The Pawn of Grisaia

by Curse of Whimsy

He wanted to try being normal. He might still be able to get his wish, but he'll have to settle for being a normal Devil with a normal amount of memories from dead people he's never met... Kazami Yuuji has begun to wonder if maybe he isn't very good at this. Now has a TV-Tropes page, covering characters and events up to Chapter 35

34. A Temple of Nothing Sacred

I'm pretty glad 2021 is getting close to the end, it's been working me hard.

Thankfully I have, among other things, my writing, and lovely people like you to enjoy it.

---

She didn't like it.

She didn't like it at all.

It was a set-up, it had to be. No, that might have been understating things- it was a trap.

By the tentative new rules of the Rating Games, each participating King was required to announce any new additions to their team. Only the judges received details, for example, the listed information granted to Diodora was that Raynare and Kalawarner were Fallen Angels, to be counted as Knight and Rook specifically.

Musashi was technically a Familiar, which normally received their own classification, but due to her circumstances she'd been classified as a Knight as well.

However, of Diodora's Extra Pieces, as the term went, Rias knew absolutely nothing.

Because he supposedly didn't have any.

True, he had a full peerage and she didn't, and Rias could respect being confident that your peerage was all you needed.

After all, it wasn't like she was including the other members of the ORC because she felt her own peerage was lacking, to her it was basically like inviting extended family to an event.

But… she couldn't shake the feeling that Diodora's reasons had little to do with pride in his peerage. They'd never been close, but herself and Diodora had known one another for a long time, all the heirs were that way.

Rias felt confident she knew who among them properly cherished their servants.

And Diodora wasn't one of them.

Moreover, while she'd kept it on the quiet, she'd received numerous requests from Diodora to trade Asia.

But never in person, the way one would do it if they wished to be taken the least bit seriously.

In any other circumstance it would seem like petty harassment, but this time...

"It is pretty creepy, yeah, but I think that's enough for one night." Yuuji agreed, as he scooped her up out of her chair and into his arms.

"Oh! I'm sorry Yuuji, I didn't notice you coming in," Rias said, going along with being picked up as if it was the only proper course of action.

"I know."

"It's just… I don't understand the angle here. Diodora making indirect overtures like this seems petty, but… sinister." Rias began to explain.

"To me, it's almost as if Diodora has already taken what he wants, and is rubbing the theft in our faces by asking for what he's already stolen." Rias went on further.

Obviously, he hadn't stolen Asia, or Rias would have been engaging in a great deal more violence than she currently was, but…

It just made the actions of the Astaroth heir even more incomprehensible.

Another reason Rias was feeling more stressed was a lack of Akeno. Rias had been feeling cooped up, which naturally led to her urging Akeno to accept a summon request and stretch her legs a bit. Akeno had likely seen through it and dropped a hint to their shared boyfriend.

"It's not really all that strange- plenty of people get cocky when they think they've won. It makes it easier to pull the rug out from under them."

"Let's hope so." Rias sighed, nestling in against Yuuji. "But you're right, of course, I'm not going to get anything useful done like this. For now, let's leave it at making sure Asia isn't left on her own- not that that's a big challenge."

It had become more difficult for Kalawarner to remain close to Asia now that school was in session, but Raynare didn't have that problem, and the addition of Suu, Ruth and Musashi (who predictably had quickly grown to adore Asia) to the class meant that Asia was rarely alone.

Her cute little Bishop had admitted to feeling a little spoiled by how she'd ended up in the middle of the seating arrangements that had placed every ORC member of Class 2-B together.

Rias intended to make sure that Asia got to experience many more feelings of that nature, and potentially going to war over it was a small price to pay.

But first…

"Yuuji, you haven't taken any of my clothes off." Though obviously they'd been… shifted, quite a bit.

"I have not, no."

"So then how is it that your hands are still in direct contact with my boobs?"

"I have nimble hands and you wear bras that offer a misleading level of support but very little coverage?"

"That's reasonable I- aah~ suppose, but…"

"But?"

"It still feels like my clothing is in the way."

"Say no more."

Yuuji's plan to dispel the worries of his King was to make her too tired to worry.

It worked.

---

She didn't think there was anything wrong with living to fight another day.

Running from an enemy that had disarmed you made perfect sense, especially when said enemy had disarmed you by cutting off your arms.

Musashi didn't see anything wrong with the Stray's decisions, it was the method of carrying it out that had her cheeks puffed in a pout.

"Geez what are you thinking!?" Musashi huffed. "Why are you taking me farther away from Yuuto!? Don't separate me from my boyfriend on a first date, you won't be popular with girls if you pull a stunt like that!"

Any long time acquaintances of the Heavenly Flower likely would have found themselves choking on air at her words- it was probably the first time she'd ever used such a girlish and ordinary saying like that.

Love did strange things to people, even if Musashi was arguably strange to begin with.

That's why, as she stalked her prey with blood dripping from her gleaming blades, she went over her plan of attack in her head.

Not her plan of how to kill the Stray, since that was as inevitable as the sunset, but how to kill said Stray without getting even a single drop of monster blood on her clothes.

Even if she knew he'd probably pretend not to notice, since he was sweet like that, Musashi's pride wouldn't allow the smallest chance of smelling bad around Yuuto.

"... Huh. I wonder if this is that 'woman's pride' I keep hearing about?"

In the end, the Stray didn't answer which was kinda rude, but he also didn't bleed on her, so she supposed she could call it even.

---

With a pleasurable little shiver, Akeno closed her eyes in quiet bliss as the delightful heat of the warm water seeped into her pores. Settling into her seat, Akeno tilted her head back to rest it against the edge, absentmindedly pressing down on her breasts to submerge them a little more as she let her eyes drift shut.

Akeno reclined in silence for a while, letting the tension bleed away, and after a while, was able to just barely make out the sounds of someone else unobtrusively entering the bath and beginning to rinse themselves off.

She was in no hurry and neither were they, which suited Akeno just fine.

She was tired, and so she was just going to soak for a bit.

Actually soak, not soak and then do kinky things, tempting though it was.

Having four different people to do lewd things with gave her plenty of options that way, almost as many as Yuuji had.

Yuuji was out on a job, the mundane kind and not the Devil kind, which was why Rias was somewhat alright with it.

It was Friday now, and the Rating Game with Diodora Astaroth was on Sunday, meaning no Devil work unless it was something that couldn't wait.

After the Rating Game she hoped she wouldn't hear the name Diodora or Astaroth until the nearest eternity had passed- Akeno had a sneaking suspicion that his lowkey harassment was the whole plan- get them worked up over what might be happening, and have them jumping at shadows when the fight started.

Which, despite the best efforts of herself and others, was working on Rias, but thankfully to the extent that they'd been able to counteract.

It made it easier that doing lewd things always worked- she'd had Rias for a snack before dinner, and Yuuji would be slipping into bed with their King when he got back.

And it could have been worse if Akeno wasn't being a good Queen and filtering out the junk mail, ie. less than half of Diadora's letters had actually landed on Rias' desk.

If the opportunity presented itself, she and Diodora were going to learn if lightning could be used to induce impotence, and she didn't care in the least what she had to fry off to complete the investigation.

Mmm, she could already hear him squeal~

She'd missed when the water was turned off, and there was a splash as Akeno sat up with a start when a calm, polite voice addressed her.

"May I join you, Akeno?" Akeno twisted her head to regard the speaker, a silver-haired vision of perfection smirking slightly as she looked down at the black-haired vision of perfection who had definitely not been paying attention.

"Oops~ of course, Grayfia-san, plenty of space~" She was more than a little pleased when Grayfia ignored all that space in the tub and seated herself beside her, slipping into the water with barely a ripple.

Akeno couldn't help but find it a little funny that, just like herself, the biggest disturbance to the water's surface was caused by Grayfia's boobs.

Grayfia would normally come to Kuoh on Friday night, to be ready for Saturday morning, but Okaa-sama had lent her to them for the whole first week of school, to help balance out a Rating Game being at the end.

Barely audible, a sexy sigh spilled from Grayfia's slightly parted lips as she settled into the warm water.

Well, just because she wasn't intending to do anything lewd didn't mean she couldn't appreciate being in the bath with Grayfia.

That little crush she'd had for several years now wasn't exactly little any more, funny how encouraging Yuuji to pursue his desires had made her own stand out more.

Which, somewhat ironically, had wrapped back around to reinforce how hopelessly in love she was with Yuuji- while technically speaking he had less and less time for her as the harem grew, she'd still never once had the chance to feel that way.

The first date of the new school year being just between the two of them certainly hadn't hurt.

Speaking of which-

She wondered when Yuuji was going to take Grayfia out on a date. Probably soon, though she supposed he might take Kalawarner out first- she was pretty curious, but not her place to ask unless a little nudging was in order.

"I wasn't aware of how much I needed the touch of another until I was in Yuuji's arms." Akeno blinked at the quiet admittance.

"... Grayfia-san?"

Grayfia didn't return her glance, but there was something wistful in her slight smile.

The impression was gone with the next moment, as Grayfia quite calmly said something outrageous, her skin flushed from more than just the heat of the water.

"No, I suppose there's no sense in being vague when it's just us women- it seems I was truly in need of a good pounding."

"... Ara? Ara ara ara?"

Arranged in order, those words sounded like a sentence, and she knew the meaning of each individual word, but...

It was the one saying them that made the words incomprehensible.

Then Grayfia shot her a sly, sidelong glance, and everything clicked.

"Ufufu~ I would have never expected to hear such a naughty line like that from Grayfia-chan~" Akeno chuckled, hiding her smile behind a daintily raised hand as she returned the look.

"Perhaps it may seem more than a little out of character, but I meant every word." Actually, she was more than a little surprised herself- it wasn't like Grayfia never spoke in a vulgar fashion outside of the bedroom (just very rarely), but, up until that moment, she'd thought the only one she was comfortable speaking to that way was Venelana.

