezed her hand gently. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She pulled her hand away as though burned, staring at it with a distant gaze. "It wasn't your fault."

'It was the Dark Moon's.'

The words went unsaid, but he understood the faint sharpening in the Fallen's eyes all the same.

"Your parents are on this floor," she said plainly, looking at Issei once more before turning around to the next flight of stairs, pulling her mask back over her face. "Not sure where. Not sure I care. Good luck finding them, I guess."

As Raynare started climbing the next steps, Issei came to a decision.

"You can come with me, if you want."

She paused, before looking back with plain surprise written on what parts of her expression Issei could see.


Raynare was true to her word; his parents were on that exact floor. It did, however, take some patience as the nurse went through the list of patients to find them.

On one hand, the relief that flushed through Issei was palpable.

But on the other...

Gorou Hyoudou, Age: 43. Height: 176 cm. Weight: 77 kg. Hair: Brown. Eyes: Hazel. Symptoms: Paralysis waist-down. Reported Cause: Crushed by debris from house collapse.

Even now, Issei could only watch in muted horror at his bedridden father as he glanced between Issei and Raynare.

"Issei." Gorou blinked slowly at the young woman before realizing that he recognized her. "Ah... Amano-san, right? Please, come in. Make yourselves comfortable. I'd come and bring up some chairs, but..."

The Fallen Angel appeared distinctly uncomfortable as she looked between the bedridden father of the young man next to her and the mother, battered and in an arm cast, but otherwise apparently unharmed.

"I'll do it," Issei's mother offered, taking a step back and pulling up a chair, then another. "Please, sit, you two."

The brunet in question swallowed, but did sit, Raynare doing the same a moment later and pulling down her mask. The question that had been pooling in his gut as soon as he learned that his father in particular had been hospitalized for severe injury.

"What happened?"

Miki and Gorou exchanged looks before the former spoke. "Your father and I... well. When the explosion happened, we were inside the house, and... well."

"Came crumbling down like a castle in the sand," Gorou said. "That young lady with us, Mittelt? She... well. She pushed Miki out of the way of the debris. Mittelt-san was buried, and I..." He grimaced. "I was almost able to get out. But not quite. At least your mother's still mostly well."

"I... broke my arm falling," she admitted, almost sheepishly. "Then I pulled a muscle trying to get Gorou out before medical volunteers were able to do it."

Issei glanced over to Raynare. Raynare just shook her head, ever so slightly.

He wasn't sure that being buried would kill a Fallen Angel, but getting impaled on a pipe was another story. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that being run through was part of getting trapped under the wreckage.

"Will you be okay?" the Sacred Gear wielder said quietly. "Your legs, are they...?"

"Paralyzed? Mhm. Your friend Asia-san offered to heal them." Gorou shook his head. "I turned her down."

"What?!" Issei - and Raynare, oddly enough - bolted to their feet. Issei continued. "You turned her down? She could have helped you two get back up like nothing ever happened!"

"So you know about her powers?" Miki asked, before holding her good hand up to her mouth and giggled. "Never mind. You two are like peas in a pod, of course you would."

"Okay, but about turning her down-" Raynare cut in, before Gorou held up a hand.

"Your girlfriend, Issei," he started slowly, meeting the brunet's eyes. "She has a special gift. Something that nobody else has. She can heal people? Even from injuries like mine? I don't just have nerve damage, my spine is broken. You don't just... heal from that. But she seemed so sure she could fix me."

"She could," Issei confirmed. "So why-?"

"Because there are other people who need her help more," his father said, closing his eyes. "You have no idea how much I wanted to say yes."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Even if I'm paralyzed, even if I'm confined to a wheelchair for the rest of my life, at least I have a life." He glanced over at Miki and lifted a hand, taking her's. "If I took up Asia-chan's time just to fix me, then there might be others who she wasn't able to get to in time. I might want to walk again, but I don't want it so badly that I'm willing to let other people die for it. I can wait."

"She would have had you back on your feet in, like, thirty seconds, Tou-san," the younger brunet insisted.

"And what if those thirty seconds of selfishness cost someone else their life?" Gorou asked instead, turning his gaze to the ceiling. "In a time like this, I can wait. And if it does mean losing my legs, then at least I know that my loss wasn't without reason."

"Damn it Dad, think about yourself before some stranger!"

That got him a pointed look. "Would you have someone else's blood on your hands, just for the convenience of those you love?"

"I would, and I wouldn't even think twice!"

Yet, Issei paused at his declaration, looking down with faintly widened eyes and garnering looks from all three others in the room: surprise from Raynare, shock from Miki, and disappointment from Gorou.

