Chapter 57: Catastrophe

A piece of paper was in front of me, drawn on it were special letters with some Norse letters into it. I wasn't able to learn the silverette valkyrie's magic, though I did figure out something completely new, something revolutionary. Okay, maybe not revolutionary depending on the devil using it. It's still in the developing stages but if I can get it to work, my repertoire and options will be greatly expanded.

Sweat dripped from my side, concentrating on the proper flow while reducing my demonic magic isn't exactly simple. I've never set the power multiplier this low for so long before, not to mention maintaining the control in the heat of a battle will be a major pain in the neck. Too bad that my new branch of magic isn't adequate enough for the upcoming fight.

"Tomorrow night..." Exhaling, I turned to my mate with the sensation of my heart thumping, "This will be our most dangerous fight yet. How do you feel?"

"Prepared... or perhaps not." Miho took a break from her maid role as she sat by my side, resting her head on my shoulders while linking arms, "When I ventured out to become stronger, I did not dream of clashing with gods."

"I'm pretty nervous too. Better get used to this though, this definitely won't be our last time judging by how canon went. At least we got a lot of backup and time to strategize. Nonetheless," I leaned onto her closer, nuzzling her cheek, "we got each other. When I'm with you, I feel like I can push on further."

"Hanwei-sama..." Pink tinted her face, she leaned in closer to kiss-

*knock**knock*

A sudden interruption snapped us out of our reverie. Miho cutely pouted, deciding to go for a quick peck to my lips instead of a deep make out session. Feeling somewhat satisfied, my mate entered into her maid mode and stood elegantly. I was slightly irate by the interruption-troupe in harem animes, thought it was gone after we had our first night together.

Opening the door, I found a certain yamato nadeshiko, "Akeno? You okay?"

"Yes, sorry for bothering you. I wanted to ask whether you could accompany me to some place, there is someone I want you to meet."

I glanced at my mate. Miho was eyeing the Queen critically, "Are you perhaps asking for my permission, danna-sama?"

"Well, after you know..."

The nervous and embarrassed expression from Akeno was new, "I apologize about before, my emotions were a bit... unstable at that time."

"It is fine. Should your presence ease Akeno, then please go danna-sama."

With that, I agreed. Besides, it's not like that the sadist/masochist would actually try to seduce me twice with the allure and nature of a slutty fallen angel who masturbates while thinking of me everyday...

Maybe I should be vigilant just in case...

The ravenette breathed a sigh of relief, nodding gratefully. I followed her to the teleportation room and stood in the circle, she's been having that melancholic look yet there was some fire in her eyes for whatever reason. Staying silent until she speaks first might be the smarter choice. Light enveloped us and I found myself in front of a familiar shrine.

'Her old home?'

"Ufufu, should I serve you some tea as my guest?" She joked though the sudden realization on her face meant that she was somewhat serious.

"Don't worry about it, the place is pretty clean considering that you've moved in with me for a while now."

"A barrier surrounds here to protect and tidy the area, it is quite convenient when you go on long trips. Come this way."

Akeno guided me around the shrine to the backyard. Illuminating under the yellow-orange sunset was a memorial, some incense and japanese inscriptions were on there. The grass here was well trimmed and healthy as the wind blew gently. What really caught my attention was the picture on the memorial site, it was Shuri Hemejima, Akeno's mother.

Her visage was solemn with a tint of sadness, "Daisuke-kun, I would like you to meet my kaa-sama. I do not understand exactly, but it feels like introducing you to her might help us in our upcoming fight, as well as helping me come to terms."

"Are you sure you wanted to move in to Grand Wing while leaving her here? This site seemed pretty important to you."

"I have a picture of her in my room, and I still occasionally visit here."

Huh, it just occurred to me that the girls have gone into my room plenty of times while I haven't even seen what theirs are like.

"This place was selected because Kaa-sama has lived in a shrine as part of the Himejima Clan for most of her life, I hoped it would make her feel at home. She even rests at the grave in the Himejima Clan, I wanted to be buried next to her when I die but was denied by my grand uncle due to my fallen blood. They wouldn't even accept me as part of their family so I made this to keep kaa-sama close to me."

Getting introduced to your friend's deceased mom like this? The amount of trust she has in me is really huge, the pressure from this was kind of a big responsibility. We sat in a seiza position in front of the memorial and I noticed a vase of flowers, some were the tulips I gave her the other day. They were preserved with magic to last longer. However, it made me wonder, did Akeno give those tulips just to honor her mother's spirit or was she trying to ask for forgiveness?

Lighting up some incense, the familiar smoky scent tickled the memories of my grandmother's funeral to resurface. We brought our hands together in a traditional eastern praying manner. Intensity aside, Akeno's backstory was the most similar to mine amongst the ORC. Is that why a sense of odd kinship bud in me when I'm praying like this?

"Kaa-sama, this is Daisuke-kun I told you about. He is the one who came from another world." Akeno began to talk to her mom, "I brought him here because he helped building up my confidence, I wanted you to meet the man who showed me a path I once thought too hard to traverse. He also talked to tou-sama and asked how he feels about everything. Sometimes I think he's too good to be real."

"Of course he's not a superhuman who can do everything. He laughs at Issei-kun's perverted antics, he enjoys anime and talks about them with his friends, he gets frustrated easily and rages when he keeps slipping up with his work, he has a habit of bouncing his leg whenever he's worried or anxious, he doesn't know how to cook even when his life depends on it so I have to serve him pastries."

'Oi, you didn't have to tell her those!' Was what I wanted to say. My mouth nearly opened up to say she didn't need to tell her mom about my embarrassing traits until I shut back up. This is really important to her so I stayed silent.

