Cross' Random Snippets

by crossedge

Just some random ideas that pop up in my mind sometimes while I write my current works. I am just putting the into words and I might pick up on one of them when I complete one of my current works. These posts might come randomly.

7. Story 4: Chapter 2

Story 4: When a Fallen Angel Gets Creative! Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 2: The Father of All Misunderstandings.

- Azrael -

One year has passed since I was taken into the Grigori as an employee.

I was tasked with screening every Fallen Angel I could one by one, each day while being monitored by Lady Penemue.

And boy, did the Fallen have traitors.

That said, they were all weeded out within a month. It even caused several factions to be shaken considering how quickly they were weeded out. They allowed several of the spies in though. Only to feed them with false information and manipulate their enemies. Counter espionage was a skill that Penemue was teaching me as her apprentice. The others skills I was taught were torture and interrogation. In fact I was allowed free reign to break the prisoners by my own methods.

I was taught Light Magic by both Azazel who sometimes called me in to find information about random objects for his research. The flaws in equipment and such. My Appraisal could sometimes provide crucial information about some objects that helped his research so I was called several times to his office to help out. In return, he taught me Light Magic and Mind Magic.

Azazel had a less known title as the Tempter. The man's charisma and ingenuity was something none of the other leaders of the Three Factions can match.

Heaven has history and public support, the Devils have power and the Fallen Angels have Azazel.

As much as one would like to say that he is an incompetent leader and cannot control his subordinates, it is still a fact that the Fallen Angels would have been in a much worse state than they are now. Azazel's political and people skills played a major part in keeping the faction afloat. He has single-handedly made political connections with several other factions who were actually quite supportive of the Fallen Angels. Believe it or not, the Fallen Angels were actually favoured the most among the Three factions by other Supernatural Factions(excluding outliers like Hades).

Azazel was a master of Mind Magic and charming people. He was in general a genius in magic too. Apparently it is a rather uncommon secret but Azazel had an original magic called, 'Tempt' which let him do exactly what the name suggests. It was something he had created just after falling, in his youth.

The Skill basically lets him 'tempt' others easily. Only those with strong will or strong power can resist it. Although he has more or less stopped using this, this was the reason why he was so less trusted even though he tried to do good things.

I checked the price of the Skill. It was 20,000 LP for an F Ranked one and I was pretty sure that all the high levels here will notice it

Penemue, on the other hand, was a menace on the battlefield. She tore through the enemy ranks with sheer power and brutality. Their teaching methods showcased their styles perfectly. While Penemue was ruthless in her training. She used Magical Weights, devices that continuously kept my magic sapped while I trained to force my reserves to grow. And I had to complete all my designated work despite that or it would be rounds around the training grounds. My body had refused to move after the first day of training.

It was only after a week or so that I could stay conscious at the end of the day and then she used to increase the weights on my body once more.

Azazel on the other hand was more technical in his way of teaching. He is a wonderful teacher no doubt. He forced me to use light spears the size of chopsticks to eat and lightspears in the shape of straws to drink or go hungry and thirsty the whole day. To use my magic for every aspect of my daily life. It did wonders for raising my Light Magic levels.

His training methods were extremely innovative and kept one on their toes, testing the limits of their concentration at every moment. Every training session exhausted me totally, body, mind and spirit.

The evenings were a reprieve though. The Spa on the women's side was perfect for grinding my LP. Actually, the cafeteria was the same because of the exotic food that I got to eat every time.

I discovered some new things about my powers. It gave me 50 LPs for each act for any normal woman. If I had to think of a pattern, it would be that women who were mentioned in the story or directly played a part in the story gave more points while everyone else gave just 50 LP per day. Why I knew this was because I tried a hand on Lady Penemue too and although I only got to massaging her body and no fingering and stuff, it still gave me five times the LP, including the first time bonuses.

My repertoire of Skills has also seen a massive increase in the last year.

Light Magic(D)(Active) Level 9

Light Affinity(D)(Passive)

Lightning Affinity(E)(Passive)

Fallen Angel Physiology(D)(Passive)

Teleportation(D)(Active)

Mind Magic(D)(Active)

Appraisal(C)(Active)

Discerning Eye(C)(Active)

Massage(C)(Active) Level 8

Clean(E)(Active)

Relaxing Touch(D)(Passive)Level 8

Charming Presence(E)(Passive)Level 7

Enhanced Potential(D)(Passive)

Enhanced Talent(E)(Passive)

Enhanced Magical Reserves(D)(Passive)

Enhanced Stamina(D)(Passive)

Enhanced Regeneration(E)(Passive)

Damage Resistance(E)(Passive)

Iron Will(D)(Passive)

Suppress Power(D)(Active) Level 2

Martial Arts(E)(Active) Level 5

Spearmanship(E)(Active) Level 8

Acting(D)(Active)Level 5

Sex Mastery(E)(Passive) Level 8

Addictive Touch(D)(Passive)Level 5

Self-Fertility Calibration(E)(Active) Level 5

Total LP: 44,000.

The first thing I created after gaining enough LP was the Suppress Power Skill and raise it to the D Rank directly. What this Skill does is very simple. It lets me hide the amount of power I had from others including the number of wings I had.