Yet it had slipped from her lips so naturally. Well, she supposed it made sense in a way- Yuuji may have made a woman out of Akeno, but Grayfia was the one who dealt with topics like monthly bleeding and birth control.

"Hmm, I wonder, just when was it that I started seeing you as a woman as well?" Grayfia mused aloud, somewhat absentmindedly.

"Well that's good, I was starting to get a little bit impatient."

Grayfia froze, and Akeno gave an awkward, but unrepentant little laugh.

"Ufufu~ I'm sure you already knew, didn't you? I doubt I was as subtle as I wished I was," Akeno giggled.

"I was aware, but I promised myself I wouldn't be your first unless you confessed." Grayfia calmly returned, recovering with admirable grace.

Akeno's cheeks pinked, but what spread across her lips was most definitely a smirk.

In one smooth motion, she twisted and swung a leg over, straddling Grayfia's lap and leaning over her, arms keeping the maid locked in place as violet eyes gleamed.

"And what about now?" The words rolled off her tongue in a slow, rich purr.

With a coy smile, Grayfia reached up and pressed a finger across Akeno's lips.

"I would say to focus on the Rating Game," and then her hand shifted, that same finger gently tracing the elegant curve of Akeno's jawline as the younger Queen shivered ever so slightly. "But after that…"

Akeno's flush deepened as Grayfia's voice dropped to a low, lilting whisper, beautiful crimson eyes warm and dark with desire.

"Well, I'm sure you and I could have all sorts of fun finding out."

---

There had been no need to hold back from the start.

If Diodora had ill intentions for Asia, they just had to crush him.

It seemed simple, but the fact was that they hadn't been able to find out anything meaningful.

He'd just harassed them with trade requests, right up to the Rating Game.

They'd shown up in full force, not just Rias and her peerage but Raynare, Kalawarner, Irina, along with the Familiars Ruth, Suu and Musashi. With all that had happened, they'd never gotten around to getting their new combat uniforms together, so they were all wearing their usual school uniforms, barring Akeno in her shrine maiden garb, and Kalawarner in her blazer and skirt combo since she wasn't a student.

The Familiars all had their uniforms, but one of them was in his four legged form so it wasn't visible at the moment.

A standard Rating Game had been chosen- a battle royale between two teams, ending when the King was taken down or surrendered.

This time, the battlefield was arranged as a series of temples and wide open amphitheaters, all situated on floating islands of stone, high in the sky.

The battlefield had no bottom- once a fighter fell past a certain distance they'd be instantly retired.

Hands on her hips, Rias confidently swept her gaze over the field.

From the island they were on, a great stone amphitheater with at their backs and to the sides, Rias could see a network of other islands leading away from their location in a more or less straight line. Slowly, the islands climbed higher and higher until, far in the distance, a truly massive temple could be seen, floating proudly in the sky.

Odds were high that Diodora had been stationed there.

A bit annoying that he'd gotten the proper fortifications, but that just gave them plenty of material to drop on his head.

If there was anyone visible, Yuuji could have started taking down the enemy all the way from here.

But no matter- whatever Diodora Astaroth might have been scheming, they just needed to trample over it.

There was only so much he could do within the bounds of an official Rating Game, after all.

Which was why Rias could have sworn she felt her blood freeze, drop by drop, when a single word filled the air.

"... Asia?"

All of them had been gathered side by side.

All of them except one.

"Buchou." Kiba's terse voice rang out, but he didn't need to say another word- countless pillars of black light burst from the rows of stone benches at their backs, bathing the amphitheater in an oily radiance.

As dozens upon dozens of black-robed figures appeared, a quiet little quip offered the tiniest bit of reprieve.

"Overcompensating." Koneko grumbled, as her hand found Gasper's and gripped tight.

Rias pushed through those gathered and stepped to the front, staring up at the looming multitude with an expression of mild exasperation that belied her racing thoughts.

There was no need to say it out loud- the only features of those dark robes were primitive Devil insignias with an almost beast-like tone to their design.

The Fly, the Goat and the Serpent.

The ancient symbols of Beelzebub, Amodeus, and Leviathan.

Symbols worn by the members of the Old Satan Faction to this very day, meaning the Khaos Brigade had crashed the Rating Game in full force.

There was no time to think about how.

There were almost one hundred of them, and sinister smatterings of chuckling could be heard as each of them reached beneath their robes to bring forth…

"Mirrors?"

Simple round mirrors with tarnished brass frames.

Mirrors that reflected a familiar face, a hundred reflections of a polite, genial smile.

|"How do you do, Rias Gremory?"| The reflections spoke as one.

Without a trace of fear, Rias took a step forward and sighed, resting her hands once more on the curve of her wide hips.

"There's taking your opponent seriously and then there's this, Diodora." Rias chided. "Aren't you a little ashamed to be bringing a small army to a Rating Game? Have a little more faith in your peerage."

|"Ahaha, clever, so clever,"| Diodora praised. |"I'm impressed you can make smart remarks like that with a noose around your neck. Is that what they call gallows humor?"|

"No, I believe the word you're looking for is 'confidence'." Rias nonchalantly returned. "Each one of my companions is worth at least a dozen terrorists, so when I look at the numbers again, it would seem that both quantity and quality are on my side."

|"Hoh? Even when you're a person short?"|

The lovely visage of Rias Gremory turned cold as the sky turned crimson.

"... Where. Is. Asia." Rias ground out through clenched teeth. "If you've laid a single finger on her, I will happily pluck that finger off and shove it down your throat."

|"Oh my, such vulgar language!"| Diodora's lips curled into a cruel smirk, his kind facade dripping away like oil. |"As if I would treat my lovely Asia with anything but the utmost care and affection~"|

The angle displayed within the mirror shifted in unison, Diodora leaving the picture to reveal a small, delicate shape hanging from a strange ribbed cross- a limp form with hair like sunlight, spilling down over one slim shoulder.

"Asia!" Raynare and Suu both burst out at once.

Diodora came back into view, draping himself against one arm of the cross and lifting a finger to his lips in a mocking gesture for silence.

|"Shh, shh, a maiden needs her beauty sleep,"| Diodora gently scolded. |"That remains true even when you take the 'maiden' part away."|

Grasping Asia's dainty chin, Diodora ran his tongue up along her cheek, keeping one eye directed their way as he did.

"You bastard! Get your hands off of her!" Rias shouted, Destruction rumbling with her fury.

|"Come now Rias, I promise to be somewhat gentle~"| Diodora assured her. |"Really, you should be thanking me. There are plenty of men out there that would just love to turn the disappointing little sister of Sirzechs and make her their toy~ and the rest of your little skanks will be no better off once they're done with you."|

For the first time, Rias was able to fully appreciate how unpleasant the shrouded gazes directed her way really were. Ugly laughter and remarks better left unheard drifted from the watching Old Satan Devils.

She clamped down on that spike of fear with all her might.

She couldn't afford to show the slightest hint of weakness, not here.

|"Well, I imagine you'll be all used up by the next time I see you, so let me say it while I have the chance."| Diodora let strands of gold slip slowly through his fingers. |"Thank you, Rias, for taking such good care of my Asia."|

Clearly, that was the moment when Diodora would end the transmission, leaving them to their bitter fate.

Clearly, but someone else hadn't quite paid enough attention to the timetable.

"Wait wait, time-out!" A lively voice insisted.

Every eye turned to find a cute young woman with chestnut colored twintails, fishing around in the hidden pockets of her skin-tight battle suit.

"Uhh, Irina?"

"Hold on a sec Xen-chan, I'm sure I put it… here!" With a look of triumph lighting up her youthful features, Irina produced a feather and held it up into the air.

The feather was a soft, smoky white… and radiating enough Holy energy that even Diodora could feel it.

"Oops, teehee~" Irina stuck out her tongue as the majority of the ORC took a step back out of reflex. "I forgot my pocket was keeping the glow hidden!"

"Irina… what exactly is that?"

"It's one of Lord Uriel's feathers!" Irina proudly proclaimed, cradling the feather with a reverent smile, and completely ignoring the ripple of panic that coursed through the looming crowd. "Lord Uriel said I should use it if I ever felt like praying for salvation, or…"

Irina tapped a finger to chin in contemplation.

"Oh! Orrr… if I saw someone that looked really, really flammable!" Irina pointed to one of the mirrors at random.

"... F-flammable?'

As if repeating that word was a spell of sorts, several things happened at once.

Every eye was drawn first to the feather, as it burst into flame, and Irina dropped it with a plaintive cry of "I broke it!".

And, in the next moment, every eye snapped back to the mirror she'd been pointing towards, the one that had just shattered as it hit the ground.

… After slipping free from the stiff fingers of a charred black skeleton.

As if even the weight of their gazes was too much to bear, the skeleton crumbled away in the next heartbeat, ashes scattering on the breeze.

Another mirror fell, this time at random, and another skeleton crumbled as panic swept through the ranks.

It was after the fourth immolation that they were first allowed to see the flames- pillars of pale flame that gave off no light, rising from beneath the feet of the victim to consume their flesh in one second, and their bones in the next.

The fifth pillar of fire was the largest yet, and emerged from the still burning feather at Irina's feet. And while the Devils and Fallen Angels of the ORC fell back in all-too-natural fear, to them, those killing flames merely felt warm.

It was the distinct feeling of being passed over by a being of unimaginable power.

A being who dismissed the pillar of flame from within, with a single beat of twelve smoky white wings.

As sparks of heavenly flame danced merrily through the air, the Flame of God stood at the center of the amphitheatre in all his careless glory, hands in his jean pockets and a playful smirk on his lips.

But once again, it was Irina who broke the tense silence, that breathless moment between ember and inferno.

"Oh good, I didn't break it after all. That would have been super duper blasphemous, I think."

Uriel threw back his head and laughed, and there were few sounds in that world or any other that carried such cheerful, beautiful menace.

"See, this is why you're my favorite believer." Irina looked so happy she could faint.

