Here I present myself with a new translated chapter!

We are getting closer to chapter 79, so the reunion of Issei and Tiamat is just around the corner. Anyway, don't overlook all the things that will happen in these chapters.

Originally I had planned to develop this arc in a different way, but I changed a lot of things to shorten it as much as possible. I just hope you can enjoy it.

This time, there are no reviews that require a response from me, so we'll go straight to the chapter.

Enjoy!

The cave that had always been the cold home of a certain Dragon Queen remained in complete silence, as it was usual in all these years. The only thing that could be heard in the place was the fluttering of wings together with some small threatening growls. That hostile welcome was directed towards the 5 immortal beings that stood in front of the abode of the third most powerful entity in the world.

"Why are these dragons here?" Rossweisse questioned with some suspicion at the sight of those small dragons that were known to be familiar to some Demons.

"I don't know, but they are blocking our way." Penemue unsheathed her katana, sketching a very cold look for what she was about to say. "Just finish them off."

Just as a pitched battle was about to break out with the three dragons and the Cadre, someone completely unexpected emerged from the darkness of the cave.

"Let them pass, they're friends." Tannin declared in his human form with a solemn expression.

The three dragons looked at their superior and quickly nodded. In that way, they soon made way for the new guests who were ready to help their lady dragon friend who was not feeling well.

"Tannin, what are you doing here?" The one who asked was Azazel, looking somewhat interested at the man's sudden appearance.

"I heard about everything. The first thing I thought of was the pitiful condition Tiamat would be in. That's exactly why I came as soon as possible to attend to her." Replied the dragon as he stood folding his arms, observing each of the newcomers.

"And how is she?" Odin asked with a concerned tone in his words.

"She was really bad when I found her." Tannin couldn't help but clench his hands at what he was saying. "She hasn't woken up for the past few days, but her temperature isn't that cold anymore. I think she won't take much longer to regain consciousness." The dragon concluded, in each of his words you could tell he was dragging anguish and helplessness behind them.

"Take us to her." Penemue was the first to step forward, earning a nod from Tannin.

"Follow me, and you continue to keep watch." The dragon declared, receiving a nod from all three dragons.

"Hey..." Michael grabbed the shoulder of both Rossweisse and Penemue, earning a glare from both women. "I don't think I need to explain it to you, but..."

"We won't say anything to Tiamat and Tannin." Rossweisse interrupted him in a whisper, making sure the dragon did not hear her. "We know perfectly well that, if they learn the truth, they will not hesitate to kill everyone no matter what the Prophecy indicates."

Michael simply nodded at the words heard, letting both women go.

"By the way, have you found out any information about the katana?" Azazel perched next to Michael, receiving a negative from the Angel.

"The reality is that there is nothing about it. It's a complete mystery." Replied the Seraph, causing the Cadre to click his tongue.

"Before we continue, I should tell you that Vali was the one who told me everything." Tannin clarified, leading everyone into the cave. "Now he is helping Tiamat, as he wants to know if she even knew what happened. His group is constantly on the move to find some clue about that terrorist Faction that killed him." The dragon continued with his explanation, and everyone could understand that Vali somehow ended up conversing with the Demons, and they told him the lie already known to all.

When everyone finally arrived, they could see how Tiamat was lying on a mattress covered with several blankets. Her breathing was a bit labored, but nothing really worrisome, and her skin was paler than normal. Next to her was Vali, who quickly stood up at the sight of the new arrivals.

"I was already wondering what was taking so long..." Vali commented, his tone even more curt than usual.

"We appreciate what you did for her, but first I'd like to talk a couple of things over with you..." Penemue averted her gaze to Tannin for a short second, seeing how the dragon was very concerned about her latest female dragon friend.

"And if possible, it would be preferable if possible in private."

CHAPTER 76: DEATH TO THE TRAITORS!

"Thank you for wanting to help us with this. We know well that it can be a dangerous thing, especially because of where the meeting will take place." Commented Penemue, who was entering the cave again along with Vali.

"Don't even mention it, it's the least I can do." The albino's eyes hardened slightly after remembering the talk they just had. "Besides, it's not like I can just stand idly by after what you told me..."

"Try to keep it a secret." Cadre reminded him, receiving a nod from Vali.

Just as the albino was about to confirm it with words, they both watched with quite a surprise as Tiamat was sitting up at the same time she was holding her head, being accompanied by everyone else, especially Rossweisse, who was the one who was supporting her to keep her in position.

"Tiamat!" Penemue exclaimed, her tone reflecting the relief and concern behind her call as she ran to her.

"Penemue...?" The dragoness slowly rose to her feet with Rossweisse's help. "I'm glad you're okay." She commented with a weak smile, receiving her friend's embrace gently.

Though that moment between them didn't last much longer, as Tiamat fixed her gaze on Vali. The dragoness' eyes looked menacing as she broke away from Penemue and walked quickly towards him, then tugged him by his shirt.

"I've already been told who it was that murdered Issei." Tiamat spat venomously, causing Vali's feet to stop touching the ground as she pulled him up hard. "You wouldn't have anything to do with that faction of assholes, would you?" Her cold tone and her eyes more empty and devoid of light than ever appeased every word Rossweisse spoke in an attempt to calm her best friend.

