Fate: Bonds Beyond Humanity

by Apprentice of Life

In a world where all can be real, what does it mean to be human? What is the meaning of humanity? A meeting between a human and a devil will have them discovering the truth while chasing their dreams. My take on the combined worlds of Fate and DxD with characters from other franchises if they can be adapted to it. Harem.

84. Chapter 84

Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

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84- Let There Be Khaos II: Forecast of Death

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Violence had escalated quickly and the whole stadium soon descended into combat. From the point the first terrorist was discovered to a bloodbath filling the stands it only had taken two minutes. To Odin, an Aesir, that was pretty much an eternity given his wisdom and affinity to war but not even that meant he could foresee things going so wrong so fast.

Which was why when he warned his hosts about the possibility of trouble he had sent his faithful familiars to scout the stadium just to see if he could stop things from descending into chaos before it gained traction.

'Looks like I called it. Not that it means much.' Even Odin couldn't counter a plan he didn't understand without at least knowing who or what he was facing.

Suffice to say he understood the Old Satan Faction was throwing everything they had in that operation but it was more than he expected and to be fair the New Satan Faction would claim the same.

Spies everywhere sabotaged critical structures, a dome of death surrounded the stadium and faced the army trying to reinforce from outside while the people, the ordinary ones that only came to watch a Rating Game, panicked.

Huginn and Muninn landed on Odin's shoulders and the latter whispered all that they observed in their short flight as the devils in the VIP box grew agitated and Azazel stood from his seat in a hurry.

"Seems the festivities have started." Commented the Cadre as he got ready to burst through the window before thinking for a second. "Zeoticus, Venelana, you two better not even think of joining."

Both Lord and Lady glared at the fallen angel. "I will remind you, Governor General," Venelana started with a glare that could melt steel, "that we were generals during the civil war."

"And there was more of the Gremory around to keep things afloat, giving a chance for you two to fight with your son." Azazel replied as the servants spread around the room drawing several weapons. Those with staves began to fortify the walls and windows as several fights took to the sky and magic energy exploded around. "If you two fall now, Rias is going to become Lady Gremory and you don't want to give your daughter that much responsibility this soon, do you?"

"At least she and the others are safe in the Rating Game arena." Shirou asked while preparing Kanshou and Bakuya. Bellerophon ready and waiting for his call if necessary.

The problem would be if there was someone to contest him which was why the Satans hadn't moved into the fight yet. They were also waiting for the enemy commanders to present themselves much like it happened during the Peace Talks.

Rossweisse was involved in a bluish white light for a second before revealing herself in armor holding a spear. "Lord Odin, permission to engage!"

"Granted but follow the Mage of Swords' lead." The All Father watched the events unfold with a frown as more powerful beings joined the fight. Including one of his fellow gods. "Looks like Indra is making this a sport."

"That is Indra?" Medusa questioned upon seeing the giant man who sat down on his VIP box and threw Lightning towards whoever got too close no matter the side. "That is so careless. I heard he was supposed to be benevolent but he is blasting everyone."

"He shouldn't be here." Azazel pointed out while preparing his artificial sacred gear. "While not evil, Indra is a God of War so obviously he is enjoying what is going on."

Hearing that information made many frown, including Shirou who focused his eyes on the Hindu God. "I will go talk to him-"

"Do you want to be smited by a god today or something?" Rossweisse questioned in disbelief. "When one of them gets like that, the best thing to do is avoid their attention. Besides, weren't we going to help evacuate?"

Medusa nodded. "Indeed, my Champion, I can see many in peril from here. The devils on our side are doing their best but they need reinforcements."

Knowing that completely shifted Shirou's gears. "I hope you don't mind me going." He asked while already striding towards the door.

"Not at all. My Champion should protect innocent maidens… Or any other innocents at his arms' reach."

"Well, I hope no one minds if I stay." Rin requested carefully while placing some gems around the area to fortify the place's barriers. "Average One or not, I know when a fight is out of my league."

Xenovia looked at Tohsaka before turning to Emiya who nodded which had her clicking her tongue. "You can help us with security." Turning towards most of the devils present, she added. "Everyone here knows how to fight, right?"

"We have been in combat decades before you were born, Xenovia Quarta."

"Great. means Liz and I won't need to carry you on our back."

Setsuna raised her head and sniffed the air. "Blood. Fresh blood is approaching. Someone wounded or-"

Irina quickly opened the doors and stepped outside with a Light Sword in her left hand. She quickly identified a group of armored warriors approaching. "I think they came to collect Lord and Lady Gremory but their weapons are unsheathed and I can't see blood."

That alarmed almost everyone and Shirou quickly stepped outside with Rossweisse. "Stop! In the name of Lord Gremory!" He ordered firmly and the devils obeyed.

"Mage of Swords! We are here to escort Lord and Lady Gremory from the premises under orders from Lord Lucifer." The right thing was said but while the leader of the squad spoke, Shirou's eyes were studying their swords.

"I still smell blood and it is coming from their armors." Setsuna informed while preparing her naginata which had several of the newcomers preparing weapons and magic circles.

But that could be to defend themselves so Shirou spoke carefully. "Sirzechs would have told me if something like that was an option. Besides, they are safer here with two gods and Grigori's Governor General."

"We have our orders." The obvious leader, even if all armors looked the same, replied coldly.

Which made up Shirou's mind. "The men who were using those armors before," quickly the whole's squad posture grew hostile which also had three women ready to fight, "if you drop your weapons and surrender, I won't avenge them."

"GLORY TO THE TRUE SATANS!" Immediately the group charged with two in the back preparing their magic circles to blast the whole hallway.

Kanshou and Bakuya cut their heads first as Shirou advanced ahead while Tracing two more Married Blades. The commander of the group tried to hit him with a sword but it was slow and the redhead cut off his hand followed by stabbing his belly upwards to the heart before moving to the next.

That one tried to stab him with a spear that was parried by the White Twin before the Black one opened his neck to what surely would be a fatal wound. Already in the middle of the group the Mage of Swords slashed four more down before the two copies of Kanshou and Bakuya he previously threw returned and finished off the rest.

However the commander of the group suddenly stood up and used his remaining hand to summon a magic circle before his chest exploded with a blast of Light. "Someone woke up ruthless today." Azazel commented as the corpse fell on its face. "Any reason why?"

"Any reason why you left the VIP box?" Emiya shot back with a frown before looking to those he killed. "People are in danger and we don't have time to waste with grunts. Besides, they refused to surrender."

"And killed good men before coming here in quite a cowardly fashion." Rossweisse commented while touching one of the armors. "See these marks." She showed a half melted area behind one of the arms.

Shirou understood immediately. "Stabbed right through with a special blade and mended after."

"Master-"

"Xenovia, you are staying with Medusa! Seems these guys are ready to play all sorts of tricks."

Venelana stepped outside and shook her head sadly. "Doesn't mean we will be capable of identifying who is friend or foe in cases like this."

They all heard an explosion as the fight outside grew more intense. "If we are going, we don't have time to waste." Irina pointed out.

"You know how much I hate being on the defensive." Setsuna commented while stepping around the corpses. "I will be going ahead."

"Give me a sec. Trace on!" Truthbearer, Shirou's creation capable of separating truth and lies, manifested and Xenovia quickly grabbed it. "Ask anyone-"

"If they are loyal to Sirzechs." The bluehead completed the sentence before looking at her lover before turning to her former partner. "Don't die, you hear me."

"Let's go!" Azazel began to sprint towards the closest exit with Setsuna, Irina, Shirou and Rossweisse right behind.

"Lord Azazel, what do you think you are doing?" The Valkyrie asked as they accelerated further and soon came across an area where several groups of people were fighting. It was a space usually to buy lunch and none of them was wearing armor which made difficult to identify who was on their side "You should stay back and-"

"Woman, if you tell me to stay back again I am going to tell Odin the panties you are wearing today are pink and watch him mock you!" Replied Azazel while trying to discern friend from foe but since they all were wearing civilian outfits and were devils it was extremely difficult.

"How did you know?!" Asked Rossweisse with a flushed face despite the situation.

Setsuna didn't stop her advance. "He guessed and we don't have time." Channeling youki in her weapon she shouted. "Glory to Sirzechs Lucifer!" Some of the warriors in the fight roared upon hearing reinforcements approaching. "Help those! They can help us identify the rest!"

"You bitch-" Before the hanyou arrived, Irina threw a Light Spear at their chest.

"Don't insult my friend." Was all the angel had to say before opening her wings and unleashing her halo's light which actually stunned some devils.

Enough for a woman to question. "What is an angel doing here?" Before she attacked Irina with several magic blasts that the angel dodged before kicking her to the ground.

Other devils looked ready to join before Shirou shouted. "I am the Mage of Swords and she is with the Gremory!" His words made some hesitate but a few devils actually flew towards the honey haired girl with clear hostile intentions which made him click his tongue.

"I got them!" Rossweisse jumped so fast that she stabbed one of the attackers before ramming him on the ceiling. She jumped down towards another as Irina used a Light Sword to cut a woman down.

"Hey fellas! Remember that the Grigori are your allies now!" Azazel shouted while summoning several Light Spears and hitting the magic circles forming in Irina's direction. He opened his wings and kicked a guy trying to stab him. "So I will consider everyone attacking me part of the Khaos Brigade! How does that sound?!"

"Fakers and traitors!" One of the 'civilians' shouted in rage before his left arm was cut off. "What-"

Shirou stabbed his heart before shouting. "I can see your weapons History! I know who is on our side!" Quickly several devils dropped their weapons which made the redhead smile. "Setsuna!"

"Scourge of Swallows!" The naginata unleashed several green streaks towards the obvious targets but many were blocked and she only managed to take down four.

But the fight was quickly turning in the New Satan Faction's favor so Azazel opened his wings and unleashed a 'gust' of Light that pushed several devils down. "We are going to help with the evacuation and defend the civilians! Secure this path!"

"Heh! To think the day would come when we would obey a fallen angel." Someone commented while struggling against another devil but the group had already moved on.

Their focus was on taking down anybody getting in their way, those foolish enough to make apparent they were obvious enemies, because they had little time to lose and people to save.

In seconds they arrived at the closest exit and saw the chaos personally; magic was being thrown around, blood filled the stands as devil collided against devil, several peerage worth of warriors faced whole squads of warriors while the elite of the Old Satan Faction pressed their advantage with proper armor and formations.

Defense advantage wasn't a thing there, not when there were no walls to stop the enemy and the latter also had hostages to take. Surely many of those loyal to the new regime fought back as they could but their enemies were more powerful than expected.

"Ophis' power… this is bad." Commented Azazel as he noticed several warriors in black armor surrounded by equally black serpents. Some were unleashing blasts of dark energy capable of ripping the place apart had it not been for the more numerous opposition fighting together in coordinated fashion. "I need to-"

"There!" Shirou ignored the powerful enemy for the moment, his focus going into finding those hiding or being protected by anyone else. His eyes quickly found a group of young devils which included a few children surrounded by a complete peerage fighting with all their might.

With a roar the redhead stabbed a devil dressed in casual clothes before kicking another to the side. In an instant Rossweisse flew past him and created several runes to protect the bystanders, something the peerage noticed before counter attacking the previous aggressors.

The Irina threw a few spears of Light and every devil in the area turned towards the angel with rage in their eyes only for most of them to focus on fighting each other as they knew Heaven was on their side.

Old grudges still ran deep but priorities were priorities and it wasn't the angels invading their world but fellow devils. However the Old Satan Faction could act on these grudges, three of its members enveloped by Ophis' power charging in Irina's direction with the intention of ripping her wings off.

And were intercepted by Azazel who stabbed one through the helmet with the Down Fall Dragon Spear. "Mind if I cut in?!" The Cadre wanted to let loose and use his full power but he needed to trust his allies' plans. 'You are still going to owe me one, Sirzechs.'

Before he could say anything else the fallen angel was caught off guard when the man's whose brain he had just pierced grabbed his arm. "For the Maous!"

Ophis' energy pulsed as he tried to kill Azazel but the fallen angel grabbed his head and unleashed a blast of Light, blowing it up. "That is one!" Five more had joined the other two and he chuckled. "Hey, hey, hey. My dance card is already full but if you all insist…"

Light began to explode on the skies of the Underworld as the Cadre unleashed more of his power against the Ouroboros empowered devils. Below his location the group that came with him managed to defeat a few threats but there were still others around.

The Valkyrie blocked a huge blast with her runes before writing a new one with her spear and stabbing it, unleashing a blast that ripped a hole on the attacker's chest. Others followed the newly dead man's lead but the peerage protecting the children was also taking care of those so the silver haired woman approached one of them for a message.