"Do you remember how I met him? Rias and I overheard how he tried to protect Issei-kun when we were monitoring Raynare-san, it was around that time when I first took an interest in him. As we worked together, I started to notice him more and more. Even when a strong enemy appears, even when he gets hurt and bloodied everywhere, Daisuke-kun always desperately stood back up to fight for victory. He doesn't waver, he doesn't yield, he believes in himself and his friends."

"And after getting hurt so much, he still refuses to kill. This is a sign of his greatest weakness many thought needed to overcome yet in a harsh world where he still remains true to himself, to never bend to anyone's demands or cruelty, I believe it rather is his kindness as well as his greatest strength. To forge on the path he had chosen himself proudly without regret, this was what made so many girls fall in love with him. And it is also what made me fall in love with him."

Okay... This is getting really awkward for me.

"Tou-sama came to see me after many years. I was angry and blamed him for your death but he didn't deserve that, he did all he could and still saved me back then. I wanted to make amends with him, I wanted us to be a family again, and yet I'm too scared after all the horrible things I said to him. However, I want to at least have a proper conversation with him before he leaves. I want to go back to how we used to be before. You saved tou-sama on that day, and now I need to be strong to support him this time."

"Now that I think about it, I suppose I did meet Daisuke-kun in a similar manner as to how you met tou-sama; he was severely injured and I came to nurse him back to health. On that night, we both showed our bare skin and shared a passionate night for survival."

'Seriously!? You have to word it like that!?' Akeno's spirits were brighter so I still held my tongue.

"Whenever I tease him, he always tease me back. Sometimes, it would get dirty and it strokes my naughty side, his sass arouses me to play with him more."

'Calm down Daisuke, this is for Akeno's sake.'

"Not to mention his dominant side is even more stimulating, the tone and weight of his orders compelled me to follow his bidding. My body moves to obey before I even know it."

'What the actual fuck are you telling to your mom in front of the guy you're talking about!?'

"As for the icing on top, his muscles are so hot and fappable. I secretly masturbate while feeling up his abs and biceps at night whenever we sleep together."

"Hold up, you did what now!?" This time I couldn't maintain my composure and did a double take.

Akeno still continued with that happy smile on her face, "I am hopelessly head over heels for him, kaa-sama. He does not reciprocate that feeling but he will always have a special place in my heart, he is someone precious whom I want to be with forever. Our dangerous fight draws near so that's why, please watch over us. To have our peaceful days like this to go on and on."

While I was still freaking out about that tidbit, I turned back to the picture of Shuri, deciding to give my own introduction, 'Hello Shuri-san, I'm Tan Han Wei, you can call me Daisuke if you want. It's kind of weird for me right now but I'm already married and serious about my wife. Baraqiel-san was really devastated about your death and he had to pick himself up after his friends stayed by his side so please don't be too hard on him. I can't be with Akeno though I can promise you this, I'll keep her safe no matter what.'

A zephyr blew around us, wafting the leaves to the sky. At that moment, my skin tingled as I detected something. Turning around and activating Tenkugan, I saw a wispy silhouette that was just standing there. I focused harder and it became clearer, eventually I found who it was and widened my eyes. Black ponytail, light brown eyes, white blouse and purple skirt. The person standing in front of me made me doubt whether my doujutsu was working properly.

It was Shuri Himejima, and this time it's totally not a genjutsu.

She smiled kindly before bowing as a greeting, mouthing words to me. I couldn't hear her voice but her face said it loud and clear.

"Please take care of them for me. (✿◡‿◡)"

The sincerity and hope in Shuri's expression were way too lively for a dead spirit. And then she vanished, probably to pass on to the next life without regrets. My dumbstruck self was still staring at the empty space where Shuri previously was. Something tells me that what just happened was real.

"Daisuke-kun, what's wrong?"

"... Nothing. Nothing at all." I turned back to the picture on the memorial, "Just reassuring your mom that everything will be fine."

"Ara ara, what a brave gentleman." Akeno teased, "I loved my kaa-sama dearly, I even thought of following her footsteps and becoming a miko. Is it strange for a fallen angel to wish for that?"

"I think it's more strange that somehow women who were raised in shrines could turn into sadists. Regardless, it suits you."

She blushed, "Thank you for coming here Daisuke-kun. That's all I want to show you, you may go back."

"What about you?"

"Night has not arrived yet, I'll stay a little longer before returning."

Guess she wants to spend more time with her mom, "Alright."

"This is it." I spoke out loud, fidgeting with the armlet in my pocket, "You guys ready?"

"C-can I say no?" Gasper meeped out before receiving a slap to the back, "Ow! Why Koneko-chan?"

"Can't back out now Gya-kun, you're supposed to show your manly side."

"Ouu... Okay..."

Dark skies loomed over us as a night breeze brushed past us. The meeting is about to start soon and we're on top of the hotel which is holding said meeting. Sona and her peerage were already in position to teleport us anytime, except for Saji who would join in later after upgrading.

"How is the condition of the circle?"

"Structure stabilized."

"Destination locked on."

"Magic power fueled."

"Backup reserves on standby."

"We're ready anytime."

"Good. The moment our enemy arrives, commence the force teleportation on my signal."

[Yes kaichou!]

"I must admit, they have quite the teamwork and discipline." Arthur commented with interest, watching the student council members spreading around, "The Sitri heiress and her peerage have an aura much different from when they are students."

"They're not bad I guess nya."

"You would be surprised what Sona goes through everyday in school. She was never the type to allow the situation go out of hand when she has anything to say about it."

Rias announced, proud and grateful of her childhood friend backing us up. At that moment, a towering figure flew up and landed in front of us. The last of our reinforcements are here.

