High School DxD: Inheritor of Malevolence

by dvdryms

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

37. Resolution

Chapter 37 – Resolution

"What the Hell…?"

Takeshi muttered with a shocked expression. Following Azazel's command, the Gremory group, Tobio, Lavinia, Suzaku and the Youkai accompanying them had rushed back to Mito through a teleportation magic circle. Upon arriving at their destination, the roof of Mito's City Hall, they witnessed a scene of chaos unfolding before their eyes. A short distance away, a massive storm of pure negative energy was raging, sending out energy pulses at infrequent intervals. If it wasn't for the several defensive magic circles engraved on the building's surface, Takeshi was sure everyone present would have been blown away long ago.

"The origin of this malicious storm…is it Kairaku-en?" Rias narrowed her eyes. "What are these lowlifes doing to one of Japan's most beautiful gardens?"

"Nothing good, that's for sure." Suzaku said, turning to the group's three Youkai. "How are you holding up, everyone?"

"It isn't good…" Kumowatari wheezed out, looking like he was in a lot of pain. "The defenses in this building…they're mitigating the effects of the negative energy around us, but it's still very unpleasant to bear…"

"Looks like everyone's working overtime here to deal with this development." Tobio remarked, his gaze fixed on the Fallen Angels flying all over town while carrying unconscious humans and the Onmyouji doing their best to erect as many defensive barriers as possible around the city's limits. "Where is the Governor though?"

"Over there."

Lavinia pointed towards the sky. Turning their attention there, the group saw Azazel descending towards them, accompanied by Penemue and Magari, who was perched on the former's shoulder.

"Good, everyone's accounted for." Azazel said in a hurried tone once he and Penemue landed on the roof. "As you can see, we have a bit of a crisis on our hands."

"Understatement of the year." Rias said. "What's going on, Azazel? What have these savage Youkai done?"

"They are conducting a ritual that, if completed successfully, will destabilize all the ley lines running throughout Japan, transforming them into conduits of negative energy." Azazel explained. "Suffice to say, this will have devastating consequences for everyone living in this country, especially the Youkai serving the Shinto Gods."

"Because of our connection to the ley lines, such massive amounts of pure yin energy will drive all of us Youkai insane for sure." Magari said, every hair on her body standing on end. "Nurarihyon is doing his best to stop the spread from Mount Tsukuba, while Kyoto's Youkai and the other clan heads from the Five Principal Clans are adding their strength to the mix with purification rituals of their own to counter the corruption. However, I don't know if these measures will be enough in the end. That bastard Ashiya Douman's technique is quite refined, and its effects are spreading at an alarming rate. We've already had to imprison several low-level Youkai after they lost themselves, and this is only a small taste of things to come if we don't stop them here."

"How…did this happen, Magari-sama?" Retsuza asked while grimacing. "These savages…how could they have set up such an elaborate ritual without us…noticing their actions…?"

"Like I said before, we've been had." Azazel said with a frustrated look. "The extermination of the human towns wasn't a meaningless act of violence. It was a necessary part of the ritual. However, we failed to grasp their true intent because the attacks seemed random. Once I took a closer look though, I noticed that some towns were destroyed by Annihilation Maker's constructs alone. No savage Youkai had participated in those raids."

"A smokescreen." Suzaku said. "They masked the ceremony's unique pattern by destroying towns unrelated to their objective. Don't tell me…us locating them at Lake Kasumigaura, the attack on the Youkai capital, finding the anchor point at Fukuroda Falls, everything served as a distraction while the savage Youkai prepared their ritual here?"

"I'm afraid that's the case." Penemue said, projecting a map of the Prefecture and highlighting the towns destroyed by savage Youkai alone. "The violent deaths of so many humans resulted in residual negative energy that was funneled towards Mito through the magic formation created for this ceremony. I assume they chose this area due to its close proximity to Mount Tsukuba, a major ley line nexus. After refining and intensifying the negative energy, they have begun channeling it into the ley lines, which resulted in the current situation. Soon enough, all Youkai will transform into uncontrollable bloodthirsty beasts that will set out to raze this country to the ground. The death toll…it will be massive for sure."

"Those trapped souls we came across back in the artificial dimension…they were most likely used to produce excess negative energy for their plans." Yuuto said, tightening his hold on his blade. "This is almost as terrible as what Izanami's servants attempted to accomplish a few months back by uniting Yomi with this country."

"Not to mention, the Khaos Brigade stands to gain a lot from this as well." Azazel said. "Should the savage Youkai succeed, this land will become a massive reservoir of negative energy ready to be exploited by the terrorists. I don't even dare to imagine what they're going to do with so much power should they get their hands on it…"

"What about the Shinto Gods?" Akeno asked. "Shouldn't they interfere now that the situation has become so dire?"

"Oh, they've chosen quite the asinine course of action." Azazel said, the venom in his words evident. "If it looks like we can't contain and reverse the spread of negative energy, they will wipe Mito and the surrounding area off the face of the Earth."

"Going straight for the nuclear option?" Takeshi raised an eyebrow. "That seems…extreme. Or lazy if you look at it another way. They can't be bothered to come down here and give us a hand?"

"Chalk it up to Amaterasu's paranoia." Azazel said with a fed-up expression. "Due to the involvement of Longinus possessors, she's somehow convinced that the moment one of the Gods appears on the battlefield, the Khaos Brigade will deploy their God-killing weapons against them. Unfortunately, that seems to be an opinion several Gods agree with."

"Are they out of their damn minds!?" Suzaku bellowed. "I knew Amaterasu-sama had become wary of traps ever since the other deities tricked her to come out of her cave long ago, but this is ridiculous! Destroying such a major nexus in the ley lines will still have catastrophic consequences for all of Japan and the supernatural beings living here!"

"Hey, I agree this is stupid, but that's their decision and we don't have time to contest it." Azazel said. "That's why, we have to defeat the enemy here and stop this foul ritual."

"Easier said than done." Tobio said. "Both the Youkai leaders and Ashiya Douman will be significantly stronger in there due to the abundance of negative energy. We're in for a difficult fight, and we can't count on much help from the Youkai side."

"Unfortunately, that's the case…" Kumowatari said while wincing. "Most of us would be utterly useless in there, or even worse, we'd become your enemy. I'm sorry that we can't be of assistance…"

"Don't trouble yourselves over that, youngsters." Magari said. "Go back to the city and help Nurarihyon and the others. With all these low-level Youkai losing themselves one after another, they're going to need all the help they can get to restrain them."

"What about you, Magari-sama?" Retsuza asked. "Will you be coming back with us?"

"No, I'll stay here." Magari said as she jumped on Koneko's shoulder. "I'll be offering a bit of assistance to this kitten here. I can do that much at least without issue."

"…It will be my honor, Magari-sama."

"You'll be heading into that vortex of negative energy?" Chiharu asked with a concerned expression. "That's—"

"No problem at all." Magari said, cutting off Chiharu. "You youngsters are a few centuries too early to worry about this old cat. Now, go. There's no time to waste."

"If you say so…" Chiharu looked unconvinced, but didn't object further. "Good luck…and be careful out there, everyone."

"Will do." Rias said. "Take care of yourselves as well. Just you watch, we'll settle this in a flash."

"Once again, we're counting on you."

Kumowatari nodded as he, Chiharu and Retsuza conjured a magic circle, vanishing in a flash of light. Once they were gone, Azazel turned to the rest.

"I estimate we have about one hour at most before we are past the point of no return." Azazel said. "Before that happens, we must defeat Ashiya Douman and the Great Three Evil Youkai, and then dismantle the magic formation they've set up in there. Penemue, I'm leaving things here to you and your subordinates. You must reduce the damage to the area and save as many people as possible."

"Understood." Penemue nodded, and then chuckled. "I never thought the day would come where you would say such things, Azazel. You've really mellowed out over the past centuries."

"Right back at you." Azazel grinned. "I suppose we, the survivors of the Great War, have seen enough death and destruction to last us several lifetimes. Or at least some of us have. But enough about that. The rest of you, follow me. We're going to put an end to these bastards for sure this time!"

"You'll be fighting as well, Governor?"

"Can't afford not to at this stage." Azazel responded to Lavinia's question. "Damn, if I knew I'd be forced into the battlefield again after so long, I wouldn't have given Baraqiel the slip every time he tried to have me train with him…"

"Shouldn't we contact Heaven and the Underworld as well?" Rias asked. "With the situation being as is, I'm sure they won't hesitate to send reinforcements here."

"I've already reached out to them, but don't get your hopes up about them getting here on time." Penemue said. "Teleportation from other realms to the human world is already a time-consuming process as things stand, but this upheaval in the ley lines will make locking into this area as a teleportation target even more troublesome. You guys got here in the nick of time, but others might find it too difficult. Not to mention, there's the time limit hanging above our heads as well."

"In other words, we have to do this on our own again." Rias sighed. "I guess we've had worse situations to deal with…"

"On the plus side, there shouldn't be a large number of enemy troops gathered inside Kairaku-en." Tobio said. "Most, if not all of them must have perished in the earlier battle."

"Right." Azazel nodded, spreading his twelve black wings. "Now then, time to make a mess out of these bastards. Let's go, everyone!"

[Yes!]

Everybody shouted together as they followed after Azazel. The Devils spread their wings and took flight, while Tobio, Lavinia and Suzaku followed after them by conjuring magic circles beneath their feet and jumping on air.

[Can't believe these third-rate villains are trying to destroy my homeland of all things.] Orochi grumbled, his voice echoing in Takeshi's thoughts. [Slaughtering a bunch of humans and Youkai is one thing, but they've taken it too far this time! I won't be satisfied unless we beat them to a pulp, partner!]

Guess we can agree on that last part at least. Takeshi thought. In that case, I expect you to give it your all, Orochi.

[Leave it to me!] Orochi said in a cheerful manner. [I'll prove once again why this Orochi-sama is Japan's number one monster! Also, after we win, let's celebrate with a grand orgy! Oh, oh, and let's include that busty Fallen Angel Cadre in it as well!]

That won't be happening.

[Eh, worth a shot.]

At that moment, the group flew into the storm, with Takeshi experiencing a sense of intense disorientation. Before he had the chance to regain his bearings, he found himself standing outside of the Kobuntei, a three-story pavilion that overlooked almost the entirety of Kairaku-en.

However, from what Takeshi could see, the once beautiful garden had transformed into a scene straight out of a nightmare. The ground beneath his feet was black and barren, the howling wind was chilling to an abnormal degree, every tree in sight had been corrupted and distorted, and small streams of pitch-black mud were flowing from cracks on the ground. All in all, this reminded him of the devastation the Garden of Hesperides had suffered following Ladon's rampage.

"Such a ghastly sight." Azazel, who had been transported in the same place alongside Takeshi and Tobio, remarked after a brief glance around. "Looks like we've been separated from the others. Probably a forced short-range teleportation. I can somewhat sense everyone's auras, but all this negative energy flying around makes pinpointing their exact location difficult."