"But speaking of blasphemous, why bother hiding your faces?" Uriel didn't raise his voice, but it carried nonetheless. There were screams and flailing as every dark robe within sight burned away, revealing the terrified forms of the Khaos Devils. "Each and every one of you… I. Know. Your. Names."

A mocking smirk on his lips and wildfire dancing in his eyes, Uriel turned to gaze up into the stands and strode forward, his wings spread as if to shield those behind him.

"And if you have any sense left in those unholy little heads of yours, you should know why that is a very, very bad thing."

---

They would never know who fired the first shot.

Because no one did- every glowing sigil that appeared in the air before the Khaos Devils disappeared in a silent burst of flame before any spell could be finished.

"... This was planned ahead of time, wasn't it?" Rias asked quietly, in a tone suggesting she already knew the answer.

"I'm afraid so, Rias Gremory. The little fly was long suspected of having thrown his lot in with the Khaos Brigade, but there hasn't been a good enough reason to take steps, until now." Uriel replied with a grimace. "You heirs are in short supply after all, and even the scum of the next generation are precious things. But it seems the preparations made far exceed the resources that even the little bug should possess. There's a powerful barrier keeping the boundaries of this plane separate, and it's taking some time to break through."

Uriel winked and gave a nod Irina's way, all attempts to attack him continuing to go up in flames, even without his attention to the matter.

"Luckily, I'm not above being a contingency plan." He turned his gaze back towards the Khaos Devils, but his attention remained on the ORC.

"Asia is in that big temple on the horizon, and so too, I believe, is the key to destroying the barrier." Uriel revealed. "I'll make sure that you aren't followed, but be on your guard. Your true battle begins on the temple steps, and the bug is far too cowardly to not have a little extra protection."

Wings flared and sparks flew.

"Now go- perhaps a Seraph shouldn't be saying this, but I believe you have a prayer to answer. Don't let her down."

The sight of a Devil bowing her head in gratitude to a Seraph would have made for a historic sight.

"You have my thanks, Seraph Uriel. The House of Gremory will not forget the favor you've done us on this day."

Without any further delay, Rias turned on her heel and unfurled her wings, taking flight as the rest of the ORC followed in her wake.

Smiling, Uriel snapped his fingers, drowning out the departing wing beats with his favorite melody of all.

And thus the wicked burned.

---

In theory, it was likely intended that each island and structure could provide potential coverage, allowing everything from guerilla warfare to small sieges to take place over the course of the Rating Game.

They kept their guard up, naturally, but after they'd passed the fifth aerial island uncontested, it grew more apparent that maybe, despite all tactical good sense, there really wasn't anything to waylay them.

Anything else that was, the initial ambush had been something like thirteen to one hundred odds. As much as it galled her to admit, Rias knew that that should have been enough.

Though, it did make the backlight of Heavenly Fire extra appealing, so there was that.

There wasn't a peep from Diodora until they'd landed upon the steps of the great stone temple.

|"You certainly took your time, Rias, did you have a nice flight?"|

"Indeed, it was quite enjoyable." Rias returned with a smile. "Almost as enjoyable as catching up to you is going to be."

|"I'm glad to see you're eager, let's not delay the Rating Game any longer now, hmm?"|

"... You're still going on about that? You really have lost it."

|"Now now, Rias, the stage is already set! So… let's play a game."|

The stone beneath their feet flared with oily black light that swallowed them in an instant, exclamations and shouted orders both cut mercilessly short.

When the light faded, the steps of the temple were empty, and the great open front was sealed with a great mass of twisting metal, like a portcullis that had risen from below rather than above.

---

Rias found herself standing in what looked like an open-air hall of sorts- a high ceiling supported by mighty pillars, but no walls to speak of. It must have been a separate space of sorts though- she couldn't see anything but empty air beyond the confines of the arena.

|"You'll find that each room within the temple is ready and waiting to receive guests."| Diodora chimed in.

Rias breathed a sigh of relief to discover at least some of their group was accounted for- Kalawarner and Raynare had materialized at her side.

|"Each of your pieces, scattered throughout the building, will face off against a random selection of my own- should they triumph over their opponents, they're free to enter the circle they'll find there, and join in on any battle that may occur in the new destination."|

So Diodora explained, his tone of voice all too cheerful and earnest.

|"Of course, the same will be true of my pieces as well- and should the King fall, the game will immediately end, as is usually the case."|

"And I imagine only one of those circles will lead us to you?" Rias asked, her tone dry, though her mind was racing, and her heart pounding with worry.

If the placement was random, then there was no guarantee that the rest of her group had back-up, or that the battles were waged with even numbers, or-

|"Now now, isn't it more fun to leave it a surprise?"|

As if his words were the trigger, there was a flash of light, and their opponents appeared before them.

---

When the light faded and her senses cleared, Akeno had found herself alone.

Well, alone if she only counted people that mattered.

"Ara ara, three men for little old me?" Akeno teased nonetheless, cupping her cheek with one hand. "You don't have performance issues I should know about before we start, do you?"

"That's right, little Gremory toy," one of the black clad figures sneered. "Might as well enjoy yourself as long as you can, before we start enjoying ourselves."

Akeno kept her smile in place, but a more honest expression would have been one of total disgust. She was used to it, but being stared at like a piece of meat was never pleasant.

Oh!

But this time was different, wasn't it? No one to tell her 'no' when she felt the urge to start scratching eyes out.

Akeno's soon-to-be victims shivered as her smile turned sultry for all the wrong reasons.

"Ufufu~ maybe you boys can satisfy me after all~" Akeno licked her finger and purred. "Too bad it won't be in the way you want~"

Violet lightning filled the air around her, crackling with sadistic promise.

---

It was an indoor arena of sorts- not unlike the amphitheater they'd first found themselves in, but the stands overlooking twenty foot high walls and coarse sand beneath her feet.

Musashi glanced to her side, and felt her heartbeat quicken just a little as she was greeted by her favorite smile in this world or any other.

Then she saw their opponents across from them, and sucked in her breath.

"Jackpot!"... And released it in one joyful shout that had her boyfriend chuckling, her heels leaving the sand as Musashi thrust her fist into the air.

Across from her and Yuuto were two girls with swords…

A two on two duel of swordsmen!

"Is this Heaven!? Neh, Yuuto, this must be Heaven right!?"

"... Did you forget I'm a Devil?" Yuuto quipped back with amusement coloring his tone.

"Pfft, details!"

Of course she was worried about cute Asia and wasn't going to waste time, but that didn't mean cutting a path to her had to suck!

This was gonna be awesome!

---

This was not nearly as awesome as it should be.

Their long awaited tag-team, and it was in a place like this.

Koneko was not happy.

Her and Ga-kun were squaring off against a quartet of Pawns who had helpfully revealed that they were Queen-promoted, and promptly found themselves in a stalemate.

Being outnumbered was no big deal, mostly because they were normal Pawns and not Yuuji-senpai.

The world would never be ready for more than one of him.

Ga-kun was being cool and reliable and keeping the Pawns from coordinating any serious attacks, mainly with the use of brief bursts of Balor and bats.

The bats were a new one- Koneko had known he could turn into a swarm of bats himself, but these bats were, as far as she could tell, made of darkness and distraction. He didn't really have any heavy-hitting tactics, but he didn't need to because she was made of heavy-hitting (and cuteness).

Koneko was keeping herself busy by punishing any hastier attacks and preventing any of them from getting near Ga-kun.

Well, one of them had gotten near Ga-kun, but he showed his cool(er) side, and reminded everyone that Dhampir weren't weak, by grabbing the Pawn by the back of the belt and tossing her across the room.

So cool.

Anyways, they were a super awesome combination, and they could probably win if it weren't for two important little details.

Everything about this Rating Game was weird, and so they couldn't count on it to protect the participants, as Ga-kun had pointed out.

The reason they were being considerate at all to people who may have had a hand in kidnapping Asia was because the Pawns stunk.

Not in a hygiene way but in a magicky way- both Ga-kun and herself could smell something slimy clinging to the women's aura, while the scent of the Pawns themselves was strangely 'far away'.

Buchou had had her train with different magical 'scents', and someone who wasn't all there was usually being controlled in some way.

If they were being controlled, then they might be Diodora's victims too.

Because it couldn't be a coincidence that the dregs of something Holy clung to the Pawns, or that their outfits were like Asia's habits with modifications both practical and a little pervy.

Which is why they were trying not to crush their opponents, but…

They were running out of leeway.

She couldn't choose them over Ga-kun, or Asia, or-

Innocently, as if it were a normal, everyday occurrence, a loop of dull grey wire wrapped itself around the throat of the Pawn near the back.

The wire tightened and yanked the Pawn off her feet, Ga-kun using a flashy spell as extra distraction as the woman was quietly pulled away.

The Pawn's eyes bulged out of their sockets as the figure hauled her off her feet with brutal force, enough to easily sever that slim white neck. That is, if not for the woman's body crumbling into blue light and then promptly fading away.

Koneko and Gasper both froze for a moment as the implication of what Yuuji had just done hit.

He had eliminated her from the Rating Game.

Which meant…

The Pawns noticed their loss as Yuuji-senpai vanished into the darkness with a wink, the message clear.

"Koneko-chan." Gasper said, his voice clear but quiet.

"Hold 'em still, Ga-kun."

As Koneko hopped backwards, Balor opened his eyes and the world lurched, the remaining trio of Pawns freezing in the middle of reacting to the unexpected threat.

Landing, Koneko slid her heels back, her small body almost parallel to the ground as one hand steadied her against the floor, and the other drew itself back with fingers curled.

She could remember Nee-sama's words as clearly as if she were whispering them still.

"Breathe deep and focus, Shirone."

Like ink across paper, black stripes appeared across her hair, ears and tail.

"You feel it, don't you? That wild fury that prowls around in the quiet corners of your heart."

Big golden eyes narrowed as dark pupils narrowed into slits.

"Don't fight it, Shirone. Instead, focus it, right at the tips of your fingers."

The air began to stir, like a great beast roused from its slumber.

"And then let it out."