"Tannin-ossan, good to see you again."

"Congratulations on unlocking your Balance Breaker boy, you have kept up your training well."

Baraqiel landed as well, making eye contact with his daughter. Uncomfortable, they stared for a couple seconds before trying to talk, only to chicken out and focus on the situation at the last second.

"Thank you. They're getting along better already." Rias whispered at my side to which I responded with a nod. She then proceeded to examine her peerage, "It's another big fight we got ourselves into, steel your resolve. Gods or not, we won't fall and prevail again. The ORC is in it together, the eleven of us."

Koneko's feline ears twitched, grinning impishly, "No, the twelve of us."

We tracked the nekoshou's gaze, finding an extra landing down from Tannin's back. My eyebrows shot up from the newcomer. I approached since she's my responsibility, "Alicia, what are you doing here?"

Instead of the maid uniform she wore, the silverette did her hair in a waterfall braid and wore a battle dress which provides freedom to her chest, shoulders, and legs. Her dress extended from the blue collar around her neck to below the knees, covering am inner white blouse. Dark blue combat shoes and armbands were on to complete the look. Alicia's outfit was similar to when we fought during Diodora's betrayal, except it was more streamlined and durable. To top it all off, she was equipped with a rifle in her hand.

"Please forgive my disobedience Daisuke-sama, but I wished to join. Watching you and everyone else leave for a perilous fight rendered me anxious, I choose to fight along side you."

Judging by the stare from Tannin, the Ultimate-class dragon recognizes who Alicia is yet remained silent, something which I'm thankful for. I turned to Baraqiel, he replied sheepishly, "She was very persistent."

Sighing, "You know you might get yourself killed right?"

"That possibility also applies to you."

"You'll regret and probably curse your life if you die in a painful death."

"My life was already dead until you found me, it belongs to you now. This is what I choose."

"... Alicia, as your master, you will follow my orders and I will not tolerate failure. First, protect and work together with everyone."

Alicia gulped.

"Second, fight to the end to defeat our enemies."

Sweat dropped from her side.

"And third, come back alive, safe and sound."

Shock crossed over her expression before she got her wits back together, "Yes, master!"

With that, the leaders of the respective groups nodded. Rias, Sona, Vali, Baraqiel, Tannin, and Rossweisse, the latter two were more of individual representatives than groups.

*Crack*

"Now!" Team Sitri activated the circle and forced teleported us. A barrier encased the hotel while simultaneously a light engulfed everyone. The last of what we saw were Sona's eyes silently telling us, 'Good luck.'

*Howl*

"Space Burst!" I instantly flashed to in front of everyone, entire body coated in golden spatial energy. Claws made direct contact to me, thundering a sonic boom as a crater formed in between us. Tannin and Baraqiel threw flames and lightning respectively to aid in pushing the wolf back. With a war cry, I used my entire body strength to repel him back.

We were throw back. Forcuis sped behind to catch me and that's when I noticed Fenrir was closer to jumping back than getting parried. Muscles twitched and spasmed, realizing that they're trying to wear me down first, "A sudden attack without a greeting first? Aren't you a rude god."

"Did I not announce my arrival beforehand? What happened to the vigor you had during our last encounter? Surely the rumored Aoi Arashi can do better than this." Loki smirked cruelly, enjoying watching me panting and getting put in my place. He surveyed the new battlefield, it was covered and layered with rocks and barren land, we can go all out without hesitation away from civilization, "Is this where you choose to place your grave? Quite distasteful I may add."

"I commend you for challenging us directly." Vali had a smirk of his own, thrilled of having a god as his opponent, "You are rather composed for someone whose goal is to kill Odin. You are currently very much far away from him."

"That old fool will die by my hands soon enough, his demise is as inevitable as yours."

"And what would those dangerous thoughts bring? Eradicating the younger generation would bring no hope or future. You have escaped last time but here and now, you will fall."

"Issei!"

[Transfer]

The Pawn promoted to Queen and at the same time, exchanged some energy with me to induce a resonance for us to power-up. Since Issei's energy usage is wasteful, I managed the flow from my end to maximize the results. Both of us felt the surge from our parent-child Sacred Gears.

[Welsh Dragon-]

[Vanishing Dragon-]

[[Balance Breaker]]

We split into two groups as planned. Loki paid no heed to our strategy and decided to play along, confident in annihilating us. Fenrir growled, his paws cracking into the ground as he leapt, his sole focus was on me. Humanoid susanoo manifested, matching the giant wolf in size but not in ability. Even with with my defense set up, he still cleaved through my avatar like butter.

Shards of susanoo fell though I wasn't out yet. Focusing my senses, I could pick up when when he's coming and dropped low, kicking up and took the battle to the skies. Baraqiel and Akeno followed up with a thunder cloud, conjuring holy lightning to strike him down. The long range fighters casted whatever they could to hurt that wolf. Before the cloud dissipated, Fenrir was already back targeting me, unscathed and faster than before.

I sweated, reacting on impulse rather than consciously. My body entered hyper speed, hardly escaping in time until the force of his paw swing was enough to destabilize my flight. By the time I could tell what happened next, Fenrir was already literally in front of my face. His eyes were primal and ferocious yet somehow devoid of life. Not gonna lie, having a ten meter tall giant wolf giving me a death glare scared me a little.

His claw swiped, intending to bifurcate me in half. Hundreds of fiery tendrils wrapped around Fenrir, along with Bikou and Arthur flanking his sides. The former thrusting his Ruyi Jingu Bang whereas the latter made multiple slashes with his Caliburn, slowing down the wolf just enough for me to accelerate back to ground with Time Burst.