"I see." Issei's father sighed, glancing back at his mother. "I apologize; I didn't realize that you would care this much about it."

"Don't be." The young man shook his head. "You two did everything for me. I couldn't ask for better parents. I wouldn't want them."

"Thank you, Ise-kun," His mother smiled warmly at him, and the Fallen in disguise finally jumped back in.

"What about Mittelt?" Raynare asked, crossing her arms beneath her bust. "Did she say anything before she got crushed?"

"Maybe? I think she did, but it's hard to remember..." Miki tilted her head. "I think it had something to do with a Raynare woman and not blaming herself?"

"Was it caustic, rude, and crass enough to make a sailor blush?"

"That does sound about right, yes. I was a little too worried for Gorou to memorize whatever it was she said, though..." Miki tilted her head. "Do you know who this Raynare person is, Yuuma-san?"

Raynare smiled sadly.

"She was someone I used to work with. Before the explosion, I mean."

"Oh." Issei's mother lowered her hand to her heart. "I'm sorry, Yuuma-san. It must be hard, losing two friends like this..."

"It's alright." The Fallen in disguise shook her head and cast her gaze into her own lap. "I can't say I was overly fond of Raynare anyway."

Issei glanced her way, but chose to say nothing.


After he finished visiting his family, Issei went further up the hospital, this time without Raynare. The Youkai faction was supposedly running it after the disaster, which meant that the leaders would be near the top, right?

His guess proved correct when he noticed a pair of Youkai - Tengu, he surmised - guarding the doors to what was probably the CEO's office, narrowing their eyes at him and shifting in place, as though readying their polearms.

Issei, in turn, just held up an arm, palm facing himself, and manifested the Boosted Gear, pointing to it, then to himself before dispelling it. Almost immediately the guards seemed to settle, one of them giving a silent nod to the other before they both stepped to the side, allowing Issei entry to the office.

He stepped up to the door, noting voices behind it - arguing?

"If you think that money will solve this, then-"

"Of course not. But it will help those who were affected get back on their feet after what happened."

"And in return you expect Us to...?"

"Subsidize those who need it. We seek only to render rightful aid. No more, no less."

There was a harsh sigh. "...We will send you the requisite information. Now get out."

A few moments later, Issei knocked on the door.

"Enter."

As the brunet entered, he noticed a svelte, black-haired woman with shockingly piercing red eyes walking up to him. She gave him a quick look, raised her brows, before letting out a faint huff of laughter before leaving without another word.

"...I feel violated."

'Eh?'

"That woman, she was sizing us up."

'Oh - like Aika or Motohama with their separate 'scouter abilities'?'

Issei expected Ddraig to laugh it off, but to his surprise the dragon was dead serious. "Times a hundred. I could feel her literally inspecting not just you, but us both. She knew that you were the Red Dragon Emperor immediately. Be wary of that woman, Issei."

Right, but she was gone now, leaving a buxom blonde, dressed in an elaborate kimono, sitting in the CEO's chair and holding her head, an expression that could only be described as frustrated exasperation on her face.

Issei cleared his throat, to which the woman - a kitsune, he realized, as multiple tails waved behind her - snapped back to attention.

"Red Dragon Emperor," she surmised, gesturing to a seat. "We were expecting you. Please, take a seat.

"Please, just call me Issei." He bowed his head and complied.. "I prefer not to be labeled by a single part of my identity."

"Then you may call Us Yasaka-sama," the kitsune replied, bowing her head back. "May We inquire as to why you are here?"

'Uh... 'us'?'

'Noble speak. Don't worry about it; it's just you two.'

"Ah... well. This is my home, y'know? I have family in Kuoh." He scratched the back of his head. "Family that would probably get hurt if, er, the city were to be blown up by a crazy Devil."

Yasaka took a deep breath. "We get the idea. So, how is said family?"

He raised a brow slowly. "Why so curious?"

The kitsune smiled. "We know full well what it is like, to have those We care about in harm's way. We have a daughter, and previously a husband before he fell in battle."

'Holy shit, the Youkai faction's leader is a MILF!?'

"Ah." Issei cleared his throat, shoving down the part of him that was perving out. "Could be better, but they're alive. Still not sure why my dad turned down my girlfriend's offer to heal his spine, though..."

"Oh, you speak of Asia Yaegeki?"

"You know her?"

"We know of her. We've actually spoken with her father. He seems like a good man."

"Let's not bring up the old man right now," The brunet muttered, shaking his head.

"Ah... We take it that you and he are on the outs?" Yasaka asked with a lifted brow.

"I'd say that's a good way of putting it, and leave it at that," Issei said.