"Takeshi-kun, Governor, stay on guard." Tobio said, pulling out a scythe from his shadow as Jin growled next to him. "The enemy is here."

"My, your senses are quite sharp, youngster. As expected from the renowned Slash Dog."

The sliding door of the Kobuntei opened as Ashiya Douman emerged from it, holding a steaming cup of tea in his right hand. At the sight of the fallen Onmyouji, Takeshi summoned Blight Current, while Azazel pulled out Down Fall Dragon Spear. All three individuals aimed their weapons at Ashiya Douman, who sighed in response.

"I was hoping to finish my tea before we got down to business, but it seems that won't be possible now." Douman said as he put the cup away. "I must say I'm a little disappointed in you, Azazel. I thought you would see through my little ruse faster, but it seems I overestimated your capabilities."

"Yeah, yeah, you're a real smart cookie and all that." Azazel said. "I don't know if you brought us here by accident or by design, but if it's the latter, then perhaps I overestimated your intelligence. You can't possibly expect to take us three out on your own?"

"That might be a tall order even for the current me." Douman said, a sly smile appearing on his face. "However, I don't recall saying I was alone."

Following Douman's words, the ground rumbled and the lightning flashing above intensified. Next, a massive pitch-black creature with the upper body of an eastern Dragon and the lower body of centipede, which had six eyes, several massive clawed arms growing from its torso and magical inscriptions engraved on its body, burst out of the ground.

At the same time, another beast resembling an oversized black lion with six flaming wings growing from its back, eight snakes growing from its rear and several blades protruding from its mane descended from the sky.

"Behold my masterpieces, Kachidoki and Shuuki." Douman pointed at the Dragon/centipede hybrid and the Lion-like chimera respectively. "These two prototype shikigami were created in these grounds by utilizing the newly formed nexus of negative energy here. You could say they are the first of many more to come. As for their strength…well, why don't I let you find that out for yourselves, gentlemen?"

Douman snapped his fingers, with his two shikigami rushing at the trio. Kachidoki aimed for Azazel, opening its mouth wide and releasing crimson flames at him, while Shuuki charged at Tobio and Jin, its blades targeting the duo.

"Azazel-sensei! Tobio-san!"

Takeshi was about to rush to their aid, only for Douman to appear before him all of a sudden, forcing him to take a few steps back as he brandished Blight Current.

"Don't be so hasty, Evil Dragon User." Douman said, regarding Takeshi with a curious look. "It appears you've turned down our young Tamamo's offer once again despite the advantages this would bring to you. I cannot for the life of me understand why you keep putting yourself in such an impossible spot by turning away from a path that would lead to salvation and instead heading straight to your demise. The thoughtlessness of youth perhaps?"

[No, at this point, I'm certain this whelp here is a glutton for punishment.] Nidhogg said. [That, or you're willfully deluding yourself. It's fine to hate this world and its current order a bit more, as well as seizing what you wish for yourself, you know?]

[That's what I've been telling him all this time, but he just won't listen!] Orochi said with a fed-up tone. [Stubbornness should have a limit!]

[It has…] Ladon spoke next. [One…that he will reach…very soon…]

[Enough rambling, all of you!] Grendel bellowed. [Let's get down to killing already! Better yet, let's see how many pieces we can slice this old fart into!]

"I don't recall asking for this mad chorus's opinion, so all of you had best keep your non-existent mouths shut." Takeshi said before turning his attention to his opponent. "As for me joining you people, that was never an option. Destroying an entire country, driving a portion of its inhabitants mad and slaughtering the rest of them doesn't exactly sit right with me. I wonder though, why the Hell are you on board with this, Ashiya Douman? What's in it for you?"

"Nothing too extravagant, I assure you." Douman smirked. "I am a simple man with simple desires. My long-standing wish has always been the annihilation of Seimei's legacy. I've already tracked down and killed his direct descendants over the ages, so I'm moving on to the next target, ruining the peace he helped bring about between the humans, Gods and Youkai of this land. Once this is undone by turning all Youkai into savage beasts hungering for human blood like in the old days, I can finally prove that I'm superior to that detestable bastard."

"You've got to be kidding me…" Takeshi spoke with a shocked expression. "That's it? Because of your petty grudge, you're going to destroy this country? Just how salty can you be, you rotten old man!?"

[I'll say!] Orochi hissed, his fury evident from his tone. [I don't know about this Seimei guy or whatever, but keep your grubby hands off this land! Otherwise, things are about to become very unpleasant for you, geezer! This country's number one calamity guarantees it!]

"Dear me, it looks like I have angered the great Evil Dragon as well." Douman smiled. "However, you shouldn't be so quick to judge me, youngster. After all, selfishness is what motivates every person in this world deep down. But if you're so adamant about stopping me, show me the full extent of your fury, and let us see how well it matches up against my resolve that has lasted for centuries!"

"You don't have to ask twice!" Takeshi shouted. "Let's do this, Orochi! Balance Break!"

[Hazard Rise! Venom Blood Awakening!]

Eight Branch Ethereal Surge's armor formed around Takeshi's body, while the Balance Breaker's chariot materialized next to him. In response to this, Douman's body swelled up, with his clothes ripping themselves apart in the process. His skin color changed to black, with several horn-like protrusions growing from his back, shoulders, arms, legs and right side of his face, while a mane of black hair grew from his previously near bald head. The large amount of aura coming out from this monstrosity's body caused a shiver to go down Takeshi's spine.

"Behold." Douman said while stretching his back and limbs. "This is the power I obtained after years of experimentation with pure yin energy and curses, a form that transcends the limitations of human flesh. Everything is for the sake of trampling over Seimei's legacy and ideals. After this night, his era will finally come to an end, and my age will at long last begin!"

"Keep yammering all you want, you messed-up freak." Takeshi said. "You're still going to be eradicated without fail!"

"Give it your best shot, youngster!"

Following Douman's words, both combatants charged at each other.

---

"Hoh, between the infamous Ice Princess and the heiress of Gremory, it seems I'm facing quite the high-profile opponents once again plus an extra. I'd offer you a drink, but judging from your expressions and killing intent, that gesture wouldn't be appreciated much."

Shuten-doji, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, grinned as he took a large sip from his gourd while facing Rias, Lavinia and Yuuto. Following the forced teleportation, the three of them had found themselves in the south garden, which had transformed into a distorted landscape much like the rest of Kairaku-en.

"Damn you…" Rias cursed with a low voice as she looked around. "The damage outside was bad enough, but to think you've transformed one of Japan's Three Great Gardens into this horrid nightmare… I was so looking forward to visiting this place once we were done with our mission, maybe have a nice date with Takeshi while watching the plum tree blossoms. But you've went and ruined such a beautiful landscape with your schemes… How dare you do this to the country I love!? Even a thousand deaths aren't enough to atone for your sins, you lowlifes!"

Rias's aura flared up as she glared at Shuten-doji.

"Rias-san is letting out even more killing intent that before." Lavinia said, a curious expression on her face. "Is she going to be alright?"

"I'd worry more about President's opponent than her." Yuuto let out a lopsided smile as he brandished his sword. "A furious President is a force to be reckoned with."

"Spoken like a true pampered princess." Shuten-doji snorted as he downed the contents of his gourd in one go before standing up. "I care little for your foolish indignation and your childish tantrums. That's why, allow me to give you a healthy dose of reality then before sending you to meet your ancestors!"

Copious amounts of aura erupted from Shuten-doji's body, forcing the trio to conjure defensive magic circles in front of them to avoid being blown away. Then, the Oni's body swelled and bulked up, his skin turned blood red, his hair became a long mane, three horns sprouted from the sides of his head and forehead, with one of them being broken in half, and an extra pair of arms grew from his sides. Tossing aside his gourd, he pulled out his spiked club from his back and brandished it in a menacing manner.

"I'm usually a slow starter, but I can't afford to take it easy tonight." Shuten-doji said, pointing at his broken horn. "This is a memento of my previous battle with your servant. Since the Elder is taking care of him, I'll have you settle his debt in his place."

"Takeshi did this to you?" Rias smirked. "I should reward him for that once we're finished with you. Blowing you away comes first though!"

"Do your worst, little girl!"

Shuten-doji bellowed as he charged at Rias, his club aiming to smash her head. Absolute Demise materialized in front of Rias, using its arms to parry the Oni's attack. At the same time, several Thunder Calls erupted from the ground beneath Shuten-doji, launching several bolts of lightning at him.

Shuten-doji performed a backflip, only to by thrown off course by a powerful wind blast courtesy of Lavinia and straight into Rias's Destruction arrows. However, the Oni enveloped his body with a dense amount of Touki, shielding himself from the attack.

"You're not just facing Rias-san." Lavinia said, pointing her wand at the Oni. "We're here as well, you know?"

"Oh, trust me, I haven't forgotten about you!"

Shuten-doji slammed his palms on the ground, with several flame pillars erupting from it and heading for the Oni's opponents. Absolute Demise spread its arms wide, letting out an icy aura that froze the incoming attacks in a flash.

Shuten-doji was undeterred, swinging three of his massive arms and unleashing several oversized ki slashes that gouged the ground before him. Lavinia teleported herself away, while Yuuto dodged them by moving though the gaps in the Oni's attacks. As for Rias, she shot a crimson arrow from her hand, locking the space in front of her to prevent the Oni's attack from reaching her.

"Let's give this a shot…"

Yuuto muttered as several Leaf Storms appeared around him. Giving a mental command to them, he transformed their blades into a multitude of shards that aimed for Shuten-doji. The Oni grimaced as he raised his arms high, attempting to summon a large tornado to blow away the incoming shards.

Before he could do so however, the shards exploded all around him due to the properties of Blast Ogre mixed in them, with the ensuing blast sending the Oni skidding backwards and scorching his body in several places.

At the same time, several ice crystals bombarded his position, while eight Destruction wings growing from Rias's back shot forward in an attempt to skewer him. Shuten-doji evaded the incoming attacks with some difficulty, only for Yuuto to pounce on him from the left.

Shuten-doji brought up his club to parry him, but Yuuto's Specter Shift passed through it and opened a gash on the Oni's chest. Shuten-doji howled as he brought his fists down on Yuuto.

However, Lavinia's spell was faster, teleporting Yuuto away as several oversized Destruction spears struck Shuten-doji and sent him flying right into Absolute Demise's arms. The ice doll wasted no time in encasing the Oni's body in ice, adding layer upon layer on it before letting it fall on the ground.

"Did we do it?" Rias wondered, eyeing the ice block with wary gaze. "Is he down for the count?"

"No, not yet."

Following Lavinia's words, the ice block exploded, with a furious Shuten-doji emerging from it while howling. Slamming his fists on the ground, he caused it to swell like a tidal wave, moving to consume his opponents.

Rias and Yuuto took to the sky alongside Lavinia, only for a large number of sharpened tree branches to extend from below and aim for them. Rias's Destruction wings expanded to cover them, with Lavinia adding her defensive magic circles to further shield everyone. As for Yuuto, he conjured several Blast Ogres and Gravity Nails around him, shooting them at Shuten-doji.