Asia was continuously healing the front liners even when they're uninjured, ensuring that they survive the moment they take fatal injuries. The green glow around the two members of Team Vali kept their fatigue at bay and barely keeping them alive. Koneko's in charge of amping our resident healer with ki, though we don't know how long the Bishop can keep this up, she's barely keeping track of where the fighters are zipping around already.

A claw punctured through the monkey youkai except Bikou puffed out of existence, revealing to be a duplicate from his Youjutsu. The real Bikou dived with his Jīndu Yún, swinging his staff to smack Fenrir right on the head. Without sparing a glance, the wolf roared. The air and sound emitted was strong enough to chuck him through mountains. Before Arthur could reengage, his switched to a defensive stance to block a lightning fast tail that was about to burst his organs out.

"What a monster! Is it not ready yet!?"

"Almost... Finished! All set buchou."

Receiving the signal from Yuuto, everyone spread out and I whistled, regaining back the wolf's attention. I didn't dare to observe and counter, flashing everywhere with Shunpo and hyper speed to create speed images while mixing a few clones in. Fenrir didn't bother with the fakes and charged towards the main body.

On top of a cliff with high ground, Alicia positioned and sniped with her rifle, loading magic into the special firearm to shoot exploding bullets. A magic circle was on the nuzzle, augmenting her long range attacks. She missed more often than not. Nonetheless, said projectiles landed without making so much as a scratch, much less slowing him down.

I half sprinted half flew, dodging around the rocky terrain and bulldozing more than a few boulders with buso for the sake of fleeing. Miho and Kuroka changed the terrain to burn and drag Fenrir down without success. Eventually he caught up to me, I had Dream Sword do an overhead downwards slash to meet the fangs trying to bite me to a bloody paste, prioritizing to use his momentum to increasing my own backward momentum to take off.

*chip*

Familiar cracks travelled across my blade. I clicked my tongue in annoyance from about to lose another sword. While still maintaining my position, the susanoo ribcages and arms emerged with each hand forming a taikyoku rasengan. The spherical wind drills came from both up and down to snap his massive jaw shut. For a moment, I thought I saw Fenrir winced until he got a little more serious.

"Goddammit, even your breath is as scary as you look!"

For the third time in a short period, one of my spacetime prowess kicked in to get me out of there. However, Fenrir saw it coming and was still trying to eat me. Dammit, even with Asia healing my fatigue, using this power again without enough recovery is lowering the efficiency! And the wolf is learning my movements as we fight too!

In a desperate situation, I overloaded Dream Sword with the biggest Getsuga I could make into his maw. The backlash of my muscles tightening while using magic cut my spell short. My Dream Sword and susanoo shattered, his fangs dug into my right shoulder as he tasted blood for the first time. I held back a scream of agony to figure a way out. Something! Anything-

"HRRAAAAGGHHH!"

Baraqiel plummeted onto Fenrir's back with bolts of thunder in his fists. Sparks flew from his near impenetrable hide, stunning him and loosening his jaw just enough for Arthur to arrive and teleport me out of there.

Finally, I had enough breathing room to grab the vial of Phoenix Tears and drank it. We were given a couple as preparation before the fight, doesn't mean it was a failsafe to any wound. If Asia hadn't sustained her Twilight Healing, I would've been lying down one arm less.

Six points around Fenrir shined. Baraqiel exited immediately as Gleipnir activated, the magical chains auto honed in on the target and bind the wolf down. First was his front paws. Fenrir growled, enraged and attempted to break free until another chain muzzled him. His hind legs was next, then his body, and lastly his tail. Gleipnir finished it by pulling and pinning him to the ground.

The mighty legendary wolf that made us buckle our knees was now captured, his aura downed and harmless to us. Rias panted partly from exhaustion and partly from adrenaline from keeping up with the match, "At last, our mission is accomplished."

"Couldn't you have finished it faster?" Bikou came back while massaging his shoulders, sections of his clothing shredded, "We were almost dog food."

"That's easier said than done, we were already setting up the trap as fast as we could." Xenovia went to Asia's and Irina's side, "Now that our biggest problem is taken care of, we can take down Loki much easier."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Everyone turned to me as I eyed Fenrir wryly. He struggled, rattling the chains to the point it gently shook the ground, "This is only the beginning, Loki wouldn't have returned without more insurance. Stay on your toes."

Vali let his dragon armor's energy course through him, taking his time to lavish in the moment. After all, it's not everyday for the battle maniac to get a chance to fight a god, "Everyone, do not interrupt. I wish to confront Loki myself."

"Have you gone crazy!?" Issei gawked at his rival, "I get that your stupidly strong but you can't win by yourself. What's the point of having a truce if you're just gonna do it alone?"

"Do you think I am not aware of my own abilities? This pumping of my heart, this blood rush." If anyone could see through his helmet, they'll know that the Lucifer was grinning all too happily, "Even now, my hands cannot stop trembling from anticipation. You can join in, though only after I savor to my heart's content!"

Wings of his Divine Dividing flared, propelling Vali to go solo. Clouds of debris blocked the Pawn's view, Issei was about to go after him until a giant dragon claw halted him, "O-ossan?"

"Let him be." Tannin squinted his eyes at the energetic Hakuryuukou, "I have seen dragons like him before, always eager to test their might against foes they couldn't dream to match. This goes especially true for the Two Heavenly Dragons, their lust for battle despite knowing the chances of victory still drives them stubbornly and ferociously. Intervention may result in us getting caught in the crossfire."

"Does this mean we can hope that the traitor gets himself killed?"

"Raynare-san, that is a bit too much. We still need him to win, right Forcuis-san?"