"How...you mean...?" Vali's eyes widened dangerously after hearing what the woman said.

Everything became more tense when Vali also grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her tightly, bringing her face closer to his.

"Did you forget that Issei is also my friend?" The words emerged calmly from his lips, though it was clear that he was not at all relaxed.

"Let's calm down, shall we?" Rossweisse had both her hands raised for emphasis on her words, but neither of them were listening to her.

Finally, the dragoness closed her eyes and let out a small sigh after hearing Vali's words. Deep down she knew that he was absolutely right and that she had acted like an idiot.

"You're right, I'm sorry." The dragoness recognized her mistake and released Vali, leaving a cold and rather cutting air among everyone present.

"Right now we are all nervous about what happened, but we must remember that no one in this cave is the enemy." Tannin's words served to calm the atmosphere, getting everyone to relax.

"I'm sorry, I just..." Tiamat grabbed her head again as it began to ache.

That wasn't the only thing that hurt, as she felt a huge hole in her abdomen. As if someone had robbed her of what was most important to her. And now, there was simply that emptiness so painful that she was making the greatest effort to make her cry.

That darkness in her emptiness lightened a little as she felt someone hug her from behind.

"I know, we felt the same..." Rossweisse commented on the verge of tears.

It was a curious sight, as the dragoness seemed to be the one who was trying to comfort the Valkyrie, being that it was the complete opposite.

"Hey, Michael." Azazel called out to the sky leader, earning a glare from him. "You may not have been able to help me with the katana, but I'm sure you'll be able to handle this." The man clarified, grabbing Michael by the shoulder to drag him out of the cave.

"What do you want to talk about?" The Angel asked with much curiosity.

"About this." Azazel materialized his favorite Sacred Gear under Michael's watchful gaze.

"Isn't that Fafnir's soul fragment?" The man consulted with considerable interest.

"The reality is that I need your help to turn this Sacred Gear into a fully holy weapon. I plan to make several changes to it, I have no choice but to sacrifice this beauty if we want things to go well." Azazel clarified, earning a nod from Michael.

"I get it, you want to turn it into an explosive weapon, even if that means you'll lose it forever." Clarified the man, earning a smile from Azazel.

"I see you understand things quickly. I want to attach it to my mechanical arm, and while I'm at it I'd like to add several upgrades and functions before we destroy those sons of bitches." The man concluded, widening his smile a bit more, though his expression looked rather dark this time.

"Very well, but this will take a while. Penemue is very unstable, and I don't think it's a good idea for you to leave her alone." The man clarified with some concern, getting Azazel to cross his arms with a relaxed look.

"Don't worry, Issei isn't the only person who provided her with great emotional support." Azazel averted his gaze to the cave, sketching a very small smile.

"She's made some very good friends too..."

Several hours later...

Everyone in the cave had already left in order to sleep. Now that Tiamat had recovered, it was no longer necessary to stay there. Still, her two best friends stayed with her throughout the night.

They all went to get various foods for dinner. The whole meal and the hours they spent together were quite bitter, as none of them spoke a single word to each other. Probably because no one could bring themselves to say anything about what happened. Maybe they didn't want to remember it, which was impossible. Or maybe it was just because of the immense pain they felt. That pain that barely allowed them to eat without vomiting.

The anguish swirled like a great depression inside their bellies that transformed into a vortex of flames that consumed them from the inside.

And so, what was inevitable happened...

At the silent dinner in front of the campfire, both Tiamat and Rossweisse turned their faces after hearing how some drops fell.

Penemue was munching on a fruit with her eyes completely dulled as tears kept rolling down her cheeks.

"I feel...I feel it would be easier if I died too..." Were the woman's dry words.

They were truly terrifying, but understandable.

After all, when Issei died, a large part of her went with him as well.

Still, that couldn't stay this way...

Penemue looked up half-heartedly as she felt Tiamat hug her from the side.

"I can understand you. But, that's not okay..." The dragoness clarified, then focused her gaze on Rossweisse, who was doing her best to hold back the crying. "Come with us." She told her with a sweet smile, and the Valkyrie didn't hesitate to move closer to embrace Penemue.

Tiamat stood in front of both of them, smiling a sad smile. But, it was a smile.

"I too feel like I can't go on, but remember..." Tiamat forced them both closer to her as she drew them in with her hands. "Issei had said the same thing. But, he also said he couldn't give up. He said he would never give up as long as he had people to protect and love." Tiamat drew them both in even more, causing the three of them to be locked in a nice joint embrace. "It's really painful. It hurts so much that I can feel like my heart is being taken away over and over again. But if he would have had some last words for us..." Tiamat paused slightly earning a very intrigued look from both women, who had stopped crying.

"Do you know what they would have been?" The dragoness' question made both of them think for several seconds, but in the end they found no clear answer.

Tiamat widened her smile a little more, and hugged them tighter for what she was about to say:

"Stay together forever."