However, the Oni unleashed a large wave of corrupted ki from his body, vaporizing the incoming blades with ease. He then howled once again as his body seemed to become even taller and wider, releasing ki slashes all around the area in a seemingly random manner and ravaging everything near him.

"He's losing control of himself." Lavinia remarked. "Probably absorbed too much negative energy too fast from the ley lines. But in a way, that makes him even more dangerous. We have to stop him as soon as possible."

"Easier said than done!" Rias shouted as she avoided a corrupted ki blast from below. "He's growing stronger with each passing moment! Not to mention, there's a storm of negative energy brewing around him, which means we can't get too close! Do you have any ideas, Lavinia-san!?"

"Though it's a pain using it too many times in a row, it can't be helped as things stand." Lavinia remarked as she descended on the ground all of a sudden. "Balance Break!"

Absolute Demise vanished from Lavinia's side, with a massive snowstorm surrounding her afterwards. In response, Shuten-doji let out even more corrupted aura from his body, mixing it with flames in order to counter the approaching storm.

Lavinia snapped her fingers, with dozens of humanoid constructs resembling Absolute Demise's doll form, only with lances instead of arms and wings growing from their back, appearing around her.

The ice troops charged at Shuten-doji, but the rampaging Oni encased his arms in metal, blowing them away one by one with his fists. Then, before Lavinia could react, he appeared in front of her, his arm tearing through her abdomen.

"Lavinia-san!"

Rias screamed as she aimed a Destruction arrow at Shuten-doji. But before she could fire it—

"It's alright. An attack of this level cannot kill me as I am now."

Lavinia said so with a serene smile on her face. Immediately afterwards, Shuten-doji's arm started freezing. An alarmed expression appeared on the Oni's face as he severed his trapped arm with a chop, jumping backwards to open the distance from Lavinia.

"Oh, it seems your reason hasn't completely abandoned you." Lavinia remarked, removing the Oni's frozen arm from her abdomen. "A couple seconds more and your whole body would have frozen completely."

"That's…" Yuuto muttered with a shocked expression as the hole on Lavinia's abdomen was covered by ice, which then transformed into skin and clothes. "Don't tell me…her entire body transforms into the element of ice while she's in Balance Breaker?"

"Doesn't that mean she's pretty much invincible in that state?" Rias said with an amazed expression. "Longinus are truly amazing…"

Shuten-doji growled as he conjured a large number of fireballs around him, shooting them at Lavinia. However, they froze in midair the moment he launched them, falling on the ground.

"It's useless." Lavinia said. "If you want to counter my ice, you had best bring Incinerate Anthem's wielder or a fire-controlling deity here. You are powerful, but not that powerful, Oni-san."

After saying so, Lavinia conjured a large number of ice mirrors around Shuten-doji. Then, she pointed her wand at them, shooting a beam of concentrated light that was refracted through them.

The result was a massive light explosion that consumed the wailing Shuten-doji, raising a huge dust cloud. The Oni emerged out of it, his body riddled with wounds, and jumped upwards to escape from Assoluto Argento Mondo's area of effect. But just as he escaped from the snowstorm—

"Checkmate."

Rias, who had summoned her Destruction avatar in the meantime, said with a smirk as she shot an oversized Destruction arrow at the retreating Shuten-doji. The Oni wasn't fast enough to avoid it, with two of his arms and his left leg disintegrating from the blast.

At the same time, Yuuto, who had used Gravity Nail and Cyclone Call to reduce his weight and air resistance, dashed towards him while wielding Starlight Flash. His aim was true as his attack tore through Shuten-doji's head, sending the Oni's corpse falling back into the snowstorm, which turned it into a mangled ice statue.

"It's over." Rias said as he and Yuuto landed next to Lavinia, who had deactivated her Balance Breaker. "That was pretty impressive, Lavinia-san. I've come to understand once again how powerful a Longinus Sacred Gear is, especially when paired with a skilled possessor."

"Thank you for your praise, but don't sell yourselves short." Lavinia said. "As far as young Devils go, you are at the top-tier. No wonder the Governor has such a high opinion of you."

"You don't say." Rias said while looking around. "I hope the others are alright. I can't hear any sounds of battle and I can't see any sign of them either."

"That might be because the area is enclosed in a powerful barrier." Lavinia said. "They probably mean to isolate and deal with each group separately."

"Can you dispel it, Lavinia-san?"

"Most likely, but I need to prioritize disrupting the portion of the ritual formation in this area first." Lavinia responded to Yuuto's question, conjuring several magic circles around her. "I'll do my best to finish this as quickly as possible."

"We'll leave this to you then, Lavinia-san."

Rias said as she and Yuuto sat down in order to catch their breaths, hoping that the others were alright.

---

The sound of explosions resounded across what used to be Kairaku-en's bamboo grove. This was the result of a fierce exchange of attacks between Sutoku, who was surrounded by ten black spheres and wielded his cursed pen, and the Vermillion Bird, which carried Suzaku, Akeno and Xenovia on its back.

"What great fortune indeed!" Sutoku laughed as he shot a barrage of black flame bolts at his opponents. "Not only do we get to destroy this country, I get to avenge myself after all right before the grand finale! I can't wait to savor this moment, so hurry up and die, you damn wenches!"

"What a foul mouth." Xenovia said with a grimace as the Vermillion Bird evaded Sutoku's attacks. "I suppose it's fitting for a rotten being such as yourself!"

Xenovia swung Durandal, unleashing a crescent wave of holy aura at the Youkai. In response, Sutoku dug his nails into his palm, drawing blood out of the wounds. Manipulating it with his pen, he wrote the word 'deflect' on the air, with the incoming attack changing direction and hitting the ground below.

Sutoku wrote the word 'burst' with his blood next, causing several explosions to occur around the Vermillion Bird. One of them struck its wing, sending it freefalling towards the ground.

Akeno used her demonic power to conjure a blast of wind beneath them, preventing them from crashing as the Vermillion Bird stabilized itself. She followed up with several lightning bolts, which Sutoku avoided with ease.

The Vermillion Bird let out a fire breath from its mouth, but Sutoku raised its hand high, forming a massive flaming sword. He swung it down, dispersing the incoming flames and almost bifurcating the Vermillion Bird.

"Trading shots with him like this isn't getting us anywhere." Xenovia stated with a frustrated expression as the Vermillion Bird and Sutoku circled one another. "At least, it's not working for me. Fighting up close is my preferred range. That's why, I'll do things my way. Akeno-san, Suzaku-san, I'll make sure to create an opening for you, even if that means you'll have to shoot through me to take that wretch down."

"Ara, ara, while your resolve is admirable and it's true we have to settle this sooner rather than later, risking your life like that is not allowed, Xenovia-san." Akeno said with a smile as the Vermillion Bird evaded Sutoku's gigantic flaming sword, which melted the ground below. "Especially not when the opponent has yet to play all his cards. Let's go with this instead. You and I will split from Suzaku-san and work together to create an opening for her to strike."

"Are you sure about this, Akeno?" Suzaku asked with a concerned expression. "Even in his humanoid form, Sutoku is still faster and nimbler than you in the air. It's possible you girls will be overwhelmed instead."

"Maybe, but that's the sort of calculated risk the Gremory group specializes at." Akeno grinned. "Wish us luck, Suzaku-san!"

Akeno and Xenovia jumped off the Vermillion Bird's back, spreading their wings and flying towards Sutoku.

"Fools." Sutoku sneered. "You think you can take me down simply by splitting up and attacking from different directions!?"

The ten black flame orbs on Sutoku's back aimed at the Vermillion Bird and shot a barrage of flame blasts at it, forcing it to perform all sorts of risky maneuvers to evade them while Suzaku used her talismans to create defensive magic circles to shield herself from the aftereffects of the attack.

At the same time, Sutoku wrote the word 'capture' on the air, with numerous blood chains erupting from it and heading for the two Devils. However, Xenovia pointed Durandal behind her, letting out a discharge of holy energy that propelled her through the air. Akeno, who had attached a rope of demonic power to Xenovia's back, was also pulled along while pointing her other hand to the sky.

"Take this!"

Xenovia shouted as she aimed a slash at Sutoku. With the flaming orbs behind him busy countering the Vermillion Bird's barrage, the Tengu was forced to dodge her slash to the side, only to find Akeno waiting for him there, her lightning armor enveloping her body and a lightning blade extending from her right hand. Boosting her speed with her Knight trait, she aimed for her opponent's torso.

However, Sutoku was faster, writing the word 'impact' on air and sending Akeno tumbling to the side due to a sudden impact attacking her side. At the same time, he wrote the word 'reinforce' on his left arm, blocking the charging Xenovia's Durandal and forcing her backwards while launching several flaming arrows at her.

Writing the word 'extinguish' behind him, he caused the incoming flame arrows from the Vermillion Bird to fizzle and vanish. He then wrote the word 'repel', unleashing a shockwave from his body that forced all three of his opponents even further away from him.

"It's amazing how much my cursed word magic and my overall abilties have improved while in this area." Sutoku marveled at his increased strength while chuckling. "The way this is going, I might not even have to go all out to kill you."

"Ara, ara, someone's getting a bit carried away." Akeno let out a sly smirk while pointing at the cloudy sky above. "Shame that your powers of observation didn't increase along with your abilties."

The next moment, a massive thunderbolt in the shape of a Dragon's maw descended from the sky. Sutoku wasn't fast enough to evade it, receiving the full brunt of the attack and letting out a cry of pain.

Not missing this chance, Xenovia fortified her body with demonic power while letting Durandal's aura envelop her blade. Propelling herself with an explosion of demonic power beneath her feet, Xenovia shot upwards like a rocket.

Sutoku attempted to write something in the air while blindly letting out a barrage of black fireballs in all directions, but Xenovia was undeterred. Tearing through Sutoku's barrage with ease, she struck the Tengu, shattering his pen and almost splitting him in half.

Sutoku didn't even have time to scream as the Vermillion Bird came at him from behind, its outstretched talons grabbing him and restraining him in a fiery prison as it smashed him to the ground below. Suzaku pulled out several talismans, creating dozens of large flaming blades that pierced the burning Sutoku while forming a sealing magic circle. However—

"Don't…don't underestimate me, you filth!"

Sutoku howled as an explosion of pitch-black flames enveloped the area he had fallen, forcing Suzaku to order the Vermillion Bird to retreat. From the pillar of flames that had erupted, a massive three-legged crow wreathed in pitch-black flames emerged, letting out a shrill cry as it glared at his opponents.

[Alright, seems like you're determined to make me put in some serious effort in killing you!] Sutoku declared. [Have it your way then! I'll give you a full taste of the power I obtained thanks to the Khaos Brigade's assistance!]