At the moment, I had Six Wings and was almost rushing towards the next pair which meant I was a solid High Class Fallen Angel. Even then, I was among the stronger ones in my level. According to Shemhazai, who was the only one apart from Azazel and Penemue who was privy to my training details, I was the strongest among those of the same generation as me. But that's it. Even Grigori has over a dozen Cadres who can destroy people like me easily. Not to mention the Longinus users and the future threats.

Kalawarner herself had gained another pair of wings six months ago and was among the higher levels of the Mid Class Fallen Angels, almost nearning her next pair of wings due to training with me. She was completely loyal to me at this point. The Addictive Touch Skill works well in training someone to make them obedient. Combined with her already submissive character, she came into line quite easily.

I bestowed her a F Ranked Enhance Potential Skill to enhance my first loyal minion in this world.

Her work load was not even close to my own and she was already an adult, even so her growth was quite decent.

Shemhazai was comparing me to the recruits of the Nephilim Institution, humans with Sacred Gears and special powers along with young Fallen Angel children that were trained to work for Grigori. I was not sent there because I was personally taken by Penemue to hide my power from others.

Today was a special day. I was called to Azazel's office.

On entering the office, I saw the man himself was sitting on the couch with another person in the room. The other person was a white haired child, around seven or eight years old.

A quick use of the Discerning Eye confirmed my doubts as well as gave me a surprise about the child's identity.

Velvet Lucifer, the great-grandaughter of Lucifer and the White Dragon Empress.

"Azrael, come on in. Take a seat. This is my new charge, Velvet….but I guess you have already seen who she is and all her information. Jeez there goes my surprise. Anyways, she will be staying with us from now on. As her senior, take care of her."

I nodded my head and saw that the girl was scared suddenly about the reveal that I knew about her.

This girl was putting up a strong front but had just escaped death by a stroke of luck and was extremely tense. New places and new people would make anyone feel scared.

I patted her head lightly. "If you need anything, just ask for me."

She merely nodded her head but kept looking down towards her feet.

"If you are scared, just become strong enough to not feel scared. I know what it feels like to have your own parent try and throw you under the bus because of their insecurities. Just looking down and bowing your head will never help. Train, work hard and become strong. If you need help with that, I will help you. Alright?"

She looked surprised at my words, her mouth opened slightly before she closed it and whispered some words. "B-but I am….the descendant of…."

"Descendant of two dropouts of Heaven. Basically everyone here is similar to your ancestor or you. All thrown out of Heaven. Among the Devils, that might be something special. Here it is just the norm. End of the story."

"Bwahahahaha dropouts of Heaven. I wonder what the Old Satan Faction will do if they ever hear of this." Azazel burst out into a fit of laughter, almost doing a spit take.

Apparently it was enough to lighten the atmosphere in the room too.

I also needed to talk to Azazel about something and was waiting for Penemue to arrive at his office which happened quite soon.

The purple haired lady opened the room and threw a look at Velvet before taking a seat on the couch next to us. "So, what was it that you needed to talk about?"

I quickly thought over what I had planned in my mind and used Get Creative to create two Skills.

Holy Affinity(E)(Passive) and,the main skill that cost a whopping 10,000 LPs, Holy Lightning(F)(Active).

"I….was practising some new kind of magic and thought to try something new. Well, something happened there."

The two looked at me curiously until Penemue called out, "Well go on, don't keep us in the dark."

I raised my hand and golden lightning flickered around my palm gaining a period of stunned silence in the whole room.

"Bullshit….!" Azazel spoke before pouring himself another glass of scotch.

"This better not be a joke, Azrael. Show me the spell again." Penemue, in the meanwhile, walked right to my face and ordered me to display the skill.

I did the same. Holy Lightning was a skill that I could work out. Normal Light Magic had almost reached Ultimate Class level of proficiency and yet I was lacking the impact that heavy hitting skills have. So I decided to use the Get Creative to make myself the strongest hitting skill on the Fallen Angel's side - The Holy Lightning. This is the skill that gave Barakiel the title of the strongest Cadre of the Fallen Angels. This is the skill that pushed Akeno into borderline Satan Class before her twenties even when she had ignored it for the majority of her life. There was no way, I was going to let it go unused if I could afford to.

The main requirement for the skill is the Holy Affinity which the Fallen Angels lose when they Fall. Only beings like Barakiel who were gifted with Holy Lightning in their very blood can use it even after falling and losing their Holy Power. The Holy Power was the reason why an average Angel was stronger than an Average Fallen Angel of the same rank. It adds that extra oomph behind the attacks.

It was the reason why someone like Vasco Strada could punch his way into the Satan Class while still being a human just by relying on his faith.

There were other reasons behind this too.

First, I might or rather will be granted permission to train under Barakiel which might help me interfere in the Himejima debacle. No way, I am going to let the talents of the Fallen Angels go to the Devil's side. There were very few good candidates among the Fallen Angels as it is. It was going to happen in anything between a year or two and I needed to do this fast.

Second will be to be provided with more resources and authority in the organisation. Currently I am thirteen. If my estimates are correct, the Slash Dog events start in three years which means that Satanael was going to go rogue in three years and a couple years later, Kokabiel would do the same and that's when all shit will hit the fan. Obviously, there could be changes now that I am here but it is always best to prepare for the worst. There will be some very strong people coming out in the Slash Dog period and I need to be strong enough to fish in those muddy waters. Satanael is a Ten Winged Fallen Angel and one of the strongest in Grigori. Three years will be needed to surpass him.