Thin lips curled back into something between smirk and snarl.

"Turn that ki of yours into claws."

Koneko swept her slim white arm out in a great, arcing blow as if to mow down everything in front of her.

A distant roar drowned out the harsh scraping of stone as the wall behind the trio of Pawns was gouged out in four parallel lines, leaving what was unmistakably the great, ripping scar left upon stone by the passage of massive, unseen claws.

For a full second after Balor released its grip on the Pawns, they were motionless, silent.

Without a sound, their features crumbled into light, and each glowing figure slid apart in chunks before dissipating on the wind.

Koneko stood back up and let out a little sigh, feeling a bit… 'lighter' she supposed the feeling was. It felt good to let the wild out, just a little.

And then she froze in place as, from behind her, the sound of a breath being sucked in could be heard.

"That was…"

Slowly peeking over one shoulder, Koneko felt another chill as she was greeted by the sight of pink eyes opened wide.

"SO COOL!"

… She had been worried for nothing.

Her cheeks burning but her smile smug, Koneko puffed out her chest and put her hands on her hips.

"Damn right it was, nyaa."

From the darkness behind the shadows, resting one hand on Ruth's back, Yuuji let his chuckles be lost to the stillness, along with Suu's quiet sigh of relief.

---

Grinning cheerfully, Irina slipped back, the heel of the Rook passing by her stomach with a paper-thin margin.

The Rook was pretty good though, and the second kick followed before her foot had touched the ground.

Irina ducked that too, but she was forced to put her sword hand on the ground for stability, her light sword hissing slightly as it touched down on the stone.

Thankfully, Irina had a super secret secret weapon, which she promptly took up and lashed out with.

Her opponent froze in shock as Irina's secret weapon cut deep, and staggered back, clutching her stomach.

Irina's expression grew gentle as the woman collapsed to her knees, still wearing that puzzled look as Irina returned her secret weapon to its proper place.

"You don't have to worry, Miss- things will be better when you wake up."

… Well, she'd felt like she had to say that for some reason, so she hoped it was true!

Xen-chan moved over to her with Durandal resting on her shoulder, having beaten her opponent a moment earlier because she was Xen-chan.

"Irina, did you notice it?"

"... Yeah, kinda hard to miss when their outfits look like ours." Irina nodded.

The two Rooks had been wearing what looked a lot like modified Exorcist battlesuits.

They weren't as cute as her and Xen-chan were in their battlesuits, naturally, but Irina was glad that their versions weren't that… lewd.

A fight seemed like a bad time to have to worry about whether or not your boobs were gonna slip out of your top.

"Their fighting styles were familiar too- like the hand-to-hand Sister Griselda taught us, but more specialized."

"Yep, yep, probably the difference between learning hand-to-hand as a back-up or a main fighting style," Irina agreed.

"True," Xenovia nodded, before her lips twisted into a puzzled little frown. "But, Irina…"

"Yes, Xen-chan?"

"... I'm not sure if a halo is supposed to be a weapon like that."

Irina blinked, glancing upwards to the halo above her head, the one she'd used to beat the enemy Rook.

"... You sure, Xen-chan? If it's not supposed to be a weapon then why does it cut so well?"

"... No, that's a good point." Xenovia conceded after a moment, nodding emphatically. "Come to think of it, we've probably never heard of halos being used that way because it's more effective as a back-up weapon if it's true nature is unknown."

"Right!? And they're really easy to throw and they always come back so they're super handy!"

"A throwing weapon too? How versatile." Xenovia said approvingly.

Irina nodded back happily, pleased that Xenovia understood.

It made sense after all, a halo had to be for something, right?

---

… Okay, so she was feeling a little useless right now.

Buchou and Kala were warding off the concentrated fire of the enemy Queen and returning their own- who had a gross fighting style that she really hated right about now.

The Queen stood in front of the two Bishops, but she wasn't really shielding them, so much as they were keeping her on her feet with a steady stream of healing and defensive magic while she lashed out with spell after spell, not bothering to defend herself at all.

Buchou and Kala were holding on just fine, but Raynare found herself the odd one out- she wasn't good enough at defensive magic to take their place, and she had no way to reach the enemy and attack- sure, she could fire from a range, but she couldn't get a light spear through or around all that magic, and if she ducked out of cover the Queen would just redirect some of that constant firepower her way, leaving her too busy dodging to do anything useful.

No, worse than that- it would distract Kala and Buchou 'cause they'd be worried.

Dammit, dammit, she hated this.

What was she supposed to do?

What was-

"Raynare." The Fallen in question froze as Rias calmly addressed her, while continuing to protect her as if it was no big deal.

"Y-yes?"

"Take a deep breath. Kalawarner and I can hold them off just fine, which leaves you to break the stalemate."

"If I knew how to do that I would be calm." Raynare murmured bitterly.

"No, I don't think you understand," Rias denied gently. "What I mean is, I don't believe I'm asking you to do something you can't do."

"... Huh?"

Kala didn't say a word, but she didn't need to.

Kalawarner was just as relaxed as Rias was- there was not a trace of tension in those sturdy, beautiful limbs of hers, and there was a faint, patient smile on her lips.

"..."

Now she just felt silly.

… She was the only one doubting here, wasn't she?

Crouched where she was, Raynare closed her eyes, letting the boom of spellfire fade into background noise.

It didn't have anything to do with her.

She had one job- take down the enemy.

She needed to bring down the Bishops first, but the Queen made frontal assaults on them useless.

She couldn't get around them, and even if she lobbed a spear up and over, that method didn't have enough power to land a decisive blow.

No, hold on- did she really need to go after the Bishops? They could only prevent, or heal a certain level of damage. They could prevent accumulated damage, but if she hit the Queen hard enough to eliminate her in one go, they wouldn't be able to reverse that.

But she couldn't take the Queen down in one shot, especially not from this distance.

If it was a matter of pure power, Rias or Kala would have dealt with it already.

So what could she, Raynare, do that they couldn't?

… Take her time and aim. Only that.

"Look, Raynare, you're overthinking it." Yuuji said.

"You don't actually need a big, flashy attack to take down an enemy, at least not all of them." He explained. "At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you slit their throat or burn their body to ashes. Dead is dead."

Yuuji tilted his head, giving her an appraising look that probably wasn't supposed to be a turn-on but definitely was. She liked it when his gaze left her feeling naked.

"And speaking of overthinking it, you've got good aim but it could be better." Yuuji muttered after a moment, raising an eyebrow as her cheeks flushed.

"Aiming isn't 'trying' to hit a target, Raynare. Aiming is deciding to hit a target. You don't shoot because you're planning to miss, do you?"

She wasn't sure it was supposed to be that simple, but Yuuji was really convincing sometimes.

Power didn't matter- only taking down the target.

Don't add anything unnecessary.

Just take aim, and fire.

Raynare didn't rise off the ground, didn't open her eyes, at least not at first.

She raised one arm and drew the other back as if it was a motion she'd been making every day of her life.

When her eyes opened, everything made sense.

The Bishops couldn't heal and shield- they had to do both to compensate for the sheer firepower directed their way by Kala and Buchou.

And so Raynare waited patiently for the tiny gap between the two, that split second when they switched their focus from healing to defending.

In the few seconds she spent waiting for that chance, she found her window of fire, where Kala and Buchou's shields didn't quite overlap.

When her moment came, Raynare was already aiming, and so she hit, just like she'd decided to.

The Queen's eyes widened minutely, and then she coughed, crimson splattering the torn ground at her feet.

The Bishops panicked, immediately preparing to heal, but- to do that they'd need to remove the arrow from their Queen's throat, and to do that they had to act in the instant that had just passed them by.

The Queen fell, and was gone before she hit the ground.

Then the faltering Bishops were gone too as Destruction howled.

With a quiet exhale, Raynare lowered her bow and let herself relax. Sharing a sidelong glance and a knowing smile with Kalawarner, Rias offered her hand and pulled Raynare to her feet.

"You know, I do believe that's the first time I've seen Cupid's arrow fly in person," Rias chuckled. "How enlightening."

"Er… Cupid's arrow? Huh?" Raynare looked down at the bow in her hand.

It wasn't a big bow, but it was pink and cute and made out of pure light.

It was also a bow she'd never laid eyes upon once in her entire life.

"... Huh!?"

"Ufufu~" Kalawarner's rich laughter filled the air. "I had always wondered if that would be the case- that the weapon meant for you was simply waiting for you to need it. It truly is a beautiful weapon, and it suits you well, my adorable Cupid."

"It certainly does, and it's debut couldn't have been better timed," Rias agreed. "Well done, Raynare. That was a wonderful shot."

"... Ehehe~ thanks~!" Raynare rubbed the back of her head bashfully at the praise.

It really was a lovely weapon, and she was proud that it was a part of her.

She'd have to thank Yuuji later as well, she couldn't have come up with it without his advice.

Come to think of it, that meant Yuuji had helped her make it.

Yuuji and her had made it together.

Wait, wasn't it kind of like it was hers and Yuuji's…?

Raynare began to blush, deeply.

---

Yuuji found one of the two unaccounted for Pawns (Suu had made short work of the first two they'd encountered, before finding Gasper and Koneko), but the Pawn didn't seem interested in speaking with her contemporary.

Probably because she'd found herself bent back over an armored knee, moments before an equally armored elbow slammed sharply down onto her stomach, driving the wind from her lungs and the fight from her body in a single precise strike.

The Pawn shuddered once and flopped, a breathless wheeze escaping from her slack mouth as her figure dissolved into light and fading away.

The figure responsible rose to her feet slowly, blue eyes narrowed like merciless frozen steel as they locked onto them.

Then those same eyes lost all their hostility in favor of widening as far as they could possibly go, and beneath those eyes, the snow white skin of the woman's cheeks flushed pink.

"Y-Y-Yuuji-s-san!?" The woman stammered, pointing her finger at him.

"Oh it's, Rossweisse. Long time no see," Yuuji greeted politely, as if they'd just bumped into each other on the street.