"I thought so…" Suzaku said while glaring at Sutoku. "If I had to guess, I would say these terrorists modified your body with the aid of Ophis' snake, allowing you to assume a form similar to that of Yatagarasu-sama. To think that you're mocking one of your venerated deities in such a manner, it makes me feel disgusted…"

[Your guess was spot on, but it won't help you one bit!]

Sutoku shouted as he beat his large wings, releasing a violent tempest that sent everything around him flying, including his opponents. He then followed with numerous flame lances that struck with the force of high-grade bombs, gouging the ground even further and intensifying the flames already raging there.

Xenovia received one of the blasts head-on, barely avoiding serious damage thanks to her heightened defense. Akeno caught her in midair, doing her best to avoid the barrage while boosting her speed and strength through her Knight and Rook traits. Suzaku was doing her best to counter the incoming attacks with her own, but didn't seem to be having much luck.

[What fun!] Sutoku laughed as he stopped attacking all of a sudden. [What fun indeed! However, I've grown tired of playing with you. That's why, I'll burn you to the point where not even your bones won't be left behind!]

Sutoku flapped his wings once again, creating several massive flaming tornadoes around him. Akeno and Xenovia grimaced at that sight while gathering their strength. Suzaku, however, looked unperturbed as she addressed Sutoku.

"You're right about one thing, monster." Suzaku said as the Vermillion Bird came to hover above her. "Playtime is over. From this point on, I'll be using my full strength to exterminate you."

[Don't make me laugh, Himejima wench.] Sutoku said. [Judging from what you've shown me so far, your full strength doesn't amount to much. Is this supposed to be some pathetic attempt at raising your group's dwindling morale? Or perhaps some ill-conceived bluff? Either way, it's all meaningless before my overwhelming power!]

"Judge with your own eyes then whether I'm bluffing or not."

Suzaku smirked as the Vermillion Bird spread its wings, enveloping the young woman's body. Akeno and Xenovia were shocked, but before they could say anything, they noticed that the Vermillion Bird was being absorbed into Suzaku's body. The raging flames covering her body solidified themselves around it as the light coming from her briefly intensified, forcing everyone to avert their gaze.

[What's this!?] Sutoku shouted. [What's happening!? No, that doesn't matter! I'm turning you all to ashes right now!]

Sutoku flapped his wings once again, sending the flaming tornadoes straight at the trio. Akeno and Xenovia braced themselves, but before they could move, several flaming objects flew from Suzaku's direction, tearing through the tornadoes and forcing Sutoku to evade in haste. Even then, he wasn't able to fully avoid one of the projectiles, which opened a gash on his body.

"That was…"

Akeno muttered with an astonished expression on her face as she turned to Suzaku. The light surrounding her had died down, revealing her form. She was clad in some sort of crimson armored dress that had elements reminiscent of a miko's outfit. Clawed gauntlets and boots covered her limbs, a pair of mechanical wings with blade-like feathers protruded from her back, five tails covered in armored feathers extended from her lower back, and a pheasant-like head was attached to her chest. Three of the blade-like feathers she had thrown before returned to her and attached themselves to her wings, completing the armor.

"This appearance…" Xenovia narrowed her eyes. "It resembles that of an armor-type Balance Breaker. But how?"

"My fellow clan heads can allow their respective Sacred Beasts to dwell inside their bodies, transforming into hybrid forms that maximize their power." Suzaku said. "However, I wasn't very fond of transforming into some Phoenix/human hybrid. A Himejima lady must be as elegant as she is deadly after all. That's why I opted for focusing the Vermillion Bird's power into armor that I could wear to enhance my power. Governor Azazel and Tobio helped me, and this is the fruit of my efforts; Sacred Beast Mystic Gear Equip – Vermillion Bird Emanation…or something to that effect. The Governor always had a fondness for grandiose-sounding names…"

"You had such an ace up your sleeve, and yet you didn't use it earlier?"

"My apologies, but I needed to confirm the enemy's current power first." Suzaku explained to Akeno. "Despite appearances, this form is rather taxing on me as of yet, so it's best if I have a good understanding of the enemy before using it."

[You little…] Sutoku growled. [Just because you've put on a fancy outfit, that doesn't mean you're my equal!]

The Tengu spread its wings wide, releasing a large number of black fireballs at Suzaku. She enveloped her body in flames as she surged at him, tearing through most of his attacks. Evading her charge, he let out a large torrent of flames from his mouth, but Suzaku defended herself by forming a flaming barrier around her.

Suzaku detached several blade-like feathers from her wings, sending them flying at Sutoku. Although he evaded them as well with nimble movements, this left him open to Suzaku's attack.

Covering her right gauntlet with a thick metal layer, she punched Sutoku, sending him tumbling through the air as her remote-controlled blades sliced his body in several spots.

[Damn you!] Sutoku bellowed, releasing black flames from his body in all directions. [I won't be brought down by the likes of you! I—]

"Ara, ara, have you perhaps forgotten about us!?"

Several lightning bolts struck Sutoku, who howled in pain.

"Ufufu, scream for me a bit more, Youkai-san!" Akeno said with a beatific expression as she aimed her lightning bolts at Sutoku's wounds while flying around him in high speeds. "How else will I enjoy myself to the fullest!?"

Disoriented from the barrage of attacks he was receiving from Akeno and Suzaku, Sutoku was too slow to react to intercept Xenovia, who was approaching from below. He brought up his leftmost leg's flame-enveloped talons to defend himself, but Xenovia swung Durandal, which was covered in copious amounts of raging holy power.

The attack sliced through Sutoku's leg, severing it at the base, and opening a deep cut on his body. The Tengu wailed once again, with a massive firebird construct striking him on the back and a barrage of lightning bolts striking his head.

"Let's end this, Akeno!"

"Yes, Suzaku-san!"

Suzaku sent several of her blade-like feathers with talismans attached to them on the ground, drawing a magic circle formation. At the same time, Akeno pointed at the sky again. A wave of flames in the shape of a beak erupted from the ground, while a Dragon maw-shaped thunderbolt descended from the sky.

Trapped between the two attacks, Sutoku let out a final screech as his body disintegrated in a manner of seconds, leaving behind only a few scorched feathers.

"Ow…" Xenovia said as she, Akeno and Suzaku landed next to each other, rubbing her aching wrists. "Gathering Durandal's aura and containing it inside the blade instead of shooting it out to augment its slashing power is harder than I imagined. I thought my hands would pop out of their joints from the pressure…"

"Despite that, you handled yourself quite adequately, Xenovia-san." Suzaku said with a smile, dismissing the armor around her body. "As for you Akeno, taking advantage of the storm clouds above us to launch a powerful lightning blast by using your demonic power was ingenious."

"We were lucky that Sutoku didn't notice my preparations while Xenovia-san dragged me around." Akeno let out an exhausted smile as she sat on the ground. "But doing it twice has drained me completely. I don't think I'd be able to face even a regular human right now…"

"It's alright, you can leave the rest to me." Suzaku said, taking out several talismans and spreading them across the area. "I'll start interfering with the ritual from this end, and hope the others will succeed on their respective fronts."

"They will for sure." Akeno said. "None of us have failed in high-stakes battles before, and we're not about to start now."

Suzaku nodded as she focused her attention back on her spell.

---

"I'm in a rather foul mood tonight, so don't blame me for taking my frustrations out on all of you!"

Tamamo cackled as her Touki-enveloped tails aimed at the opponents she was facing at the shores of Lake Senba with the intent to crush or skewer them.

The group consisting of Koneko, Gasper, Pandora and the Nekomata elder Magari, who was glued on Koneko's shoulder, scurried out of the way in haste, with Gasper turning into a swarm of bats and Pandora jumping into the lake. She immediately surfaced and started to skate on the water at high speeds, launching numerous water tendrils at Tamamo.

At the same time, Gasper added his own blasts of demonic power to support Pandora. However, Tamamo dodged these attacks with ease, her focus on Koneko, who was doing her best to deflect the nine-tailed fox's attacks with her Touki-enveloped fists.

"Do you know how humiliating it is for someone like me to be rejected twice in the span of a few days!?" Tamamo howled, swinging her arm and launching several crescent-shaped fox flames at Koneko. "More importantly though, what you're carrying on your scrawny shoulders is one of the architects of our misery! But that's perfect in its own way! Your death will commemorate the beginning of our new world, you rotten elder!"

"Dear me, such a rowdy child…" Magari remarked as Koneko evaded most of Tamamo's attacks with her agile footwork, while Pandora's water lances from the side extinguished the rest. "Belligerent attitude and violent tendencies like these are why you descendants of the Great Three Evil Youkai were shunned by the rest of us. Don't try to play the victim here."

Tamamo howled as she pulled a longsword out of her tails, aiming at Koneko. From above Gasper's eyes shone as he used his Sacred Gear on Tamamo. Although her movements slowed down for a couple of seconds, she broke free from the time stopping ability.

"Kuh…!" Gasper cried out. "S-She's too strong! I can't affect her!"

"That pause was more than enough!"

Pandora shouted, having converged a large volume of water into a massive sphere above her. She threw it at Tamamo, who was blown away by the attack. Not letting up, Pandora froze the sphere, trapping Tamamo inside an ice prison.

Calling upon the fire spirits next, Pandora superheated the prison, causing a massive steam explosion that engulfed the area, almost sending Gasper and Koneko flying from the ensuing shockwave.

"…Quite flashy." Koneko remarked at the sight of the large smoke cloud before turning her attention to the Nekomata elder on her shoulder. "Are you alright, Magari-sama?"

"I have been better…" Magari said, the strain on her evident from her haggard tone. "Keep your guard up. I doubt this was enough to end her."

"…How goes the supposed trump card?"

"Getting…there." Magari said. "It's difficult to manipulate the energy from the ley lines…while separating the negative energy permeating them. But I'll see it done if it's the last thing I do…"

Before Koneko could respond, a rain of arrow-shaped golden flames flew out of the smoke clouds. Gasper turned into a swarm of bats once again, using his Forbidden Balor View to freeze them in midair. Tamamo dashed out of the smoke cloud next, a large spear in her hands as she aimed for Pandora.

The young Knight formed a water pillar beneath her that launched her upwards, evading Tamamo's strike. At the same time, Koneko, who was using her ki to run on the water's surface, formed large Touki claws as she aimed at Tamamo.

The nine-tailed fox attempted to swat her aside with her tails, but Gasper froze three of them in midair, while several water tendrils bound the others long enough for Koneko to get close to Tamamo. Slashing at her, she shattered her spear and aimed her claws at her throat.

"Ha!"

Tamamo shouted as a wave of corrupted ki erupted from her body, forcing everyone backwards as she charged at Koneko again. Darkness started coming out of Gasper's body, solidifying itself into the form of clawed arms that aimed for Tamamo.

She swatted them aside with her tails as she propelled herself forward with an explosion of ki beneath her legs, her outstretched hand tearing though Koneko's chest. Her elation was quickly replaced by brief confusion though as Koneko's form shimmered and vanished, with several clones appearing around her.

"Petty tricks!"