There is also the fact that there will be several people whom I want to recruit but I'm too weak to interfere with. This is the first step of my plan to spread my wings over the world.

"This….how did you do it?" She asked.

"I….was using Lightning Magic and tried to use it in different ways and tried to create a Holy Version of Lightning because I had heard of it and….well, this happened."

"This just doesn't happen, Azrael. This is…."

"Well what do you want me to say? I wanted to create a Holy version of Lightning and it just sort of happened. I don't know exactly how it happened, okay." This was not a lie as I really didn't know how this happened.

….

"Actually, why don't you take Velvet out for a walk and show her around." Azazel cut in.

"I….am I in trouble?" I sighed.

"No. Not really. Just don't tell anyone about this yet."

I nodded and ruffled the hair of the white haired tomboy beside me and asked her to follow me.

- Azazel -

"I thought I was going to give him a surprise and he did this." Azazel sighed.

"Do you think he's…. I mean Raynare didn't remember the guy she had slept with. I had to investigate in case he had a parent who would take him in just for formality but didn't find anything." Penemue replied, sitting down.

The room flashed with light as Shemhazai appeared in the room. "So, what happened now? Just where did you mess up, Azazel?"

"Oi….why do you assume that it was me who messed up?" He asked, offended.

"Isn't that how it generally is? So, what happened this time?" He sat down on a couch as he asked.

"Then you will be glad to know that I didn't mess up this time or that it is even a mess in the first place. I mean it is but it isn't at the same time….It was all Barakiel's fault." he blurted out.

"Okay, what is going on here?"

"Azrael used Holy Lightning." Penemue laid out the news.

Shemhazai had his mouth open. He collected himself pretty quickly, being the most collected among the Fallen Angels. "Hmm, the boy is talented. Exceptional if I say so myself. He kept up with your insane training without complaining. One would even think he enjoyed being abused. Black hair, purple eyes….damn, it was right in front of us the whole time. Does Barakiel know about it?"

"No….we found out about it just a few minutes ago. The brat says that he just tried to make Holy Lightning and it happened. As if that power was something that just happened." Azazel scoffed.

"The boy is smarter than you give him credit for, Azazel. He must have made the connection as well and given his experience with Raynare, I don't imagine his thoughts would be anything positive about a parent." Shemhazai sighed, massaging his forehead. "Do you think he knew? I mean Azrael. He can see other people's information, right? Is this what he was hiding?"

"Maybe. I am not sure."

"So, what are you all planning to do?" He asked.

"What else, go talk to Barakiel. The man has every right to know of this." Azazel replied.

"Barakiel is in the Human World…you know…."

"I know and that's why I will go there myself. I don't think such things should be talked about in using communication magic circles."

"Then….let me come too. For all matters and purposes, the brat is my apprentice. Someone who is half-way decent at that and an invaluable support in the T&I Department." Penemue got up as well.

"Oh, why don't you accept it? You like the kid. It's not like I haven't heard about the boy with magic fingers who works in the Spa." Azazel scoffed.

"He does have magic fingers. I can't even deny it. He would earn quite a lot even if he opened up a massage parlour in the Grigori." Penemue shrugged her shoulders.

Azazel rolled his eyes at the blatant acceptance of the accusation. Lucky Brat.

The two of them got inside the teleportation circle and flashed off to Japan.

- Scene Change -

They appeared in front of an isolated Shrine in Japan and walked towards the building.

Barakiel stayed with his family, away from all the commotion.

He noticed the wards and sent his signal into the wards to alert him and sure enough, the tall, bearded man walked out of the shrine in a black yukata.

"Azazel! Penemue! You both are here. Is everything alright?" He asked seriously and Azazel walked to him.

"I think we should go inside." He said as he walked towards the shrine. Barakiel gave a nod and led them to the house. Penemue just followed the two men quietly.

The inside of the house was simple like a normal Japanese home.

"Who is it, Anata?" A woman's voice was heard and the owner of the voice soon followed. Dressed in a white shrine maiden dress, Shuri Himejima came out followed by what looked like a miniature clone of her. She realized who they were and bowed slightly, which he returned. Penemue just gave her a smile and a nod. "Welcome. Please make yourselves comfortable. I will make some tea for everyone."

"Thank you."

They all sat down in the living room as Shuri prepared tea and the little girl was peeking from the corner of the door.

"So, what's this about?" Barakiel asked seriously.

Now, how to put this easily… .

"There is a Fallen Angel child that might be your son." Penemue threw in the bomb directly.

"Wha… . " The man's jaw hung open.

The lady behind him stilled and looked at her husband with a frozen smile.

The girl in the corner of the room looked on with wide eyes.

Azazel sighed and since they were already in such a situation, he decided to continue. "The boy is thirteen years old, so before you even met Shuri. So no, Barakiel was not cheating on you." he first addressed the woman before she made assumptions. And sure enough, her smile became awkward. "The boy's mother…."

"I don't think she deserves to be called a mother." Penemue spoke again and he had to rethink if bringing her to this meeting was the right decision.

Barakiel however, now safe from the wrath of his wife(a major reason why Azazel never married in the first place) was paying more attention to the topic and jumped on the statement.