Fortunately, Rossweisse was too focused on him to hear Koneko catch the others up to speed.

The poor Valkyrie was flustered enough by their sudden arrival without being introduced as 'the Valkyrie who doesn't know she's a harem member'.

"I-indeed, it is good to see you again, Yuuji-san," Rossweisse coughed into her fist and recovered with admirable grace, though a hint of pink still dusted her cheeks, calming down the rest of the way as she exchanged introductions with the others.

"Lord Odin was able to briefly open a fissure in the barrier surrounding this zone, and has sent me to assist you." Rossweisse stated formally, all business now that the pleasantries had been dealt with.

"Lucky us."

Rossweisse's eyes narrowed for a moment, but the suspicion was replaced by a tiny smile as she determined that the deadpan delivery was in no way sarcastic.

"It seems I've been wandering this temple labyrinth for slightly longer than you have, but beyond the two I just defeated, you're the first signs of life I've encountered."

"Have any problems?"

"Not with them." Rossweisse admitted modestly.

"Then what happened to your armor?"

Rossweisse was girded for war, this time- a fitted breastplate of white metal with gold and blue accents that molded to her curves too much to be mundane, paired with fingerless gauntlets and greaves that covered the knee and below. There were plates guarding her hips with a blue cloth beneath, and in her hair were wing-shaped hair clips. The cloth left the front of her lower body exposed, revealing the high-leg leotard she wore beneath her armor, paired with thigh-high stockings, glossy black just like the leotard. Various parts of the outfit were decorated with pink lace, the same color as the ribbons in her hair.

Yuuji hoped she'd consider pauldrons next time, because one of her exposed, smoothly muscled shoulders had what seemed like a partially healed burn, her stockings were torn, and there were various scrapes and scorch marks on her armor.

"... The one who has been setting traps is far too clever for their own good," Rossweisse grumbled. "It won't reduce my fighting strength, rest assured."

Yuuji exchanged a look with Koneko and the others, receiving confused shrugs in return.

"... There were traps?"

The Valkyrie's smile cramped, and her eye twitched.

---

"Silly Yuuto, this is definitely Heaven!" Kiba couldn't help but laugh as Musashi landed beside him, having used her opponent as a springboard to gain distance.

They'd dueled and defeated the two Knights in fairly short order, but Diodora's servants were, as Musashi put it, an 'appetizer'.

The more serious fight had been against a quartet, now a trio, of what he suspected were some kind of undead Yokai- hulking black armored samurai with strangely simian builds- long arms and short legs, with sloping necks and thick bodies.

Their armor didn't expose anything even the slightest bit organic, and when they'd cut down one, the armor falling apart had revealed nothing but a viscous black mist holding the thing together.

But they were more nimble than they looked, welding thick-bladed tachi with rudimentary sword skills, made lethal by the power behind each strike.

Meaning they were about strong enough to make the fight enjoyable, so it was a shame they didn't have time to savor it.

Her blades swinging in parallel, Musashi brought them slamming down on the side of her attacker's blade, ruining the attempt to cleave her head open and forcing the blade down towards the dirt.

The samurai's arms were too long for her to easily follow up, but she didn't need to, because that's what he was here for.

Musashi dropped low at his sharp call of "down", and Kiba thrust out his hand, a sword launching out of thin air like an arrow, flying straight towards the samurai's mask.

It pierced through with a crunch, and the Yokai fell with mist gushing from the wound like vaporous blood.

That was all the time necessary for the two he'd left behind to catch up, but one of them found itself eye to eye with him as it collapsed onto hands and knee- their lower bodies weren't as armored, and Musashi had capitalized by divesting one of its leg.

Kiba stomped the ground, and a blade erupted from the ground, skewering it from beneath the chin and leaving the corpse to slide slowly down the blade.

Musashi didn't need his help with the other one, and so Kiba was left to watch and appreciate as Musashi met its rush in a whirling dance of steel, weaving past its guard twirling around behind it.

It wasted time it didn't have in an effort to turn and find her, and Musashi took it apart.

Sheathing her swords as the body clattered apart, Musashi stepped around it and made her way to him, the only proof of exertion the thin beads of sweat rolling down her collarbone and towards her exposed cleavage.

Smiling brightly, she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, but didn't close the rest of the distance immediately, content to merely stare into his eyes as Kiba wrapped his own arms around her waist.

They shared a moment of fond silence, and then the distance between their lips shrank to nothing.

The audience clapped; the one that Kiba had forgotten about when he got lost in Musashi's eyes.

Musashi didn't break the kiss, but he could feel her cheeks heating up, and his chuckle was muffled by the softness of her lips.

She didn't pull away when they ended the kiss, but she did angle their bodies to put him between him and the others as Buchou descended from the stands with a flap of her wings, accompanied by almost everyone… apart from Asia, of course, the only one not present was Akeno, and there was a new addition- a silver-haired young woman in white armor.

Kiba didn't get the chance to ask, though- from behind him the air seemed to shift, and then-

"Ara ara, this is a much better welcoming party than the last."

Smiling her usual smile, Akeno fluttered down on her Devil wings, remaining airborne until she was by Yuuji's side.

Akeno smoothly wrapped her arms around one of his, giving him a brief once over.

Yuuji's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and he reached up to her face, brushing his thumb across the corner of her lips.

His thumb came away red, and Yuuji met Akeno's gaze without saying anything.

Akeno gave a minute shake of her head, going on to say "they played rough, but I stole the initiative early and never gave it back, so it worked out somehow."

"If you're sure." Akeno's smile widened just a touch, a little happy to have her boyfriend worrying over her, and also a little pleased to be able to pick up on that worry in the first place.

When no one was looking, Rias quietly released the breath she'd unwittingly been holding in.

Or so she'd thought- as her gaze wandered, it was ensnared by a pair of dark eyes.

He smiled then, one of those unfair smiles of his- tender and with a hint of mischief, an elusive expression that lingered just long enough to engrave itself upon her memory.

Not for the first time, Rias was left wondering if she'd ever win against Yuuji.

And when she thought of it that way, retrieving Asia felt like a much easier task, in comparison.

---

"So in summary, the stadium surrounding our Rating Game field is currently a warzone?" Rias stated more than asked.

"That is correct," Rossweisse nodded politely. "Allied forces are currently clashing with the bulk of the Khaos Brigade forces present, while the Rating Game field has been isolated to allow the strike force to assault you and yours directly."

"The isolation field putting a damper in the plans on our side was countered by Lord Uriel putting a damper on the plans of the other side, thankfully."

"It is as you say." Rossweisse agreed. "Though it's worth mentioning that upon the time of my entry into this space, none of the Khaos Brigade leadership had made an appearance."

"... I see." Rias said. "Well, it has little bearing on our plans for now, I'll make my displeasure known when I have a suitable target for it."

"Like Diodora-san?" Akeno chimed in helpfully from her place at her King's side.

Rias smirked in a way that suggested Yuuji was rubbing off on her.

---

With a languid yawn, Asia stirred, smacking her lips with a cute little murmur and lifting one hand to her face to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

That she was unsuccessful at that last task at first only caused a bit of confusion.

Her arm was stuck, maybe she'd fallen asleep hugging Kalawarner and the limb was trapped underneath?

Asia blinked slowly and lifted her head to find that her arm wasn't on, around or under Kalawarner.

Instead, it was trapped in something cold and blocky and pale.

Asia blinked again, and the vision before her eyes began to make sense- she was bound against something.

Not just her left arm, but her right arm as well as both legs, restrained at both wrists and ankles in an upright position.

Acting on that tiny surge of panic that raced up her spine, Asia struggled against her restraints, a futile gesture that did nothing but slightly tear her delicate skin.

"Now, now, it just won't do if you mar that lovely skin of yours before I can do it." The voice was gentle and amused, and brought Asia's struggles to a halt as she shivered.

The Devil smiling fondly at her was a delicate young man with dark green hair, slender and impeccably dressed in dark, neatly tailored clothing, a long black jacket draped from his thin shoulders.

His gentle demeanor did nothing to alleviate how eerie that tender, charming smile of his was.

'Who are you?', 'Where am I?', 'Where are the others?'

Try as she might, the words just wouldn't make it out- Asia couldn't force the words past the lump in her dry throat.

"Oh my, your reaction tells me you don't remember me at all!" The Devil murmured sadly, his hands over his heart. "Perhaps this will jog your memories, my sweet Asia?"

Without any further preamble, he yanked open his wispy dress shirt, tearing the buttons off.

"Y-you're!?"

Across his chest was a garish, angry red scar that Asia would recognize anywhere.

In fact, she remembered the wound more clearly than the one bearing it.

Thinking back, Asia had her suspicions that when she'd been with the Church, she'd never been given patients she might not have been able to heal.

That must have been why the wound stood out so clearly to her- it was the first time she had failed to completely eliminate a wound.

No, no, she was just distracting herself from trying to understand who was in front of her.

The Devil she'd healed, the reason she'd been excommunicated -shedidn'tblamehimshedidn'tshedidn't- from the Church in the first place.

The man before her, smiling like a snake before a mouse.

"Ahaha! Oh, that does my heart good, you do recognize me, don't you, Asia!?" The Devil swept his arms open wide as he laughed, his squinted golden eyes opening wide as he closed the distance with sudden steps.

"Hhii!"

The Devil just laughed, slamming his hands onto the arms of the strange object restraining her, and leaning in close with a too fast motion, his breath hot against her ear as she frantically twisted her head away.

"Mmm~ yes, that's it my sweet little Asia~" his words hissed out, low and sibilant. "I still remember the kindness you showed me that day," a shiver as a slender finger traced her jawline, and then a shriek as her jaw was tightly gripped, her face wrenched to meet his.

"It was just so fascinating, so… so… pathetic!" The man cackled. "So desperate to save a total stranger, not realizing that every inch of torn flesh mended beneath those soft hands of yours was leading you one step closer to ruin!"

Asia froze, her gemstone eyes going wide.

"... No."