The cold and calculated fallen angel remained silent, neither agreeing or denying Rossweisse. The valkyrie awkwardly fidgeted.

"Nonetheless, this will be an opportunity for us to observe the Evil God. How he moves, what techniques he uses. Use this time well boy."

Issei got the meaning, stacking up the Boosts to Transfer into Mjölnir. Instead of constantly Boosting in a short period, the Sekiryuutei is going for the ten-second-interval version. The former version quickly spikes up his strength and drains at once for one attack, tiring him due to the wild fluctuations. The latter on the other hand, allows him to slowly store it gradually just like in his base state, calmly conserving stamina while somewhat increasing efficiency of building up power. And the intervals are also mitigated by his successively increasing Boost multiplier of his Calamity Mail.

Levitating in the air were two dominant fighters. Loki smirked condescendingly, "I applaud your bravery for coming alone. Had you were from the Norse, I might have appointed you as my subordinate."

"Quite an honor to hear that from a god, though I have no interest in working under anyone." A Norse type magic circle was in Vali's hand, conjuring a potent blast to incinerate his opponent. Loki evaded as the blast passed by, creating a large and deep crater.

"So you have learned our magic. It is no surprise that you would covet." The god seemingly stood in the same place intact, projecting dozens of attacks in retaliation.

Vali weaved around the shots, zigzagging fearlessly. In the midst of the myriad of magic, the Lucifer found an opening and his wings gleamed, speeding to land a punch to Loki's head. However, a spherical barrier erected around the Evil God, tanking the fist easily. The shockwave transmitted from the hand through the barrier and to behind Loki.

Amused, Loki still had the condescending smirk, driving Vali to up his game as he accepted the challenge. A second punch connected to the barrier, and then a third, until a flurry of punches came before the Hakuryuukou accelerated to his back, roundhouse kicking yet it didn't even budge. He decided to gain altitude, gathering up his energy and bombarded with demonic and Norse magic.

The machine gun of shots had no effect either and Loki was getting bored, "Are you satisfied with your meaningless effort? That Hakuryuukou title has tarnished along with that red counterpart for centuries now. Longinus that can kill gods? Don't make me laugh, you hold no sort of that power without unleashing that self-sacrificing power."

"Concluding at such an early stage? Since when did gods like you become so hasty?"

[Divide][Divide][Divide][Divide][Divide][Divide][Divide][Divide][Divide]

Astonished by his barrier weakening, Loki paused just long enough to see a massive Norse-demonic formula aimed right at him. A huge explosion made it past through the barrier while also taking out at least a third of the battlefield. The god stood there with his hands outstretched, hands scrapped slightly but otherwise fine.

"I see, such vigor and intensity. Perhaps you might provide some entertainment after all."

Loki phased out like a ghost, fully disappearing from the Hakuryuukou's radar. Vali reflexively made a backhand punch behind him, except there was no one. The trickster god was actually to his left, throwing a straight jab to the silverette's temple and catapulting him. He shook off the disorientation, defending an incoming right hook with his elbow.

There was only one reason why Vali could stop that blow, it was because Loki didn't utilize his vanishing technique on purpose. Raged from being mocked, the Lucifer uppercut which was avoided by the enemy tilting back. Another hook rushed to Vali, he blocked it as well before flexing his arms open to create some room. He quickly closed the gap a split second later.

What seemed to be lightning fast punches were actually slow to Loki, twisting around before fading away again. The next thing Vali knew was pain to his gut, Loki was next to him and executing a high kick. Hurled upwards, the silverette regained his momentum and rained a volley of magic. While the god was gliding out of the way, Vali missile down without presenting him a chance to go missing again.

[Half Dimension]

The contraction of space briefly restricted the Norse god's movements. In mere inches just as Vali was about to smash his head, Loki broke free and withdrew. Stopping midair to scan, the Lucifer found his target a distance away.

"For someone from the Christian religion, you are not inadequate. However, you are still lacking to defeat me."

"Ho, are you sure about that?"

Small trickle of blood exuded on the side of his forehead. Loki wiped and saw the red stain was genuinely present. That smirk on his face was gone, replaced by confoundment. Unusual barking noises reached Loki's ears, he found that his wolf was bounded by Gleipnir.

"Do you comprehend your situation? Your haughty attitude may hold great influence in your homeland, yet it collapses easily when faced against enemies you underestimated. Your outdated tricks are obsolete, just as your status as a god."

Loki's shoulders quivered before he laughed in amusement, "Do you truly believe you have gained the upper hand?" With arms spread wide, teleportation magic was forced into the area, summoning two smaller ash grey wolves, "Sköll! Hati!"

"OWOOO!"

"OWOOOO!"

Everyone was thunderstruck, one legendary wolf was enough, and now they have to deal with three. Vali on the contrary, grinned wider as he found new opponents to play with, "Here I was thinking I could not have the chance to fight a beast such as Fenrir. Their specs may be lower-"

[Rumble][Rumble][Boom]

Chaotic sparks of lightning darted towards Loki. Tannin, being the oversized dragon he is, yeeted Issei who in turn swung the hammer with all the Boosts accumulated. The two wolves scattered whereas the god simply stood his ground with a defensive spell. Explosions rang out and the lightning was able to wound Loki, albeit slightly.

"Issei Hyoudou, I told you to not interrupt my fight."

"We got more problems to worry about you battle maniac! Daisuke and the others aren't in the best shape and I rather don't want anyone dying."

"You had your fun." Tannin joined the fray while glaring at the problematic child of a dragon, "You were the first to suggest this alliance, or did you deceive without any shred of honor in your words?"

"... Tch, very well."