"It's a long story. She had him under a drunk escapade because….ugh, I am quoting the boy here, 'she had heard somewhere that Azazel was interested in milfs'…." He did his best to ignore the awkward looks on everyone's faces. "A year ago, she tried to make him take a fall for something that could have been Grade Three Treason to get rid of him but one of her teammates had taken a shine to the boy and alerted him in advance. The boy himself is very smart and….he got out of the situation and convinced us to take him in."

The expressions on the faces of both the husband and wife looked horrified at the aspect of a mother throwing away her child.

"Oh, don't be such a sore loser. He beat you in a bet and won that position fair and square." Penemue smirked.

"Will you two stop talking out of context?" Barakiel interrupted making the two of them quiet.

"The boy's mother and the boy himself don't know about the father and the boy is….well he is somewhat special. He has some powers that are not quite….normal."

"Explain. Also, how are you so sure that he is my son? I will be honest, I don't really have any such memories either. Something might have happened while I was not conscious but I am not sure about those."

"He's thirteen years old, black hair, purple eyes, takes Penny's training without complaining even when she puts him through her special training regime and even asks for more. I don't know how to explain that if not for your kinks being hereditary. Last but not the least….he awakened the Holy Lightning."

And any complaint that was bubbling from the first part of the speech was instantly drowned back inside the man's throat.

"And that's not all. The boy has some unique powers that make him absolutely invaluable to T&I." Penemue added.

"What powers?" Barakiel asked,now a bit absent-minded.

"He can see the information about other people and even objects as strong or weaker than him. Anything, their level of power, their specialities, what skills they are proficient in, how proficient they are in those skills, and random tidbits about their lives. He can see that information in the form of words when he looks at them and uses his power."

"That's absurd." Barakiel shouted.

"Welcome to the club. Why do you think I lost the bet? As absurd as it sounds, he proved his ability to us when he presented himself to be hired by us a year ago. He had seen that his mother and her teammates were angry and were actually planning to come after him so he took what he called a 'calculated risk' and gave us a demonstration of his power. Over the last year, we have cleaned out almost all the spies that we have wanted under the High Class level with his sole help. The boy was hiding something even then and I….no, we think that it might be about his heritage. The boy doesn't have a high opinion about parents due to the fuckup his mother is and was probably trying to hide it from us. I don't know why he decided to reveal it now. Maybe he is trusting us more or maybe something else, I don't know."

Barakiel winced and his wife got a pitying look on her face.

"What is his name?" He asked, finally sighing.

"Azrael." Penemue answered this one.

Barakiel's eyes widened a little bit as a reminiscing look appeared in his eyes. "You seem to be quite close to him." He asked Penemue lightly.

"He is my apprentice. I take care of his training while hiding the information about his power. You know how many people will try to kill him if his powers are found out. People think he is my Boy-Toy ufufufufu. That said, he is a very hard working boy. He is already the strongest among his generation, a Six Winged Fallen Angel with a year of training and is still improving at a frightening pace. Azrael is weird in that aspect. Unlike other people whose strength grows while the rate of their growth remains more or less the same, in Azrael's case, the rate of his growth seems to jump at times. It's like his entire potential or even talent is increasing somehow. The three of us have a bet that he will become an ultimate class before coming of age and gain his fifth pair of wings by eighteen."

"I….why haven't I heard of such a talent before? Even if I am not visiting regularly, I am pretty sure I would have heard his name."

"As I told you, except for Azazel, Shemhazai and me, no one knows of his true powers. People would have been out for his blood if his talents were known. To be honest, if the boy wasn't like a mini Azazel, we would have made a connection to you much faster."

"Hey! The boy is ….well yes, he is a bit like me."

Barakiel raised an eyebrow to which he decided to explain the exploits of his nephew….maybe. "He plans to open a massage parlour for women only, the one with happy endings and has a bet with me that he will sleep with Lucifer's sister before I get it on with Gabriel. He even works in the Spa for the women and every woman in Grigori calls him the boy with magic fingers. Oh, and the teammate of his mother who helped him out, it was because he had seduced her beforehand." He smirked looking at his dumbfounded looks.

"Well….I won't deny that he has magic fingers. He gives the most awesome massages. And he is a perfect gentleman when the woman doesn't want anything." Penemue added making the other lady in the room laugh. She continued. "I will be honest with you, Barakiel. Azrael is completely settled in the new life. We just thought that you should know about him when we found out about this, which was around an hour or so ago. I know you are settled with your life here and…."

"We would like to have him stay with us, Penemue-san. My own blood or not, he is my husband's and thus my son and I would love to have him stay with us. He might not have experienced a family life with his mother but he can experience it in this place." Shuri spoke, interrupting Penemue. "I don't mind if he visits us even if only once a week to train with Barakiel."

The two women looked at each other and both Azazel and Barakiel knew better than to say anything in such a moment.

"That should be fine. Azrael is an invaluable part of the T&I and R&D Departments but still, He can return to this place everyday and train under Barakiel. I can see that working. Although, I sincerely hope you will not hold back on him. Azrael is much more mature than he looks. He can and will take any training you throw at him. Also, his powers grow in tandem to his strength. Consider this a mission too." Penemue spoke first, breaking the stare-off.

While this was going on, the girl looking from the gap of the door was thinking of her Onii-chan and if he would like her.