They were rather simple words and perhaps without such a strong meaning. But the reality is that there was such a massive undertone that it touched both women, who could only widen their eyes in silence.

"As long as we have each other, we can always move forward. As long as we continue together, none of us will suffer in silence. As long as we continue together, we will be happy. Because we will not erase the past, we will always remember it." Tiamat widened her smile even more.

"We will always remember Issei. We will always remember all the beautiful moments we spent together with him. We will always remember all the moments that we were happy being together and with him. We will always remember all those moments that made our hearts race and that made us feel so special. And we will always, above all, always remember all those moments not as a nightmare, but as the paradise we once lived in." Tiamat collided forehead to forehead with both women, who couldn't help but laugh as they sobbed after remembering all those beautiful moments they lived together with Issei.

All those images that flashed through their mind made them laugh and smile again at this moment, even if two of them were crying completely heartbroken.

"We'll do it like this, because it's what Issei would have wished for us!"

Tiamat culminated her speech, widening her smile even more as she saw her friends crying non-stop, though at least now they seemed to be somewhat happy.

"Thank you..." Penemue was able to calm down a bit so she could speak, hugging her best friends tighter.

Rossweisse just nodded, clinging even tighter to the warmth provided by those two people who were almost as important as Issei.

"It'll be all right, it'll be all right..." Tiamat comforted both of them with a cute tone.

Minutes passed, and both women were cuddled by the dragoness, who showed herself to be the stronger at all times.

Or at least, that's what her two best friends thought...

Because after seeing that they were asleep, Tiamat's smile disappeared from her face completely. She wiped a tear from Rossweisse's eyes, then stood up.

Her gaze was directed towards the outside of the cave.

She said nothing, just watched.

Finally, the dragon disappeared in a magic circle.

In the Hyoudou Residence...

"Perfect, then we'll see you that day." Issei's father cut off the call, then focused his gaze on his wife.

"Did it work?" Mrs. Hyoudou asked energetically.

The man gave her a chuckling smile, making it clear that everything had gone perfectly. But if that smile wasn't enough, he confirmed it with his next words:

"They accepted the adoption papers. We will have the daughter we always wished for." Concluded the man with a slight chuckle.

"Great!" Exclaimed the woman with a little jump of joy. "I can't wait anymore...!"

She was unable to finish her thought, as they both fell unconscious to the ground. The reason didn't take long to present as Tiamat appeared in between the two humans. Her gaze was so gloomy and emotionless that it would scare anyone.

"They're already celebrating and adopting a child when their son's death was confirmed so few days ago? They disgust me." The dragoness looked at them for several seconds in silence.

It was obvious that she was pondering whether or not to kill them. After all, those two scumbags were the main cause of her late beloved having lived a shitty childhood. Although, lucky for both of them, Issei was apparently still protecting such scumbags even after death. Or at least, that was what Tiamat thought as she let out a big sigh.

"Issei wouldn't be happy about this. Besides, they're not even worth it..." The dragoness turned around and headed up the stairs.

She left a letter in her room indicating that she was leaving, then grabbed her belongings. Just as she was about to leave, her gaze strayed to Issei's room, which was ajar. At first she hesitated, but finally she decided to go in.

Tiamat quietly opened the door, and the first thing her gaze focused on as she entered was the bed where she always slept next to Issei.

Something she could never do anymore.

She placed a hand on the sheets, caressing them gently. Her gaze twisted to a very sorrowful one after thinking that she could no longer be next to him anymore. It was still something impossible to digest for her.

Perhaps it was for that very reason that she removed the sheets and wrapped them around herself, as if they were a large cloak. She brought her gaze to the scrapbook that lay under a small light blue dragon stuffed animal, that cute gift Issei had given her on her birthday.

The dragoness didn't hesitate and took both possessions, then left the place by means of a magic circle.

A few hours later...

Penemue and Rossweisse's eyes began to open after feeling how their bodies were complaining. It was normal, since the cave was very cold, especially these days.

Both women looked at each other a bit confused to see that Tiamat was not with them. So they did not hesitate and stood up to look for her.

Luckily for both of them, it didn't take them long to find her, but the sight of that dragoness made them feel really bad. That was because at all times they had believed that she was the strongest of the three, but at the moment she was at the entrance of the cave, surrounded by the blankets that had the scent of her beloved while looking at the photo album...

Tiamat was so vulnerable that it was really scary.

She was not crying by any means, but her gaze was almost devoid of any kind of emotion. She didn't even have sadness or hatred, as anyone would have thought due to her background.

She simply felt destroyed. As if a big hammer hit her so hard that shattered every ounce of happiness she had been building up thanks to Issei for all these months.

Penemue and Rossweisse stood beside her and also surrounded themselves with their beloved's blankets. The three of them snuggled as much as possible while continuing to look at the many pictures of Issei that were a cherished memory for them.

"I'm worried about Ophis. We haven't seen her since everything that happened." Rossweisse broke the silence that had been created.

"I am too, but I don't think we should worry. She's most likely doing the same thing we are and is searching for her killers." Tiamat declared, putting the matter to rest.

The three of them stayed like that, not talking much more throughout the night. That lasted for several hours, until they were finally able to fall asleep.