"Mjölnir? No, it does not have the same power." Loki waved his hand off from the stinging pain, "So that old fool lent you the replica? Does he want peace so much to the point of slandering the Norse?"

"That old geezer is annoying and selfish, but at least he tries to think what's best for everyone you bastard!"

"What's best for everyone?" A brow arched on the god's expression, "Do you not know what Odin enacted in the past when other religions like the bible spread? Surely you must have informed your allies, valkyrie."

Curious enough, Issei, Forcuis and Raynare twisted their heads to the silent silverette. The Sekiryuutei asked, "Rossweisse-san, what is he talking about?"

"... I have only heard of it when I was a little girl. Odin-sama was previously indifferent to the other religions, maybe even hostile. When people who were not of the Norse begged for our help on their death's doors, Odin-sama shunned and left them to their fate. However, he only did this to protect our homeland from any foreign influences."

"Of course. Odin was what every ruler should be; cold, ruthless, and prideful. Yet here he is, aging until he became senile to taint our land's culture." Loki scoffed, "Peace? Coexistence? Do you think someone who dismissed such worthless thoughts in the past has any right to try establishing them in the present?"

"Rights? Who are you in any position to declare rights?" Glaring at the Evil God was Forcuis, irate from the babbling, "Sins from the past cannot be erased. However, we who take action, do not judge our own merits."

"Then whom do you suggests do?"

"It's the people we've wronged before." Raynare answered easily, giving her boyfriend a meaningful glance, "Moving without their forgiveness is mere selfishness, though acting together with them means there is hope to mend."

Tannin simpered at his former enemies. A dragon reincarnated into a devil was intrigued by the fallen angels' convictions, "Well said. Loki, you are a fledgling who cannot accept a change in the new era, your words hold no weight when we all strived for a better future."

"Complicated stuff goes over my head sometimes but I sure as heck prefer that old geezer than you bastard."

"At least we agree on something, words do hold no weight here. Which is why we engage in another approach. Sköll, Hati." Those who wanted peace automatically tensed their bodies at those words. Loki's next sentence set them a battle for their lives, "Kill them."

One of the kid wolves assailed the former Dragon King, his claws brandished to tear Tannin apart. Tannin breathed out a a concentrated flare to which Hati simply and literally dived through. The singed wolf cared not about his burns, slashing across the dragon's scales and ripping his chest. Tanking the damage, he grabbed the front legs of the wolf, opening his maw to release a ball of white hot flames at point blank range.

Hati was lobbed away, pushed by the fireball until he hit a mountain. Heat erupted as the ball exploded, destroying and melting the mountain in the process. A dark pink healing glow took care of Tannin's wound, courtesy of Raynare. The wolf howled, back on his feet. The fallen angel narrowed her eyes, sniping her light arrows from the back with Sagittario Gale.

Ignoring the weaker opponent, Hati raced around the field to get back at the former Dragon King. He jumped around the arrows until he noticed one suspended in mid air a distance away from him. A moment later, the missed arrows around him transformed into ropes, binding him from every direction. It was only effective for a split second, but that split second was enough for Tannin to swoop in and uppercut his jaw.

Enraged, Hati jumped back from the air to stomp the life out of Tannin. Despite the latter's bigger size, the former Dragon King was only able to match the strength, unable to fight back. The ground beneath them cracked from the pressure. Raynare's artificial gear summoned more light arrows, they curved and deflected towards probable weak spots on the wolf yet yielded no results. She even tried to explode her light arrows to blind him without success.

The claws were digging into Tannin's palms. He growled from irritation of being underestimated by something who wasn't even considered as an adult. Muscles bulged, Tannin roared loud and unfurled his wings. Air was displaced as the dragon took flight while carrying the wolf with him. The gust of wind blew into Hati's face as their altitude rose. After reaching high enough, Tannin rocketed back down with the intention to slam him into the cold hard earth.

An earthquake shook, dust cloud picked up. Tannin was back in the air, in pain from exerting himself but otherwise fine. Hati however, had his upper body buried, face first. And for good measure, the dragon spat out another fire bomb to keep Hati down.

"It seems that your contingency plan did not live up to your expectations." Vali threw a punch only for Loki to disappear again.

The Evil God got behind the Hakuryuukou for a counterattack until he dodged several Norse magic projectiles from Rossweisse. Issei followed up with more of Mjölnir's lightning while Vali discharged his own bullets. Loki clicked his tongue from getting outnumbered, fading away to evade-

That was until Forcuis had Alterous Edge, slashing the area of where Loki's hiding and shredding his evasion magic. Similar to how cloth was torn apart, the air around the god appeared as if a tear occurred, unveiling Loki's upper body from his camouflage. The god was flabbergasted whereas the fallen angel smirked condescendingly with his artificial gear humming from the ultrasonic vibrations.

His twin swords work by breaking the polymeric chains of magic into smaller yet harmless monomers. Anything magic related was digested by those blades. Daisuke and Miho weren't the only ones who were learning Norse magic from the valkyrie. Combined with his ability of a sensor and observation of the spell for so many times, Forcuis can monitor the god's moves.

"You insignificant-" Another storm from the legendary hammer replica and Norse magic forced him to erect a barrier. While it protected him, a swift four-slash combo from Forcuis tore it apart, allowing Vali to barrel in to engage in close combat.

Vali gave a downward hook which Loki caught with his left hand. The former hastily did a left high kick, denying the latter to conjure his magic in time. The god swerved back before jabbing in retaliation. Vali shoved it away with his forearm and roundhouse kicked, though the god blocked and grabbed his limb and straightened his arm forward to blast the Lucifer. The silverette grabbed the arm with his left hand, used his wings to propel and pivot, all to kick his head with the other leg.