- Azrael -

I looked at the device in front of me. The perfected Sacred Gear Extractor. It turns out that the wooden cross model was something Azazel made around a century ago and was a prototype. It got lost and was maybe found by Raynare. The thing was too outdated.

Grigori's normal mode of work was to extract Sacred Gears from those who cannot control it due to some reasons and are highly likely to cause destruction with them.

There have been many such incidents since the Sacred Gears came into being.

It also has to do with Azazel's interest in Sacred Gears. Currently he has three of the Vritra Sacred Gears, two of which were extracted from criminals and one was actually a former member of the Grigori who volunteered to have his Sacred Gear removed when he had grown old and was about to die. I was quite surprised to hear that.

The man didn't die from extraction. He was just exhausted. The latest model was far better at work than the old ones.

Now, that doesn't mean that the Grigori goes around extracting Sacred Gears willy nilly. This Device itself is a massive secret. Until now, outsiders only know of the old model that kills the user and unlike the popular idea, Michael doesn't know shit when Sacred Gears are extracted and when they are returned into circulation.

Grigori is weak but this is Azazel's way of strengthening it. The Nephilim Institute trains many Sacred Gear and power users. I am even allowed to form a team since I have become a High Class Fallen Angel. It's just that barely anyone knows of it.

I talked and negotiated with Azazel and he has allowed me to form and keep anyone I find for the team regardless of whatever Sacred Gear they have, provided he gets to study them.

Currently I have managed to get an older model from him that doesn't kill the user but needs a specific time to extract the Sacred Gear. I modified the thing to remove the side effects too. A part of my plan to go meta and farm loads and loads of LP.

How did I get something like this from Azazel? Well, it took me around six months of late night work, Appraising every piece of crap that he threw my way and making a detailed note of it. Just like I am doing now. I finished the next entry and turned the page while thinking on who to choose for my Sacred Gear Extractions.

As I was thinking about my targets, lights flashed in the room and a figure appeared.

"Done with the file already?" The man in the lead asked.

"Almost. Seriously, where do you even get these things from?"

"Places. How did the babysitting go? Did Velvet get acquainted with the place?"

"Hmm. She is in her room currently. She was quite excited to start her training. We talked a lot when she opened up a little. She is quite adorable, that girl."

"Good. We discussed the new….development that you showed us. As you know, the only person who can use or rather could use the Holy Lightning before you in the Grigori is Barakiel. We talked to him and he decided to take you in for training." Azazel said after hesitating a bit which was quite off because the man was utterly shameless and didn't ever hesitate.

"My work in the T&I?" I asked, thinking about my grind.

"Will continue as is. You will have to go to the Human World to train with him a few times a week. I have consigned for a house with a proper training room and they are moving houses to a different place just so you can be trained there. Take this opportunity and learn everything you can about Holy Lightning from him. This is a very rare opportunity for anyone. Use it well."

"Hmm, alright. So, when do we start?"

"A week. It will take a week to get the place ready."

"Alright. I will get ready for the training then."

- Scene Change -

I stood in front of the family of three who were looking at me with a, dare I say, familial look.

"Azrael." The man spoke first and I nodded.

"Lord Barakiel." I greeted and he winced slightly.

"This is my wife, Shuri and my daughter, Akeno." He continued soon.

I bowed slightly, "Nice to meet you all. My name is Azrael and this is my bodyguard, Kalawarner. We will be in your care."

"Please Azrael-kun. This is your house too. Despite what happened in the past, this is your family too."

What?

"Umm… . The past?"

"The incident with your mother."

"Oh… . Azazel told you about that? Don't worry about it. I frankly am over it. Although it might seem cruel of me to say this, I enjoy and like my current life more. You don't need to feel sorry about anything, really."

"It was still my fault that you had to go through such a thing. Saying that I had no idea about you, while true will still sound like an excuse. I just have to say one thing, I am sorry." He bowed his head deeply.

What the fuck is going on? I looked at Kala who seemed to have realised something and was looking at the two of us with an open mouth. Seriously, what was going on?

"Umm, Sir… . I think I am missing something."

The lady of the house took control of the situation and walked forward. "Azrael-kun, what he is trying to say is that you are his son. And that he is sorry that he didn't know about you."

"Huh?" My entire mind went blank for a moment. "Is this another one of Azazel's pranks?"

"I know that this might… . "

"Okay… . Why do you think that I am his son?" I asked directly to avoid any kind of confusion.

"You have the Holy Lightning." He replied.

… .

… .

… .

… .

"And… . "

"Only I can use the Holy Lightning among the Fallen Angels and it can only be passed on by my blood, so… . you are my child."

… .

I pinched my forehead. I need to nip this in the bud or this will cause a lot of problems later on. While this situation can be taken advantage of, it is ultimately a lie and won't hold on much long. Broken trust is not worth the temporary convenience.

I quickly bought two Skills. An F Ranked Fire Affinity and Holy Fire(F).

The knowledge appeared in my head and I raised my hand, a small golden flame appeared on my palm and everyone quieted down. "I think you need to rethink things."

He looked at the flame with an open mouth for a while and then at me and back at the flame a few times. "I will call Azazel. This… . is too much for me."

"I think that would be for the best." I replied.

The room got out of the shock and then a period of awkward silence dawned over the room.

"Ara ara, although this might be a misunderstanding, you still were very quick to reject the offer. Do you dislike us that much, Azrael-kun?"