Several days later...

"There is no reward that comes without sacrifice. I ask only that you keep your herds ignorant."

Rias and Akeno were walking together in the middle of the Cursed Forest, where lay a large number of structures that had been created as headquarters since Tannin joined the Alliance several months ago.

"It's almost time, the most important Fallen Angels must be on their way down." Stated the redhead, who was looking at the huge fountain that lay in the center of all the buildings.

"Are you nervous? That's odd coming from you, Rias." Akeno commented, noting with some mischief how her mistress's attitude was out of sorts.

"I'd say I'm more uneasy than anything else. I don't quite agree with my brother's plans, especially since it cost me a great deal of..." Rias paused, realizing that perhaps she was talking out of turn, never mind the fact that there was too much hubbub in the place for anyone to hear her.

"I understand, Rias. But it's what we must do." Was the simple reply from Akeno, who looked somewhat resigned for some reason.

Their walk was interrupted when a hooded woman passed between the two of them, pushing them in the process.

"Hey...!" The redhead complained, but the cloaked woman didn't even stop to apologize. She tried to follow her with her eyes, but the stranger disappeared into the whole crowd of Fallen and Demons in the place.

A little away from that position, a man just as mysterious as the previous woman saw various flashes being witnessed inside a shed. The hooded man looked for a second at the main building, then turned his gaze to the warehouse.

The man lit a cigarette, taking a moment to think about his next move.

The man took a puff on his cigarette then approached the shed, peering through the small opening in the door.

"Why are you doing this to me?!" Gasper cried out in tears as Koneko dragged him across the floor, his body completely bloodied from all the blows he had taken.

"It's nothing personal, Gasper." Kiba clarified, materializing a sword. "Failed Demons like you have no place in the new world. Thank Rias and Sirzechs that they were benevolent enough to kill you and not turn you into a slave." Concluded the blond.

"Wait, that means..." Gasper's eyes widened in genuine horror after spinning the loose ends.

Kiba paused for a short second, widening his smile even more. A smile that showed his true nature as a Demon, unlike all the others that were feigned.

The cloaked man tossed the cigarette aside and activated a button that was on his arm, causing his entire body to become invisible.

"That's right, the cause of your so dear friend's death has always been us." Kiba clarified with a bloodthirsty grin, ready to pierce the half-vampire's neck.

But just before he could do so, Kiba was sent flying by a magical attack that left a large hole in his chest that killed him instantly. The Demons didn't even have time to digest everything that happened, as a hooded guy appeared in front of Xenovia and grabbed her by the neck. Just at that moment, a kind of metal emerged from the subject's palm that pierced the Demon's throat completely, so he did not take long to throw the trash aside to continue with his next victim.

Xenovia's dying body fell on top of Koneko, giving the man enough time to position himself in front of Asia, using the same mental staff to slice her neck in a cut so deep that a large amount of blood shot out everywhere.

Koneko pushed Xenovia's body aside as fast as she could, but it was too late to react. The hooded man turned around and extended his hand in her direction, causing the metal rod to shoot out with holy energy. The shot took such speed that Koneko never knew what happened to her, as much of the rod had embedded itself in her forehead.

The subject slowly stood up as his mechanized arm returned to normal.

"S-sir..." Was the only thing that came out of Gasper's lips, who could barely be conscious because of the wounds he had.

The hooded man didn't say a word, only extended his hand to create a magic circle under Gasper's feet, who disappeared.

The man brought a hand to his ear, activating a small magic circle that served as a communicator.

In the distance, the same woman who collided with Rias did exactly the same thing as her apparent companion. No one noticed how the woman left small trails of electricity behind every step she took.

"Several of you are probably not too sure about this union. Taking advantage of the fact that we still have a few minutes before the Cadres and other Supreme Demons arrive, I want to be heard by all those who doubt this and who are not entirely clear about why all this took place." Clarified Ajuka, who was in the main building.

The Demon stood on a sort of balcony inside the large headquarters, as he watched all those on the lower floor. They were mostly Fallen Angels, although there were also some Demons.

Some Demons were on the second floor, watching to make sure everything went as expected. Being so focused inside, no one noticed as a strange man stopped right in front of the headquarters, his gaze completely focused on a half-open window.

One of the guards was ambushed by the hooded man, so he couldn't even scream when his neck was dislocated in one motion.

"What we have here will position us at the highest point in this world if we use it properly." Ajuka pointed to a box, and that was more than enough for the hooded man.

After all, he already knew exactly where the Boosted Gear was located. And obviously, he didn't wait to tell his other infiltrators. Even so, the man remained in place, apparently waiting for a signal to begin the robbery. So it only remained for him to listen to the speech of that Demon. It was true that you could not see his face, but just by witnessing his lips, you could already understand that the words of that man did not please him at all.

"What's taking so long, guys?" Rias opened the door to the warehouse, looking at the place with slight confusion.

"Did they leave without telling you anything?" Akeno wondered strangely, seeing that the place was completely empty.

"No, I still feel like my pieces are here..." The redhead automatically turned her gaze towards a rather large box.