Pressed to shove Vali away, the trickster found Issei and Rossweisse ready to fire at close range. Disappearing, Loki maneuvered away yet Forcuis was on his trail. The tip of his blade nicked ever so slightly, compelling the god to maneuver faster. The fallen angel swung energy waves to pinpoint his location to the others.

Annoyed, Loki dropped the tricks and bombarded at the sensor. Forcuis exhaled, ducking and slashing the magic. Left, right, full swing, cross slash. He cut them easily. Issei and Rossweisse tried again to get close, striking a defensive magic instead before Vali used his Divide from behind. The Lucifer's magic in his hand was enough to smash through the weakened defense, and finally dealing heavy damage to Loki's back.

Although they were panting, they got the one up on the Norse god. Tannin and Raynare joined the them in the air, the former huffing at the downed god, "Your game is over."

"... Or is it?" At that cruel smirk, the tide of the battle changed in an instant.

One of the child wolves wanted to eat me as a snack, "Guys! Don't let that thing get near Fenrir!"

I summersaulted over Sköll. Compared to his dad, this guy is way easier to keep up. Our two Bishops, Xenovia, and Akeno stayed around Fenrir to keep him isolated. Yuuto assembled a trail of rising swords while Rias and Irina emitted their own waves of respective powers. Nevertheless, Sköll didn't stop from the minor injuries. Just as he was about to rend the two, a detonating bullet from Alicia landed a clean hit on one of his legs, stumbling him.

Koneko was down below Sköll's chin, kicking it up high before jumping to put a few ki punches to the underside. The wolf was about to bite her head off until Kuroka came in like a rocket, yelling 'geronimooooo' for a dropkick to the snout and sending her little sister a teasing yet proud wink. Before Sköll knew what happened next, a flurry of smacks were delivered all over him as if he was a piñata.

Pinned to the ground, dozens of fiery tendrils coupled with Gasper's gear tied Sköll in place. Arthur relaxed yet still ready for a fight, "So I was not needed."

"You had way too much fun, monkey."

"Bite me Ruin Princess, you weren't even on the front lines."

'What gives? There's no way Loki would think this is enough-' Another blinding light enveloped the two wolves as well as the environment, interrupting my thoughts. My instincts screamed at me to jump away. A long swish smashed where I once stood, a huge eastern dragon roared. A total of 10 of them actually, 'Oh right, this also happened...'

Screeches of pain came from where Fenrir was. Asia and Gasper were bleeding heavily, and the others aren't doing much better. Sköll and Hati were teleported to their parent, freeing Fenrir with their claws.

"Heiress-chan, you still got more of those chains in storage nya!?"

"We only had enough time to prepare for one wolf!"

"Stupid anime butchering the novel plot. ￣へ￣" I spoke out loud in irritation, accelerating away from Fenrir with Time Burst, "They only showed chains, they could've at least given more specific details."

"What are you mumbling about?"

"Just trying to cope. Arthur, think you guys can handle one-"

I couldn't finish my sentence, Fenrir slit open susanoo ribcage and puncturing my left arm, a lone claw emerged from the back of my limb.

"Hanwei-sama!"

"Daisuke! Hold on, we're-" Half of the Midgardsormr copies slithered to assault the other ORC members.

Miho struck two palm thrusts, Bakuenjin at maximum firepower. Except for the smoke and a tuff of blackened fur, Fenrir was unharmed. The wolf then swung his paw with that claw still stuck inside me, whacking us together before our minds could register. Ignoring the pain, I used my legs as leverage and pulled myself out, creating a distance between us and Fenrir.

Sending the silent message via eye contact to Miho, we charged up our respective moves. Two susanoo arms manifested above my head to gather screeching wind while the temperature rose with volcanic quakes as a blazing aura erupted around the salamander. Odama Rasenshuriken and Radiant Burner traveled at the same time. Our strongest attacks made contact along the way, melding together into a rotating sun that caused a shift in the atmospheric pressure with its presence alone.

""Shakuton: Sanshouo no Rasenshuriken (Scorch release: Salamander's Rasenshuriken)""

For whatever reasons Fenrir didn't dodge, the combo spell got a bull's eye. The explosion from the collision was already faster than the speed of sound, the spinning dome of flaming energy howled as it kept up over and over. Lava around the dome pooled up, earthquakes trembled the ground we stood, gales threatened to blow us off our feet, the sky clouding from the updraft of the heat. By the time it settled, we got good news and bad news.

Good news: Fenrir's hurt.

Bad news: He's more annoyed than hurt.

Another scream caught my attention, Akeno was about to be cut in half by Sköll. Death was ready to take away the Queen until her father ran towards her, taking the blow for himself. Blood splashed in front of the ravenette's face, harrowing the despair into her face. The Dragon King copies slithered around the incursion of the ORC, beating them mercilessly without letting them heal.

"You bastard! You were faking it the whole time!"

"Faking? Hardly. I was merely surprised that I needed to be more serious." Loki scoffed at Issei's outburst, his previous injuries seemed like a dream, "Did you really believe you greenhorns could have a chance against a god?"

Before Forcuis could locate the god, a pillar of light struck him from the sky, too fast for him to avoid. The calm weather morphed into one from hell, thunder reverberated and typhoons swallowed the battlefield. The other half of the Midgardsormr replicas crunched Rossweisse and Forcuis away, separating them away from the Two Heavenly Dragons and spat them towards Tannin, said Dragon King was working to take down the revived Hati.

"Shirone!"

"Kuroka! Don't break formation!"