… . Really, women.

"I apologize if that was the impression I gave. It was not my intention. It's just that you three seemed like a very happy family and while I truly would be fortunate to be able to have a family like yours, I cannot let my selfishness cause problems for you all. If my words hurt anyone, again, I apologise." I bowed slightly.

My charm skills are too awesome, lady. She stared at me with slightly wide eyes after which her lips curved into a smile. "Ara Ara, so thoughtful. You know, I would really like to have you as my son. Akeno wanted a big brother too."

I looked at the little girl who hadn't spoken a word for so long. It was hard to believe that she would become that Akeno.

"Umm, are you not my Onii-chan?"

Uff….those eyes have to be an S Ranked Puppy Dog Eyes Skill.

I walked to her and kneeled and patted her head. "I can be your Onii-chan as long as you want Akeno-chan. Do you want me to be?"

She nodded her head with a smile and I gave her a light hug.

Now that I think about it, she must be lonely in this place, away from all the crowd. Although the new house of Barakiel was away from the shrine, it was still in the same city. This was already a change compared to what I knew. There was still a chance that they would attack the two of them soon enough. Need to make sure it doesn't happen or at least is not successful.

In around an hour, Azazel arrived with Penemue.

"Really, sometimes I think you are even more troublesome than me." He said as soon as he arrived.

"I think the title of the most troublesome Fallen Angel still belongs to you. What was up with that overactive imagination of yours? Me having the Holy Lightning meant I was Lord Barakiel's son? I am pretty sure many angels can use the holy element too."

"And yet, none of the Fallen Angels can do so. That's why we are called Fallen Angels. Even Barakiel can only use the Lightning Element with the Holy Power and not any other elements. Now, show me your Holy Flames." He asked quickly.

I did just as I had done a while ago. I raised my palm and a golden flame appeared on it, lighting the entirety of the room.

"Fascinating. Try imagining the golden part alone. The Holy Element and try to manifest it? Do you think you can do it?"

That was basically Holy Magic and that should be possible but it just doesn't happen.

"I think I can do it with some effort. Just not right now. It will take some practice."

"Then practice. Use every bit of your time here to master the Holy Lightning first and then practise the Holy Element. I don't know how you have this power or any of your powers but this is a boon that many Fallen crave for. You ask any Fallen Angel and I mean….any Fallen Angel, what they miss the most about being an Angel and everyone will have at least one thing common, the Holy Power. I cannot stress enough how lucky you are to have this opportunity. Father had a twisted way of doing things and that didn't change even after he's gone."

"Penny!" I suddenly heard Barakiel shout while Azazel just face-palmed.

I saw the other members of the house freeze in silence. Kalawarner looked like she was trying to process what had just happened. Shuri and Akeno, while not exactly close to the Abrhamic factions, still understood what it meant and its importance….well, maybe not Akeno. Azazel noticed me. "You knew about it."

"Obviously. I have been reading information from spies for over a year. What makes you think I wouldn't encounter this. I just thought it was something I shouldn't bring to my mouth. A survival instinct of sorts."

"Keep relying on those instincts. This information is classified and only the highest ranked members know of this. If you cannot keep this secret, tell me, I will erase your memory." Azazel said to the rest of the room and Shuri actually volunteered for Akeno's memories to be erased. It was a wise decision. "Anyways, as Penny has already stressed enough, the information about Azrael's Holy Power remains a secret while he trains under Barakiel. Those crazy church people would stop at nothing to hunt you down if they ever found out about it. Michael and the other top levels might be fine but there are several others who wouldn't take this lightly. Even some of the Fallen Angels will think the same. You are to use the identity as Barakiel's son. It will be the most convenient. Later on, we can just call your Holy Power a mutation, which it honestly is."

"I already said so before, I don't mind him as a son and our Akeno likes her new Onii-chan too." Shuri smiled at me.

Finally after hours or discussions, they left. Barakiel showed us the room where we were supposed to teleport directly. I had to use a disguise when in this place so as to avoid being recognized.

This is how my first meeting with Barakiel's family went.

- Scene Change -

A year and a half has passed since I first met Barakiel and his family.

A few things happened during this time. My grind of the LP seemed as if it would slow down but it surprisingly didn't.

Kala was a great help with that. The rest I got from the food that I had made a habit to try from all over the world.

A month into my training with Barakiel, I gained my fourth pair of wings but kept it hidden using my Suppression Skill. Another year and I gained my fifth pair of wings. They however think that I am close to my fourth pair and only because I was training my Skills more than my raw power. This was also seen as my Skill was really starting to become something now.

Barakiel's training style was utterly focused on power.

Lightning is a very versatile element and he can use it to utterly crush an enemy completely.

My Skill List is starting to look something amazing now.