Akeno followed her gaze, and they both instantly understood that something strange was going on. After all, there was a large bloodstain on the floor, but no bodies. All that could be seen was a hand sticking out of the box. A hand covered in blood.

The two women approached slowly, their gazes looking more and more surprised as they approached to the container that apparently should have contained only Gasper's body.

Oblivious to all this, the hooded woman quickened her steps again from one second to the next, and those little lightning bolts ceased to be seen. She put both hands to her hood, then stopped.

Rias and Akeno arrived at the box, observing with complete stupefaction that these were their companions.

And just at that moment, the woman adjusted her hood and smiled a peculiar smile.

Rias and Akeno watched in complete shock as half of the warehouse was completely destroyed by a great whirlwind of lightning that woke up as an explosion that destroyed the place and killed many who were in the place.

"What the...?!" Ajuka watched in complete shock as half of the building was completely destroyed and much of her audience was buried under the lightning and debris.

He didn't even have time to think about what happened, as a magical attack approached at full speed that hit him squarely. The hooded man appeared next to the magical trail, and then moved at great speed, dealing several critical blows to all the Demons in the place, knocking several unconscious and killing some.

The hooded man slowly pulled himself together after sending his last opponent through a wall. He focused his gaze on the small box that Ajuka was holding before. Just as he reached out to grab it, the Demon emerged from the rubble and forced him to take a big leap backwards to dodge it.

"You...!" Ajuka pointed at him in a great fury. "What the hell are you doing?!" He exclaimed with a rather irritated tone.

"Just doing my job." The hooded man spoke, and from Ajuka's expression, you could tell he had recognized that rather unique tone.

"How dare you betray us?!" Ajuka leapt to knock him down, but the hooded man covered his blow with a magical barrier that shattered almost instantly.

This time, the battle seemed more evenly matched, and the fellow knew he couldn't waste any time.

"I don't think someone like you should be talking about betrayal." Replied the hooded man as he raised his mechanized arm.

Ajuka watched carefully as the subject's hand branched out in a strange way, revealing a golden gem at the center that glowed brightly.

"I'd like to continue talking with you, but I'm in a hurry." He concluded, and after that, his whole arm and the gem began to crystallize until it shattered into a thousand pieces.

All those little pieces headed against Ajuka at full speed, getting a rather unique golden glow when they reached his position.

The Demon thought about dodging the attack, but it became impossible as he saw how all that little golden dust spread out in all directions.

At first he thought it wasn't going to be that painful, but his idea changed radically when his arm came in contact with that strange attack.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ajuka gave the loudest scream of pain in his life as he felt every ounce of his body being disintegrated upon contact with the golden dust, which were actually extremely powerful sacred magic particles.

The hooded man took the box in his hand, looking at it carefully.

"The main objective is now complete..." Declared the man with a half smile as he dematerialized the box.

The subject diverted his gaze to the completely destroyed sector, seeing different mutilated bodies and others in better condition that were still alive, although they could barely move. It was curious to see that small purple rays appeared circumstantially even after the explosion.

"Now, only one thing remains to be completed.."

Rias and Akeno moved through the destruction in quite awe, looking at all the corpses and wounded on the scene. Unfortunately, they didn't have much time to think about everything that happened, and the reason was heading towards them in the form of a lightning blizzard.

Akeno stopped Rias' gait as quickly as she could, causing the redhead to widen her eyes as the strong electrifying wave crashed into her side, completely disintegrating a destroyed pillar behind them.

The two Demons brought their gaze to the source of the attack, seeing how a hooded woman was staring at them. All that could be seen of her shadowed face was that smug, satisfied smirk that covered her features as she played with her katana, throwing and catching it.

"Who are you?!" Rias demanded her by stepping forward, but received no answer.

All that was delivered to her was a sneer from the mysterious woman before she began to run.

After seeing this, both Demons didn't hesitate for a second and began to chase her through all the debris and destruction. Said destruction slowly began to change to a large wooded area, due to the fact that they were going deeper into the forest.

Rias gave Akeno a small nod, which she seemed to understand. Both women materialized a magic circle and created a large combined magical blast that was fired straight at the hooded woman. Seeing this, she simply extended her katana and covered it in lightning, throwing a large shockwave that collided with the other attack, causing them to cancel each other out.

The chase continued with a couple more magical attacks that were easily countered by the hooded woman. The lush forest made them make different jumps and dodge obstacles, until the chase reached a dead point.

That dead point was Vali, who was in his armor behind a tree. The hooded woman gave him a slight nod as she passed, causing the albino to materialize his helmet.

Rias' eyes widened to the limit as Vali appeared from behind a tree, delivering a heavy blow to his abdomen that created a small shockwave. The blow was so forceful that the redhead was forced to vomit a large amount of blood and roll on the ground.

She tried to get up, but that attempt dissipated into nothingness itself when she felt someone step on one of her hands. Rias raised her gaze, watching as Vali crouched down in front of her, dematerializing his helmet to give her a smirk as he bowed his shoulders.