"Yes, yes, a hundred times yes! Hahaha! From the very moment you stepped outside a door that should have been locked, you, my sweet Asia, were already mine!"

She didn't regret healing that Devil.

She didn't, she didn't, she didn't.

… What had it all been for?

Everyone she ever knew had turned against her, her whole world had fallen apart… just because she'd been tricked?

… She had tried so hard to be kind, tried so hard to use her God-given gift to do something good and… and this was what it led to?

A casual comment cut through that whirlwind of despair in an instant.

"Ah, but you don't have to worry, Asia, it's not like you're alone," The Devil shrugged, as if it had nothing to do with him. "After all, the peerage that Rias carved through without a second thought was gathered in much the same way!"

The curious emphasis on that name had Asia snapping her head up, gazing past the Devil for the first time.

Some distance down the wide hall, the room was divided by an almost pointlessly intricate wall of red light, and past that-

"Rias! Everyone!"

There they were… there he was- dark eyes that drove away the fear and revulsion in a single glance, before settling onto her tormentor and turning cold.

Asia couldn't help but feel a little flame of hope kindle.

And so she missed entirely how the relief on her face made the Devil's twisted smile widen.

---

It was background detail.

Buchou sounded worried, Asia sounded scared but unharmed, the thing sounded slimy, and there was something in his way.

That last fact was taking up the bulk of Yuuji's attention.

"Truthfully, I don't believe I can handle the combined might of you and all your pets," someone was saying. 'So I'll make you a deal, if you can break through the barrier, then you can have Asia, and I'll obediently surrender."

"And what's the catch, Diodora?" Diodora? That name sounded familiar for some reason.

"Well, it would be boring if I just sat here doing nothing, wouldn't it?"

"Don't you dare-!"

Something ripped loudly, and Yuuji's focus was broken by a scream of terror.

That thing had just torn open Asia's blouse, exposing her white skin to the air.

"Well, never fear Rias, I'll keep myself entertained."

Far in the distance, there was the harsh metal scream of something sharp being dragged against a hard surface.

"The lowborn trash that laid hands on my Asia, the worthless heir that stole away my toy, and those wretched Fallen who couldn't even properly murder a defenseless girl… I wonder how it feels, knowing that all your meaningless interference led you to this? Usually having an audience doesn't interest me, but I do believe I can make an exception."

"Don't you touch her Diodora!" Rias raged. "Keep your filthy hands off Asia!"

Destruction howled, and a massive wave of black-streaked crimson slammed against the barrier and spread apart, like a river diverted by a dam.

{"It's the same as at the Peace Conference- an isolated space cut off from the rest of the world. I can't reach any of the shadows."} Ruth snarled from somewhere nearby.

Other people were doing other things (it was kind of noisy, wasn't it?), but Yuuji paid it no mind.

They just needed to break through.

So it was simple, right?

"The recoil on this is going to be a bitch, so everyone get back."

… Oh, right, he'd said that, which was why everyone was looking at him.

Yuuji met the eyes of the one he needed to reassure the most, and smiled.

The glimmer of hope in those beautiful green eyes shone just a little brighter as Asia gave a tiny nod.

There was a violent swirl of gunmetal mist, and something massive bolted itself to the floor with screws as thick as his wrists.

Yuuji looked it over in approval, and wrapped his hand around the handle.

"... No seriously, what the fuck is that?"

Yuuji smirked at Raynare's words.

"This is a pile bunker." Truthfully, pile bunkers weren't really a thing outside of fiction, but then again, some would say Devils were the same.

It was a bulky machine- like a massive jackhammer bolted horizontally to the floor.

The boorish piston spike, with its point about a foot and a half from the barrier, had a shaft that was about the same width as one of Akeno's thighs, though it was much less fun to look at.

The other advantage to the absurd contraption was that Diodora was both as flabbergasted by its appearance as everyone else.

Not wasting any time, Yuuji pressed the trigger.

The machine shook with a pneumatic hiss, and there was a faint sound like the crunch of glass.

Diodora paled.

"... Only an inch or so, huh?" Yuuji murmured in discontent, looking at the results of his handiwork. "Damn, it's gonna take a few tries."

The tip of the stake had punched though, but the hole was negligible- even Suu would have trouble slipping through that.

"Well, good thing it can fire multiple times." Yuuji shrugged. He reached for a lever, only for a firm hand on his wrist to bring him up short.

"Can you remove everything but the stake?" Kalawarner requested softly.

"... Yeah. Go wild."

"Oh I intend to, Yuuji." There was something fierce in her smile that Yuuji could freely admit was incredibly sexy.

Everything but the stake vanished, and a circle of magic wrapped around the eight-foot spike, keeping it from slipping free. Kalawarner stepped over to the end of it, giving a pleased nod as, just as expected, the butt end of the stake was flat.

The temperature rose up several degrees, and several Devils took an unconscious step back as Kalawarner's eyes burned with Holy light.

Then she set her weight, drew back her hand, and-

"Hraaa!" Slammed her fist into the flat end of the stake, so hard that the bones in her hand snapped, driving the stake deeply into the barrier as it cracked from floor to ceiling.

Her ruined hand dangling limply at her side, Kalawarner put her other against the side of the stake and pushed up like it was a crude metal lever.

The cracks doubled in number, and Yuuji dispersed the stake.

As if that was the only thing holding it up, the barrier began to break apart, shattering like glass before vanishing into the ether.

Forgoing the limitations of a human shape entirely, Suu had crossed half the distance before Diodora had even moved.

And then she slid to a halt and back into her usual shape, a murderous glare on her translucent features.

"I'll admit, I'm impressed." Diodora casually declared, as if he hadn't just filled the air with twisted spikes all aiming at Asia's dainty neck. "But I think you've interrupted enough."

It wasn't the threat of the spikes that stopped them.

It wasn't Diodora's words, nor the way he reached for Asia while leering at them.

It was the look on Asia's face.

It was an expression they'd never seen before, at least not worn by her, and so they couldn't make sense of it.

---

Asia had not been idle- she understood that Diodora fully intended to do… 'that' to her.

But what she had been too kind to make sense of was why he had waited.

He'd had plenty of time, and there had been no one to stop him from doing whatever he wanted.

So why had he waited until her friends had appeared?

It was only just now that she'd been able to figure it out.

He wanted them to see.

He wanted to take something from her that she'd promised to give to Yuuji alone, and Diodora wanted them to watch as he did it.

… For no other reason than to hurt them.

He was planning to use her to hurt the people she loved.

It felt like her heart was burning up and twisting like thorns at the same time.

She was so angry at Diodora that she couldn't stand it.

She… she…

"Oh, I really hate you." Asia calmly explained, slowly turning her head to at last fully meet Diodora's gaze.

Shock flitted across Diodora's features as gentle, bright green eyes turned cold for the very first time, but his sneer quickly returned.

"And what do you intend to do about it?" He mocked cheerfully.

"This."

It was surprisingly easy, once she'd made up her mind.

"Pain is simply your body warning you of injury. It is not something you should simply ignore, but sometimes it must be put aside for later consideration." Gale-Sensei had told her.

Glad for the first time she had small hands, Asia steepled her fingers together, making her hand as small as she could.

Diodora's smile vanished when, with a sharp tug and a bit of magic to numb the pain, Asia wrenched her right hand free of its restraint, the blood making her slip free nice and easily.

"W-what!? That's impossible-!"

Her hand shimmering a pristine white, Asia slapped him across the face as hard as she could with all the sedation magic she could muster.

The spikes hovering around her fizzled as Diodora hit the floor.

"... Hwaa!?" And then it caught up to Asia that she'd slapped someone hard enough to make them bleed, and she panicked as a rush of guilt flooded through her.

… If she'd had time to look, she might have discovered that she hadn't made Diodora bleed at all- she'd just smeared her own blood across his cheek.

But she didn't have time to do that, because her free hand was busy being used to hug the crying Slime-Girl who had glomped onto her.

"There, there, Suu. I'm just fine, see?"

Her next bout of panic came when she realized that several other figures were racing towards her, using their wings to get there faster.

… And that they probably weren't going to stop in time to avoid crashing.

Well, being squashed with affection didn't seem so bad.

---

"I'm very grateful and you were very cool, but there must have been a better way to do that, Kala-san!" A vaguely familiar voice was scolding.

"A-ah, of course you are right, Asia," A low and thoroughly bashful voice returned. "Forgive me, I let my temper get the best of me… I did not mean to worry you."

"N-no, I'm sorry too, I s-shouldn't be scolding you-"

Diodora awoke from a strange dream.

In it, his adorable, gentle Asia had struck him across the face.

What a foolish dream.

"-I'm gonna remember the part where you bitch-slapped him forever, Asia-chan."

"P-p-please don't, Ray-chan!"

"Oh, how good of you to join us, Diodora." Rias greeted, her elegant manner of speech paired with a polite smile and at total odds with the glacial chill in her eyes.

As his blurry vision settled, Diodora found himself surrounded, and tightly bound with heavy iron cables.

… Inconvenient, but not insurmountable.

After all, he still had the power of Ophis' snake, which he could easily use… to…

"What did you do to me, Rias!?" Diodora shouted out in outrage.

Rias, standing with her arms crossed beneath her bust, merely raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by the outburst.

"Nothing to you beyond the obvious, but that borrowed power of yours has been confiscated."

"That's impossible!"

"Now if only I cared about what you thought was possible."

Truthfully, they had the means to rob Diodora of all his power, at least temporarily, but Rias hadn't been the only one concerned that Suu would get sick from his mana.

However, when Suu had found what she described as an 'infant serpent born of old magic' swimming within Diodora's mana circuits, Rias, despite her misgivings, had had to ask Suu if she could dispose of it.

Suu had told her that if she ate the serpent she would likely never be the same, but she could at least drag it free for someone else to deal with the issue.

Diodora couldn't see it from where he was, but there was a serpent-shaped scorch mark on the floor from where the Power of Destruction had done what it did best.