Light Magic(C)(Active) Level 9

Light Affinity(D)(Passive)

Lightning Affinity(D)(Passive)

Holy Affinity(D)(Passive)

Fire Affinity(E)(Passive)

Fallen Angel Physiology(B)(Passive)

Holy Lightning(C)(Active) Level 2

Holy Flame(D)(Active) Level 2

Holy Magic(D)(Active) Level 2

Lightning Magic(D) Level 9

Fire Magic(D)(Active) Level 6

Teleportation(D)(Active)

Mind Magic(D)(Active)

Appraisal(B)(Active)

Discerning Eye(B)(Active)

Massage(B)(Active) Level 8

Clean(E)(Active)

Relaxing Touch(C)(Passive) Level 5

Charming Presence(C)(Passive)Level 7

Enhanced Potential(D)(Passive)

Enhanced Talent(D)(Passive)

Enhanced Magical Reserves(D)(Passive)

Enhanced Stamina(D)(Passive)

Enhanced Regeneration(D)(Passive)

Damage Resistance(C)(Passive) Level 8

Iron Will(B)(Passive)

Suppress Power(C)(Active) Level 7

Pain Resistance(D)(Passive) Level 8

Lightning Resistance(C)(Passive) Level 7

Martial Arts(C)(Active) Level 8

Spearmanship(C)(Active) Level 2

Purification(E) (Active) Level 2

Acting(C)(Active)Level 5

Sex Mastery(D)(Passive) Level 8

Addictive Touch(D)(Passive)Level 5

Self-Fertility Calibration(E)(Passive) Level 9

Barakiel's methods were brutal, so much so that it made even Penemue's methods look and seem pale in comparison. The insane man used the masochistic nature of his to throw himself into training regimes that would make people doubt his sanity. Lightning Element training began with him asking me to familiarise myself with the element….by electrocuting me.

The idea was to break my muscles by concentrating lightning on them and then let them heal, making both my physique and lightning resistance stronger. It was something he invented and tested on himself. I can see how he became a masochist.

Somehow Azazel had formed the idea that just because I didn't complain during Penemue's training meant that I was a masochist. What the fuck goes on in the minds of these people is beyond me. I bought an F Ranked Lightning Resistance and Pain Resistance and grinded them till they were at the current level. I didn't need to buy any upgrades for them at all.

The training however paid off. Paired with my Enhanced Potential, Enhanced Talent and Regeneration Skills, the training was actually the best one I could ask for.

To be honest, anyone else trying these techniques will get their body's interiors burned and be crippled instantly. It was only due to Barakiel's control that it was even possible.

Currently I am trying to use this very technique to recreate Kilua's Godspeed and the Lightning Chakra Armour Technique. It's hard. The Control required for them is insane. It kinda makes me wonder just how talented Kilua Zoldyck was to make something like that and at such a young age too.

My life had settled in the Grigori with my new routine. Velvet was starting to get adjusted and was always excited about training ever since her talk with me. Azazel uses the opportunity to research his Sacred Gears. Recently he made me Appraise the Downfall Dragon Spear or one of its prototypes.

Kalawarner tagged along for Barakiel's training and soon gained her third pair of wings and is now almost at the top of the High Class Fallen Angels. I pity Raynare if she tried attacking Kala after getting out of her prison term.

On the other hand, in the human world, Akeno follows me around whenever we are not training. She learns the purification techniques from Shuri. She taught me some of it too.

It was good for some things that the Fallen Angel magic finds hard to do.

I in the meanwhile ran some of my own investigations on the members of the Himejima Clan. Reading their information to find out about them, collecting information about them and finding out their secrets. There have been some movements in the Himejima Clan recently. Apparently a new host for Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird is about to be chosen and things are getting tense. From my investigations, they were worried that the Vermillion Bird would choose Shuri Himejima as the next host because before Suzaku was born, she was the first in line for the position.

So, this was the reason for her execution. Understandable but not something I can allow. This needs to be taken care of properly. In fact if Shuri did inherit the Vermillion Bird, things will be calmed down in an instant because ultimately, the Vermillion Bird's current host is the leader of the Clan. It's just that the old coots will be slightly problematic.

I needed to make some careful preparations for this.

The first thing was to make sure that Shuri gets selected as the next host. For this I bestowed on her a few Skills.

Pure Presence(D)(Passive)

The user gets a pure and soothing presence. Attracts creatures aligned with Light and Purity.

Purification Affinity(D)(Passive)

The Skills based on the Purification element's are easier to train and cause more damage.

Enhanced Talent(F)(Passive)

Increases the inherent overall talent of the user.

It was costly. Very costly.

200,000 LP were invested in this.

Now, why would I do that?

It's simple, because she has grown on me. She did treat me well and I did give her my special massages. Not the happy ending ones….yet.

So, the Himejima old coots can go and fuck themselves. Losing a waifu, a milf waifu at that, is not acceptable.

Barakiel's relationship is weird. The guy knows about the massages and is even alright with it. Apparently being a few tens of thousands years old changes someone's value about sex.

The guy enjoys being abused more than sex apparently. Shuri is a good match for him because she is a dom, or so we thought. But I was starting to discover that Akeno might not have gotten her submissive genes from her father alone. It's not as if she had someone who would let her explore those sides.

Now, my fifth pair of wings opened many doors for me. I can check the information of almost everyone due to this and discover many different things for myself too.

The other things that I have discovered are that Kokabiel is talking to Valper Galelei and has a connection with the Holy Sword Project that has just started in a church facility in Italy.

Sataneel is indoctrinating some members of the Abyss Class of the Nephilim Institution to follow him. The movements have been a bit slower as Azazel has taken some measures since the Dohnaseek incident. Sataneel is however also colluding with several other high ranked Fallen Angels and had been planning to extract Sacred Gears from some potential hosts that he had found. Too bad those people had their gears stolen right before he could arrive at the scene so he never found anything in his searches yet.