"That passage had some fighting but it is mostly secured! We opened a path!" She had to shout with how loud things were still going but the man by her side nodded. "I will place some runes on everyone to increase their defense! Can you escort the civilians?!"

"Of course!" Another man replied, the King of that peerage. "It is our duty to protect the next generation! We will reinforce that passage so bring everyone there!"

Shirou cut down another devil before voicing his agreement. "That is a plan! Setsuna, Irina! Help escort these ones!" He quickly began to dash towards the left. "I am going to save more! Bellerophon!"

White and black aura burned around his body as the pegasus lended his aid. It was surely needed as another devil surrounded by a black aura landed in front of him with a huge ax. Said weapon pulsed as a black serpent moved from the devil's arm towards it before coming down faster than the redhead expected.

However, in a competition of speed, Shirou wouldn't lose.

By the time the huge weapon slammed the ground he had already moved round it to stab the devil's shoulder before doing the same to their neck. The Mage didn't even bother looking to know if his opponent was dead or not, his focus was on a couple who was struggling to help a peerage that was protecting them.

They needed to be saved so his enemy was irrelevant even as the serpents bit the wounds and stopped the devil from dying while they spun around with their weapon intending on cutting the Magician of Gremory in half.

Fortunately for him Rossweisse was literally watching his back and runes stopped the curved blade. "Ouroboros won't let them die easily! Cut-" She didn't even need to finish the sentence.

Shirou had already thrown a sword to cut off the devil's head. "Thanks!" Was all he had to say before arriving at the other peerage after locating another devil using Ophis' power to bombard the peerage. Mana coursed through his arms and the Married Blades flew in three pairs towards the devil who didn't see death coming. "There is a-"

"Arknia, escort the lovebirds from where these two came from!" The peerage's King, a tall man with black hair but thin frame, ordered while creating several magic circles to send out several blasts since he no longer needed to contest the Ophis empowered devils. "The rest of you get moving! We need to make sure Lord Sirzechs and the others can fight freely!"

""Yes sir!"" His peerage scattered before Shirou could say anything else as the number of enemies around diminished.

Diminished but weren't gone as he came to learn when several armored devils flew and began to fight against the peerage. Problem was that the fight was too close and the couple were clearly on the Low Class side in terms of power which meant they couldn't fight back.

"Rossweisse!"

"Already on it!" Several letters came to life and a barrier was formed around the five. "If you are going to take them away, do it faster!"

Arknia was a centaur, or a Reincarnated devil who was once a centaur. His human body looked like a middle aged man with long hair and beard carrying some muscle while his horse body was brown and gray. He looked at the Valkyrie with an expression of suspicion before focusing on his King's orders.

"Get on!" Ordered the devil centaur while pointing at his back, the couple helping each other stay stable on him.

"We secured a safe passage that way!" Rossweisse pointed the direction where they came from. "We will cover for you but a lot more people need help!"

"Get going!" Shirou ordered harshly before jumping out the barrier and throwing several copies of Kanshou and Bakuya towards another devil full of Ophis' power.

That one however took the attacks with gusto as the power expanded and expanded during his mad charge before clashing against another devil in the air. Both blew up and it wasn't long before several others using the Ouroboros Dragon's serpents shared a similar fate.

"What is going on?!" Setsuna asked as she managed to kick one of those away just before it was too late. Unfortunately the explosion was still strong enough to throw her back but the Queen from the peerage she was helping out grabbed her before she crashed in the stands.

It was a question easy to answer to devils and anyone who could recognize the signs of mana overload, albeit more extreme. "Their bodies can't contain their power." The Queen, a blond woman, informed with panic as while several devils exploded everywhere others just kept fighting without problems.

By the Mage's side, the Valkyrie informed the same thing as they escorted the group towards the exit. "Not everyone can deal with Ophis' snakes! This is the end result! Temporary power but once it is almost spent they start to decay!"

Irina approached them with two devils by her side watching her back. "That shouldn't lead to explosions!" The angel commented while using her Light Spears to break a few magic circles being used as shields. An action the devils by her side capitalized by adding their attacks to hers. "They should be losing energy, not exploding!"

"They know death is coming anyway so they are using all they have left to take down as many enemies as possible!" Rossweisse threw several stabs with her spear before writing three runes that flew up and blocked a blast from above. "They don't care about their lives! Only about killing us!"

And many bystanders were still in danger as Shirou could perceive so, after the centaur dropped the couple down the tunnel, he asked. "Can you help us save the others?!"

"I need to help my King!" The Reincarnated centaur, a Knight by how fast he was moving, quickly took flight towards his companions.

Emiya couldn't even curse the man as he noticed that several from his peerage were already dead or dying against an army of berserkers powered by the Second Strongest. "Don't they even care about the aftermath?!"

"Hate to say it but no!" Setsuna slashed another devil's hand before the Queen supporting her blew up their target's chest. "We need to regroup!"

Technically she was correct as Irina was splitting up more and more with their group to support their allies while Rossweisse had suddenly dashed back and covered the entrance to the inner stadium with runes, blocking the path of several enemies.

With a growl of fury Shirou poured more of the pegasus power to facilitate Kanshou and Bakuya Alteration. The Divine mana made sure that he could speed up a process from seconds to milliseconds.

In an instant the Married Twins grew slightly more curved before the Mage of Swords connected their handles with each other and a string of white mana connected the tips of the blades in a bow.

A Fake Enki without actually being such, two blades which became one bow for the strongest arrows. 'Gilgamesh can eat his heart out!' Shirou declared in his mind as Muramasa formed in his free hand to be fired at the closest devil using Ophis' power.

One who was about to throw several powerful spells against the Valkyrie's barrier only for his life to be snuffed out by an explosion for good measure. However, unleashing the extra Divinity had unintended consequences when several other members of the Old Satan Faction turned to unleashing their fury at Shirou.

Arrows were his response as he made sure to run away from the gate to give the others space to escort the bystanders, Irina already helping carry a group of five that seemed too weak or lost while Setsuna worked with the first peerage they met to help the wounded.

In that case the best thing Emiya could do was get the enemy away from them. 'That is right! Come and get me!' He wanted to Ascend and use his full power but knew that the Underworld needed to somehow fight back on their own. 'Another warzone… but this time I can do something!'

Doing a flip he jumped as high as he could, using his bow as the sword it was and cutting down two devils in the air before bending upside down to shoot another three with several Muramasa arrows.

Those were empowered by Bellerophon's Divinity so most defenses were useless. Most but not all as a devil surrounded by several black snakes fired back with several blasts. "Trace on!"

Several copies of Kanshou and Bakuya quickly formed smaller versions of his wings that the redhead used to stabilize his flight path while shooting more and Muramasas towards his new opponent.

Others tried to intervene but soon Shirou landed as his improvised wings were unable to keep him in the air for long stretches of time. Not that he needed as his opponent landed as well before charging at him with half a dozen magic circles spinning around making his best impression of a machine gun.

Shirou charged as well to meet him in the middle, the combined Married Blades blocking several shots as he Traced another Kanshou for his left hand. Those swords basically refused to become arrows no matter what he did but they had other utilities. Including the ones still on his back that the Mage had Bellerophon empower further to speed himself up.

With that he reached the devil before the individual could react, the Black Twin stabbing his thigh making the man grunt and trying to slash the redhead's chest. But Shirou had already read the sword's History so he knew how his opponent worked. Gafery was a proud devil of average skill even if his body was stronger than most.

And with average skill came a lot of openings that Shirou capitalized by abandoning Kanshou on the man's leg to block the hit with the combined Married Twins before severing his left shoulder and most of his upper body from the rest.

Yet that wasn't enough to kill the devil as he burned all his mana to force his snake to keep him together. It wasn't going to save his life, half measure that it was, but Gafery only wanted the Mage dead. With a roar he attacked the redhead who smoothly jumped back before throwing the combined Twins in his direction.

Gafery barely managed to avoid the attack and the snake keeping him together fell apart but his body could still last a minute or so more. Time he pretended to use wisely to finish off as many enemies as he could, starting with the Magician of Gremory.

However he found himself surprised when the redhead had turned around to run away towards another group of the Old Satan Faction, Muramasa in his hands as the minor Noble Phantasm unleashed flames for more damage.

Turning one's back against an active opponent was tantamount to suicide and Gafery woudln't waste that opportunity. As the devil opened his wings and called as much mana as he could for another charge his waist was cleaved in two when the combined Married Twins returned to Kanshou on his leg.

Bellerophon told Shirou the Married Blades were coming back and with his wings assistance the magus managed to catch the double sword seamlessly just in time to bash away a devil's attack before using Muramasa to finish him off.

It wasn't enough, not by a long shot. Hundreds of extra devils poured on the stadium as several magic circles opened above their heads. Whatever countermeasures against teleportation existed in the place were clearly neutralized.

Gritting his teeth the Mage had to fight the urge to unleash his full power and go nuts in the place for the sake of the status quo in the Underworld. 'Where the hell are they?! ' He questioned in fury while shooting arrows everywhere, barely needing to aim with how many enemies were around. 'Where?! People are dying in droves! Why aren't these descendants fighting-'

Immediately the Mage of Swords Traced several weapons above himself to get space before preparing another arrow. That one wasn't a Muramasa but instead the sword of Beowulf because the target on his sight was pretty far.

And he needed to secure the hit. "Hrunting!" The red streak flew fast enough to exterminate two enemies before even reaching its destination.

His target was a devil who tried to attack Irina from behind while the angel was busy using a Light Holy Sword the size of a katana to cut a group of three down. She noticed the redhead assistance when the attacker lost his heart together with most of his chest before throwing herself deeper in the fray.

Her supporters were gone, one dead and the other tried to keep up but only ended up slowing the former Exorcist down before being dismissed. Once her ally left the angel didn't hesitate to use even more Holy Light, her aura blocking several attacks worth of demonic energy as she cut down any enemy.

Much like Shirou she was a beacon of Divinity smaller than the gods, who were barely acting anyway. As an angel she was also a target that the Old Satan Faction was more than willing to kill whatever the cost. In fact, her being an angel only increased their rage and fanaticism and the twin tailed haired girl couldn't stop flying or risk being shot down.

'Maybe I should have stayed back in the VIP box- Don't dare think about that, Shidou Irina! That is stupid! You are an angel of the Lord, Michael's Ace and there are people to save!' After promptly chastising herself the honey haired girl sped up on a dive to try and get rid of her pursuers.

Once she was close enough to the ground the angel kicked it, beating her wings to help change her momentum. Unfortunately for the newly Reincarnated angel every single devil in pursuit was better at flying than her. Many even managed to close the distance because of how slopy her move was.

The first one to get close almost got cut by the Light Sword only for him to dodge in the last second and create a magic circle to blast the former Exorcist. She crashed on the ground but rolled to her feet in time to dodge and block a few attacks before the second devil arrived to stab her midriff.

However, instead of blood, he found Holy Light shoved in his face as Irina made another Light Sword. 'Thank God these uniforms are excellent.' Which was why she didn't mind if it showed more curves than necessary. Her celebration didn't last long as even getting rid of a devil meant there were others just after and these ones threw magic at her. 'Dodge! Dodge! DODGE!'

Beating her wings as fast as she could, Irina began to escape again as the number of pursuers grew because of the Holy Energy output she was letting out and joining them was another devil empowered by the Ouroboros.

That one was clearly stronger than most and despite the armor giving her an androgynous appearance a woman's voice roared, "Die Child of the Enemy!" before the black serpent around her arm opened its mouth and unleashed a beam of energy stronger than Irina could contest.

So the angel dodged and the explosion from it ended up throwing her around like a ragdoll as other devils died because of the other woman's fury. Not that stopped the fanatics as several of them still attacked Irina with spells of all kinds.

The honey haired girl used her pure white wings as a shield to buy herself a few seconds before the Ouroboros user threw another spell that almost ripped the appendage from her back.

Still Irina used the swords in her hands to cut down a few devils before retreating her wings and focusing on the clear threat who was diving towards the ground while unleashing several beams of energy.

Dodging a few of the attacks the angel threw the swords at the other woman who failed to destroy them and was forced to move around the Holy Light weapons. "Oh Father, give me wisdom!" Her small prayer annoyed every devil around but was as real as the Light Spear appeared in her hands. 'My Element is my only advantage but I still need a clean hit.'

As far as angels went Irina wasn't the strongest despite being Michael's Ace. The card gave her more power than the others but she still only had two wings. Yet her Holy Light burned brighter than some original angels that she met and if previous fights told her anything was that she could easily kill devils with it.

Ouroboros' power or not, her opponent was still a devil and as long as that was true she held the advantage if her power managed to connect properly. With that in mind she repositioned her feet in a javelin throwing posture, purposefully making sure her opponent took notice of it just before launching the projectile.