Even if he could have seen it, he wouldn't have paid it any mind.

Because he had just laid eyes on Asia.

Asia (clothing intact), currently being embraced by Raynare, who gave him a vicious scowl and twisted her body to shield Asia from his gaze.

Asia, who wasn't bound to the device that escaping from should have been impossible.

"H-how-!?" But how!? They'd assured him that there was… that once he had her...That lowly bastard lied to him!

Rias' eyes narrowed at Diodora's sudden shift in demeanor, but her voice carried not a single shred of sympathy.

"It seems things aren't going as planned in more ways than one. Tell me Diodora, what was that device you had Asia bound to? What was its purpose?" Rias demanded. "No matter how you look at it, this setting is far too elaborate to kidnap a single person."

"... And why would I do that?" Diodora sneered. "Bluster all you want, Rias, but I am the heir to the house of Astaroth. Even you can't easily lay your hands on me!"

Rias blinked slowly, and, and said everything she needed to with one word.

"Akeno."

"Ufufu~ of course, my King~" A beaming Akeno cracked her whip.

Her whip, made of pure Holy Lightning.

"Give me five minutes, if you'd be so kind~"

"You'll need that long?" Rias gave her a faintly skeptical look.

"Oh no, Buchou~ I'll make him crack in one~." Akeno smiled. "The other four are for laying those filthy hands on sweet Asia~"

"I like the way you think."

Rias might have, but Diodora certainly didn't.

---

*Click*

"This amateur photography business certainly has its charm," Uriel nodded contentedly, admiring the picture on his smartphone. "And I hope whoever installed professional grade cameras into cell phones is in Heaven… or alive."

Slipping his phone back into pocket, Uriel turned around, looking off into the distance where Irina and her companions had flown off to.

Truth be told, he'd rather be a little closer at hand, but he'd have never sent them headlong into a battle that was beyond them. Furthermore, Father had deeply instilled in all his Archangels that no one would ever get any growing done if there was an Archangel hovering over their shoulder to make sure they never so much as skinned their knee.

Father had also imparted that bit of wisdom in a far more eloquent fashion, but alas, all fell short of the glory of God, even if you were among his firstborn.

… Perhaps a peek wouldn't hurt.

It was right when Uriel had made up his mind that he discovered he had no say in the matter.

The distant temple he was looking at, despite being visually identical, was not the same as the temple he'd sent the young ones off to.

"... Someone's been playing with dimensions again, and that someone had best hope their body isn't made out of flammable material."

Because, for the first time since her Flame had begun to kindle, Irina was out of reach.

---

Rias deeply regretted that her own sense of fairness dictated that Asia should be privy to whatever information they gleaned from Diodora, as Asia was the main injured party.

'Reversal' was an experimental tool, something like general purpose magical reflection.

And the 'device' that Asia had been bound to was meant to reverse her Twilight Healing, while amplifying it a dozen times over.

Rias truly had no wish to know what the most powerful healing Sacred Gear could do when inverted, and she'd truly been tempted to pull Diodora's tongue out of his throat when he'd admitted that he intended to use her Asia in such a way.

What went a long way to staying her hand was…

"Buchou, there's nothing like that here."

… The fact that the 'device' was a dud.

True, it did radiate magic, but the same kind of magic that every sturdy magical construct did.

… It didn't even have the usual enchantments that prevented Asia from doing exactly what she had done, it was just somewhat sturdy.

"... A lot of this doesn't add up, Buchou." Yuuji spoke up. "I don't know if anyone else picked up on it, but even the mob stationed to deal with us didn't really have any standouts- none of the people apparently sent to kill us had the strength to be serious threats on their own."

"And combined with the dud device… Yuuji, do you think they're simply cleaning house?"

"... Odds aren't bad." He admitted. "If I wanted to make an impact, I'd have waited for a Rating Game with both you and Sona. Two siblings to the Satans, just like with… Coca Cola?"

"... It never ceases to amaze me how easily you forget the things you don't care about." Rias sighed, though she didn't mind disrespecting the dead if that dead was scum to begin with.

"... What do you mean by 'cleaning house'?" A ragged Diodora who smelled of ozone almost managed to make it sound like a demand, but then Akeno's line of sight shifted his way and he recoiled.

"It means you've been abandoned, Diodora." Rias smiled, and even her spite was a beautiful thing. "It means you've played one game too many."

Diodora caught the shift in the air with remarkable speed, and shied away from those looming as much as he could, desperation bleeding away all the feigned elegance from his tone.

"N-now hang! Y-you can't just kill me! I am the heir to the House of Astaroth, there aren't nearly enough Purebred Devils as it is!"

"Kill you?" Rias tilted her head in curiosity. "I was under the impression that we were in a Rating Game?"

Diodora froze, and Akeno chuckled behind her hand.

"Ara, I didn't get the chance to pass on that little tidbit Buchou, forgive me," she tittered. "It seems the inner sanctum is cut off- Diodora-kun was looking forward to giving you a nasty surprise~"

"... Is that so?" Rias replied idly.

"W-wait, y-y-you can't… t-this is a mistake!" Diodora's desperate gaze locked onto one person in particular, and if looks alone could kill, he would have died from the murderous glare that even Gasper leveled his way.

"A-Asia! Please, don't let them k-kill me! You're far too k-kind to simply allow cold-blooded murder, are you not!?"

"... I don't regret saving you, Diodora-san." Asia admitted quietly. "There was no way I could have known what you were really like, and I won't let myself feel guilty for following my beliefs, even when they were taken advantage of."

For just a moment, there was a glimmer of hope in Diodora's golden eyes.

"Maybe I'm not the first faithful daughter of the Church you ruined, but I'm going to pray that I'll be the last."

Unwilling to look at him any longer, Asia turned her back.

"Yuuji." Rias filled the silence.

Admittedly, she was more than a little surprised when Yuuji instead looked to Suu.

Suu looked to Xenovia.

Xenovia looked to Irina.

Irina looked to Raynare.

Raynare looked to Kalawarner.

With a benevolent smile worthy of a saint upon her glossy lips, Kalawarner cracked her knuckles.

---

Having quietly walked some distance away, Asia knelt on the ground, closing her eyes and lifting her hands in prayer.

Perhaps she should have forgiven Diodora, in his final moments.

And perhaps she could have, if it had been only her he'd hurt.

But… she did not think it was wrong to resent him for tormenting her loved ones.

Right now, though, it was a time for gratitude.

Right now, it was a time to be thankful, that something she wished to give to Yuuji and Yuuji alone hadn't been stolen from her by an evil, wicked man.

And maybe… to be just a little thankful that she wouldn't have to see that evil, wicked man again.

… M-maybe she should pray for a little forgiveness too, while she was at it?

---

Shame that it was, she couldn't afford to take too long with her task.

They hadn't found anything like a barrier core or the like, so they were still cut off from the rest of the Rating Game field.

So she'd need to be prompt, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy herself.

After all, the filth she'd dragged off into a side room had laid his hands on one of her students.

A dull 'pop' and a strangled scream echoed through the privacy barrier, prompting Kalawarner to look down in surprise.

… Well, she had intended to do that anyway, so all Kalawarner did by way of reaction was shrug.

She had been gripping Diodora by his now dislocated shoulder, which she seemed to have squeezed a bit hard.

With the same callous ease, Kalawarner reached down and did the same to Diodora's other shoulder.

"■■■■■!?" Diodora screamed, but Kalawarner didn't pick up on what he was saying in the least, because she didn't care.

The same skill that allowed her to pick up individual voices when her class of forty-two was abuzz with chatter just as easily allowed Kalawarner to reduce the Devil's final words to little more than white noise.

Her movements swift and business-like, Kalawarner undid the cables around the Devil's body and neatly coiled them up, placing them aside.

Then she raised her foot and shoved him onto his back, and, instead of bringing her foot down, lifted it up into the air with her leg bent.

Two quick stomps from black high-heels did the same thing to its legs as she had done to its shoulders, leaving the Devil effectively crippled.

This was partially to make escape more difficult, and partially to make what would happen next more painful.

Bands of golden light coiled tight around its limbs and hoisted the Devil into the air, and Kalawarner closed her eyes with a soft smile, quietly savoring the sounds it made.

When she opened her eyes once more, the Devil had been hoisted up into the air, leaving the trunk of its body just above her head, its limbs stretched out to form the shape of an 'x'.

Hands on her hips, Kalawarner took a moment to appreciate her work, before reaching into a portal at her side.

What she brought forth was a piston spike, a hulking, boorish piece of metal whose shaft was as thick around as the meatiest parts of her thigh.

It was the same piston spike they'd used to break through Diodora's barrier.

Darling that he was, Yuuji had noticed her quiet theft of the object but had simply nodded.

With a bit of earth magic, Kalawarner opened up a small pit in the floor, wedging the piston in, its point aimed up towards the ceiling.

At least it would be, if the hanging Devil wasn't in the way.

Kalawarner snapped her fingers, smiling slightly as the Devil's noises grew in volume.

The bands of light slowly began to pull the Devil's squirming body towards the floor.

Or, they would have, had the piston spike not been in the way.

The whole time, Kalawarner said not a word, made not a sound.

She just watched with a patient, indulgent smile, Wrath and madness setting her beautiful golden eyes ablaze.

---

In the end, they never did find the core for the barrier, regardless of how they searched.

Ruth and Suu had a sense for magic that few Devils could match, the only one's coming close being Koneko and Gasper.

The problem was that, to some degree, all four of them were known entities.

And while Koneko's true nature was the only secret, anything that would foil Ruth's senses was enough to foil hers.

They had several experts on magic that could utilize other methods of searching, Rossweisse being a strong addition in that regard.

But the more comprehensive methods took time, something which they had only gained any surplus of.

Which was why in the five odd minutes it took Kalawarner to finish up and destroy the evidence, without anyone knowing, it had become too late.

She made her way into the main hallway, and that's when she saw it.

Asia, knelt in prayer… and a faint pale light filtered down from above, casting a long shadow on the gentle Bishop.