But that didn't end there, as the hooded woman completely forgot Akeno and shot off at Rias, taking a great leap carrying with her electrified katana in both hands with the eagerness to turn her into something unrecognizable. Akeno could see the woman's intentions a mile away, so she quickly jumped and pushed her mistress, receiving the cutting attack to save her.

The earth cracked and lightning bolts shot everywhere as the katana pierced the Demon's heart wide open, causing her to vomit a large amount of blood.

Rias slowly rose from the ground, watching in horror as her latest slave was in agony in her last seconds of life. The hooded woman stepped forward as she unearthed her katana from the body, finally letting her die.

The redhead watched her with great rage and fear as she took several steps backwards, until she finally began to run away.

"Hey..." Before she ran after her prey, Vali stopped her with his hand. "Remember the prophecy, you don't have to kill her." Clarified the albino earnestly, but that didn't seem to matter much to his comrade.

That was proven when the hooded woman removed his hand from her shoulder disdainfully and began to chase after her victim, something that drew a long sigh from Vali.

Rías continued running, her fear and terror were present on her face as never seen before. That made her stumble and fall to the ground, but instead of being something counterproductive to her escape, it could be said that it helped her even more. That was clear when a large number of lightning bolts passed over her head and cut a large number of trees in half.

Thinking that fortune was on her side, the redhead continued to run without looking back, until, at last, her luck seemed to run out. Her face slammed hard into a magical barrier, breaking her nose in the process. She slowly stood up, watching as another hooded man slowly approached her with a smirk on his face. What set him apart from her other pursuer was that this one was missing an arm and was a man, his physical build revealing him.

The man approached at a slow pace while creating a small magic circle in his one hand, before the terrified gaze of Rías, who could barely stand up. But just as the stranger was about to make a move, the hooded woman pushed him away and advanced with accelerated steps towards her while carrying a large amount of magic in her katana.

She was about to throw her attack, but was stopped by a large block of ice that hit her katana. That caused the attack to be deflected and ended up generating a large explosion in the place that covered everything in dust for several seconds.

Vali and his two companions got into position, watching as four other people slowly approached them.

The dust finally disappeared, revealing that they were Sirzechs, Serafall, Rias and Sairaorg. Both groups looked at each other with hatred and tension, generating a piercing silence between them.

That silence was broken when the hooded woman made her first move. A move so fast that no one could see clearly.

The flash of lightning pierced through everyone and each witnessed in disbelief as the hooded woman buried the katana in Sairaorg's abdomen, generating a great wave of lightning that forced everyone back. The Demon fell to the ground shatteringly, having the woman who had not separated on top of him. All he could do was deliver a bloody snarl at the sight of the insanity-covered grin her enemy possessed. From one second to the next, the woman removed the katana from her abdomen and swung the weapon at a great speed, causing a massive amount of blood to shoot everywhere.

Serafall wanted to interfere as she saw her distracted, but Vali arrived just in time to prevent that happening. The Demoness used her wings to dodge various magical attacks that the albino threw with a single finger, shattering all the trees he hit. Seeing that the possibility of getting close was practically suicide, Serafall slipped through the trees and disappeared from sight.

"Alright, time to have some fun." Vali thought aloud with a half-smile, but that expression changed as he watched the hooded woman sit on the unrecognizable corpse that once belonged to Sairaorg.

That simple glimpse made the albino make a mental note to himself to never enrage the woman.

Vali left the scene in search of Serafall, leaving his two companions with the last opponents in the place. In fact, the battle between Sirzechs and the hooded man had already begun relatively recently, denoting that the two were on a very equal level. That was easy to notice, as all their magical attacks countered each other, plus they possessed very similar speed.

The magical attacks between the two opponents were interrupted when one of them approached, trying to deliver a strong blow that was contained by Sirzechs forearm. That single collision generated a large shockwave that cracked the ground badly. Both men looked at each other for several seconds, until a smile appeared on the face of the Demon, who delivered a strong blow to the abdomen thanks to the fact that he had a notorious advantage, and that was the fact that he had two arms.

The hooded man crawled on the ground several meters, but instantly recomposed himself, fixing his gaze on Sirzechs once again. The Demon saw this, knowing that he was calling him to continue a melee battle, and he gladly accepted it.

Meanwhile, Rias watched as the hooded woman had finally risen after slaying her most recent victim, slowly approaching to her position.

Elsewhere somewhat distanced from the main battlefield, Serafall stood atop one of the many giant trees in the demonic forest, watching as Vali was searching the ground for her at a slow pace, seemingly oblivious to her presence.

The woman simply smiled, thinking that she could ignore a direct confrontation with the albino. After all, she knew perfectly well that she had everything to lose under any mastery. For that reason, her fear became palpable when Vali's figure disappeared after crossing a tree.

Perhaps it was because of the fear or her own instinct, but it was thanks to either of them that she was able to dodge the blow by a miracle. The sequence of dodged punches and kicks by the Demoness was repeated from branch to branch, until finally she used her ice magic to deliver a large direct attack to his face. She knew perfectly well that it had been an accurate hit, so she couldn't help but be shocked with horror at how Vali's helmet had disintegrated the attack as soon as it came in contact with it. All it managed to do was shatter half of his helmet and give him a small wound on his cheek.