The kitsune picked up the hint and acquiesced with a nod, rising from her seat and taking a step back to turn around and look over the badly damaged landscape of Kuoh. "We understand. Seeing this destruction in person, it is... difficult to reconcile."

And Masaomi seemed to reconcile with Lunarunn's actions far too easily. Same with Gabriel, but for Issei... well. His family got hurt. His home was wrecked.

It was personal. Issei knew it, he recognized it, and he let it affect his thinking anyway.

"So, uh... I take it Asia's been doing good work helping the injured, if you know about her... ability?"

"Sacred Gear. We are well aware, Issei-san." Yasaka glanced back to give Issei an almost vulpine grin. "Power attracts power, and yours is a boon that has left Kuoh as a place to be saved, rather than a mere hole in the ground."

"I only wish I could have done more," he said, crestfallen.

"We believe that to be a wish shared by all those with good intent." Yasaka gestured to the view. "For instance, the one you caught just leaving wishes to infuse Kuoh with a massive donation and offer their medical services at no charge. Yet even she expressed the desire to do more."

"Eh?" Issei blinked. Then why did Yasaka sound so put-out with them? "Just how much are we talking here?"

"Two hundred seventy billion Yen reserved for structural repairs and renovations, plus four hundred million to each person whose family member died in the explosion, plus another two hundred million to each person for their or a loved ones' medical bills, should they go with a provider other than them."

The brunet was nonplussed. If a quarter of Kuoh had been killed or severely injured, that amounted to...

"Who the hell was that?!"

And why would Yasaka be so angry with someone giving such a massive contribution with what sounded like no strings attached!?

"Someone you likely wouldn't know," she replied. "She has done well to lay low. Simply put, however... do you know who the wealthiest person in the human world is, right now?"

"That would be that American guy, right? Bill Gates?" he guessed, tilting his head as Yasaka shook her own.

"He's the second-wealthiest. The first would be Jaspal Vell, the woman that We just finished speaking with."

Her next words, however, left Issei reeling.

"She is the Pawn of Lunarunn nee Bael."


It was hard for Motohama to believe that just two months ago, Matsuda, Issei and he were all part of the Perverted Trio, up to their usual antics.

Then Issei, the bastard, left, leaving Matsuda and Motohama to deal with a two-week suspension after he got just a slap on the wrist! He was sure that was because of the guy's probably-girlfriend Asia vouching for him, and considering how well-received she was in terms of the administration and other students, Motohama knew it saved Issei's bacon.

Truly, favoritism was alive and well in the world.

Then the bastard cut off contact with them. Decided to go the 'straight and narrow', whatever that meant. So the Perverted Trio became the Perverted Duo, and even then, he and Matsuda had been keeping their heads down to avoid getting expelled.

He rubbed a lock of his hair, down to the side of his cheek, almost nervously as he walked into his room, locking the door behind him. The apartment building was damaged, but his section merely had some superficial damage..

There was no power. There was no service. His phone was completely fried, and he wasn't even sure how he was practically uninjured after the sky lit up like an aurora briefly and everything went sideways. He wasn't even sure how he was alive.

Matsuda certainly wasn't.

The idiot was trying to get some real creeps to back off a girl traveling home late when the sky turned weird and the buildings transformed into tempests of brick, mortar, wood, and metal.

He was the only survivor, and even then that was just because Matsuda ended up taking all the hits, trying to put both the girl and Motohama behind him.

Motohama only survived because of Matsuda. For that, he'd always be grateful to his brother in arms.

Of the Perverted Trio, only Motohama was still alive and believed in the cause.

Yet, when he went to the hospital, he noticed that Issei was there. With a girl that wasn't Asia, strangely enough..

And worse yet, that girl was a total hottie! Her scores were incredible, and yet... Issei seemed almost irritated?

...No, Issei was a lost cause. Not that it really mattered; Motohama was done with him anyway.

Especially when Issei seemed to be getting all the good stuff. He seemed to be getting the girls - including the best at Kuoh - and that wasn't even including the fact that he had a damn Sacred Gear!

Not just any, either. A Longinus... that was one of the most powerful Gears out there. How was that fair? How did Issei deserve that sort of thing any more than he or Matsuda did?!

WHAM!

Motohama withdrew an aching fist from hitting the wall, cradling his fingers with grit teeth.

His parents were also in the hospital, but he would rather not think about that. They'd be back, but for now he was on his own.

No matter. At least someone else seemed to recognize his worth. It might not be much, but after everything that happened, he welcomed the comfort.

He stepped over to his desk and pulled it open, digging through papers before getting to the bottom and pulling out the flier.