Tamamo growled as several golden flame wheels appeared around her. In response, Pandora formed a large number of waterspouts, extinguishing her attacks. Taking advantage of this, Koneko's clones moved, with Gasper using his Sacred Gear on Tamamo again.

Its brief immobilizing effect was enough to prevent the nine-tailed fox from reacting fast enough to eliminate all of Koneko's clones at once. As such, the real one got past Tamamo's guard, aiming a punch at her gut that send her flying backwards and had her spitting blood from her mouth.

Pandora also transformed the water droplets around her into numerous thin ice needles, enveloping them with demonic power and shooting them at Tamamo. Because of the sheer number of projectiles, Tamamo couldn't defend against all of them successfully, with a large number of small wounds opening all over her body.

"Death by a thousand cuts." Pandora said as she prepared more ice needles. "Not my preferred way to settle things, but I'm not going to be picky about my methods right now."

"Don't…get too cocky now, you damn Devils!"

A storm of corrupted ki erupted around Tamamo, with the nine-tailed fox letting out a sinister smile.

"I don't really like resorting to my true form, but it can't be helped now, I guess." Tamamo said. "Better than being made into a laughingstock by the others in any case. Now then, hope you're ready to meet your maker!"

A massive explosion of aura ensued, blowing the trio backwards and vaporizing every last drop of water inside the lake.

"Such power…" Pandora muttered with a wary expression as she stood up, looking around. "Gasper-kun! Koneko-san! Where are you!?"

"H-Here…" Gasper said, standing up slowly while trembling. "T-That was a bit too intense…"

"…I'll say." Koneko said as she landed next to her fellow Devils, turning her attention to Magari on her shoulder. "Still alive, Magari-sama?"

"More or less." Magari said, shaking the dust off her fur. "Where's that troublesome child?"

A resounding howl echoed across the area, causing a chill to go down everyone's spines. Turning their attention to the gaping crater that used to be Lake Senba, their breaths were caught in their throats at the terrifying sight there.

Standing in the bottom of the crater was a huge nine-tailed fox with midnight black fur and silver markings on it. Upon locating her opponents, the transformed Tamamo opened her maw wide, with a large amount of corrupted ki gathering there in the form of a massive sphere.

"Move!"

Pandora shouted, with the three Devils spreading their wings and flying up as Tamamo fired the sphere. The result was a massive explosion that obliterated a large part of the former coast, vaporizing the ground and whatever man-made constructs had been left standing.

Koneko, Pandora and Gasper couldn't help but shudder at this display of destructive power, while Magari narrowed her eyes at Tamamo, whose body seemed to radiate pure malice.

[It's amazing what you can accomplish when backed by a large reservoir of negative power and a fraction of the Infinite Dragon's power.] Tamamo said in a satisfied manner as she took a few steps forward. [With this, changing this country is no longer a pipe dream. Nekomata elder Magari, it's time for you and the rest of your ilk to experience what it feels like to be hunted. Well, that's if you can retain your minds once the ritual is complete. As for you Devils, perhaps the rest of your kind will learn not to poke their nose in our business if we make an example out of you.]

"You're a bit premature with your gloating, little fox." Magari said. "After all, we've yet to play our trump card."

"…You're ready, Magari-sama?"

"It took longer than expected, but yes." Magari responded to Koneko's question. "Brace yourself, kitten!"

Magari's body started glowing as a large amount of Touki enveloped it. Said Touki flowed into Koneko's body, which suddenly began growing in height while a second tail extended from her rear.

Once the transformation was complete, an older version of Koneko with longer hair and a curvaceous body was standing there. Large amounts of ki surrounded her body and she was letting out a glow that seemed to dispel the foul aura wafting around the three Devils.

"K-Koneko-chan…?" Gasper spoke with an amazed expression. "Is that…r-really you?"

"It's me alright." Koneko said with a smile. "Looks like it went well."

"What went well?" Pandora asked, looking astonished. "What did you do, and why do you look like you've aged several years in a flash?"

"That's the white kitten's future form, or at least an approximation of it." Magari, who had jumped off Koneko's shoulder and came to hover next to Pandora and Gasper, explained. "By drawing upon the ley lines' power while I expelled the negative energy mixed in it, she was able to attain this form. Now, whether it'll be enough to contend against that mischievous fox's full power, that's something that remains to be seen."

[I'll admit that was an unexpected move.] Tamamo said as she pointed her tails at Koneko. [But it'll take more than that to even the odds!]

A barrage of corrupted ki bullets flew from Tamamo's tails, aiming for Koneko. However, the Nekomata merely lifted her hand, sending out a wave of pure white ki at them. The incoming bullets vanished as soon as the wave enveloped them, with Tamamo leaping backwards due to her instincts warning her.

With a burst of speed, Koneko appeared next to Tamamo and aimed a punch at her side. The ensuing blow sent Tamamo flying back despite her size, with the nine-tailed fox howling in pain as the area Koneko struck her began smoking.

"Next is this!" Koneko said. "Kasha!"

Multiple wheels covered in pure white flames appeared around Koneko. With a swift motion, she sent them towards Tamamo.

The nine-tailed fox opened her mouth wide, letting out a stream of dark gold fox fire that eliminated a large number of them. However, she missed several, which struck her body and burned it, causing to let another pained roar.

Moving at high speeds once again, Koneko punched Tamamo in the face, and then appeared below her, delivering a high kick than sent the giant fox flying.

Tamamo let out an outraged howl as she once again launched a barrage of corrupted ki bullets, only for Koneko to expand the Touki covering her, forming a barrier that caused the ki bullets to disperse the moment they approached this.

"This is…the power of purification?" Pandora noted as Koneko moved to attack Tamamo again. "Is she countering the corrupted ki generated by Tamamo-no-Mae?"

"That's right." Magari said as Tamamo slid to the side, dodging Koneko's straight and aiming her Touki and fox fire-enveloped tails at her. "Because of that, that young fox's attacks, which are filled with it, are less effective than normal. Moreover, the kitten's attacks are far more effective and deal much more damage to Tamamo since purification abilities are like poison to her."

"W-Wow…" Gasper muttered as Koneko batted away Tamamo's tails before driving her fist into the nine-tailed fox again, sending it tumbling backwards. "But s-since it's like this, w-we can win now!"

"Yes!" Pandora said with an energized expression as she pointed her hand at the ground, calling upon her power. "Let's give a hand to Koneko-san and—"

A splitting headache assaulted Pandora at that moment, followed by a familiar sickening sensation. She cut the flow of power and severed her link to the spirits surrounding her in a hurry, letting out a relieved sigh at having avoided the worst outcome.

"P-Pandora-san!" Gasper flew next to her, an alarmed expression on his face. "A-Are you alright!?"

"I'm…fine, Gasper-san…" Pandora wheezed out, a frustrated expression on her face. "But the sealing formula…it's reached its limit. I can't call upon the spirits anymore. Figures that a disappointment like me would stumble near the finish line…"

"S-Such words are more fitting for a shut-in like me, Pandora-san…" Gasper said. "I-I'm sure it'll be fine! E-Even if we aren't there, as she is now, K-Koneko-chan will win for sure!"

"I hate saying this as the one who came up with this idea, but I wouldn't be too sure about that." Magari said, her eyes narrowing as she observed the battle between the two Youkai below. "The white kitten seems to be struggling."

Gasper and Pandora focused their attention on Koneko. While her blows and techniques were still countering Tamamo's, the Touki enveloping her was getting less and less dense as time went by. Tamamo also seemed to have noticed that as she let out a rumbling chuckle.

[Oh my, what's this?] Tamamo said in a mocking tone. [All that vigor and strength, they seem to be fading away at an alarming rate. As I thought, such a rapid power-up has its downsides. You probably won't be able to retain that form for much longer, and once it fades, I will feast on your flesh and that of your friends!]

"I won't…let that happen!"

Koneko shouted as she fired several Kasha at Tamamo once again. However, this time, Tamamo dodged them with ease by jumping high in the sky. Enveloping her forelegs with corrupted ki, she dove at Koneko, missing her by a small margin.

Koneko struck her side with a powerful punch, sending her skidding backwards, but wasn't able to get through the Touki covering Tamamo's body this time.

A vortex of fox fire erupted around Tamamo, forcing Koneko to jump backwards, with the nine-tailed fox's tails going after her. Due to a small misstep, Koneko wasn't able to fully evade one of them, with the blow sending her flying as she spat out a mouthful of blood.

"This is bad." Magari said with an anxious tone. "The tables are turning, and my strength is still depleted. If that white kitten cannot find a way to turn this around…I'm afraid this is it for us."

"Koneko-san…!"

Pandora had a vexed expression on her face, holding a sword made out of demonic power in her hand. Though she wanted more than anything to charge in there and help her friend out, she was keenly aware of the fact that she would be of no use without calling on the spirits. Next to her, Gasper was also watching this battle with an anguished look on his face.

Koneko-chan… Gasper thought. She's going to die, and I can't do anything. Why…why am I so useless? I thought I had grown a little stronger, but when it really matters…I can't do anything. Nothing has changed since that time…when I couldn't bring Valerie with me. If only I could be more like Takeshi-senpai or Yuuto-senpai and not this disappointing failure of a man… Even though I'm using Senpai's blood, as expected, I can't be as strong and brave as he is…

Gasper clenched his fists as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. At that moment, Tamamo struck Koneko with one of her feet, sending her crashing near the end of the crater.

[Game over, little cat.] Tamamo said as numerous clawed hands made out of corrupted ki extended from her body. [But don't you worry. Should Takeshi survive past tonight, I promise I'll take good care of him. Now, die!]

"Koneko-san!"

"White kitten!"

Despite their lack of power, both Pandora and Magari attempted to rush to Koneko's aid. However, someone else beat them to it first.

"Gasper-san!?"

Pandora shouted as Gasper shot past them, his eyes glowing as blood dripped from them.

"I-I…" Gasper muttered, drawing out every last drop of his power and ignoring the sharp pain coming from his eyes. "I may be a u-useless shut-in… I may not be as d-dependable as Senpai…but even someone l-like me…can save a friend when it matters! T-That's why…that's why, stoooooooooooop!"

The glow in Gasper's eyes intensified as dense dark aura enveloped his body. Much to everyone's shock, Tamamo's entire body and the arm constructs aiming for Koneko slowed down to almost a crawl, a shocked expression slowly forming on Tamamo's fox features.

"Gasper-san…he's restricting her!?" Pandora said. "How!? His Sacred Gear could barely affect Tamamo in her regular state!"

What's this? Magari thought as she focused on the aura surrounding Gasper. It feels…as if something invisible is there, trying to assume form… Something sinister…

"D-Do it now, Koneko-chan!" Gasper yelled as even more blood flowed out of his eyes while the dark aura around him wiggled in an erratic manner. "I can't…hold her…for much longerrrrrrrr!"

"Nice one, Gya-kun!"

Koneko smiled as she stood up, focusing her Touki around her arms. Ten long claw-shaped constructs appeared next to them, with Koneko channeling almost all of her remaining power at them. Then, just as Tamamo's movements started becoming somewhat faster, Koneko dashed forward.