It was the sort of open attack that was easy to dodge like the devil demonstrated by going up, which would happen regardless of how fast Irina threw the spear. Still she made more, two in each hand, before throwing the next one and moving a few steps forward for the second.

'Fall for it. Fall for it. Fall for it! Fall for it!' The angel repeated in her mind like a mantra before pulling back and throwing two more spears at the same time in a manner to intercept a counter attack.

Despite having Ophis' power the devil wasn't strong enough to defeat Holy Light. Before receiving Infinity's blessing she was Middle Class and with it she was barely High. To break Irina's power she would have to be cemented on High Class or at least have skills comparable to those there.

So the devil found herself dodging more than attacking and soon came to regret that decision since the angel was deliberately aiming her spears in such a fashion the attacks could land on other devils if avoided, preferably those on the Old Satan Faction side.

Fortunately Michael had taught her how to extinguish her Light in case she missed an attack because if he hadn't his Ace would have been responsible for the most number of friendly fire incidents in the Underworld's History.

That was how much Irina was attacking, her arms hurting as she was starting panting from exertion. Reincarnation and training did wonders for her stamina but she wasn't going to last forever. Yet all the while the honey haired girl was doing her best to pass an impression of invincibility, of someone with energy to burn and whose victory was inevitable.

All to force the devil to commit which she eventually did, falling for the trap. The armored woman unleashed several blasts to cover her charge while she approached the ground. Once there she turned vertically, flying towards Irina as fast as she could.

The plan had been to reach the angel before she could escape, something which would be fairly difficult since her wing had been wounded. What she didn't know was that Irina was a Reincarnated angel and formerly an Exorcist, someone who literally learned to walk before she could fly.

And with her opponent in motion Irina stopped throwing spears and focused as much mana as she could in her right hand. "I am an Angel of the Lord and He is my Shepherd. Holy Blade!"

The sword that formed in her hand was a perfect replica of Mimic's katana form but made of pure Light. Blade prepared in the palm of her hand while in a semi crouched posture, the former Exorcist fixed her footing while focusing her sight on the devil's flight path.

One was flying and the other had her feet firmly planted on the ground. It should be obvious how that would end or who was supposed to be faster between the two. Yet while the devil was faster and lacked limitations to her movement, only one of them was trained to fight against a superior opponent.

Especially on the ground without flying. By losing leverage, Irina gained back experience.

Which was why she managed to make a dash just in the right moment while the devil was busy trying to take her head. The snake certainly helped with that by creating a dark claw over the older woman's hand. It was a dangerous mass of power that the angel couldn't allow to touch her but it was secondary compared to positioning her sword just right.

There wasn't a clash in the traditional sense, both attacks aimed for something vital and cared not for the weapons of the opponent. Both fighters also tried to move when noticing what the other was doing but the truth of the matter was that sometimes too much speed was a weakness.

Most of those were when facing anyone who knew how to fight around it much like Irina who moved her neck just at the right time after already having her sword positioned correctly. It wasn't the first time she did something like that and almost like clockwork the devil found herself making contact with the blade.

Ophis' power of course pushed back and in the end both women moved past each other. Irina's left ponytail came undone while she got a cut on that side of her forehead showing how close she had been from dying. At least she was better than her opponent who died before ever landing, her body split into two.

The angel fell to her knees with a smile of triumph before sobering up and preparing to offer a prayer to her dead opponent only to jump back avoiding several blasts of black mana.

More devils empowered by the Ouroboros Dragon appeared before her with bloodlust in their eyes. Every single one of them held an aura of malice and were as strong as the woman from before which made her grit her teeth and raise her guard. Her body felt heavy and her situation looked bleak but the former Exorcist had Faith.

"You guys sure are an infestation." Which was answered by Azazel who had suddenly dropped in front of her with his typical smile and looking no worse for wear. Spinning his dagger-like spear, they all could hear a dragon's growl from it. "Ophis' power made you all that confident? Where is all that devil pride Lucifer always bragged about?"

Several attacks flew in the angels' direction but the older one raised his free hand and a barrier made of Light stopped all the attacks. His smirk grew more confident as he could already tell that compared to the devils he faced before, those three were way too weak to pose any threat to him.

"Azazel-san!" A shocked but happy Irina called for the fallen angel who looked back to give her a wink.

"Excellent job back there, sister. Rest easy for a bit and let your oni-san clean some of this mess." Down Fall Dragon Spear was raised and began to glow intensely. "Say, the other five were practically berserk because of Ophis' power… it is the same to you guys, right? You are barely holding yourselves together… The metamorphosis must be already beginning…"

The devils began to attack his barrier with swords and magic but the moment it started cracking Azazel snapped his fingers and it was instantly fixed. That only made the devils madder, the trio jumping back and focusing all their mana on their serpents while forming a black magic circle.

"Can you fly?" The older angel asked the younger, realizing that was an attack he couldn't stop.

Irina did open her wings but one of them was bleeding. "No."

"Right then." However Azazel didn't need to stop the blow if he countered it properly so the barrier vanished as he formed a huge Light Spear above his head. "This is gonna be a big boom so close your ears!"

A flick of the Cadre's wrist later the attack was sent flying, meeting a beam of darkness that shook the area and interrupted much of the conflict. Many people either fell on the ground or collided against the barrier surrounding the stadium while the explosion consumed some of the fighters.

Not Irina who was in Azazel's arms as the fallen angel opened all his wings. "Talk about a blast of a party, ey?!"

"Not the time for that, Azazel-san!" Looking over his shoulder she saw two devils were still after them even if they were bleeding heavily.

However Azazel's concern was the pure angel's condition. "You ain't fighting anymore today. Ophis isn't a joke even when they aren't present."

"What? But everyone is-"

Without looking the man evaded several blasts before descending from the sky. "Didn't the Church teach anything about pacing?! Gonna have to talk with Michael about that later!" Growing closer to the ground he quickly went past Rossweisse who repelled another wave of attacks which would have hit the angels, earning a nod of thanks from the older one. "Just rest for a bit, alright? As one of the new pure angels, if you died it would be bad."

Realizing the truth in those words, Irina looked down as the Cadre approached the Valkyrie. "Any tricks to deal with Ophis' power?" She asked as her bluish white shield repealed the spells with some difficulty.

"Keep making runes? Honestly we should be glad most of these guys were weaklings before the power up. Thanks for holding this position, by the way. Going to make it easier for you by taking out the dangerous trash around."

Fact was that Rossweisse was basically guarding the most important spot for the evacuation since the barrier impeded anyone from getting to the civilians. "When are the Maous going to move?" Didn't mean she could do so forever.

"Whenever their Maous move." Azazel prepared his sacred gear and took flight again. "Don't worry! I will keep the problematic ones out of your hair!"

That said the Governor General punched one of the Ophis empowered devils before using his dagger to block its snake and cut its head off. The other didn't stand still and threw a blast towards the two which the fallen angel avoided but his first target wasn't so lucky. The body turned into ash and the Cadre turned to fight their killer.

Several spells flew in the black haired man's direction but he ignored every blast before stabbing the man on the shoulder. Ophis' serpent was already moving to bite him so the contact was minimal with the golden weapon leaving with just a smidge of blood.

However, that was enough. "Sorry but this is going to hurt. All discarded things belong to Fafnir! Down Fall Dragon Spear!" Immediately the devil's body began to glow erratically and inflate. "Greed is this dragon bread and butter and if you aren't going to take care of your treasures then obviously he will be interested… Even if one of those is your life."

Rossweisse quickly drew even more runes to fortify her barriers when she noticed what was about to happen. She was the only one in the area unsurprised by the explosion that was unleashed as what was left of Ophis' power and a devil's life were consumed in a ball of golden flames.

"Talk about a nasty ability… Fafnir's Curse of Gathering Treasures weaponized to take lives…" The Valkyrie held her spear tightly before shivering. "Better to never throw you around again." Another group of civilians, easily identifiable by the panicked looks, was being escorted by a group of three soldiers. "Over here! Quickly! I will lower the barrier!"

Fortunately it didn't take much for them to race towards her exit but despite her words Rossweisse didn't lower its defenses immediately. There were still many members of the Khaos Brigade fighting everywhere and plenty of them knew what was behind her.

Sure some of the Old Satan Faction had already infiltrated the stadium but the fact she was guarding somewhere meant there had to be a safe zone of some sort, something they definitely wanted to destroy while killing everybody there.

Not on Rossweisse's watch. "Now!" The silver haired woman signaled and the runes flickered to allow passage for the group.

Of course that was when several devils pounced even if others tried to stop them. The peerage that was supporting the Valkyrie had to send some of their members inside already. Even if their number wasn't reduced, it was still hundreds against dozens even with soldiers backing them up.

Which was why when she dropped the barrier Rossweisse also charged to meet the enemy, stabbing the closest one in the heart, pulling her spear with a spin and using it to block several blasts before kicking another armored devil who tried to get past her.

"Ah!" A rune spelling Ice appeared in the Valkyrie's hand to freeze the devil she just defeated solid before she ducked under a sword and stabbed that attacker on the neck. With a flourish she freed her spear and hit another devil in the chest, breaking his armor and his ribs. "I am a shieldmaiden! None of you are getting through!"

Moving her legs swiftly she kicked the corpse she just killed to block a blast trying to get the civilians before getting in front of those devils, runes already blocking the next shots. A few devils on her side pushed back to secure the retreat route again but many in the Old Satan Faction were begging to focus on their area.

There were so many in fact that several descended from the air and dove straight towards the opening while a group of terrorists charged the fighters with war cries. "For the True Satans!"

"Rossweisse-san!" The former Exorcist got up with a Light Spear but the warning was unnecessary.

The Valkyrie was already flying towards the new threats, kicking one so hard that two of them collided with each other until they crashed against the barrier around the stadium.

Following that up she moved around with her spear almost in a dance, flying up and down to intercept anyone trying to go in while her spear shone with several runes. Thanks to them the weapon was weightless, sharper and far more powerful. A devil tried to stop her with his own blade but her weapon pierced through it and him.

Rossweisse then shifted her footing to position herself back in front of the entrance using that devil as an extra shield. Several blasts hit her position soon after but by that point the civilians had gone through. When the corpse hanging by her spear was obliterated, she used it to write runes while doing the same with her hand.

Soon the barrier was back and some of the terrorists crashed against it. "Did everyone get inside?" The silver haired woman was actually glad Irina was around.

It stopped from triple checking things because people running for their lives usually didn't do roll calls. "Yeah. We got everyone." The angel replied with a smile. "That was amazing! So those are the prayers of the North, rune magic!"

"I wouldn't call them prayers." The Valkyrie moved her spear towards one of the runes in her wall and used it to send out a projectile of similar shape. It didn't travel far but didn't need to, not when there were enemy combatants trying to break her barrier with brute force to be dealt with. "Anyone can do it with the right knowledge. You don't need faith!"

She added louder while exerting effort as one of the Ophis empowered devils arrived and slammed a huge blast against her barrier. Slamming her spear on the ground she increased her runes' power as the Underworld devils tried to help against the attacker. Unfortunately Ophis' serpents made that devil High Class at least.

Almost Ultimate if the silver haired woman was estimating things correctly but despite that her barrier didn't give in. Took some extra effort but eventually the attack ended and the position remained secure as the shieldmaiden held the wall with just a drop of sweat on her forehead.

However, after getting rid of the other defenders and receiving some reinforcements, that devil returned and began to attack again. Infinity's blessing hit against the wall one more time and with more intensity which forced Rossweisse to pour more energy keeping it up.

"Rossweisse-san!" A problem Irina noticed, trying to go help. "Let me out- I will-"

"Can you… give me a moment?" Despite her defensive prowess the Valkyrie could admit Ophis' power, despite just being a fragment and not used by the Dragon God, was quite the challenge to block. "I need to… just push… this back! AAAAAHHHHH!"

Two runes in the wall expanded until they exited the bluish white surface to push the black energy back towards its owner. The devil noticed death coming in a panic which made him drop the attack leaving him to receive the equivalent of two giant trucks smacking on his face.

The devil was sent flying but would soon return and unfortunately for Rossweisse she needed to lower the barrier again because, "Civilians coming through!" She warned for Irina's sake. "I need you to keep an eye out for them when they get close."

"If that guy come back-"

"I will handle him." The Valkyrie could see the angel was wounded and she wasn't going to risk an ally's life unnecessarily. Besides, Odin's bodyguard was confident she could beat that particular opponent. "Get ready!"

Immediately the peerage that was reinforcing her moved around to open space to the group being escorted by another one. There were eight civilians in total with some of their guards also wounded and in clear need to get out of the battle for healing in a total of fourteen injured devils.