Motohama remembered weeks ago when that cute girl had been passing out fliers. He'd taken one, both out of general courtesy and to get a better read on her stats.

Something hadn't been right with it, and oddly enough, she'd given him a wink a moment after he'd finished scanning her.

Then she gave him another flier, this one slightly different than the rest.

What he'd found, when he decided to follow through with the instructions on it, was beyond his expectations.

Indeed, even as he pulled out a small knife from the drawer and pricked his thumb, letting out a hiss as the blade broke flesh, Motohama could hardly keep the growing grin off his face.

He may have just been a lowly human, but even he could garner the attention of a higher power.

The slowly oozing blood flowed from his thumb onto the flier, and from within a seal lit up.

Of course, this was a busy individual, so he could wait.

It was another hour before the recipient of his contract finally responded, appearing from a scarlet circle that appeared. As it did, Motohama hurriedly scrambled out of bed into a standing position, arms at his side.

She was every bit as exquisite as the last time they'd spoken - even moreso, she was dressed to the nines in a low-cut gown and gloves, flaxen hair gleaming in the little light his room had with the power cut.

"Motohama," his patron, Venelana, greeted him, a faint frown on her expression. "I am afraid you caught me at an inopportune moment. I was in a rather important meeting."

"A-ah, my apologies," he stammered, before clearing his throat and pushing his glasses up with a finger. Those scores... the only one that matched them was Rias Gremory, and her scores were already otherworldly!

'Like daughter, like mother.'

"I wanted to give a brief status report," Motohama continued. "Considering it's been a day and a bit since the explosion, I mean."

"I hope it is worthwhile, then," Venelana mused, turning around to look out the small, lone window. "I would rather not remain here long."

Nor should she, he agreed. Even now, he felt a twinge of guilt for speaking with her, even if it was vastly overwhelmed by the glee at seeing Venelana in the flesh a second time.

That potent blend of intoxication and shame fueled him, and so Motohama continued unabashed.

"The town's been split into four sections," he reported. "Each one headed by a different involved faction. From the looks of it, even the Angels have a foothold."

"All things I already knew," the flaxen-haired woman replied simply. "I truly hope you didn't ask me my time for merely that."

Motohama briefly stalled, as that had been the gist of what he had planned to report, but quickly recovered.

"W-well... now that I think about it, that bastard Issei - the Red Dragon Emperor, I mean - seems to be cavorting with the other factions. He had another girl with him. I couldn't tell what she was, but she looked a lot like Akeno Himejima, back from school."

There was a brief pause.

"Then it must have been a Fallen Angel," Venelana finished, putting a finger to her chin briefly before nodding once. "That is much more informative. It also gives me greater confidence in my decision to have my daughter returned home."

"Eh?" The bespectacled young man bowed his head. "A-ah, I see. It is for the best; this is not the place for those of your caliber, as you said before."

But where did that leave him?

A hand, gloved and oh-so-gentle, rested against his cheek, guiding his gaze to her bosom for a brief moment, then to her face.

"I do hope you are not fearing for the continued duration of our... partnership." Venelana's smile was cool, but it was a balm to the roiling that had started within the young man, washing away the uncertainty immediately. "Even if I have little reason to keep my daughter here, I think we are in agreement that this Issei child is in need of some continued... observation."

Observation? He could do that.

There was a brief pause, before her other hand reached back into her bust and pulled out a small vial, covered in tape with strange symbols on it. From what little he could see of the liquid inside, it appeared to be some sort of oil - blacker than black, the kind that made Motohama's head spin looking at it.

"Of course, if you ever see the opportunity to deal with him in a more meaningful manner, this may be of assistance."

The bespectacled human took the vial, staring at it for a long second before looking back at Venelana's violet eyes. It took another to pull himself back out of those mesmerizing depths before he was able to speak again, not of concern of what she meant by 'dealing with him', but rather curiosity.

"What is it?"

"An essence derived from the same individual who destroyed Kuoh," she replied, a smile in her words. "It should give you access to the same power she has when consumed, at least for a brief time. You have done well so far, Motohama. I hope to see further success from you."

That sent another rush of satisfaction through him, cementing his decision. He looked back at the vial, before back at Venelana, before he stowed it in his school jacket pocket. "And by success, you mean...?"

Her hand slid down his cheek to his chin, tilting his head up to meet her gaze, and this time, he couldn't look away no matter how hard he tried. A moment passed as she drew closer, and even that idea dropped out of his mind, consumed by those violets that stared ever-so-fondly, like one might look upon a cute animal.

He didn't care. He was, after all, her loyal servant.

Her word was law.

"I want you to give Hyoudou Issei his comeuppance."