"Go!"

Her claw constructs tore through Tamamo's body, severing her right limbs along with four of her tails. As the effects of Forbidden Balor View expired, Tamamo let out a howl as she fell on the ground, blood rushing out of her wounds like a river.

Carried by her momentum, Koneko crashed on the other side of the crater, returning back to her usual form as her power vanished.

[Ah…I should have known…] Tamamo muttered as she slowly turned her head to the sky. [Villains like us…there's no way…we'd have a proper end… In the end…the world…rejected us…]

The light left Tamamo's eyes as her head fell to the side, her life expiring. At the same time, the dark aura enveloping Gasper vanished as he lost consciousness, freefalling towards the ground. Pandora rushed towards him, catching the young Bishop shortly before he struck the ground.

"You did it, Gasper-san…though you pushed yourself too much." Pandora said with a frown as she wiped the blood off his eyes. "I can't help but feel the influence of a certain reckless guy at work here…"

"…Gya-kun…is he alright?"

Koneko, who was approaching from the side with slow steps, asked Pandora.

"I'm no doctor, but apart from straining his body to some degree and intense exhaustion, he should be fine." Pandora said. "That stunt he pulled…it must have taken a lot out of him. But you were also pretty impressive back there, Koneko-chan."

"Yes, all of you did very well, especially considering the conditions we had to fight under, as well as the opponent." Magari said, turning to Koneko. "If you weren't a Devil servant, I would have seriously considered you as a candidate to succeeded me in the future."

"…Your words honor me, Magari-sama."

"Now then, leave the rest to this old cat." Magari said as she jumped into the crater. "I may have used up most of my strength, but I can still mess up their ritual. You youngsters should catch your breaths."

"You don't have to tell me twice…"

Pandora sighed as she laid Gasper on the ground, and then sat down next to him along with Koneko, watching as Magari conjured several magic circles beneath her paws.

---

[Come on, put your back into it and finish him off already, partner! Maybe I should cheer you on to raise your spirits a bit?]

"That's an unneeded favor!"

Takeshi cried out as he evaded a barrage of rocks enveloped by negative energy that Douman had launched at him from below while riding his chariot. Several iron stakes erupted from the rocks, but Takeshi batted them aside with his tails before raising his hands high, summoning a barrage of black thunderbolts that aimed at Douman. He smirked as he tapped his foot on the ground, raising a large number of steel pillars that formed a dome around him. The thunderbolts destroyed it, but left the Onmyouji unharmed.

Pulling out a large number of talismans from a magic circle, Douman summoned a wide assortment of shikigami, ranging from armored Oni to Dragons with serpentine bodies, sending them at Takeshi. Numerous black tornadoes sprouted from Takeshi's back in response, tearing through Douman's servants with ease. The few shikigami that reached him, Takeshi dispatched with swift kicks, wrapping his tails around his legs to enhance the force of his blows.

Gritting his teeth to endure the stabs of pain going through his body, Takeshi sent the tornadoes towards his opponent. Douman responded by summoning several massive iron blades, tearing through the incoming tornadoes. Takeshi dodged the blades as he manipulated the clouds above, raining down poison upon his opponent. However, Douman seemed unaffected by the acidic downpour as he smirked.

"I'm afraid even the mighty Orochi's poison can't affect me in this diluted state." Douman said, transforming the iron blades in the distance into water whips that aimed for Takeshi's chariot. "Of course, I'm confident I could withstand even a direct hit from you in this form, Evil Dragon User."

[You've said it now, you old fart!] Orochi growled as Takeshi maneuvered his chariot to avoid the incoming water whips. [I won't let an insignificant human like you look down on my poison! Teach him a lesson he won't forget, partner!]

"I was planning to do that!"

Takeshi said as he jumped off the chariot, using his black wind to propel himself towards Douman. The Onmyouji transformed the water around Takeshi into massive ice clubs to crush him, but at that moment—

"Promotion, Knight!"

Utilizing the speed boost from his Knight Promotion, Takeshi slipped past the incoming blocks of ice, one of his tails wrapping itself around his right arm as he aimed a punch at Douman. The Onmyouji propelled himself backwards with a burst of ki from his legs, but Takeshi followed after him, two of his tails wrapping themselves around his legs as he aimed several kicks at his opponent while the rest jabbed at him.

Douman intensified the Touki around his arms, batting aside his opponent's blows. Takeshi aimed his arm-mounted stinger unit at him, but Douman dodged to the side, with the black-wind clad appendage tearing through the walls of Kobuntei behind Douman.

[Oops.] Orochi grinned. [Isn't that a pretty important building from a cultural perspective? You really should take more care of your surroundings, partner.]

This coming from the world-razing monster. Takeshi shot back, enveloping himself in a black wind barrier to deflect Douman's incoming fireball attack. Got anything useful to offer besides snide comments and an indignant attitude?

[What, you mean you still haven't noticed?] Orochi asked. [Why do you think you can throw around all these big moves without your energy reserves getting drained? Hell, you can let loose even more than you already are!]

Takeshi was about to question Orochi further, but Douman didn't give him the chance. Pouring his energy into the ground, Douman caused a large number of trees to sprout from the ground around them. Said trees kept growing, converging into the form of a towering Asura-like statue with about a hundred hands emerging from it.

"Do you best to block this, youngster!"

Douman laughed as a hundred massive fists aimed for Takeshi. Seeing no other option, he released his power at full blast. Much to his surprise, a tempest of raging black wind erupted with him as the epicenter. A multitude of thunderbolts descended from the sky at the same time and the poison rain became a downpour.

All incoming fists were either deflected or were destroyed, with Douman's statue and the newly grown forest eroding at a rapid rate. The Onmyouji grimaced as he set everything around him on fire, forming a massive flaming arm that aimed to stamp Takeshi. In response, he pressed the sides of his buckle twice.

[Charge! Hazard Overflow!]

The stinger on his left arm wrapped around it as all elements Orochi had mastery over enveloped it. Propelled by the black wind coming from his tails, Takeshi charged at the incoming attack.

[Venom Impact!]

Blasting through the attack, Takeshi aimed for Douman. Startled by his enemy's sudden approach, Douman summoned as many shikigami as he could to shield him, but Takeshi tore through them, striking Douman's left hand.

The Onmyouji let out an agonized shout as he cradled his wound. Before the poison could spread, he severed his left arm at the elbow, with a clawed arm-shaped ki construct extending from the stump.

"…I see." Douman said while glaring at his opponent. "So, that's what it is. Like me and my cohorts, you're also drawing the negative energy from the ley lines to replenish your reserves and strengthen yourself, or rather Orochi is. I didn't think him capable of doing so, but it appears I have miscalculated."

[You sure did, you pompous fool!] Orochi laughed. [Just how many long years do you think I've spent in this land? I may not be a Youkai, but I did grasp some of the basic principles behind Senjutsu and Youjutsu. Siphoning energy from this land's ley lines when they're in this rampant state is a piece of cake for me! What do you say now, partner? Aren't you grateful for my awesome support, hm?]

"Yeah, yeah, you're the best and all that." Takeshi said, wincing underneath his helmet due to the intensified pain caused by his earlier movements while keeping his attention on Douman. "Perhaps you're feeling more inclined to surrender now, Ashiya Douman?"

"I think not." Douman sneered. "I have waited for this moment for almost a thousand years, and I'll be damned before I let an upstart brat like you get in the way of my ambitions. You may be strong, stronger than I thought you would be, but in the end, I will be the last man standing."

"I wouldn't bet on that!"

Takeshi said as he willed the wind around them to grow stronger. Meanwhile, Azazel, who was facing the advanced shikigami called Kachidoki while clad in Fafnir's armor, whistled upon sensing the two auras swelling in the distance.

"It feels like two unbelievable monsters are clashing over there." Azazel remarked, avoiding a swipe from one of Kachidoki's extending hands and glaring at it. "And then, there's this annoyance to deal with!"

Azazel jabbed at the Dragon/centipede construct with his spear. However, the moment it made contact with its armored skin, the spear broke apart. Kachidoki opened its maw wide, letting out noxious fumes from its mouth that caused the few remaining trees below it to rot once it covered them. It then conjured dozens of magic circles high above it, summoning a barrage of meteors that rained down on Azazel.

"If I had to take a guess, I would say Douman's taken elements from various creatures with anti-mystic properties on their hide, and then combined them to enhance that shikigami's resistance to all types of supernatural energy to the absolute limit." Azazel remarked as he formed a barrier comprised of several hexagons to shield himself from the meteor shower while also forming two oversized arms with vice-like constructs on their ends to attack Kachidoki. "Not to mention, its offensive capabilities seem considerable as well. What a pain… Perhaps a more direct approach is necessary here."

After saying so, Azazel poured more light into one of his arm constructs, increasing its size and density. The oversized vice seized Kachidoki, stopping its movements temporarily. Before it could erode the construct, Azazel manipulated the other vice to open the creature's mouth wide, launching a high-density light bomb in it.

Contrary to his expectations, no explosion ensued, with Kachidoki breaking through the vice holding it. The shikigami's arms then transformed into numerous tentacles that aimed for Azazel.

"Great, it's shielded on both the inside and outside." Azazel grumbled as he dodged or batted away the incoming tentacles. "How about this then?"

A multitude of complex light constructs like scalpels, power saws, drills and all kinds of medical and construction equipment formed around Azazel. Making a gesture with his finger, he sent them flying at the shikigami, intent on dissecting the creature.

Despite the density and power of the constructs, which were augmented by Fafnir's aura, they failed to inflict anything more than mere scratches on Kachidoki's body before its aura eroded them. At that moment, Azazel's armor broke apart, leaving only the core gem behind.

"Tch, it's already reached its operational limit?" Azazel clicked his tongue in irritation as he dodged the shikigami's charge. "As expected, this pseudo Balance Breaker state isn't suitable for anything more than brief engagements with its current specs. I've almost grasped its limits, but tearing it apart slowly isn't an option here. Plan B it is then, as much as I don't like being reminded of the old days and my reckless youth…"

All of a sudden, a black substance resembling tar started dripping out of Azazel's twelve wings. It grew in size and volume in record time, rushing through the air to envelop Kachidoki, and then began eating into its body. The shikigami howled as it struggled to remove the substance sticking to it, but seemed unable to do so.

"I cannot discern the level of your intelligence, so you may not understand me when I say it's useless." Azazel said as the black substance kept pouring out of his wings and covering more and more of the shikigami's body. "The Fallen Angels may be known as the denizens of twilight, but among them, only I, Azazel, am the one closest to the darkness of the abyss. It's this ravenous darkness that's consuming your body right now. You may be powerful, but unless you're at my level or higher, you won't be able to escape from the erosion no matter what your defenses are."

Soon enough, the shikigami's body was covered in its entirety by a black sphere. Said sphere collapsed on itself after a few seconds, leaving nothing behind. Azazel shuddered as the remaining traces of darkness were sucked back into his wings.