Considering everything, Rossweisse had already prepared a few extra Primeval Runes that read Protect and Restore before patiently waiting for the group to get close enough. Once they crossed an invisible line in her mind, the silver haired woman dropped the barrier again, launching herself to the rescue.

She made it with time to spare, her runes surrounding the devils and protecting them from a huge explosion as they also healed several of their wounds. The latter rune was extremely slow all things considered as she had to work with it while sustaining the ones which would soon form the barrier again.

But that was what the spear was for and she used it to reduce the number of problems by cutting down the attackers. Without hesitation she slayed three people before jumping backwards to cover the group's retreat, easily blocking a torrent. It was just the initial attack as another devil complemented the water by lowering its temperature ridiculously fast.

"Fool! I am from the North of the World!" Rossweisse energy exploded and the ice shattered but a quick rune turned the shards into pikes that killed many.

That done she began to follow the group closely as they arrived at the exit while using magic to keep anybody she recognized as an enemy back. Unfortunately that half measure didn't work for long as one of the Ophis empowered devils arrived. Or better yet, returned, she recognized the damage on the armor from her spell.

Yet the Valkyrie gave him little attention, her focus on the civilian's safety. At least that was the plan until that devil let out an animalistic roar and covered himself with a black aura. It was like gazing at the empty sky without stars, an all consuming color that represented the ever expanding Universe.

No, something beyond that and Rossweisse knew that for a fact thanks to her grandmother's lessons who taught her once when she was little that if the Universe was infinite or not it didn't matter.

The Concept of Infinity existed and that alone was powerful.

There were too many devils in the Underworld being empowered by that Concept at that moment and despite several of them having already perished, all those who remained were still threats.

Which was why when he attacked, Rossweisse drew several defensive runes and spread it around the area creating a powerful shield just big enough to stop the creature that was once a devil.

It could be only called a small dragon at that point as its wings and neck grew while the helmet covered its head to reveal a serpentine face. Much like several devils before that one also tried to self-destruct but ironically it had been too powerful. Powerful enough for its body to survive and adapt even if it transformed as a result.

The body slam that hit her shield was surprisingly stronger than Rossweisse expected and resulted in some of the runes failing. It was an odd event whenever that happened, the letter falling apart like dust while the shield they created grew smaller and thinner with every rune that shared such a fate.

But it wasn't enough to break them all and the silver haired woman quickly rewrote as many as she could before the transformed devil began to slam his fists against the defense. Each hit was dangerous but nothing compared with the first one so the civilians managed to reach the entrance safely.

"Now to deal with you." Rossweisse dropped the barrier making the creature lose its balance despite being in the air. Thanks to that the Valkyrie had an opening to stab it on the gut, piercing it chest front to back. "Go in peace and find-"

Before she could finish the creature managed to punch her head making the Valkyrie stumble back a step as a hand remained firmly on her weapon. Unfortunately that wasn't the only attack to connect and another fist managed to find her shoulder while the creature flailed its arms uncontrollably.

A roar of anger and pain was followed by a blast of black mana leaving its mouth to hit the silver haired woman so hard that she found herself thrown back at the stands and sinking into a lower part of the stadium.

"Urgh." Rossweisse pushed some rocks off her body before quickly standing while noticing there was some conflict in that area too but clearly the New Satan Faction had already won and was just cleaning a few pockets of resistance. Which they stopped doing to watch her. "There are civilians close to the Gremory! Protect them while I deal with that!"

Obviously she was referring to the dark energy coming from the hole where she was blasted in from. The power that belonged to the draconic devil who was still roaring in pain while unleashing several blasts around. That wasn't just dangerous but also careless making her question if that creature had any sort of sanity left.

Jumping back to the upper levels the answer quickly became 'none' by the manner in which the creature was jumping around and attacking everybody while throwing blasts everywhere with her spear dangling from its chest.

She had to quickly jump again once the draconic devil's eyes landed on her and she almost could feel its loathing. "Looks like it knows that is my spear… Or remembers me stabbing it? Either or." Dashing to the right the silver haired woman avoided another blast before creating a few runes which read Wind, Fire, Ice and Lightning. All of them flew towards the transformed devil and exploded with their respective Elements. 'That ain't going to work.'

Another roar announced another blast, one of which Rossweisse dodged by skipping to the left, fully avoiding it. Runes appeared on her back and wings similar to a swan emerged to give her more speed, vanishing when she closed distance with the creature. It tried to sweep her away with one of its claws but she ducked around it, grabbing her spear.

Pulling with all her might the Valkyrie didn't try to recover her weapon and instead dragged the draconic devil with it before slamming him down on the floor as hard as she could. A black snake emerged from its chest the moment she finally pulled off her spear but its bite wasn't enough to break her defenses.

Both creature and its power source were growing weaker by the second while Rossweisse had kept her reserves stable throughout the whole fight and even longer than that as she was still keeping an eye out for her barrier blocking the exit.

With that the stage for the final blow was set, neither the creature nor its fragment of Infinity could do anything as Rossweisse repositioned her spear before pushing it with her left hand straight through the draconic devil's eye.

Brain destroyed, there was nothing sustaining the body of the former devil so the remnants of power and fat began to burn with a black fire. The tell tale signs of overload were clear to the Valkyrie who surrounded herself and the area with several runes just in time to stop the explosion from spreading.

Not that many noticed it as Rossweisse had contained it in a perfect spherical barrier that went beneath the stands to make sure it wouldn't get far. Indeed the blast's only victim was the silver haired woman herself who was invisible inside a curtain of smoke. With its guard down, many devils made their way towards the exit only to crash against the barrier.

"That was really loud… And not as strong as the previous ones." Complained the Valkyrie as she emerged from a cloud of smoke a little to no worse from wear. In fact her body lacked any burns and had just some dirt since the woman had managed to power all her runes just in time to absorb almost everything. "Seriously though, Ophis is a problem. A really big problem." However there was some damage as her mana reserves took a dip and if it wasn't for her armor she may have been gravely injured. "With her by your side, I really don't think any faction can ignore the Khaos Brigade anymore."

The devils from the Underworld cheered at their ally's victory as the beautiful woman marched back towards the exit, basically ignoring the crestfallen terrorists. By that point they all understood the Valkyrie couldn't be harmed by normal means, updating her status from obstacle to active threat.

Every single other devil present chose to fight anyone else as she moved back to the entrance and opened the barrier just enough to enter. "Rossweisse-san! Are you alright?"

"Don't worry, Irina. Just a few scratches…" A half lie as Ophis power really tested her defenses. In fact she doubted many of the Valkyries she knew could survive the same blast. "Uff, at least the fight is dying down… It has just been minutes but feels more like an hour…"

"Maybe it is dying down here but…" The angel looked outside, something Rossweisee did as well. "It's still going strong… Too many have died already…"

Explosions, fires and screams. It was happening everywhere and even with their interference it was impossible to save everyone. Both understood that and many of their allies knew the same. Yet they still fought, they didn't allow themselves to quit with many fighting to preserve as many lives as they could.

Unfortunately it wasn't going to be enough. "I don't know where devils go after they die." Confessed Rossweisse with a somber tone, eyes wide open looking to either support someone or open the barrier for civilians. "I know they have a soul, I know many of them have bright ones and many have dark ones… but not where they will go after…"

Irina pondered the silver haired woman's words before closing her eyes. "We should pray for them."

"Don't know if they would appreciate it but as a Valkyrie I can offer them a proper eulogy. It is the least so many brave souls deserve."

"Rossweisse!" Both women snapped to attention to see another group of devils approaching their position. They were guided by none other than Setsuna who while covered with blood it was clear it wasn't her own. "The barrier!"

"On it!" Immediately the wall opened for a group to get in as the hanyou dealt with a few of their pursuers. Their allies tried to help out but the Old Satan Faction wasn't the only one bleeding soldiers. "Get down!"

With that warning the ravenhead rolled to the right avoiding the spear of energy that got rid of one of her opponents before she began spinning her naginata at extreme high speeds for one of her techniques.

"Cyclone Burst!" The attack took down another devil but, more importantly, opened a path for her to get back.

"Wait, Setsuna! You have been going in and out-"

"There are more people back there." The Daughter of Sesshomaru started in a mad dash towards her previous position which was almost on the other side of the stadium.

Previously she had tried to keep up with Shirou and Azazel before the redhead asked her to help more with the evacuation by escorting the civilians wherever was safe. Since that was with Rossweisse as her exit was the only truly secured that meant she had to turn around and escort them back.

That process repeated several times with Setsuna fighting with whatever devils got in her way before she stopped going in Shirou's direction and began to go around the rest of the stadium as the magus was already covering his side with arrows and blades.

By the manner he was fighting it was almost like the Mage of Swords was unleashing a rampage against any enemy and so he only needed a couple of soldiers to escort his groups.

The other side of the stadium, on the other hand, was consumed with explosions indicating a high level fight which caught her attention on a return trip. With that in mind she pivoted to that side with hopes of finding a powerful enemy or perhaps reinforce an equally powerful ally.

What she found was Okita jumping around with her Shinsengumi trying to defeat Grayfia's brother, Euclid Lucifuge. The moment she saw the intensity of their battle the girl knew it was too much sand for her truck and so decided to focus on rescuing as many civilians as she could.

It certainly was making things easier for Lucifer's Knight as part of her attention was focused on protecting the public with at least four or five of her spirits defending them. Fortunately she wasn't alone from the start as Sairaorg Bael also was fighting someone but his adversaries were using Ophis' serpents which made things more intense.

So instead of fighting anybody unnecessarily, Setsuna focused her efforts on opening paths for the civilians. "Cyclone Burst!" The winds grew in intensity as her attack separated the armies enough for her to find three devils, a couple and their child, hiding behind the Lion of Bael. "Sairaorg!"

"Ah, Setsuna! Welcome back!" The man greeted jovially despite being stuck in a contest of strength against a draconic devil who tried to bite his head off. A hand on the creature's neck and another pushing its body back, the Heir of Bael's clothes were mostly ruined because of its claws even if he wasn't bleeding just yet. "I already got rid of the others but… this one is giving me some troubles! Trying to stop him from blowing up is quite the challenge!"

The man struggled to push the former devil back a little before pulling the hand on its chest back to deliver a powerful punch full of Ki. Wind also obeyed his command but in a far more direct fashion by increasing his power and basically unleashing a giant bullet of air that ripped the creature in half.

It still tried to struggle but the noble crushed its throat before throwing it as far away as he could. "I think these are the last ones in the area! Can I count on you?!"

Blocking a blast with her naginata, she quickly slashed the attacker before replying. "Of course! I will see them to safety!"

Sairaorg nodded, taking advantage that most of his allies were holding the area to direct his attention to the small family. "She is going to get you out of here! Please, follow her to the best of your ability!"

"Lord Sairaorg-"

"We don't have time!" He cut off the mother's words once noticing another devil using Ophis' power killing three soldiers. "She has already saved several of us! You can trust her! Setsuna, I am leaving them to you!"

With that a white aura surrounded his body before the Young Lion of Bael charged towards the new enemy. His fist collided with the other devil's face letting out a loud sound as both skull and helmet were crushed. Or were supposed to be crushed for even as the armor failed the man's head cracked open to reveal a dragon's head which let out a roar of fury.

'Did the Old Satan Faction know their men would transform like this? Would they even care if they did?' Setsuna couldn't say either way because even if the mutations were bizarre for anyone else, to her they were just transformations.

Uncontrollable and completely feral transformations but transformations nonetheless. Growing up she had seen several yokais changing from human to monstrous visages without effort while still keeping their personalities intact. Their bodies, voices and even a little of their demeanor may have changed but the person was still the same.

That couldn't be said about the devils strong enough to survive using Ophis' power without self destructing. Whenever they were too pressured to the point of dying it was as if their egos gave up and allowed the Ouroboros to drive their bodies towards destruction.

Anyone too weak would then explode, pure and simple, their remaining power, blood and even fat converted into energy to rip the world asunder even if not by much. After a certain threshold of strength it was almost as if the Ouroboros itself acknowledged their power and made them into her kin or perhaps servants.

Servants that could still blow up even with a smaller blast but in compensation were far stronger than those rejected by Infinity.

'Those creatures can't be called devils anymore.' The closest thing Setsuna saw to that was Reincarnation but the way Ophis did it was far more primal and cruel. Nevertheless, the ravenhead focused on the scared devils by her side. "Can you move?!"

"Yes!" The nervous husband replied while embracing his wife and child. "But I don't think-"

"We can't stay! Whenever the Maous really starts to fight this place is going to crumble!" It was the argument, Setsuna had found out, that had the most success with devils. Weaker sort or not, they all still respected strength, especially from their leaders. "If you all stay here, they won't be able to protect you! Worse, you will only get in the way!"