"Ara?" Akeno folded her hands behind her back, smiling sweetly at the blond who stepped in her path. "May I help you, Isaiah-san?"

He opened his mouth briefly, before closing it. A moment later, the swordsman actually spoke. "Do you know the name Rizevim?"

There was a brief pause, the nephilim-turned-Devil tilting her head as she met Isaiah's gaze. More telling, however, was the way her smile dropped.

"I am afraid I know nothing about what you're talking about," she drawled, particularly emphasizing the 'nothing' in her statement. "Nobody of that name is in Kuoh as far as I know."

"You're the half-Fallen daughter of one of the Grigori's strongest members, and a Devil at that," he pointed out, raising a brow slowly. "From the sounds of it, there may be a bit more than you're letting on."

"And what would you know of that, Isaiah-san?" Akeno said, as her arms slid from behind her back to beneath her bust, a playful smirk returning to her face. "As handsome as you are, I'm afraid we aren't close enough for you to know me like you're suggesting~"

Isaiah paused, before inclining his head and closing his eyes. "Fair enough. I suppose I may be mistaking you for someone else, then. I apologize for interrupting you."

"Forgiven." Akeno stepped forward, the blond giving way to let her by before she stopped in the same place Isaiah once stood. "If you are curious, however, you may want to talk to your own patron. Maybe he'll know where you could find that person?"

'Your own?' That got a raised brow from the blond.

"It's not the guy himself that interests me," he replied, leaning against one of the lockers. "It's the people he's ended up taking under his wing. Metaphorically speaking, of course."

"Ahhhh." Akeno hummed, before beaming at the swordsman. "Then I truly am afraid I know not who you're speaking of. My apologies, Isaiah-san."

She then started walking again. "Ja ne~"

Isaiah stood there and watched her leave, then closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

His hands curled into fists.

Several minutes later, someone else spoke. "You're upset."

The blond's vision expanded to see Valerie before him, letting his arms drop limply at his sides with a sigh.

"More... frustrated," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "I was hoping that we'd be able to keep things quiet, but from the sounds of it we didn't have much of an impact at all."

"Such is the difference in power between the best and the rest." Valerie put a finger to her lips. "Though personally, I think we did plenty. You learned what you needed from your brief talk with Akeno, correct?"

"I learned enough," he confirmed.

"Is that why you're upset?"

"...Perhaps."

"I see." Valerie stared at Isaiah before closing one eye and smirking, opening her mouth slightly to tap a finger against an elongated incisor. "Well, I know a way to help you... unwind."

"Hmph." He pushed off the locker, meeting his girlfriend's smirk with a winning smile of his own. "I may just take you up on that."

'I just have to keep going. No matter what, I have to protect those precious people.'


"You can't be serious. So soon...?" Rias stared wide-eyed at her brother, a beat of sweat rolling down her face as she received the news that she had so dearly not wanted to hear yet.

A recall order, requesting that all heirs within Kuoh were returned to the Underworld.

It hadn't even been 36 hours, and the Assembly had already near-unanimously made such a motion?

"This stinks of Zekram all over it," Sirzechs grunted, but nodded his head at Rias's denial. "But yes, the Assembly has been remarkably swift in passing their recall motion for you and Sona."

"And you can't do anything about it...?" she tried, but to that Sirzechs shook his head.

"Rias... my hands are tied." He splayed his palms out to emphasize the point. "As acting head of Kuoh, reactionary force in the face of Azazel and Gabriel being in town, as well as dealing with Lunarunn if she shows her face again, anything I do to defy the Assembly in this position would result in massive backlash."

"It hasn't stopped you before." Rias stepped forward, swallowing hard. "I don't want to go back, not yet."

"It's not your choice anymore." Sirzechs rested an elbow on the desk, and set his head against his hand. "Even mother and father were in on the recall. If I go against them, I risk getting sanctioned, and you getting expelled from the family."

That statement stopped Rias cold. Disowned...?

"Mother and Father would never do that," she insisted.

"Father wouldn't," Sirzechs said grimly. "Mother, on the other hand... she'd do worse."

The young Devil stared hard at the floor, fists clenching and unclenching.

"Rias." Her head snapped back up at Sirzechs, as he rose from his seat. "Do you want to stay because you have something here you need to do? Or do you want to stay because you just don't want to be locked in Hell?"

"I..."

"Want to be free to make your own choices. I know." Sirzechs stepped over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Which is why I want you to go home."

"What?" Her eyes widened.

"Do you really think that defying the Assembly, knowing that they were able to make this motion pass before Issei's claim to Kuoh could spread, would give you what you want?" The crimson-haired Satan bowed his head. "Mother already knows that I'm telling you this. If you respond by saying you were claimed by the Red Dragon Emperor after this motion has already passed, it will be considered a slap in the face of the Underworld at large."