"Almost felt like I was back in the middle of the Great War…" Azazel muttered. "Well, no time for reminiscing. There's still a country that needs to be saved. Now, where's Tobio?"

Looking around, Azazel spotted the familiar figures of Tobio and Jin fighting against Shuuki, the other shikigami called by Douman. Despite their efforts and combined attacks, the lion chimera was proving itself to be rather slippery, opening rifts in space and jumping in them to evade Tobio and Jin's blades. It would then emerge from their blind spots and aim at them with the large number of blades coming out of its mane or its flaming wings.

Tobio slashed through the flames while Jin deflected the blades with its own cursed swords. As he aimed his scythe at the lion's side, the snakes that served as the beast's tails came snapping at him, biting his body all over.

However, Tobio's body dissolved into shadow, with the real Tobio emerging behind the shikigami and aiming another slash at it as Jin charged at the same time. In response, Shuuki opened another rift in space, retreating in it.

"What a troublesome ability…"

Tobio remarked as Shuuki emerged above them, bombarding the duo with large fireballs coming from its wings. Tobio spread darkness around the area, which took the form of a barrier that shielded them from the beast's attack.

At the same time, a large number of cursed blades shot out of the barrier, aiming for the shikigami. It once again evaded them by slipping into another dimension through a rift in space, causing Tobio to frown.

"This is taking way too long." Tobio said as Shuuki emerged from a rift to the far left, turning to Jin. "Let's do 'that', Jin."

The dog responded with a bark as Tobio began chanting.

"—Behowlest the slaying of one thousand mortals."

A black haze that came out of Tobio and Jin's bodies began enveloping them and the area around them.

"—Besingest the slaying of ten thousand goblins."

As the darkness spread to cover the duo's bodies in their entirety, Shuuki shot several blades and aimed its flaming wings at them. However, the cursed swords that emerged from the spreading darkness shattered the incoming blades and cut through the flames, with Shuuki being forced to fly up to escape.

"—Mine name, immersed in deepest darkness, is that of the Imitation God traversing the Polar Night."

Jin sank into the darkness as Tobio's body started growing taller and wider.

"—O ye, perishest by mine own black blade."

Upon emerging from the shadows, Jin had assumed the appearance of a massive black hound almost twice its former size. As for Tobio, he had transformed into a humanoid black hound with six tails growing from his rear.

"—Fools ye art, oh deformed Creator Gods!"

After Tobio chanted the final verse, Jin let out a resounding howl that echoed across the area, with the enemy shikigami eyeing its opponents warily, looking somewhat scared.

"Night Celestial Slash Dogs." Azazel, who was hovering some distance behind Tobio, remarked upon seeing that. "Damn, no matter how many times I see this Balance Breaker, it never fails to send a chill down my spine… Need any help over there, Tobio!?"

[No, we're good, Governor.] Tobio said as he pulled out Ame-no-Ohabari from the darkness. [This will be over very soon.]

As if sensing the incoming danger, Shuuki opened a rift in space, escaping into it. However, Tobio was undeterred as he swung his crimson flame-enveloped katana. His slash tore through the dimensions, exposing Shuuki and opening several cuts on its body that caught fire at once.

Before it could react, Jin jumped out of the darkness and grabbed it by the throat, tossing it on the ground as the shadows rushed to bind its limbs. The serpents extending from Shuuki's rear flailed around blindly, but Jin cut them down one by one with the cursed blade it held in its mouth.

As the curse spread through the shikigami's body, it fell on its knees, with Tobio rushing at it and burying his flaming blade in its head, finishing it off.

"Good job, Tobio." Azazel said as he landed next to the youth. "Unfortunately, our work here isn't done yet."

[Yes, the enemy leader is still kicking from the looks of it.] Tobio said as he looked at the direction where the Kobuntei used to stand. [Let's go give Takeshi-kun a hand.]

"No, there's a much more pressing matter." Azazel said with a grim expression. "We're running out of time. The Shinto Gods will be pulling the trigger soon, so we have to disable the ritual formation as soon as possible. Takeshi will have to handle Ashiya Douman on his own for now."

[But—!]

"It'll be alright, trust me." Azazel said. "I haven't known him for long, but I can tell he's a tough and resourceful kid. He'll manage one way or another. We have our own job to do here, so let's get on to it. It'll all be for nothing if we can't stop their plan, or at the very least have our escape route ready in case things go south."

[…I understand, Governor.]

Tobio said with a reluctant tone. As the two of them got to work, Douman, who was facing Takeshi, showed a displeased expression.

"My custom-made shikigami were defeated?" Douman said as he weaved though the dozens of black tornadoes targeting him, launching numerous steel stakes at Takeshi. "Not to mention, the ritual formation is being tampered with. Don't tell me…the Three Great Evil Youkai lost?"

"Looks like this is the end for you and your mad ambitions, Ashiya Douman!" Takeshi said, clapping his hands together to send out a powerful soundwave that shattered the incoming stakes. "Victory is ours!"

Takeshi's tails spread out as he circled Douman while riding his chariot, shooting out streams of venom at him. The Onmyouji seemed unperturbed as a wooden cage formed around him, shielding him from the venom.

Aiming his arm-shaped construct at his opponent, Douman increased its size and length, adjusted his aim and struck with it. Despite receiving a glancing blow, Takeshi screamed as he felt like his body had caught on fire.

Douman grinned as the spikes growing from his body extended, tearing through the chariot and aiming at Takeshi, who let out a scream infused with demonic power to block them. Two of them managed to reach him though, piercing his lower abdomen and left leg. He fell and rolled on the ground, trying to catch his breath while glaring at his opponent.

"That technique just now…" Takeshi grimaced under his helmet, his skin still feeling like it was sizzling. "You used the power of purification…despite your current state?"

"Don't be so surprised." Douman said as he wiped the blood from one of his spikes, smearing it on a talisman. "Despite having dabbled in several forbidden practices, I am an Onmyouji after all. Reversing the negative energy coming from this ki construct into positive one to cause damage to a being like you is child's play for me."

Takeshi didn't respond, springing up and aiming at Douman with his tails. However, he smirked as he held up the blood-smeared talisman, which shone with a sinister light. Next thing Takeshi knew, he was on the ground writhing and screaming as indescribable agony assaulted his body.

"A curse that inflicts pain on the opponent through direct nerve stimulation." Douman said as his ki arm shaped itself into a spectral blade. "Quite effective for someone like you, don't you think!?"

The blade shot forward, aiming to skewer Takeshi. Dismissing his Balance Breaker, Takeshi rolled to the side with all the strength he could muster, barely avoiding a direct hit.

Even so, the blade opened a deep gash on his back, with Takeshi barely holding on to his consciousness due to the searing pain. His momentum led him to fall in a nearby shallow crevice, where he reduced his aura output as much as possible.

[Hiding like a coward because of some scratches?] Grendel snorted. [What a pitiful weakling. If it was me out there, I'd be fighting until my body had vanished! Even if I couldn't win, I'd at least drag my opponent down to Hell with me!]

Good thing it's not you out there then. Takeshi shot back. Nidhogg, about my wounds…

[My Sacred Gear's ability can heal them, but you'll be immobilized the moment they are.] Nidhogg said. [Recovery requires energy, and you're almost spent.]

Figures…

"The plan is in shambles as things stand." Douman remarked, paying no further heed to his defeated opponent as he took out several talismans from a magic circle. "It can't be helped then. I will settle for causing as much damage as I can by sending the ley lines here out of control. It won't be as effective, but there will still be severe aftereffects."

Douman spread his talismans around the area, creating a complex magic formation that sent chills down Takeshi's spine.

[Hm, this feels pretty bad.] Orochi remarked. [If someone doesn't stop the old fart, the destabilization he's causing will cause small-scale disasters all over Japan while also disrupting the ley line flow. It's going to take a lot of time and effort to clean up such a mess.]

Orochi…

[No need to spell out, partner.] Orochi said with a chuckle. [I can see what you're thinking, and it's as reckless as always. As things stand, I can give you a couple of seconds at most.]

That's plenty of time!

Gathering his strength, Takeshi jumped out of the crevice and sprinted forward, aiming for Douman. Upon noticing him, the Onmyouji sighed.

"You're still alive?" Douman frowned. "If you had stayed down, I was content with letting you live, but since you're in such a hurry to perish…I will indulge you!"

Douman swung his ki arm, aiming to smash Takeshi. Ducking underneath the blow, he summoned the power of his Knight trait to dash at Douman, letting out a thick cloud of poisonous gas at him to obscure his sight. However—

"So, this is what your pitiful last stand amounts to?"

Douman sneered as he parried Takeshi's blow, with his hand tearing through the young Devil's abdomen. Takeshi spat out a mouthful of blood, but let out a smirk that seemed very out of place considering his current state.

"I…got you…"

Extending his right hand near Douman's ears, Takeshi snapped his fingers, pouring every last trace of his demonic power in them. The magnified sound tore through Douman's eardrum and affected his inner ear, causing him to lose his balance and focus.

At that moment, the left gauntlet of his Balance Breaker's armor manifested around Takeshi's arm. Its stinger flew forward, piercing Douman's eye, with the Onmyouji roaring in pain as he tossed Takeshi aside.

Dismissing the gauntlet in haste, Takeshi switched to Mayhem Striker, which started mending his wounds. At the same time, the magic formation fizzled out and broke apart as Douman fell on his knees, Orochi's poison coursing through his body.

[What was that you said earlier about withstanding my poison, you old fart?] Orochi mocked the fallen Onmyouji, his voice coming from Cataclysm Zone. [Come on, speak up. I can't hear you very well over the sound of your dying gasps.]

Douman spat out a mouthful of blood, returning to his human form as he glared at Takeshi.

"Curse…" Douman grunted. "I curse you, Ryuugamine Takeshi! May you always be hounded by failure! May everything you love perish around you! May you die a miserable death fitting for a—!"

Douman's words were cut off as Mayhem Striker was buried into his skull, with the Onmyouji falling on the ground dead and his body turning into dust before vanishing.

"A curse, eh…?" Takeshi snorted. "You've wasted your last words, Ashiya Douman. You can't curse me any more than I already have been. Looks like victory truly wasn't an option for you…"

[…He wasn't…the only one…wasting his time…] Ladon said. [You became a mess…once again…when the others…could have dealt with this crisis…even without you… How long…do you intend…to play this foolish game…?]

"…Shut up, Ladon…"

Takeshi let out an exhausted sigh as he fell on the ground, his energy completely spent. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness as the storm of negative aura gathered around Kairaku-en began dispersing was the crescent moon emerging from a gap in the clouds.

---

"Thanks to everyone's efforts, we managed to avoid the worst-case scenario in the end. Restoring this garden and the city before the night ends though is going to be a huge pain in the ass…"

Azazel sighed as he surveyed his surroundings with a weary look. About two hours had passed after the battle had ended, with a large number of Youkai running around the area and using their techniques to repair the damages. They were assisted in that task by the Fallen Angels and the Onmyouji from the Himejima family.