Her nose twitched and the hanyou quickly brought her naginata up to block a thin sword before parrying it to the side and stabbing the devil in the gut. Whoever they were summoned magic circles to keep the attack going but Setsuna's claw ripped their hand off before they were completed.

Finishing that individual after was just a matter of pulling her weapon back and cutting off their head. "There is no time!" Setsuna grabbed the wife's arm and pulled her up. His wife moving the man found no choice to go right behind with their son in their arms and a nervous expression. "Just keep running towards the bright blue light! Don't stop for anything!"

Compared to her friends those devils were extremely weak. Sure they all were stronger than the average person on Earth but it wasn't by much and their running showed it. They were truly what could be classified as Low Class devils in every sense.

Slow to move, low levels of magic and nothing special in any sense. Sure they could use magic but in a warzone their spells were basically useless. Civilians just couldn't compete in firepower against real fighters despite being devils.

Even in a race that prized power, it wasn't everyone who pursued it.

Which resulted in Setsuna having to protect several people throughout the last few minutes, including the family three that was correctly running for their lives. The ravenhead was grateful they weren't like some others who tried to help the army with irrelevant spells which attracted the attention of the enemy.

People died in her watch because of such mistakes but people were dying everywhere in the stadium and Setsuna had no time to lament. Her naginata danced every time someone got too close but fortunately almost everybody was focusing on fighting by that point.

If anything, the problem was the corpses around, she could already tell the child in the father's arms was going to be traumatized by the experience but there was little she could do about it.

Other than keeping them alive which she did by surrounding her naginata's blade with green youki before jumping in front of family and cutting through a huge pink blast. Two devils dropped on the area, one carrying a bastard sword in his right hand and a scepter in his left while the other had a magic circle on each hand.

"Scourge of Swallows!" The hanyou attacked first.

And found herself countered. "Prismatic Wall!"

A woman's voice from the devil holding magic circles announced a powerful spell that created a colorful wall in front of her and her partner, a wall that reflected her projectiles back to her.

Setsuna had no choice but to block or take her green streams of energy, naginata shaking in her hands from the impacts even as her body absorbed part of the youki. Part but not all as she could feel her left arm burn from a hit. However that was all the damage she took before roaring with fury and charging towards the devils.

A strike from her weapon shattered the wall with ease however the other devil brought his sword high to stop a follow up. Setsuna quickly proved herself the stronger of the two by pushing his weapon to the side and kicking his open chest. She got a dent in the armor and little else as the terrorist opened his wings and retreated.

Bringing her weapon for a slash, the ravenhead chased her enemy only for him to raise his staff with a magic circle in front of its body. Her blade was immobilized for an instant with the collision leaving its owner open for the man's sword. Fortunately for the hanyou, her armor managed to absorb the blow.

Unfortunately she was sent flying backwards, past the family she was trying to protect until she crashed on the stands, her body breaking and dragging several pieces of the coliseum as the momentum pushed her further.

"Oh no!" The father said with a concerned expression before turning towards the devils in his family's path. He knew death was coming, having watched plenty of others perish under the zealots of the Old Satan Faction. "Hafin, run!"

"Ceren?!" The woman took their crying child as her husband stepped forwards with a thin gray aura around his body.

"I will hold them off as long as I can! Get Furim to safety!" A magic circle the size of his body appeared in front of Ceren before he unleashed a beam of mana towards the aggressors.

The man with the sword cut the attack with ease, scaring the family. "Pathetic. The Underworld grew weak without its true masters."

"Let's just kill them and get this over with." The armored woman said in a dismissive tone. "We must find the fake Maous. Wasting time with worms is detrimental." Her magic circles began to spin as the magic output increased. The boy tried to hide on his mother's shoulder as even young he knew that was too much power for them. "Don't worry. It will be quick."

The blast she unleashed was bigger than the husband and would without a doubt consume the three of them. It alone held four times the power inside their bodies and definitively would turn them into charcoal once it hit.

It wouldn't but only because Setsuna emerged from where she was half buried and saw the dangerous situation her charges were in. Unwillingly to let them die but realizing she wasn't fast enough to cross the distance before tragedy happened, the girl committed to a split decision and threw her weapon.

A naginata wasn't a spear but the Daughter of Sesshomaru was strong enough that aerodynamics didn't matter and it sailed forth straight in the blast's part. That was it for the naginata because unlike the previous one, her weapon wasn't anything special and just a good weapon.

But it did its last job very well, the youki surrounding it exploding with the enemy's mana which nullified its advance and covered the area with a cloud of dust buying her time.

Enough time for Setsuna to draw her the wakizashi from her hip and advance at full throttle towards the devils with a furious look in her face as her features became sharper and more animalistic.

The power in her blood surged as claw-like marks appeared on her cheeks and she crossed the distance faster than she usually would. The Daughter of Sesshomaru pulled her sword up for an overhead slash towards the magic user and cut off her right hand successfully before the other devil interfered.

"You bitch!" He came in with a swipe of his blade that Setsuna had to jump back from the attack which had been surprisingly strong. Unfortunately she didn't escape completely as a blade of mana extended and connected to her side, sending her crashing again, leaving her open. "Die-"

"Scourge of Swallows!" But not really vulnerable as she took a swing full of youki to unleash her attack and hit her enemy's body in several places. His legs lost their armor and blood bursted out as he screamed when his left arm broke after his shield failed. "Got you! Scourge of Swallows!"

Compared to the naginata, Setsuna's sword was one of the Mage of Swords' works and consequently much more powerful. Just bringing her arm back with a little energy was enough to throw a second attack as strong as the first thanks to its quality.

One that would have finished off the devil if not for, "Prismatic Wall!" The colorful barrier rose once again in her way, thinner and smaller than before but still powerful.

Powerful enough to take the six streams of green youki and send them back towards their owner but Setsuna had learned her lesson and once the barrier rose her body was already moving in an evasive maneuver.

Her anticipation paid off and she dodged most attacks with a vertical spinning flip before landing on all fours and using all her limbs to shoot herself towards the magic wall. Her claws hit it with all their accumulated youki but the barrier didn't budge which made the young woman scowl.

"Die!" Roared the other devil from the other side of the wall while attacking with his huge sword which she evaded once again. And once again mana extended the attack but that time the hanyou expected it, escaping it with just a scratch on her arm. "Die! Die! Die!"

Blades of mana exploded everywhere with each swing but the ravenhead moved around them several times before she dashed towards her opponent. The devil tried to raise his left arm but despite the magic circle forming around the staff it broke with a single hit as his fingers failed to keep his grip.

Gritting his teeth, the Old Satan Faction's member threw another swing that Setsuna jumped over before delivering a slash towards his neck. The man didn't hesitate in raising his broken arm to use his armor as a shield but it failed to fully block the cut leaving a huge gash on his limb.

However she wasn't done and moved to pull her sword back for a strike on his chest which the devil dodged but was punished by a hard kick before the ravenhead crouched and tried to swipe his legs with her claws.

Only for the armored devil to reply with a kick of his own to deflect her arm before trying to cut her torso. Setsuna quickly repositioned herself just in time to place her father's fur in the sword's way, saving herself. The impact still made her legs shake but from that position she could use her own sword to slice the devil's arm.

That time the armor didn't help him, the Princess of Kyoto putting a lot of her youki on her sword and increasing the slashing power while adding the ability to melt flesh and bone to her weapon. "AAAAAHHH!"

Much like it happened to his hand and the man tried to use his broken arm to stop the pain even as his fingers fell to the floor with his sword.

"Prismatic Wall!"

Just as Setsuna moved for the kill, the colorful wall got in her path, stopping her secondary weapon.

Yet that time it proved itself weak, a huge scratch taking shape where her blade touched. "This wall… is just good against magic?!" Setsuna asked, half in disbelief and half in anger before stomping on the construct with her superhuman strength.

It broke like glass, revealing the devils behind it, the magic user unleashing several attacks in rapid succession. Some connected but they were nothing compared to previous wounds from her own attacks or the bleeding from her side because of the other devil's sword. Because of that she was strong enough to ignore these new attacks.

But her eyes started growing red because of the blood loss, her yokai blood boiling with fury and intensifying her emotions, especially anger. 'I need to kill them!'

That thought became the sole directive to ground her humanity and hold back the savage instincts demanding the destruction of everyone. She only had two targets and by focusing fully on them she also began to see a path between the mana shots. The hanyou dove in a roll before suddenly accelerating, doing her best to ignore every hit she took.

The magic user terrorist grew nervous with every step Setsuna took but could do little to change her situation since she only had a hand and her partner was basically in shock over the melted stump that was once his arm.

Refusing to surrender she suddenly poured a huge quantity of magic in her magic circle, her imagination changing her magic as an idea took solid form before shooting itself as a new spell.

"Prismatic Spear!" She based it on Setsuna's original weapon even if it was much more crude due to her lack of experience and desperation when forming the weapon.

Her Prismatic constructs were something from her family's lineage whose duty was to serve Asmodeus and later came to work under his descendents after the Maou's death. It was the sort of magic made to deflect and reflect any sort of spell that threatened their Lord or his allies.

Mirror Alice was theorized to have been made by God to counter their power in a more effective fashion by not just reflecting attacks but also increasing their potency where her magic could only push back.

The sacred gear was also superior in other aspects like the ability to deflect physical strikes as much as magic. Nevertheless that small Clan never really faced Mirror Alice in combat so its superiority was never truly proven.

Nor would it ever happen since that woman was the last member of that forgotten Clan whose name was about to completely disappear from the pages of History as Setsuna bashed the 'crystal' spear away and charged with body pulsing with youki.

More spells flew in her direction and a barrier was raised to block the ravenhead's advance but she already understood its weakness, shattering it by throwing her sword into the wall. When it fell, the armored devil was exposed and green youki flowed into the hanyou's hands to deliver the final strike.

"Poison Claw!" The blow came from her right hand towards the older woman's neck.

When the fingers connected the woman died painfully, a silent scream escaping her lips as her throat and neck melted until there was only bone revealing the bones of her jaw before the half skull fell.

Her partner was still wallowing in pain but Setsuna wasn't going to offer any mercy. The more youki she used, the more her senses improved. By that point her nose could smell basically the whole stadium. And all she was getting from it was death and blood that the Khaos Brigade unleashed in the Underworld.

So there was no mercy from her as she shoved her claws on the man's chest, melting the armor off before reaching his heart. In that moment he stopped screaming and despite the helmet the hanyou could tell he was looking at her. Looking at her with horror as he knew exactly what she had done.

Looking at her knowing he was about to die.

"You brought this on yourself." Setsuna declared hatefully before pulling her arm back leaving behind a hole bigger than her fist.

If one were to look through it they would see a melted mess that dripped from around it and the lack of organs or anything obstructing the view from the other side as they all became a poodle at their feet.

Including the man's own heart.

Without those the terrorist died in short order, his corpse joining the dozens of others around the place as Setsuna watched his end without empathy. 'Father fought a war once… is it always like this?'

She had thought to be prepared to deal with the complications of war or the brutality of such a battlefield but being honest with herself the ravenhead just wanted to fall somewhere and vomit everything in her stomach.

Despite being raised for combat since little, despite receiving the best education and preparation a noble could afford, a war was too different from anything she was used to. The first life she took had been when she was just six years old and she remembered her mother looking at her with pity while her father stared at his daughter with a modicum of pride.

Sesshomaru wouldn't have weaklings for daughters nor would allow the next generation to fall behind even if Japan was at peace. As a man who had lived during the Sengoku Jidai and the many conturbate times after, he understood the value of being ready to fight. Ready to kill or be killed.

While not outright cruel, his teachings were brutal and the only reason why his youngest daughter managed to fight for so long without just snapping despite that being the first real battlefield she took part in.

Yet something had to give sooner or later and the brutal way she killed two people, combined with the high emotions because of her lineage, finally weighed enough in her shoulders that the ravenhead needed to stop and think.

Unfortunately one thing led to another and once she began to question herself, the hanyou couldn't stop.

'It is… too different than just a fight…' Bile raised to her throat but she pushed it down bitterly while remembering what the King of Kyoto, her father Sesshomaru, taught her. 'A leader must not show weakness nor emotion in the battlefield. No one will offer sympathy, certainly not the enemy.' Setsuna told herself as her knees shook with thoughts that had been running around her mind for the last few minutes, the exhaustion from that fight finally allowing it to catch up with her. 'This is all just-'

"Daddy!"

"Don't look, Furim! Please don't look!"

Setsuna's eyes grew wide as she finally snapped from her confusion to turn around and see another of her charges had died. "No…" And it was her fault.

Truly not really her fault but her mistake, so consumed in the fight she forgot everything around her for a few moments, enough that it cost the devil known as Ceren, father and husband, his life.