"I know that, but-"

"Do you know what Venelana does to those that offend her in such a heinous manner?" he asked softly. "She's not called the Flaxen-haired Ruin Princess for no reason. And I mean 'ruin' in many more ways than just using her Power of Destruction."

"But she wouldn't do that to me. I'm too... valuable-" Rias spat the word like an epithet, "- to destroy like that, right?"

Sirzechs lifted his hand from her shoulder and sat back down. When he did, he just sighed. "I wish I could agree with you. But there are more ways than one to deal with a rowdy child, even in ways that would keep me from striking back."

A chill went down Rias's spine. "...You mean 'corrective education', don't you?"

"I'll let you come to your own conclusions," he evaded, all but confirming Rias's point. "But suffice to say, our mother has contacts high and low, and many individuals she can extract favors from. A favor lost in exchange for a problem solved is as transactional as can be, and you know how good a businesswoman Mom is. Plus, you said it yourself; you're valuable to her."

Rias did. She hated that she did, but she did. "So this isn't just you capitulating to the Assembly..."

"Going home is legitimately the safest thing you could do," Sirzechs finished. "Politically, physically, and otherwise. If I could say otherwise I would, but the Underworld was too swift on the draw this time."

The redheads both sat in silence as the air hung heavily between them, then the younger of the two rose to her feet. "Well... if that's the case, I should let Sona know... or at least be there to commiserate, if Serafall already told her."

Sirzechs smiled sadly. "I wish I could do more, Rias. I really do. I promise to clean up the situation here as soon as I can, so you can come back to an even better Kuoh than before."

She believed him.


"You're not what I was expecting."

"I would hope that is a compliment to exceeding your expectations?"

"Moreso that you seem... oddly down-to-earth for someone with such high ambitions."

"Superbia is not my Sin to bear. Mine is Acedia."

"Yet you are on the outs with most of the Underworld, because you challenge the status quo."

The blond Devil grinned at the Nekoshou. "I'd say that it's easier to challenge it than to let it be."

That repartee got one of Koneko's feline ears to flick as she returned her attention to the wild lands around them. Part of her was still irritated at being out here to begin with, instead of back in Kuoh with Rias as Luna did... something - she wasn't sure what and that frustrated her to no end.

But Koneko didn't let it get to her. Rias had gone out of her way to ask Koneko to lend a hand to Ruval. Her perception of the Phenex family was certainly not the warmest thanks to Riser's nature as a braggart, but even Rias seemed to have a good opinion of the newest lord. So she'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

It certainly helped that he was going out of his way to hunt down the bandit who kept harassing his people. Raids on convoys, led by an individual whose blade could make even Ruval bleed?

She glanced back at the blond, dressed in a hunter's jerkin and pants.

Koneko wouldn't have even given him the time of day if he'd chosen tights instead of pants, though.

But yes, the white-haired girl could see how Ruval caught Rias's attention. The great status of the Phenex family, an amiable demeanor, Ruval's personal strength, and the mystery of this bandit having a dead Pillar's bloodline at a strength unheard of since the Civil War? There was no way that wouldn't interest her King.

"Is Fan-san in place?" she inquired, getting a brief swipe of Ruval's hand, summoning a small sigil before nodding once.

"She is. We'll need to be swift; Boris won't be able to hold off our foe for long enough to Castle if our target goes after them."

That got another nod from Koneko. "Let her know to start sending out Senjutsu pulses. I'll send more back so we can put together a three-dimensional view of the area. It should only take half a minute, tops."

"A few seconds might be all this enemy needs to realize something's off."

That got another nod from Koneko, as well as a faint shiver. This felt out of her pay grade, the same way Kokabiel did back when...

She shook her head. That was another world. She could learn from it, but Koneko knew she couldn't lean on it.

Besides, at least now she was in the company of someone who was purported to nearly beat Diehauser Belial in the Rating Games before he announced his ascension to the seat of Lord Phenex.

So the Nekoshou put her thoughts out of mind, closed her eyes, and focused on the world around her, reaching out with Senjutsu, like the extra limb that it was for her subspecies.

Immediately, the world answered back, life energy filling her senses. It was cold, wild, and fierce, much like the lands that they were traveling, but it was alive in a way that invigorated her.

And even now, she felt a faint shifting in the rivers of that energy, the pulse from Xi Fan, and there, she could feel the distortion in the leyline that signified a sentient being of some power.

So she sent it back, in the direction she could feel the wave first coming from, feeling her own pulse in the life-filled aether brush up against that same blockage, all but confirming the Phenex Bishop's first results.