Now, who could that person be?

Obviously it was Yours Truly. Azazel and the others were actually beyond surprised when I went out for one such mission and encountered the Boosted Gear and the Absorption Line while at it on the same day.

So far, eight Sacred Gears had been collected and Sataneel even stopped his movements temporarily, realising the futility of the situation… . At least for now.

Surprisingly, I got some LPs for getting the Sacred Gears too and I realised that it was the same as collecting treasures and indulging my greed, so the LP gained.

I was able to convince Azazel to give the Boosted Gear to Akeno as we could hide the fact that we extracted it by claiming that she was born with it.

As for the Absorption Line, the plan was to merge and find a wielder for them.

I was not really interested in Dragon Type Sacred Gears who get access to my mind. I have something else in mind for myself. Something that will help me further my plans.

I suddenly looked at my phone which had a message.

Oh, the Himejima people were making their move.

I normally appeared inside the house and people didn't quite know that I even visited this place and so they didn't predict my presence at all. Well, bad for them, good for me.

I called Kala. "The bird's coming to the trap. Remember the plan."

She hummed an affirmative reply.

I walked into the living room. Shuri was brushing Akeno's hair. They turned towards me and smiled. Barakiel has been busy due to work lately.

"Remember I told you that I was planning something for you both, a surprise. Well I got that done. We have an appointment in an hour. Think you both can get ready by then?"

"Oh, a surprise by Aa-kun? I am looking forward to it. What about you Akeno?"

The little girl nodded her head too.

And just like that the family started getting ready for the surprise.

I will make sure that this surprise is the best for everyone.

- Scene Change -

A trip to the hot springs was easy to get. It was managed by Fallen Angels under Penemue. I teleported both of them to the place directly.

We played around for the day and it was only when I got the information that the Himejima bastards were going to attack the place that I sent them both to the spa and teleported to a house slightly away from our place. It was time for the show to begin.

The cameras all over the house were recording everything.

The old coots with swords and other weapons, dressed like priests, blasted the door after setting up a talisman and threw around a whole bunch of them all around to ward the place. It took quite a while to do so because they were much stronger than anything in that shrine.

The cameras showed me everything I needed to see.

They entered the building and quickly tore through the floors towards the upper levels….and that's where the game started.

The house had been renovated a bit on my orders. They added modern methods of security inside that would be better fit inside large banks and high security prisons.

The entire house went on a lockdown. The reinforced doors closed down on every outlet and odourless flammable gas was flooded inside the rooms. They reacted quickly and exactly as I wanted. The Himejima Clan people showered the building with fire spells to blast open the door and the door did blast….but so did the entire building and the people inside it.

I teleported to the place and made sure they were put down quickly before leaving. The fire brigades and the police were filling up the place quickly.

I wonder how the ceremony for the Vermillion Bird's transfer is going right now.

I took one last look at the scene and teleported back to the Hot Springs where Akeno was being held back by Kalawarner. In the distance, some Fallen Angels had made a barrier around Shuri who was burning with fire.

Akeno saw me and shouted to me. "Onii-chan. Save Kaa-chan, please."

I walked forward and took her into a hug. "Shuri is going to be fine. If I am not wrong, that is the Himejima Clan's powers. Those people just attacked our home and thus I was out to check on the situation. Currently, Shuri is getting stronger, not being hurt. Trust me." I repeatedly assured her to calm her down with the process of the Vermillion Bird's transfer being carried out around us.

In the meanwhile, I contacted Azazel, Barakiel, Penemue and Shemhazai about the shitstorm and sent them the videos as proof that none of this was done from our side.

This matter is probably going to keep them awake for a full day or week but I was happy because right in front of me, Shuri's power was starting to rise before stabilising at the Ultimate Class level. The sparks of Purifying Flame still burned around her as she lay on the ground, breathing lightly, with no clothes on her body but not a single burn visible.

First part of the plan….successful.

_x_x_

Beta Reader: LuluViBritania(FF.N, SB and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord)

Author's Note:

I got busy with work yesterday so this one came a day later than I thought.

I tried to do something that was never done in a DxD story before this. Shuri becoming the Head of the Himejima Clan is something I haven't read before.

As for the plans Azrael was talking about, we will see that as the story progresses.

Let me explain the Enhance Potential Skill as I envisioned it. A D Ranked Enhance Potential Skill would make their User as strong as a D Ranked Being which is a High Class Level even without any training by the time they are eighteen, C Rank for Ultimate Class, B Rank of Satan/Leader Class, A Rank for Super and so on and so forth on top of Azrael's own potential.

This however is the level of strength at eighteen years of age without any training. With training, they can and will become stronger. Azrael is currently two and a half years in training and is a Ten Winged Fallen Angel from nothing. Add a Longinus and he's basically OP but I'd rather Azrael train his own power rather than rely on Sacred Gears.

I know people will point out that he could have created many more skills but do remember that his intelligence has a cap….me(and I don't claim to be the sharpest knife in the case). I might have missed something or have had different thoughts and priorities than others and I will not be changing the story. Any advice will be appreciated(BN:So long as it is valid advice with a proper description and explanation). No promises to include them though. Flamers will be ignored. Okay, enough of my rant.

Enjoy the new chapter.

Good Day Peace Out.