His corpse had joined many others, his son trying with all his might to escape his mother's grasp to reach his father who could only be dead. Several spells had pierced the adult's body in too many parts, he was bleeding everywhere and his chest moved no longer since he stopped breathing.

Yet the man looked satisfied, if one only looked at his face and ignored the blood it was almost like he was having a pleasant dream. Ceren had given his life defending his wife and child, using his body as a shield protecting his family against the terrorists' spells. While his wife fought to hold her son, both crying, he was at peace.

Indeed Setsuna felt shame when realizing that despite that devil not being the first to die under her watch he died due to her weakness. When fighting her opponents her lack of control over her nature caused a lapse of judgment leading to a mistake on positioning. She placed herself in front of the family to protect them but once she dodged they were exposed.

Setsuna felt ashamed. "I am sorry." Clearly neither wife or son heard her words, the mother struggling to hold her desperate son. "I am so sorry."

If she could have her way Setsuna wouldn't mind letting them mourn the man's death for as long as they wished since a sad fact of such events was that bodies go missing due to mistakes often enough it was almost clear they would never see his face again.

However time was short and she could already see more members of the Old Satan Faction move around the area as the defenders fell left and right. The Underworld's armies were naturally more numerous but spread over several areas, many of which were also being attacked on that occasion.

Meanwhile, the Khaos Brigade, Ophis and whatever allies the descendants of the Original Maous had lent them enough resources to make a gigantic assault and keep most of the troops busy elsewhere while isolating the stadium.

Proof of that was the barrier surrounding the stadium, something that hadn't fallen yet despite several magic attacks happening from the outside. That was also extremely suspicious for someone who knew the new regime capabilities and understood they hadn't played their full hand just yet.

None of those thoughts crossed Setsuna for long as her main concern was the grieving family and the monsters moving to attack them. Oh, they still looked human enough alright and beneath the armor she would dare to say they would look handsome or beautiful regardless of who they were nine times out of ten.

But in the hanyou's mind anyone partaking in that attack could only be called a monster and her sadness gave way to rage upon the squad of nine monsters arriving in her position. With a roar she jumped in their direction with poison practically dripping from her claws. Most escaped her first strike but she caught one and he died screaming.

Since she couldn't fly, a fall was expected but she kicked the half melted body and got to another target before repeating the process that killed the previous two monsters. Her claws also ripped him apart for good measure as lightning struck her back. Armor and skin burning, the ravenhead fell to the floor wounded but also with increased fury.

Her youki grew thicker and fortified her body as she rolled forward to dodge more attacks. Soon she was running on all fours to get more speed for a jump before leaping towards the monsters in the sky. A huge blast of air pushed the ravenhead down before her limbs were stabbed by something like glass and a beam of mana slammed her body.

'Everything hurts…' Setsuna opened an eye with the other closed due to damage and blood over it. 'I need… I need…'

The terrorists all summoned magic circles in a myriad of colors and took aim without remorse or words as her youki grew even thicker. Her nature as a half yokai was beginning to grow more destructive and feral as the blood of her father boiled for her survival.

It wasn't even a matter of rage but instinct, one Setsuna didn't wish to surrender to but cornered as she was there was little the ravenhead could do.

And the members of the Old Satan Faction felt her power growing as the blood of a King unleashed the impressive youki that could be claimed to belong to the strongest yokai. While not their mission, killing Setsuna became a priority as her power going loose could become a problem later.

Only they would never have a chance when several streaks of red lights crossed the stadium, one for each of the seven devils. "Hrunting!" They heard a man's voice announce their end despite it never reaching that far, the Noble Phantasms carrying their True Names to announce their demise.

Setsuna was still half stunned and partially feral when she noticed the red swords but the explosions they unleashed helped her human side to regain control. 'Shirou!'

Realizing quickly who saved her, the hanyou looked around to locate her friend but failed to find him with the hundreds of devils fighting everywhere and magic spells constantly overwhelming her senses.

'How did he… No, he was taught to use Ki by Yoruichi-dono. If he felt my youki expanding and understood I was in danger…' Breaking away from those thoughts the ravenhead slowly got back to her feet while holding her right arm. 'Still that was quite brutal for him…'

Setsuna understood that Shirou was angry, even more angry that she had been just moments ago and more so than in any other occasion since she had known him. At least as far as she could remember but she couldn't even make sure.

His mana wasn't distinct enough for her to locate and there were so many smells around her sense of smell was mostly worthless. Add that to the chaos and even if he had somehow found her didn't mean she could find him even if he needed a clear line of sight to 'mark' his targets.

Either way she returned to the family of two still crying over their loved one's corpse with a grimace. 'I can't help anyone else after this.' Exhaustion and wounds would stop her from trying. Yet there was still something she could do thanks to the fact nobody was attacking them anymore. "Please step aside…"

"We're sorry…" The mother, Hafin, said respectfully or as much as she could while crying and trying to calm her son. "... we'll follow you but-"

"He is coming as well!" Setsuna cut her off gently despite making sure her voice was loud enough for the older woman to hear before repeating with a softer tone. "He is coming as well." Kneeling close to the body, she carefully placed a hand on his back to lift it up but the kid kept holding his father and crying on his bloody chest. "Let him go. Please… So we can take him."

The child's eyes were full of tears and the way she looked at him was enough to make her heart hurt in the worst sort of way. All of her yokai self suddenly retreated to a corner of her soul as all rage and anger was replaced for a deep sadness.

"Can you help daddy? Please! Please, save him! I'll be good! I promise to always go to bed on time! Please!"

Behind her, Setsuna heard the woman struggling to hold back her tears and found herself short of breath. 'What should I say?'

No matter how much she thought about the right words, the ravenhead found that whatever she said would either be an utter lie or fall short of what the boy, Furim, needed to hear. He was so young and looked so innocent that the thought of lying made her dizzy and telling the truth made her sick.

Another explosion happened close by and Setsuna covered the boy and the body before looking back with relief upon noticing that Ceren was still fine despite how close the blast had been.

Her senses easily detected the telltale sign of Divinity, a very familiar one. Bellerophon's power was being used even if not explosively and Shirou was watching her back from somewhere. A good thing too because the danger hadn't passed and the enemies already proved they didn't care about civilians.

With a heavy heart, Setsuna placed a hand on Furim's head and said, "I will do what I can but for now you need to let me carry your daddy and go to your mommy, okay? Just let me take him for a while…" Still crying, the boy nodded and rushed to his mother who didn't mind the blood. Both were crying but allowed her to collect the body. "Let's keep going. I don't think anyone else will get on our way."

They moved rather quickly despite everything, the mother doing her best to shield her boy from anything and everything while whispering words of comfort.

Setsuna carried a shell that once belonged to Ceren with as much dignity as she could despite her wounds. The pragmatic side of her was repeating again and again that she should get rid of the extra load. It also sounded a lot like her father, his baritone and apathy replacing her conscience's voice.

It only made her run faster while strengthening the grip on the body despite the danger of a stray bolt or whatever sort of attack could hit her. She had absolute faith that her back was being watched, that Shirou was still watching over her from wherever he was perched.

And that the redhead was angry beyond belief.

The whole situation was frustrating for her already but with people dying left and right Setsuna was certain that Shirou had to be feeling much worse than her. Perhaps even more than she could imagine since he wasn't running around at full power trying to solve everything by himself.

All because of the Maous' plan and Sirzechs' argument that if the new leaders didn't show service then the whole Underworld could collapse. Yet they weren't acting because the Old Maous' descendants haven't presented themselves. Both sides were spending their armies, trying to weaken each other instead of looking for a definitive victory.

Obviously the Mage of Swords was furious as indicated by the explosions around her with Bellerophon's power in the mix meaning he had no room for mercy anymore.

He was only focusing on keeping people safe; his loved ones and anyone he could see as innocent that he could find.

Unfortunately the redhead saw mostly enemies and death, sadness filling his heart.

…..

Diodora was starting to lose his patience and was growing sorely tempted to stop the 'game' he found himself against Rias. Unfortunately the fact his game wasn't going as he wanted was the reason for his impatience and with how things were going attacking would be suicidal.

'Incompetent, weak bitches! They aren't killing even a fake devil of a Knight!' Sitting in his throne, with a dagger resting loosely on his right hand, the pureblood devil watched as Kiba fought against two of his Pieces.

It was a fight of Knight against Knight but if everything had gone as planned then it wouldn't be happening like it was. His original intent was that several of Rias Peerage would find their deaths on the first few floors. Just the first one, the challenge of nine Queens, should have taken a toll on her forces.

'If it wasn't for that fucking whore… What the hell is Himejima even?!' Yet the first floor fell without any deaths and that was one of the biggest hurdles he could throw at Rias Peerage with the resources he had. At least without risking the Heiress' life, or so he believed. 'With how things are going they will take all my toys before a single death and I will have to count on the chimeras and they barely listen…'

The second floor's development was pathetic compared to the first. For that floor he sent his two Rooks with special armor and drugs to increase the power of their blows. Didn't matter if their lifespans would be shortened or anything like that, he could always get more toys later if he wanted.

Yet both of them were crushed by Koneko, the nekomata's Ki piercing through their defenses while purifying the drugs that gave the former nun's power. The match, a one sided slaughter without victims, lasted less than twenty seconds with the little Rook identifying the problem and solving it easily.

That made Diodora grind his teeth in his mouth and the man made sure to activate the spells on the mirror to not show his fury. Everything in the castle was under his control and the mirror he was using to 'make things fair' was just another thing. The image it showed was only what he wanted presented, which was the calm visage of a barely impressed noble.

With that the Gremory's team moved to the third floor unimpeded after checking and making sure his Rooks were down for the count. On that floor the challenge was clear from the get go with his two Knights presenting themselves with light armor above their nun uniforms.

They also were holding Cursed Swords that ate the user's youth and shortened their lifespans similar to the drugs the others used before on top of similar substances that would certainly kill them later because of that volatile combination.

Didn't matter much for his peerage, Diodora already planned to get rid of most of them once the whole thing ended. 'Not like I will need to need them in a peerage once the Old Satan Faction takes over. I can just have them stacked in some room or whatever.' His hand brushed Asia's hair as he waited excitedly for her to wake up. 'Why wait? Would her despair be worse if she woke up with her kind and gentle devil-'

*Diodora, where is your report?* A message arrived from the other man in control of the castle, the one who held a greater hold over the pocket dimension than himself which made the blond pureblood frown. *Have you already captured Gremory's daughter?*

Leaving the 'True Maous' waiting wasn't a good idea, doubly so because he knew the man controlled the area and probably knew everything that was happening depending on how busy he was.

'Things must be going badly outside.' Manipulating the mirror to show him playing with Asia and nothing more, Diodora stood up from his throne and bowed to the mirror with fake reverence. Matter of fact was that he needed to present himself as loyal even if he only cared about the Old Satan Faction because they shared the same philosophy. "Lord Beelzebub."

The image changed from Kiba fighting his Knights to a familiar brown haired man with a bang covering a side who wore a black armor and an elegant black cape. Looking behind him the smaller pureblood could see several devils moving around and marching for war but the man himself was sitting somewhere away from the action.

For the moment, at least. Everyone knew he would have to fight eventually.

*I see you haven't caught anyone but your new pet.* Shalba commented derisively and not because of what Diodora planned to do with Asia. His frustration had to do with other factors. *You promised us Rias Gremory before us, the real Satans, started moving.*

'Clearly things aren't going as planned, you dick.' However, despite how much their philosophies aligned, Diodora hated the Old Satan Faction because they thought themselves his superior. After the resources they gave him, the Heir of Astaroth believed otherwise. "I understand but may I ask, Lord Beelzebub, are you already advancing? I thought by this point the armies would still be clashing."

It was all conjecture and deduction by the fact the man himself was still sitting on their headquarters while devils everywhere were mobilizing. Diodora could be very wrong considering there were three of the Original Maous' descendants planning to enter combat that day but it was a safe guess.

Shalba still glared before replying. *The plan is to neutralize Sirzechs, that cowardly thief. He is the most dangerous of the Fakers. Without him, the others will fall in short order.*

'Since you have the power of Ophis, I can't disagree…' Diodora doubted his cousin and the others could compete with the Dragon God, albeit indirectly. He had never seen them fight but believed wholeheartedly on the Old Satan Satans' victory. "Understood milord but things grew complicated because of Rias' cunning…" It hurt him to say those words but he needed a scapegoat.

*Elaborate…*

"The Heiress of Gremory neutralized my Queens with a being that is closer to an angel than a devil. Her Queen, Akeno Himejima." Just saying that name filled Diodora with hatred. "I have no idea how she tamed such a creature but that sort of cheating was unexpected. At this moment I am moving to plan B and using my peerage to weaken hers before they reach the fifth floor."