She got another one back, this time with a wider zone of stillness. Confused, she sent out another pulse, only to notice that her return pulse hit a blockage sooner-

Koneko's eyes shot open as her instincts screamed at her to move, immediately filling her body to the brim to dive to the side, the Nekoshou's form shifting to that taller, more shapely one that she knew was more natural for her sister. Fingers dug into rough soil to break her momentum, she dove again as Ruval lunged in, a blast of white flame shooting over her head toward their assailant.

She silently thanked Rias for the enchantment to ensure her clothing shifted with her use of Shirone Form, even as the Devil the Nekoshou and Ruval had been searching for struck the ground where she once stood; the wave of wind shooting from the straight-edged blade slicing through Ruval's attack, carving a narrow trench through the ground and through a nearby tree, and signifying how quickly the situation changed.

"Hoh? Wasn't expecting the little one to grow like that. Or that she'd be so fast." The straight blade rose to the copper-haired Devil's shoulder, golden eyes flicking between the two others. Still otherwise shrouded behind cloth, both Ruval and Koneko could hear satisfaction in the bandit's voice. "Good reflexes. And good on you, Ruval, to go asking around for assistance."

"Is that mockery I hear?" the Phenex in question asked, narrowing his eyes as he held his hand to the side, a shining spear springing from his hand into his grasp.

That... wasn't fire. Koneko wasn't even sure what that spear he'd just manifested was. It wasn't light, it wasn't fire, it wasn't a magical construct.

"Not at all. Merely respect where respect is due. I can imagine you do not have many friends in the Assembly right now, yet you managed to secure the support of a second Senjutsu user. That sort of adaptability is commendable."

"Awfully talkative, aren't you?"

"Can you blame me? You're learning. It's a point of pride for one's student to learn what you've been trying to teach them."

Ruval grasped the spear with both hands, before leveling it at the mercenary. "You purport yourself to be an instructor? You're a thief, murderer, and threat to the peace and prosperity I am trying to build."

"Perhaps I am," the other Devil allowed. "But that doesn't mean I can't... reminisce."

"Madness." Ruval's lips turned downward. "You're not Eospa. Eospa is dead."

"You're right of course."

A hand went to the Devil's cloth bindings around their face, and in a single flourish ripped them away.

Copper hair fell to shoulders, and those same golden eyes gleamed, but now tan skin was fully revealed, uncovering a face that had the Phenex's eyes widening.

He recognized that face.

"But there's a bit more to the story than that." A wide, almost manic grin formed on the androgynous Devil, a Devil that even looked so much like Ruval's old mentor, yet wasn't. "I won't tell you everything, though. Not until you best me in combat. Such are the ways of the Devils, where the strong claim dominion over the weak, no?"

That caused Ruval's gaze to sharpen to a knife's point. "Who are you? What is your game?"

"You could call me many things." the copper-haired bandit shrugged. "But for now... Aesle Marchosias will do. As for my game... well. What better game for one of my blood than a war?"

"With those petty raids you've been making? You will need far more than just that for a war."

Aesle turned their back to Koneko and Ruval and started walking. "I may have been gentle with the raids up to now, but consider this a warning."

Then the Devil stopped, head turning back to the two halfway, the visible eye gleaming. "The time is coming that I won't be allowed to pull my punches out of sentimentality. You need to make a telling statement, Ruval. Unless you mean to let your Phoenix Initiative sputter out and die."

"So... what, you came up and assaulted us just to give us a warning, and now you expect us to let you leave?" Koneko said, tilting her head with a look of befuddlement. "Fat chance."

"I doubt you could stop me, cat." The last word was almost teasing.

"But I could," Ruval stepped forward.

"You could," Aesle agreed, tossing a palm upward. "But at what cost? You sure you can let someone else's Peerage member die when they're being lent out to you?"

"I-" Koneko hissed as she caught on. "You're using me as leverage to force a non-fight with Ruval, aren't you?"

The Marchosias smirked as they turned back around.

"More than that, I'm using you to keep him here while my soldiers go after his Bishop and Rook." A half-second passed, Aesle tilting their head briefly to the side, lifting a finger to an earpiece. "Or rather, I was. I just received word that they did their job already."

Ruval was unconvinced, but even now there was a bead of sweat on his face. Koneko could tell that he wanted to lunge, but he didn't want to leave her open to a cheap shot. "Boris and Xi Fan are far stronger than to be brought down by mere bandits. They are Ultimate-class Devils for a reason!"