With nothing but a vague chill coursing up her spine, Kalawarner yelled a warning.

With nothing but that vague warning, Suu tackled Asia in an attempt to push her from the strange light.

The light followed, and grew blinding.

|"Perhaps you've grown a bit too accustomed to getting your way."| The arrogant reprimand echoed off the pillars as the light faded.

The second time Asia vanished, she at least didn't vanish alone.

A figure in dark armor emerged above the altar where Asia had been bound, a haughty sneer on cold but aristocratic features.

---

This is your fault.

You let her out of your arms once and look what happened.

How many times must they take from you before you get it through your head?

Rias buried those thoughts and glared up at the hovering figure. Dark armor with an oddly sleek, insectoid appearance, and a flowing fur-lined cape, flowing auburn hair framing in handsome but cold features.

"Shalba Beelzebub, is it?" Rias addressed him. "Where are my Bishop and her Familiar?"

"Hmm? Is that what they were?" The looming Devil tilted his head. "I merely happened to notice one of Diodora's toys lying around without him nearby to clean up his mess, so I did the natural thing."

"... Which is?"

"I threw it out, obviously."

"Bring... her... back."

"I don't even know where she is," Shalba shrugged as if it were unrelated to him. "Whatever lies beyond the Rating Game field?"

"!"

"... Rias." Raynare cut in, her voice devoid of any emotion. "What's outside the field?"

"... The Dimensional Gap." Rias replied in little more than a whisper, not looking her way at all.

Raynare stiffened, but there was someone there not interested in reading the room.

"Ah, so I did kill her." Shalba idly noted. The Dimensional Gap was the space between space- swirling colors and little else, a place devoid of the necessities for life.

Only the greatest of beings could roam there, legend had it that the Dragon Gods roamed that vast silence.

With a shooing gesture, Shalba knocked the hail of gleaming pink arrows out of the sky with a wave of power, chuckling lightly at the heart-broken scream that heralded their flight.

As grief and rage swept through the group, Shalba seemed content to revel and wait, seating himself in midair watching them with a permissive smile on his lips.

Even Rossweisse was affected, though her grief was much less poignant since she was barely an acquaintance to the gentle blonde.

Unsurprisingly, Xenovia's reaction was much, much stronger.

The jagged Holy aura clinging to Durandal seemed to snarl as Xenovia's white-knuckled grip tightened, tears streaming down her cheeks as she leveled a glare of pure hate at the smiling Devil.

"Why Asia!? Why does a girl kinder than anyone else have to die while bastards like you just sit back and laugh!?"

"Why doesn't the Underworld bow to its rightful rulers as it should?" Shalba indifferently replied. "And yet, despite the asking, pretenders still rule and the Bishop is still dead. If only asking questions would solve every problem."

Durandal's snarl turned into a roar as the muscles in Xenovia's legs tensed and her wings unfurled, but she didn't make it a single step, much less off the ground.

A tanned hand clamped down hard on one of her wrists, forcing Durandal's lethal edge towards the floor.

{"Xenovia, stop. There's no one here to put you back together if you fly off the handle."} Ruth warned in a neutral tone.

"... How can you be so… calm… about… this?" Xenovia's furious retort faltered as she belatedly looked Ruth's way, not having noticed that the Grim was still using telepathy in human form.

The transformation hadn't quite stuck- blood was trickling down Ruth's lips where he'd bit into them with the fangs of a Grim, and his crimson eyes burned with supernatural fury.

The hand that had seized her was trembling, and not just due to how tightly it was gripping.

Xenovia took a deep breath and said "... No, sorry, you're right. Forgive me, Ruth."

With some effort, Ruth released her wrist, shaking his head but saying nothing more.

Of course he was just as worried as she was, if not more- Xenovia had never had the chance to lose a sister.

Barely audible, Shalba clicked his tongue. Swatting down one of the traitor Devils in front of her comrades would have been at least a little amusing.

But no matter, his own preparations were complete, and thus, there was no more reason to let the traitors move at their own pace.

After all, battling the Gremory and all of her allies on his own was more exertion than she was worth.

Naturally he intended to kill the sister of the false Satan himself, but there was no reason he had to dirty his hands with the rest- this was to be the debut of his own personal collection.

That he was able to enter here at all confirmed Diodora's death- the Astaroth had likely believed to the last that the barrier would go down with his defeat.

Death was a rather permanent sort of defeat, so no lies had been told.

Speaking of death…

Shalba snapped his fingers, and the ground below his hovering form burst into pale green light.

From fifteen circles emerged fifteen figures, and Shalba couldn't help but grin at the shock on the enemy King's face.

They had a sense for these sorts of things after all, and so the Gremory had immediately recognized what stood before her.

"... How do you have a peerage of your own!?"

"Is it that surprising, Gremory? I am a High-class Devil, and so naturally I qualify for pieces of my own."

"Don't play games Shalba, Lord Beelzebub would never allow you to get your hands on your own set!"

"I am Lord Beelzebub- that pretender may have created the system, but not all who work under him think as he does." Shalba sneered, his good mood soured by the mention of that pretender to his throne. "Of course, I did not indulge in the meaningless game of resurrecting the lesser species, which is why my peerage is naturally far superior."

They were handpicked by Shalba himself- Devils and Extra Demons of the True Satan Faction, of naturally lower status than himself, but still blessed with ample power and pedigree.

Where the Gremory and her toys wore school uniforms for the most part, his proud servants were all bedecked in the dark armor of the Fly, echoing his own glory as they should.

"Behold, sister of the false Satan- the Evil Pieces as they should have always been used! Your playthings are no match for real Devils, and now is the moment we prove it to the world!"

So it was unsurprising that Shalba had no idea how to react when the first of those playthings to react, did so by bursting into laughter.

A single word was lost amidst that uproarious display of mirth.

"... Yuuji?"

Buried too by the echoing laughter was the haunting groan of an iron fist clenching, and the eerie sensation that something had just irreparably snapped.

---

That damn sound was making it hard to think. Like a thousand knives being sharpened with the inside of his skull.

WE SEE YOU

Someone was yelling.

WE

Someone was screaming at him.

SEE

That this was the missing piece, that Diodora was a spoiled, cruel child who could have never gotten his hands on Asia without help.

YOU

Help like this.

SHALBA BEEZLEBUB.

The help of someone like Shalba Beelzebub, with an entire terrorist organization at his beck and call.

WE...

… It was all his fault that Asia wasn't here. He's the one who snuffed out that light. He's the one that- oh.

WE... KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE!

The ones screaming, and sharpening countless knives within his skull were the dead.

And he really felt like screaming with them.

---

The delirious, echoing laughter ended with a retching sound as Yuuji gagged violently, clutching at his skull.

Collapsing onto hands and knees, he began to vomit.

Vomit lifeless grey smoke, like a steam engine in its death throes.

Smoke that consumed and scattered everything in an instant.

Everything, and everyone nearby, right up to the steps of the altar.

And so she didn't hesitate for another second- Akeno pushed into the fog, straight for where Yuuji had been a moment earlier.

She pushed into the fog, and was just as easily pushed out.

They emerged from the fog without warning, and Akeno would have likely recoiled had she been given the leeway.

'They' were hands, attached to arms with too many joints.

Spindly things of razored metal- like someone had hammered together a crude facsimile of a human arm from countless scalpel blades.

And yet the hands that seized her shoulders with bladed fingers did not pierce.

They gripped onto the bare skin of her shoulders where her haori didn't cover, but they did not cut into her skin.

Instead, they gently but insistently turned her around and pushed her along, guiding her out of the fog, and she didn't resist because she couldn't make sense of what was happening, and because she was on board with efforts to not cut her open by accident.

The moment she was clear of the gunmetal haze, Akeno looked over her shoulder to find a third arm emerging from between the two.

It shook a finger at her in a soundlessly chiding gesture, before all three limbs retreated and vanished.

… It was the same for all of them- the razored limbs had silently herded them out of the fog, and reunited them one by one, without drawing a single drop of blood, without even the most minute of scratches to cloth or skin.

Irina had even lost her footing, and the arms had caught and carried her out of the fog without harming her in the least.

That had been the case for every member of the ORC, and even Rossweisse was included.

It was not so for those on the other end of the fog.

Shalba Beezlebub lost two of his Pawns in the vanguard to the spindly iron limbs when they got too close- the limbs could be broken, but never enough of them were broken, and any spells just vanished into a smog that swallowed up even the sound of their passage.

The limbs swarmed the two Pawns, clamping over their mouth and muffling their cries.

The rest of the arms reached out with delicate fingers and plucked them to pieces.

So perhaps it was reasonable that it went unnoticed when, in the heart of the gunmetal smog, Yuuji's laughter briefly resumed in the form of a short, mischievous little snicker.

It went equally unnoticed when Yuuji, still on hands and knees, began to grin.

And perhaps that was for the best.

---

Remember that one time when Yuuji snapped?

You ain't seen shit.

Somewhat regrettably, every route here led to a cliffhanger (and this chapter is pretty big as it is), but I'm sure the pay off will be worth it.

Lot's of other stuff happened too, it was nice to have a bunch of individual action scenes and show off the fruits of training and character growth a bit.

Now that Gasper is growing into his power, Rias can safely say that both her Bishops are support monsters, which is a good compliment to the excessive power her peerage can bring to bear.

Kuroka is gonna be so proud when she finds out that Koneko was wrecking bitches with her Nekoshou Senjutsu, and Raynare is now a fast flying archer, which means she's basically the angelic equivalent of a fighter jet specialized in dog-fighting.

Rossweisse is back already so you can probably guess where that's going, and Diodora's gotten the Vlad the Impaler treatment offscreen.

… I bet there were lots of you expecting Yuuji to take that kill, huh?

Well, he is a team player, and Diodora had been spamming Kala's berserk button pretty relentlessly, he even managed to provoke Asia of all people.

Speaking of team players, though, Uriel was a low key MVP, torching all the extras off page to save my word count.