When risking betrayal it was wise to be prudent and Diodora accumulated plenty of resources to make sure the last few floors before reaching him were as dangerous as possible to make his life easier.

*Hmph, probably a gift from their so-called goddess.* Shalba said dismissively, an argument Diodora could agree with. *Regardless, you promised us Rias Gremory. We gave you some of our most powerful chimeras to see that done. Have you already used them?*

"They are on the last two floors below mine, your lordship." If they got that far the Heir of Astaroth would prefer to have such creatures to defend him instead of his weak peerage. Obviously that wasn't the reason he was going to give up that strategy. "It is a necessary measure to keep them close so I can save Rias' life when her peerage eventually perishes."

Shalba glared at the younger devil. *Two Cursed Swords, several extracts of Dark Heart, Devil's Brew and other powerful potions not forgetting to mention a golem made of divine metal.* Those were just some of the resources Diodora received for his mission. *Not to mention the snake you have yet to consume.* The blond devil's hand came to his right sleeve apprehensively. *Are you truly our ally, Diodora? Or did you just want your new toy and nothing else?*

Lowering his head closer to the floor, the younger man replied, "I am loyal to the True Satans, Lord Beelzebub." His tone was as sincere as his feelings for Asia. 'If just because it is convenient.' Out loud he added, "I apologize for needing so much to face Rias but her peerage is proving to be far more capable than predicted."

Another mirror appeared showing Kiba blocking one of his Knights, that woman having brown hair growing gray with every passing second. In her hands there was a one handed short sword that looked more like a saw and she attempted to strike the Knight of Gremory's side only for Holy Eraser to stop it.

The other Knight of Astaroth, also a former nun with a Cursed Sword, her blonde hair was starting to become platinum before losing its shine. Her weapon was a huge blade taller than her and usually not one she would be able to even lift a millimeter off the ground. Yet dark purple mana surrounded her body and got her moving, her eyes shining pure red.

With a huge jump she descended in Kiba's position and her huge double edge sword destroyed the area just after the blond Knight retreated. Both girls quickly gathered together in a solid formation back to back before they dashed in his direction. They were fast but not as fast as Kiba who dodged the dual strike.

Yet anyone could see the look of frustration on his face as he said something that neither Shalba nor Diodora were interested to hear. Some sort of complaint about them using Cursed weapons and drugs that were cutting their lifespan. Rias spoke as well, probably reminding him the girls were broken.

*I see nothing special.* Said the brown haired man with irritation.

"He hasn't used his Balance Breaker yet, milord." The Heir of Astarorth pointed out casually.

*I meant about your plan and your Pieces.* The older devil corrected with anger and despite being a whole dimension apart the blond one could feel his neck being grasped by something. *Here I was thinking that you knew how to use your cousin's system but so far all I am seeing is a bunch of girls about to die who can't even do their job right.*

Swallowing his irritation, Diodora lowered his head again. "Milord, I assure you that is all going according to plan. Sure it isn't the most optimal outcome but Rias Gremory will be delivered to you, thoroughly defeated, before long. I swear!" His neck felt thigh for some reason and he didn't dare to raise his own power to fight back. That would be a challenge and the Beelzebub Clan hated challengers. "Besides, I have another advantage, milord. Please, pay attention to how the Gremory are fighting and take a peek at the other floors."

A moment of silence passed as Shalba did exactly that. *Your Pieces are all alive…*

"The fools are trying to spare their lives." The mirror showed Kiba struggling against opponents he shouldn't have any trouble with. Worse, the auras on their swords were making the girls' skins grow pale and hair more gray.

*Fools. Unworthy of being devils.*

Diodora nodded eagerly as the pressure on his neck vanished. "On that we agree, milord." He sat on his throne again, confident he gained a small measure of trust. "Those idiots are literally making things harder for themselves. True enough, my Pieces are worthless in combat," there was a reason he had to invest a lot of capital to make them at least capable, "but they are 'innocent'." The word was said with all smugness and confidence Diodora could muster. "Just victims of the evil Diodora Astaroth. They want to save the poor nuns which makes Rias and her group vulnerable."

Just as Diodora said that, Kiba missed a block on the formerly brown haired nun's side, her hair fully gray by that point, and got his left arm cut with her serrated sword. It was just a small cut barely bigger than a nutmeg.

Immediately the limb dropped numb to his side and the blond had to move around to avoid a second hit. Then came a follow up from the other nun who went at him with a wide swing of her giant blade that for Kiba to escape involved him opening his wings to fly backwards.

Fortunately he was still faster but unfortunately the Sword Birth's owner couldn't hide his pain and soon fell on a knee, holding his left arm. Quickly the blond ripped the sleeve of his uniform off to reveal several black veins sprouting from his wound spreading around everywhere.

Before he could do anything about the Cursed wound the Knight with the huge sword dashed in his direction, her blade posed to stab his chest. Quickly Kiba slammed a hand on the ground and called his sacred gear to form a defensive wall. It was successful but anyone watching could see the boy was having a harder time drawing mana.

"As you can see, Lord Beelzebub, it is all a matter of time." For a moment Diodora thought he saw something move from the corner of his eye but when he turned was only to find the still floating Asia.

Which irritated the other devil. *Are you so anxious for your new toy that you are going to ignore me, Diodora?*

"Milord, I would never!" He bowed again, cursing whatever distracted him.

After a few seconds, Shalba decreed. *You have fifteen minutes, Diodora. No more, no less. The others are starting to move and after the fakes Asmodeus and Leviathan are dead I doubt the fake Beelzebub will be the one moving.* He said it with such loathing which was clear how low his opinion of Ajuka was. *Fifteen minutes. Don't disappoint me.*

A far too short timeframe but Diodora didn't dare to complain nor comment even when Shalba's image vanished from the mirror. 'Son of a bitch! Fifteen minutes is barely anything!' Yet every word remained in his mind.

Complaining loudly was out of the question, the blond had no idea when Shalba would be paying attention or not and saying the wrong thing would definitely be a fatal mistake. Doubly so because after all he had done there was no going back even if he suddenly decided to change sides again.

His cousin didn't love him like Sirzechs loved Rias. If the New Satan Faction somehow emerged victorious he would have to rip the consequences of his actions. With that in mind the Heir of Astaroth had no choice but stay the course or accept death.

'Either I die definitively when news of my betrayal spreads or I risk death every day those Old Satan Faction morons are in charge…' Suffice to say, Diodora was really regretting his life choices. At least some of them. 'I will have to play the loyal dog for the rest of my life but at least I will get to do as I please…'

A smile spread on the traitor's face as he relaxed on his throne, collected his knife and began to play with Asia's hair again. Only when he was fully comfortable did the pureblood devil let go of his prisoner and made a magic circle to end the illusion. Soon it was his real image back watching Rias' Knight struggle but soon displeasure took over his features.

Despite having a disabled arm and looking extremely sick because of the curse running around his body Kiba had managed to defeat the two other Knights. It hadn't been easy however and obviously the boy looked conflicted by how the fight ended with both women missing their arms.

"Tsk." Diodora clicked his tongue with irritation. "Finally taking things seriously, Rias?"

*Oh, you are finally back.* The Princess of Ruin observation surprised her fellow pureblood. *What? Though I wouldn't find it odd how you weren't saying anything when I ordered Kiba to neutralize your Knights in a more brutal fashion? Or perhaps how silent you were for the last minute or so?*

He had forgotten the Heiress of Gremory was quite sharp. "Then why not blow up the castle? Wasn't that the threat?" Touching Asia's head harshly, he grinned. "Or were you afraid-"

*If you had taken another minute or so, I would go all out and damn the consequences.* Rias' smirk made the blond pause. He realized she was serious. *Also I have the feeling you would like to rub in my face whatever small victories you could get. How many Pieces you lost now? Thirteen? In this rhythm, you won't have enough to hold the remaining floors.*

Avoiding giving his adversary anything, Diodora tried to change the subject. "Maybe. But your Knight seems to be having some trouble."

*Koneko has it handled.*

"But do you have time?" The ceiling opened to the next floor. "Asia will wake up sooner or later. I sure am hoping for sooner."

*Son of a bitch!* Diodora would be lying if he said railing up the Red Dragon Emperor didn't give him any pleasure.

*Rias, we need a few minutes to fix the nuns.* Akeno informed as she and Luvia worked hard on that job.

Kiba spoke next. *I am good whenever but…*

'So, what are you going to do? Split up-'

*Leave them.* Rias said without hesitation which surprised and intrigued Diodora who stopped seeing her as soft.

*Rias-*

*Asia is more important.* The redhead cut off her Queen coldly as she glared at Diodora's image. *Restore them enough that their lives aren't in peril and if you can't get their arms working… I will take the responsibility after.*

Diodora was hit with a bolt of disappointment. "You wouldn't be having these many troubles if you just finished them off, Rias~"

While her Queen and Rook worked, the Princess of Ruin replied. *And give you the satisfaction of winning at any level?* Apathy rolled from her in waves as some of her peerage still couldn't believe that order. *Asia is more important to me than your Pieces. I will see her safe even if I have to kill all of them. Leaving a few to die is a small price.*

"Finally spoke like a true devil." It made him regret the creatures he stashed on the final floors and made him wish to defeat her personally if just to be respectful. "Well, what are you waiting for? I am waiting."

A silent command changed his view to the mirror on the next floor as the previous one's broke to not interfere with the signal. It was a measure taken in case Luvia tried anything similar to what she did in the Rating Game against Sona or any other tricks that allowed ranged attacks.

"Mircela, Erile, start the golem." Ordered Diodora to his two Bishops who were already on the floor waiting like statues in front of a real giant one made of metal.

It would be the first time the Rias Peerage would see their enemy and resources before choosing their Pieces since entering the tower but it couldn't be helped. The construct was so tall it was hard to transport and the floor had to be more expanded than the rest so it could fit and fight properly making the place the tallest floor of the castle.

At least as big as a two store home, the metal golem was cubic in design from the head to its giant fingers. Everything was divided into segments connected via magic that came alive when Diodora's Bishops started working to power it up. The arms, also cubes, began spinning around as the mana output was adjusted for efficiency.

Unlike most golems or creatures, that monstrosity had not one Core but dozens of them spread over each of its segments explaining why it needed the full power of two Bishops to make it move.

While a high cost design it meant that even if a part of the golem was destroyed for any reason it would still be able to fight. Not only that but each cube could act individually so long as the prime directive was still active. A killing machine usually reserved to deal with small armies or capture monsters.

Metal creaked as the many cubes spinned around before the golem's square eyes opened up with a blue color. When it stood, revealing its true size of four stories high, the cubes stopped making any sound as everything moved around smoothly just as Rias Peerage landed on the floor.

And the Bishops fell on the ground, dead. *Diodora-*

"Hahaha! What is wrong, Rias? Getting upset because of them?"

*You…* The Red Dragon's fury was music to Astaroth's ears.

He chuckled happily before adding. "Just getting rid of what isn't useful to me anymore. Needed space for a new Bishop, after all." A joke he found extremely funny even as nobody reacted with anything other than hate. "Tough crowd. Anyway, Rias, choose your Piece. They will be flattened by one of the Golems of Byzantium!"

*'Golem of Byzantium'? Buchou, that is an extremely dangerous mystic code.* Luvia recognized the game immediately, stepping forward with purpose. *That is one of the models used to defend the Last Bastion of Rome before they were destroyed by the might of cannons. To get rid of one, you need to turn all their body into dust, a task that demanded magic cannon balls in the past.*

*Can you handle it?* The redhead was in the dark about such golems but her magus was knowledgeable of the subject.

*Of course. The Edelfelt had held the blueprints for such magnificent constructs for centuries. While that won't necessarily make it easier to destroy one, I know how to handle it.*

Much to Diodora's chagrin. 'Is it possible that this fake devil knows how to weaken the golem somehow?' He didn't have time to question nor the interest. Much like the Rook had said the knowledge of how to face the golem meant little because she needed firepower to be successful. "Are both combatants ready?"

Luvia gave her King a look of absolute confidence that Rias reciprocated with a nod before the blonde marched towards the center of the floor while the rest of her team began to step back to get some distance.

Only then did Diodora notice his Knights resting on Ise and Koneko's arms as Akeno used an EM to heal them. 'Idiots, you are just wasting energy.' Fine for Diodora as far as he was concerned. The more energy they wasted, the easier it would be for him to kill everyone and capture Rias. "First Rook, then Knight and now Rook again? Are you sure you won't don't want to send the Red Dragon Emperor? He would have a better shot at surviving."

The two women exchanged looks again with Edelfelt nodding one more time to show she was confident. *Yes. Luvia will take care of your blocks of metal.* Rias glared through the mirror coldly which annoyed the blond pureblood.