"Stronger, perhaps. But if the Extras have learned anything about Devils, it's that we all have weaknesses." Aesle's smirk widened as they lifted a finger to their lips. "But you should know that too, Ruval. After all... my men were the ones who started the Dark Moon Incident."

A silence echoed between the three, and both Koneko's and Ruval's eyes widened; one from realization, and the other from seeing the Phenex's face go pale.

"NO!" He rushed forward, yet Aesle spun around and parried the spear. Instead of attacking, however, the copper-haired Devil drew back with a flourish of the blade to the side.

"My mission here's done, as are my soldiers'. Two of your pieces are out of the game, but they may yet live if you move fast."

Ruval made to move again, but stopped as the other Devil spread their wings and rose into the air. "It's time I become far more than just a nuisance to you. Consider this my warning shot, Lord Phenex. It's more than most would have received already."

Then Aesle was gone, and with them the immediate threat against Koneko.

"Teleport back to Phenex manor," Ruval instructed, face stony. "Tell the staff to get every medic available ready to receive two patients. Now."

She swallowed, but realized this was not the time to ask questions. Indeed, even as she started casting the spell to return to safety, the Phenex was already bolting away toward the last known location of his two Peerage members.

Later, when Koneko saw Xi Fan and Boris being carried into the medical wing of the Phenex estate, more blood visible than skin and covered in shrapnel-filled gashes which glowed from Holy poisoning, she immediately understood why.


In an infinite expanse of colors, in a place untouched by man, a dragon flew.

It flew, and it flew, it flew around planets, it weaved around stars, and it plowed through asteroids.

But the red-scaled titan was not doing tricks, even if it was releasing streams of red behind it.

It whirled around, aberrantly fast for a beast of its size, roaring as it unleashed a beam of light that screamed across the space, obliterating everything in its nigh-instant path across the horizon of the Dimensional Gap.

Yet even as the beam dissipated, something shot out from its blind spot, and a moment later-

PainpainpaINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAIN!

The massive serpent screamed as its body contorted, more gashes opening up along its unfathomably large hide and sending yet more blood spilling into the void, consumed but moments later by the very nature of the Gap.

It writhed, tail screeching into the one whose very touch caused it such agony, sending it blasting halfway across the infinity of the Gap before the dragon's foe - its hunter - broke its momentum and shot back in.

"WHAT ARE YOU?" the crimson snake roared, the space around it erupting in explosion after explosion, the sort that would turn planets into dust.

Yet still, its opponent persisted.

Said opponent, foe, threat appeared in front of it, directly in front of its nose, before replying simply:

"Bored."

Then the dragon was sent careening, snout a bloody mess from the fist that pummeled into it, smashing bone into gristle and sinew into paste.

A moment later, it felt its body contorting, shifting, changing back to the 'humanoid' form it wore during its forays into the human world - no, that was the world around it too as his back slammed against the ground. A vast, barren landscape, a singular wind blowing across the infinite expanse, backdropped by a faint, flickering sun at dusk, much farther away than what one might see on Earth, skies clear as could be yet revealing nothing but black.

Even as Great Red's newly-human hands rose to his mangled face in a keen of agony, tears streaming down his eyes from both his wounds and the torture of his own body being forcefully shoved into a familiar shell, his opponent grabbed him by his hair and hoisted him back on his feet, then held up so that only the dragon-in-human-form's toes could touch the ground.

His adversary's hair drifted in that singular, unchanging breeze, and ancient - far too ancient - eyes stared dismissively at the broken Apocalypse Dragon held aloft.

The one to break said Apocalypse Dragon was completely unscathed.

"So now that I'm bored playing with you, let's have a little... talk, shall we?"


A/N -

Cookie if you guess who the person in the last scene is.

Anyway, this is the last chapter before the next arc - The Peace Conference, like I said. If the unveiling of Aesle Marchosias or Great Red getting beaten into a pulp is any indication, everything is going to be just fine~

Hoo boy. I am excited to kick off that party. I know I said it before, but I'll say it again: I've been fucking waiting for this shit!

Once again I'd like to extend my thanks to Pioneer Of The Stars - AKA Enki. Without his support, suggestions, and overall beta-ing, this story would be much worse off in terms of quality! Seriously, the guy's been great to work with, and just a good mate to shoot the breeze with from time to time. Even more so, since his life is so freaking busy!

Also, over 1100 Follows and almost 950 Favorites? Tbh, I went into the story hoping to pull big numbers at some point, but even seeing it now is hard to believe. That as many people as you all are reading my story and enjoying it? Shit's humbling, man.

I hope to keep you all excited and on the edge of your seats as we move on to the next arc. I know I'll do my damndest to make it worth the buildup.

Tempura Wizard out.