"That's the best you've got?" The albino scoffed, turning his face once again to look at the woman. "Then I guess this won't even be a fun thing to do." He concluded, rebuilding the destroyed part of his helmet.

"Why...?"

"You know damn well why I do it." Vali interrupted Serafall's question, moving into an attack stance, something he hadn't done before.

The young man moved at such a fast speed that it wasn't even noticeable to the Demon, causing her to vomit a large amount of blood as she received a strong hook to the side of her abdomen that sent her flying.

A large number of trees were destroyed by her body, until she was finally able to recompose herself in the air when she spread her wings.

Unfortunately, it was already too late for the Demon.

She raised her gaze, seeing in horror as Vali stood in front of her, having one of his hands bent towards her position with a large orb that gave off a monstrous energy.

Vali dematerialized his helmet, raising both eyebrows for a second in a mocking gesture towards Serafall.

The hooded woman turned her gaze after seeing a large blast of white energy shoot out not far from her position. She unearthed the katana from the abdomen of Rias, who could only cough blood at such an act.

The redhead growled angrily at her, receiving an unbridled smile from the strange woman. Although she would have wished that smile to end, as she was forced to cough up blood once again when her enemy's foot crushed her abdomen with great force, leaving her on the verge of unconsciousness.

But, to the woman's misfortune, her amusement could not last any longer. This was reflected by a great magical attack that devastated everything in its path, even destroying all the surrounding trees and splitting the terrain in two by means of a huge crack.

That attack was directed towards the combat between Sirzechs and the hooded one, so they were forced to jump away to avoid being pulverized.

The dust slowly gave way to a huge figure, which made everything tremble with every step it took.

"Who dares to attack my territory?!" Tannin looked completely furious about everything that was happening, but he still decided to ask before exterminating the plagues.

Receiving no answer, his gaze was automatically fixed on the hooded woman who was rapidly approaching towards him with clear unfriendly intentions. The Dragon King simply snorted in derision and then punched her hard at such a high speed that it was impossible to dodge. The woman spat out a large amount of blood from the impact. She rolled across the ground several meters backwards, and her katana embedded itself in one of the many trees far away from the battlefield.

She tried to get up once more, but found it was impossible. The blow hadn't been as forceful, but it definitely shook her like never before.

"I won't ask three times." Tannin clarified, slowly approaching her position.

But just as misfortune was about to befall, a rather unique tone was heard.

"DRAGON SHOT!"

Tannin almost tripped over his own steps as a strong magical attack hit him on his back. But it was far from doing him any kind of damage.

"DRAGON SHOT!"

Albion's tone was heard once again, and this time it could be witnessed as Vali made an appearance with the second evolution of his Balance Breaker.

Even so, the attack barely seemed to affect Tannin, who turned around to stare at the albino with wide eyes, as he couldn't believe he was attacking him.

Vali gritted his teeth hard and clenched both hands together, creating a huge tumult of energy, something that undoubtedly brought back memories of his fight against Issei.

"DIVIDE!""

"DIVIDE!"

"DIVIDE!"

"DIVIDE!"

"DIVIDE!"

"DIVIDE!"

"DRAGON SHOOOOT!"

An enormous amount of magical energy completely devoured the figure of the Dragon King, generating a huge line of destruction in its way that destroyed everything.

A few uncomfortable seconds appeared on the battlefield as dust completely covered the place where Tannin once stood. That silence was broken when a large fist emerged through the curtain of dust, going straight towards a stunned Vali, who could barely contain the blow when he crossed his arms in X.

A loud bang was heard followed by a huge shockwave that sent everyone away, especially Vali. The albino went through several trees until he finally slammed into a rock.

Vali spat out quite a bit of blood, seeing how all of his armor had been destroyed in a single blow.

"No matter how many Divide you use..." The albino raised his gaze, witnessing the Dragon King's figure slowly approaching. "I don't know why you're doing this, but it should be obvious to you that you have a long way to go to defeat me."

Tannin tried to see reason with the albino, as he partly considered him an ally, but seeing how Vali began to whisper words under his breath only made him even more enraged.

"Is it that you want to die?" The Dragon King was slowly, but dangerously approaching towards his target.

Finally, a great glow decorated Vali completely, who was using the Juggernaut Drive to the dragon's surprise.

The snout of the huge silver dragon began to charge a giant dragon shot, causing Tannin to scoff at the sight.

"You think that's going to be able to stop me?" The dragon sneered as he raised one of his hands, beginning to generate a great tumult of energy.

But, to his surprise, just as they both threw their attacks, Vali deflected his head to the ground at the last second.

"DRAGON SHOT!"

That explosion of power generated a huge avalanche of dust and earth so strong that it ended up killing all the wounded and destroying the entire headquarters completely.

As they were much farther away, the hooded woman had no trouble withstanding the huge destructive wave, but that did not mean she could hold her position without being blown away by the huge gusts of wind and dust.

The woman slowly stood up, feeling how her body was still quite heavy from the previous blow. She raised her gaze with some difficulty, and her teeth clenched after watching as a figure approached her.