A few meters away from them, a group of Youkai was treating the members of Rias's Peerage, while Rias and Akeno seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument over who would give the exhausted Takeshi a lap pillow. Azazel couldn't help but smirk upon seeing that scene.

"Looks like some people are still rather energetic despite the battle just now." Azazel remarked as he turned to Penemue next to him. "What about the aftereffects of the ritual on the surrounding area?"

"Negligible at best." Penemue responded. "The Youkai should be able to deal with them in a week at most. As for the human casualties…I'm sorry to report that forty-three people lost their lives before we could evacuate them. Considering the circumstances though, perhaps we should be grateful that the casualties were so low."

"Perhaps, but it still leaves a bitter taste in one's mouth." Azazel said, turning to Suzaku. "What about the report from the other clan heads and Kyoto?"

"Everything seems to be in order there as well." Suzaku said. "We stopped the ritual before it could have a major impact on the ley lines, so any issues should be dealt with easily."

"That means it's a big victory for us." Lavinia smiled, making a V-sign. "Yay for the good guys team."

"Yay indeed, but the war still goes on." Tobio said while scratching Jin's head. "Not to mention, with the major players from the enemy's side dead, we've lost all means of obtaining any new information about the Khaos Brigade. How vexing…"

"I know how you feel, but we should be content with the fact that we averted a major catastrophe for now." Suzaku said, grasping Tobio's hand. "Feeling anxious and impatient won't get us anywhere."

"Suu-san is right, you know?" Lavinia said, putting her arms around Tobio's own. "Also, after all this, I think we've earned a small break."

"I can't deny that." Tobio grinned. "Alright, once we're done helping with the clean-up, I'm taking you girls out on a date. Sounds good?"

"That's my Tobi."

"It was worth exerting myself just for that."

Lavinia and Suzaku responded with matching smiles as Tobio led them away.

"That's my star pupil." Azazel said, wiping faux tears from his eyes. "Ah, kids these days grow up so fast. If only Vali was more receptive to my teachings as well, he could have had his own harem by now…"

"I'm not sure turning him into a sex-crazed pervert like you were in your youth would have been a good thing." Penemue smiled, and then her expression became serious. "There's something else I need to report. During our attempts to sabotage the ritual, we noticed that someone was also interfering with it from far outside the city's limits. It was thanks to their assistance that the corruption slowed down even further, which bought us some precious time. Do you have any idea who might that person be?"

"Not really, but that doesn't matter right now." Azazel said with a dismissive attitude. "Now then, we should get back to work as well. This town won't fix itself."

"Yes, Governor."

Penemue said, making a small bow. As they spread their wings and took flight to rejoin their comrades, a person far outside the city's limits, who was observing this scene through a bowl of water, let out a mischievous grin.

"Ara, they noticed my presence. As expected from a Fallen Angel Cadre, nya~."

Said person, who was sitting on a thick branch and waving her legs, was a beautiful young woman with a voluptuous figure, long black hair with split bangs, hazel-gold eyes with cat-like pupils, a pair of cat ears growing from the top of her head and two black tails growing from her rear. She wore a black kimono, a yellow obi, a set of golden beads, and an ornately detailed headband.

"It seems she's doing well." The woman said, a soft expression appearing on her face for a brief moment as she focused her scrying spell on the Gremory Peerage. "That's a relief, nya."

"Kuroka! There you are!"

The one who had spoken as he jumped off a cloud hovering in the sky and landing next to the Nekomata was Bikou, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Oh, if it isn't the stupid monkey." Kuroka grinned. "Did you need something from me, nya?"

"Don't play the fool with me, you lazy-ass cat." Bikou said while glaring at her. "You disappeared in the middle of our mission and left me high and dry out there. Do you know how difficult it was to fight my way out of that mess on my own!?"

"Yes, yes, it's a true shame that you survived all that." Kuroka said, a disappointed expression on her face. "And here I thought I had finally managed to rid myself of you, nya."

"You little…" Bikou growled, clenching his fist, and then sighed in resignation. "Oh, forget it… Trying to reason with you is a waste of time as always. So, mind explaining why you went out of your way to help these guys there? It's not like you to assist anyone unless you can get something out of it."

"Your words wound me." Kuroka said with a faux hurt expression. "Well, it's nothing complicated. That place was my home for a brief period of time. I guess I felt sentimental enough to give them a hand, nya~."

"Right…" Bikou said, looking unconvinced. "In any case, we should head back. If we linger around here for too long, someone might notice us. Plus, the others will want to hear our report."

After saying so, Bikou jumped on the golden cloud above him and took off, vanishing in the night sky. As for Kuroka, she stood up and created a teleportation magic circle. Before stepping into it, she looked behind her one last time.

"…Soon. We'll be together again soon. That's a promise, Shirone."

After saying so, Kuroka vanished from the area.

---

The next day…

"Everyone, I would like to thank you for all you've done for us. Without your assistance, this country would have received a catastrophic blow. You have my eternal gratitude for that."

Nurarihyon said, making a deep bow. He, Magari and Suzaku were outside Mito Station, bidding farewell to the members of the Gremory Peerage and Azazel, who were set to board the next train in order to return to Kuoh.

"Think nothing of it." Rias smiled. "It was our pleasure and honor to aid you. I hope that this is the first of many joint ventures, and that said ventures will be less violent and more productive."

"That would be ideal." Nurarihyon agreed. "For the time being, rest assured that the East Youkai Faction stands together with the Three Factions. There will be an official declaration about this later this week, with the Shinto Pantheon, the West Youkai Faction and the heads of the Five Principal Clans also making their stance clear. We will aid you in crushing this Khaos Brigade for good."

"That's great to hear." Azazel said with a satisfied expression. "It would suck big time if all the hard work we put into this amounted to nothing."

"By the way, where are Grigori's Longinus possessors?" Magari asked. "We wanted to thank them as well, but they disappeared before we knew it."

"Sorry about that, but an emergency came up and they had to rush to their teammates' aid." Azazel said. "I'll pass on your gratitude to them though."

"Regarding your sister, we'll keep looking into her, Toujou Koneko." Magari said. "Moreover, feel free to visit us whenever you feel like it. If I have time, I'll give you further training."

"…I will." Koneko made a small bow. "Thank you for everything you've done for me so far, Magari-sama."

Meanwhile, a short distance away from the rest, Suzaku and Akeno were talking to each other.

"Don't be a stranger, Akeno." Suzaku said while smiling. "Regardless of whether something serious or trivial bothers you, I'll be there for you no matter what. Remember that always. I'll also do my best to visit you in Kuoh whenever I can…if that's not too much of a hassle for you."

"It's not, and it never will be." Akeno said as she took Suzaku's hands in her own. "If anything, I'd be grateful for that, since me visiting you…it might be a bit difficult. There's still my complex relationship with the Himejima family to consider. If I go to the main Himejima residence…I can't promise I won't try to destroy it along with all those who might have had a hand in my mother's death."

"I understand your feelings." Suzaku said. "Even I feel like tearing that place apart at times when the elders get on my nerves too much. However, there are quite a few sensible people in the family that I'm sure you'd get along with. Regardless, take as much time as you need. Even if you never want to set foot in the main house, nothing will change between us."

"Thank you, Suzaku-san." Akeno smiled as the two girls embraced each other. "When you come to Kuoh, we'll have a proper girls' night out. Taking down villains is a thrill to be sure, but I wouldn't call it a proper pastime for our precious youth."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

Suzaku said. At that moment, the train heading to Kuoh arrived. Bidding the trio farewell once again, the Gremory group and Azazel boarded the train, with the latter falling asleep the moment he took his seat.

"It's a shame we couldn't teleport straight to Kuoh from Mito." Rias said. "The aftereffects the ritual had on the entire Prefecture would throw our teleportation spells' aim off. I know all of you must be exhausted and eager to get back home as soon as possible, but try to bear with it for now."

"Don't worry about it, President." Pandora said. "After all we've been through the past few days, we can handle a simple train ride. What matters most is that all's well that ends well. We helped saved this country and got ourselves some new allies in the fight against the Khaos Brigade. Not to mention, the Shinto Gods are now partially indebted to the man who used the power of their ancient enemy to help avert this disaster."

"The irony is not lost on me." Takeshi smirked. "Even so, I would prefer not encountering them any time soon. I have a feeling their ill will towards Orochi would still outweigh their good will towards me…"

"…Akeno-san also got to connect with her cousins." Koneko said, sitting on Takeshi's lap as usual. "That's a big win as well."

"Our timing was also impeccable." Xenovia remarked. "Kuoh Academy will resume classes the day after tomorrow, meaning we won't have to miss any of them."

"Ever the studious individual, Xenovia." Yuuto smiled, but then frowned as he turned to Gasper, who was sleeping next to him. "It's too bad though that Gasper-kun's high school debut will have to wait for after summer vacation at the earliest. All these regular intakes of Takeshi-kun's blood and the power you said he exhibited against Tamamo seem to have taken quite the toll on him."

"…Gya-kun was amazing back there." Koneko said with a small smile. "He held the enemy off with his Sacred Gear and allowed me to finish her off."

"From what I heard, you were pretty great yourself, Koneko-chan." Takeshi said, rubbing the young girl's head and causing her to purr. "Too bad I wasn't there to witness your grown-up form. Guess I'll have to wait a few more years for that."

"…Maybe not that long." Koneko said. "With enough training, I might be able to assume that form for brief periods of time in the near future. Look forward to it, Senpai."

"I, on the other hand, once again realized how much more work I need to put on." Pandora said with a dejected expression. "If Gasper-san wasn't there, Koneko-san would have died without me being able to do anything about it…"

"We all need to hone ourselves even further, and we will." Rias said. "That's what the upcoming training camp is for. But all of you should also be proud of yourselves for surviving this ordeal. I know I'm proud of you and your accomplishments, my dear servants. All of us together can overcome any challenge!"

[Right!]

The members of Rias's Peerage said together in an enthusiastic manner.

[Overcome…any challenge…eh…?] Ladon chuckled. [You, of all people…should scoff…at such sweet lies…whelp… This pitiful show of camaraderie…cannot save you…from the inevitable conclusion…]

Takeshi didn't respond to Ladon's words, rubbing his aching scar and looking outside the window with an unreadable expression on his face.

---

This concludes Chapter 37. First, in response to your questions.

—To RyukiPendragon: No, Ladon's Balance Breaker won't be based on Kamen Rider Zangetsu's armor. The details of its design will be revealed on its debut.

We have finally arrived at this arc's conclusion. The chapter turned out bigger than I expected, perhaps due to all the battles taking place here, and subsequently took longer to finish. I did my best to demonstrate everyone's abilties and give them a good showing appropriate for the climax.

Well, that's all for now. The next chapter will begin the arc that corresponds to Volume 5 of the novels. As always, please read, review, favorite and follow, but most of all, enjoy.

See you all next year!