The older nekoshou ran off when she saw a copy about to burn her little sister with a fire breathe. Bikou and Arthur were handling two of those Dragon Kings yet a third one kept them from chasing after their teammate. Kuroka utilized her senjutsu, transforming the solid earth into mud and sinking the copy. Just as she was about to thwack it, Sköll ran on top of the copy's body as a platform and gashed Kuroka's torso.

"Fuck, we're all gonna die at this rate! Miho, go help the others!"

"What!? I cannot-"

"Whatever our combo did to Fenrir, he's more conscious than before!" I grabbed a healing tag to close the hole in my arm. Fenrir just stood there, his eager undivided attention onto me, "That fact that he's letting me heal means something. I can last for a few minutes by myself, just go!"

Tears pooled at the corner of my mate's eyes, Miho listened and went to provide backup. That sad face is gonna guilt me for a while. Glaring at the legendary wolf, "Alright fido, if I wasn't mad before, I'm fuming now."

We did our own battle cries, charging up our strength. The moment we clashed, an explosion boomed.

"T-tou-sama...? Tou-sama!" Akeno didn't care about her wounds, limping to her father. Combined with her buried memories and adrenaline, she panicked, trying to think of something, "I-I- That's it, here."

The Queen brought her healing tag, sticking-

*BOOM**BOOM*

Explosions from all over the battlefield knocked them over. What's worse was that the tag Akeno had slipped, flying away at speeds too fast for the injured Queen to catch, "No! Why- why did this- Tou-sama, your Phoenix Tears! Where is it!?"

Groans escaped the fallen angel's mouth, along with a few blobs of blood, before he weakly reached for his pocket. Akeno sighed in relief until she felt her health fully restored, horror crept into her heart, "Tou-sama! Why!"

"Ake...no." Baraqiel coughed, wheezing out the words, "I'm sorry."

Akeno ripped pieces of his cloths, using the cloth to press the wound in attempt to stop the bleeding, "Don't speak, you need to save your strength."

"I'm sorry... for leaving you for so long." He grasped his daughtered hand, "I lost meaning in my life when your mother died. There were so many times I wanted to end everything, so many times I wanted to end my life just to see her again in the afterlife. But I couldn't... I couldn't leave the only family I have left."

His skin paled, body temperature dropping dangerously low. Akeno cried hysterically, "Why!? Why of all times you would protect me now!? Why did you save me!? Why didn't you use your Phoenix Tears for yourself!? You're needed here in this battle more than me!"

"Because I already made a mistake of leaving you once... You look so much like Shuri, seeing you haunted me of my failure. The death of my wife, her lifeless body in my arms. I was so scared to face you again, but the thought of losing you scared me more than anything else. Even if it means risking everyone else, I wanted you to live."

"Please stop! You will be fine, I won't let you die!"

"Akeno... I am proud... to see you all grown up with such good friends. And I am happy to see my baby girl one last time. Goodbye... I love you."

She was hyperventilating, she was protected and let her parent die again, "No! Asia, please heal-"

The blonde was busy healing her own injuries whereas the rest were busy fending themselves while taking heavy damage at the same time. They could barely even heal themselves in that situation.

"No..."

*Badump*

"Please no."

*Badump*

"Everyone's getting killed."

*Badump*

"Somebody... Please save us..."

*Badump**Badump**Badump*

"DAISUUUUKKEEEEE!"

...

...

...

Silence. What happened next was complete and utter silence. The battle, the people, magic, and even Fenrir was silent. More like, they were forced to be silent, perfectly trapped in a crimson glow. Akeno was stupefied until the wounds on her father were healing and it wasn't just him, all of her allies are healing. No wait, they're not being healed, they're being reversed!

'Crimson? ... Daisuke-kun!?'

All eyes were on the Rook, his shirt was blown away until it was reversed along with his own wounds. Crimson gold power was gushing out like crazy! The rocks around him levitated before disintegrating from the sheer force of his aura. Everyone's mouths were slacking wide open, they've never seen their friend exuding so much energy before. That mad godly amount of energy!

And then it clicked in their minds, witnessing the special armlet that Azazel prepared on him. His face was calm yet fierce, no more sense of lightheartedness. Before anyone knew what happened next, all the enemies were knocked away at once. A delayed squall brought them back to reality, finding all the dragon copies and young wolves either stuck in an object or bleeding from every pore of their bodies, some were both.

"What the fuck!? Did Arashi just soloed them all at once!?"

"Arrgh!" Loki screamed in pain, clutching the discolored left side of his abdomen, glowering at Daisuke, "You! How are you-"

"You're still conscious?" Although Daisuke's voice was familiar to the ORC, it still sounded as if he was a different person, "Then again, you are strong enough to raise Fenrir. Taking you down quick was too much to ask I suppose."

"Da-Daisuke..." Issei hesitantly called out to his best friend, almost afraid, "You're still you right?"

"At least when time's up. Sorry, you'll have to keep dealing with Loki yourselves, I'm gonna need whatever I got left for him."

Fenrir got into position and displayed something akin to acknowledgement. Growling, his fur was waving wildly as an equal amount of energy was surging around the legendary wolf. Bluish white met crimson gold. With that, everyone realized that this was way out of their league. They were bearing the chance to witness two individuals with powers of supreme gods clashing.

Both of them let out their battle cry and then, they struck.

"OWOOOOOOO!"

"HAAAAAAAAA!"

AN: Finally! I got this chapter out! I've been stuck with university and assignments that it's driving me crazy, and I still got to work on them even now! I wanted to fit the whole fight into this chapter at first, then I realized it's getting too long. Whatever, life is a pain in the neck. Hope you all like it. Please leave a review and tell me what you think.

Ja Ne