Somehow, the hooded woman found enough strength to run, until she finally reached where her katana was embedded, though now the tree where it was had become a destroyed trunk in the middle of nowhere.

She grabbed the katana with both hands and turned her gaze, watching as Sirzechs approached with accelerated steps towards her position. The hooded woman raised her katana with the eagerness to parry a blow, which, curiously, never came.

"DRAGON SHOT!"

Sirzechs' eyes widened to the max after hearing what he heard, so he quickly turned around and created a large barrier, generating a huge collision when the white-colored magical attack impacted against his defenses.

"Uuuuuggg AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Demon screamed with great force as his barrier shattered right at the last second, taking prominent damage to much of his body.

The hooded woman watched in amazement as Vali appeared out of the rubble. The albino fell to his knees with large wounds all over his body, but still found enough strength to smile at her. A smile that was answered by the hooded woman, who responded quickly to deliver a large cut to Sirzechs abdomen before he could recover from his stun.

That sent him staggering backwards, but he stopped almost instantly when a hand came to rest on his back. The Demon King slowly turned his gaze, seeing that it was the other hooded man, who was giving him a mocking smile. He didn't even have time to respond to that expression, as his back exploded in a great magical blast that made him scream and fall forward on his knees.

At that moment, the Demon raised his gaze in complete disbelief as he watched the katana and the woman glow frantically from the deadly electricity surrounding them.

The hooded woman did not hesitate and waved her katana violently towards her target, causing a large wave of lightning to strike the Demon, generating a small explosion that covered the stage in a purple color for a second.

The first thing that could be seen after that attack was Sirzechs on the ground, eyes completely blank.

The hooded woman dropped to her knee and removed her hood, revealing it to be Penemue. Her heaving breathing regulated a bit as someone landed in front of her. Azazel removed his hood and then extended his hand to her, smiling at her in the process. A smile that Penemue shared for a short second as she accepted the man's gesture.

Vali joined them, watching as the sunset was beginning to beat down on the Underworld.

"We've already completed our half revenge, and we also got the Boosted Gear back." Azazel clarified with a smile. "I hope Rossweisse and Yasaka didn't have any trouble with the Fallen Angels."

"With Rossweisse, Odin, Gondul and the Valkyries should have no trouble taking down the Cadres. And even if the Yokai are a much smaller number than the Fallen Angels, I don't think they would have any trouble destroying Grigori with Yasaka's great skill and the help of Vali's companions." Penemue stated, earning a tired look from Vali.

"Next we will need to create a good excuse for Tannin. I don't think he suspects you, but I'll be in trouble if I don't construct a credible enough lie." The albino added, meeting the gaze of both Cadres.

"Thank you for helping us, knowing the risk you might take." Azazel thanked the albino sincerely.

"Helping you with that little problem is the least we can do." Next to speak was Penemue, who shared her faction leader's sentiment.

"Don't feel so grateful. It's something I really wanted to do after learning the truth." Vali replied, sketching a more serious expression than usual.

"Believe me, we all share that sentiment." Azazel nodded, then created a magic circle at his feet. "We'd better get back as soon as possible, unless we want to face Tannin now."

"Yes, you're right." Vali answered truthfully. "Hiding my presence when I'm this weak isn't very complicated, but we're in an open area." He concluded, receiving a nod from Penemue.

"Let's go now."

Those were the last words heard in the place.

After a few seconds, Rias appeared among the destruction of the place rather badly wounded. Still, she had enough strength to take her unconscious brother and leave the place.

END OF CHAPTER!

I hope you enjoyed it!

These days it was a bit complicated to translate the chapters, but I think I'll be back to the usual rhythm soon. So, if you notice more errors than usual, it's mainly because of that.

As always, I appreciate all your support and I hope to see you soon.

Thank you very much for reading!

"This was the last one." Issei threw a bottle, causing the object to descend at a great speed.

The reason?

Issei was climbing a large sand dune that seemed to have no end, but he was already really close to reaching the top.

The brown-haired man's walk was interrupted by a rather peculiar sight, because the breeze of the place made the reddish sand move.

The strange thing was what lay beneath that sand.

Issei crouched down and positioned one of his hands on that oddity. That simple movement made his gaze harden quite a bit.

"I hadn't found bones since we left that monster's den." His bearer's comment made Ddraig turn serious.

"That means we're close to those beasts." Clarified the dragon. "They are most likely on the other side of this sand pile, they may even have established their territory right in front of the gate." He concluded, and his companion could do nothing but agree.

After all, the blue light was much more visible and stronger compared to when they began their journey. He was almost as sure as Ddraig that the door was just behind the huge mountain of sand.

"You said earlier that these beasts resembled ants?" The brown man asked, continuing on his way.

"All I know is that there are different kinds, each more powerful than the other. I understand that they have a kind of Queen, and that's the one we have to watch out for..." The dragon stated, pausing slightly.

Ddraig pondered his own words, remembering that Issei's current power was something that could even surpass him on his best days.

"Though to be honest, I don't think you'll have as much trouble..."