If the Astaroth Heir had more time he would try and provoke a more desirable reaction but a minute was already wasted and he had no idea when Shalba would pay attention to the pocket dimension again.

Fact was that Diodora was hoping the other devil was focused on his troops or anything else. "Very well. The last Golem of Byzantium against Luvia Edelfelt." He declared purposefully for appearance's sake. "Guardian, standing before you is a threat to the Empire!" The magic words left his lips and the golem roared without a mouth before several gems exploded on its body. "What?"

*Ohohoho~ Something wrong? That spell is the sign for the fight to begin, right? Marking the people in front of the golem as their target.* Luvia pointed out playfully before drawing more gems from her dress and throwing them at the golem.

The construct's blocks began to spin again as it tried to defend itself but what the blonde magus was applying was the same thing that destroyed its brethren in the past; pure unrelenting brute force.

The only difference between her and the Ottoman Empire was that she was using gems instead of cannon balls.

With that Diodora could only flinch as his golem raised a foot for a single step only for Luvia to hit the cubes on its other leg to destabilize the construct. Sure enough the cubes on the other leg separated to help with balance but that also had the effect of making the creature shorter and keeping it busy.

It needed to compensate for its losses so the cubes that made its whole body began to move, the shoulders and arms separating into smaller cubes that would become a new leg. As fast as the process was, the sort of thing that could happen in a blink of an eye, Luvia had already prepared the real attack.

Again her plan was to crush the creature with pure unrelenting brute force and so she was already running towards the giant, the gems beneath her gloves shining brightly with the preparations for her next spell completed.

*Taurus!* Pure mana emerged from her hands in the form of a giant blue bovine that rushed towards the slightly bigger construct just before it finished adjusting.

A loud impact echoed throughout the area, the golem failing to push back or hold the spell in place but its strength was useless without leverage. Taurus was far stronger than it and pushed the bigger construct down before continuing its charge. Several cubes had been destroyed but the rest of the golem's body was already moving around to restructure itself.

Only for the process to be interrupted by Luvia coming from above with a drop back heel kick while shouting. *Leo!*

Mana shrouded her body with the image of a proud lion before her leg made contact with the golem's chest. The resulting impact was strong enough to crack the reinforced floors but Luvia was far from done. Quickly she began to punch the cubes in the chest and arms as fast as she could, breaking them into pieces.

However the golem was reforming itself faster than Edelfelt could destroy it because despite her spell empowering every strike the power of her blows wasn't enough to completely destroy every cube.

She needed to attack even faster and for that she called another spell. *Gemini!* From her earrings two gems were added to the assault which sped up as a result. While the magus focused on the chest and arms, the twins targeted everything else. *Oooooooohhhhhhhh!*

Roared the warrior with all her might leaving everyone to watch as the Rook of Gremory pushed even more mana and increased the rate of her attack. Her teammates were stunned because that wasn't usually how she fought but Luvia knew exactly what she was doing.

To destroy the Golems of Byzantium it had taken dozens of cannonballs and since she didn't have that, the woman would use her bare hands. Her usual martial arts wouldn't work against the construct anyway so just punching and hammering her fists into it was actually more efficient.

Still it wasn't something she should be able to do. "How?" Diodora asked in disbelief. "Her mana should be disrupted… She was barely Reincarnated a few months ago… How is she doing so much damage?!"

*Don't underestimate,* Luvia focused several punches on the center of the chest before slamming her right hand on the left shoulder, *the noble magi from the Edelfelt Family!* Gemini moved around and began to slam the left arm as well, breaking it into several parts. *Your half baked barriers,* standing up on the golem the blonde Rook began to kick it, *is nothing against a half competent magician!*

Four stomps in quick succession pulverized the chest forcing more cubes to move around to try and push the devil back, to free the construct. However it had already lost too many pieces from the cheer destruction Luvia was inflicting on it so the arms were barely big enough to touch her.

When one did she kicked it before proceeding to sit on the golem again and punch everywhere her arms could reach once more while the twin gems worked on the golem's ever smaller legs.

Diodora cursed under his breath once he realized there was no chance of the golem killing anyone. Rias still heard him and the smug smile on her face was beautiful but irritating for the blond pureblood. Anger threatened to consume him but the Heir of Astaroth held it back for the sake of his own survival.

Again he needed to remind himself that facing Rias and her peerage at full power was suicidal even as the flask he held on the sleeve of his coat weighted heavier than before, almost as if Infinity was tempting him.

'I need to prepare the fifth floor.' Diodora acknowledged with a grimace, stabbing his knife on the throne's arm before opening a magic circle connected to the castle's boundary fields. He didn't even care that Rias was watching his every move. 'Shit! I need more time!' From the corner of his eye he watched Luvia's constant assault while working. 'Even if it takes her a while to finish the golem off, that woman still managed to somehow counter the boundary fields. With things going like that, a wrong move and they will arrive on the seventh floor without losing anyone!'

Which, considering Rias, Akeno and Luvia's powers, Diodora knew was going to be too much even for him with a King Piece. Once again the small glass bottle holding a black snake felt much heavier than it was even if just because he understood the risks involved in using it.

Diodora understood very well that most of his power wasn't his own and if he was judged too weak by Infinity his body would fall apart or worse; become a mindless creature bent on destroying everything.

However, watching how his golem was trying and failing to get up, the Heir of Astaroth began to consider that the risks were irrelevant. 'No! Calm down, Diodora!' He ordered himself as his dark green aura covered his body. 'They haven't made it past the chimeras yet. In fact, the golem is exhausting that so-called magus. She is using an absurd quantity of energy to keep it pinned.'

Telling himself that indeed helped the devil to calm down and relax on his throne. Sure enough he was still working on preparing the next floor, Luvia's victory was inevitable, but started to look forward to it. The Khaos Brigade still gave him some of the best chimeras they could produce, after all.

Regardless, a part of himself couldn't help but think. 'I wish I really had more than fifteen minutes… Maybe I should explore the possibility of running away?' Stuck in a pocket dimension, monitored by the Old Satan Faction, Diodora knew it was basically impossible. 'Oh, Asia, look how many problems you made for me…' He chuckled in her direction while caressing her neck, finding himself comfort in something familiar. "Don't worry. Don't worry. We will get to play soon."

There was some despair in his voice but Diodora was sure no one could hear.

Not even noticing the blonde girl's eyes twitching.

…..

Things weren't going as planned for the Old Satan Faction despite plans, spies and bribes.

None of their squadrons managed to capture the new Maous' relatives, Sona wasn't even on the stadium while Rias was stuck on a pocket dimension but not in their hands while the rest was unaccounted for.

Not only that but their troops utterly failed in overwhelming the stadium's defenders who were more prepared than expected. "We have been betrayed." Shalba had concluded before telling his fellow descendants to move into position.

"What did you expect when working in something like the Khaos Brigade?" Leviathan asked sarcastically, earning herself a glare before going to parts unknown.

'Katerea changed…' Creuserey thought while his men opened him a path towards a specific magic circle. Many would follow him into battle but by that point, he knew, it wouldn't be a matter of numbers but of his own power. 'She hasn't even asked about her sister once since coming back…'

Yet his thoughts were turned to his lover or former lover as they haven't shared a bed since the day before her attack against the Peace Talks. In fact, since her return, the Heir of Asmodeus couldn't remember a single instance of them talking one on one. Not to say they were public with their affections but before they at least trusted each other.

Which was why Creuserey was the only one who knew about Katerea's sister and where she was safely located where the more extremist members of their organizations couldn't reach her.

'Does this Zolgen have anything to do with her change of attitude? Was it the treatment? The near death experience?' Creuserey couldn't say nor could he allow his worries to show as he prepared to battle. His red and black uniform was being reinforced with several spells as a servant fixed his cape which was a particular treasure he prepared exactly for that occasion. 'Maybe she is just worried. Once we are in power, Katerea and I will calmly talk about whatever concerns her.'

"Milord Asmodeus…" One of the soldiers kneeled in front of him with a huge crystal bottle in his hands. It wasn't necessary, Ophis always made sure her serpents were small, but the flair was appreciated by Creuserey and the troops.

Grabbing the bottle, Asmodeus stared at it for a moment. He already knew he would gain a boost with just some side effects thanks to it. Negligible things in the devil's mind which included some draconic features affecting his DNA and changing his mana. In a sense, those who took the Ouroboros Dragon's power couldn't be called pureblood anymore.

Despite that it was something he and Shalba agreed was necessary. Neither could back down either since Katerea volunteered to be the first and came back much stronger. Still she was defeated which was a sobering reminder that their sacrifices didn't make them invincible.

'I still need to make Azazel pay.' If Creuserey could have his way he wanted to fight the Governor General, to avenge his beloved's wounds and humiliation in kind. "Men! Today we make History!" Yet he had a duty to fulfill. "The time has come! The time to take back what is ours! The time to take down the Fakers who sit in our thrones! The time to show all what devils can really do!"

All soldiers cheered as Creuserey made a show of opening the bottle and showing them all Ophis' serpent. His soldiers roared as their leader began to absorb its power with no hesitation since they knew what would happen if he was weak.

Those too weak didn't actually explode as they were burned from the inside out by the Concept of Infinity rewriting a part of their souls. That was the first part of the process of gaining Ophis' power; an actualization of the vessel's existence to accept a fraction of Ouroborus which adjusted their body for it to fit.

While not truly gaining infinite energy they still had engraved in their souls a mark of the Infinity and Eternity. So long as something existed then so would those Concepts which made them Grand in stature. It wasn't anyone who could receive that power and the threshold wasn't easy to reach.

However those who were barely strong also would literally surrender their lives for that power which would result in a blaze of glory a few hours later. If either the soul or the body couldn't cope with such Concepts then they would be consumed in a survival attempt until reaching critical mass.

The end result was self destruction for no matter how much energy the person who failed to take in Ophis' power struggled or wasted it was their soul being used as fuel in a metaphysical way only advanced beings could control.

Next were those who could survive Infinity but weren't strong enough to stop it from rewriting most of their souls. Be either by a lack of ego or will, their minds were crushed by Ophis without the Dragon God even trying. Sure enough their bodies could still resist for a while but the person was gone.

And monsters took their place, dragon-like creatures that only care about eating and destroying, even each other. A good comparison would be undead or zombies but without decaying flesh. The Khaos Brigade locked a few of them for experiments but their lifespans were short, just a few weeks before their souls broke apart and they blew up.

Of course that didn't mean those mutated devils were weak by any stretch of the imagination as they still partook in Infinity and gained its boon. In return for their loss of self their power grew several times over since their bodies were actually more acclimated for Ophis' energy than the other categories.

Finally there were those strong enough that only a little of them was engraved by Infinity such as Katerea was. Despite the consequences of receiving Infinity from the Dragon God, the power they gained made anyone capable of enduring it dozens of times stronger than before.

Only High Class devils and above could claim such a feat and most of them were following Creuserey for the second wave of the attack.

Each and everyone one of them received one of Ophis' serpents and in that moment all their powers expanded in sync with their leader as they all absorbed the Ouroboros Dragon's energy.

There were just twenty of them, most of the High Class devils on the Old Satan Faction, but they all suddenly gained so much power that their combined might was superior to the whole first wave assaulting Lilith's stadium combined.

"Come, brothers!" Creuserey continued his speech as power still flooded his very being. "Today we take Fate in our hands once more! Today we bathe in blood for tomorrow we shall feast like KINGS!"

"HURRA!" His men shouted with fury and determination as black auras covered their bodies.

With soldiers like these, ready to follow to death and beyond, Creuserey felt more proud than ever for being a devil descendant of Asmodeus. "Prepare yourselves!" He turned to take the lead as a few members of the Hero Faction stood behind the magic circle. "Open the gate."

The order was given and so the magicians began to work whispering enchantments that would connect that magic circle with the barrier surrounding the stadium in the Underworld a whole dimension away.

Soon the center of the circle began to glow as the four magicians began to slowly step back from the light as it expanded to completely take over the circle. Nobody was surprised as even if the squad was only twenty one strong they would need a lot of space for their leader to act as he should.

There was a script to be followed after all if Creuserey Asmodeus wanted to really claim the Title of Maou.

Looking around he caught a glimpse of Katerea and Shalba, both expecting their turn which Creuserey would make sure to not give by defeating all their enemies and securing victory for their faction.

Yet upon looking at his lover's face he felt a sense of dread that quickly was buried and forgotten as it would be good to show him men anything other than confidence in the moment of their triumph.

"I will be going first and won't try to leave some for you." Creuserey said confidently and with a rather cocky expression.

As expected Shalba just chuckled before turning around to attend to his other duties but it wasn't his reaction Creuserey had an eye on. Instead it was Katerea's face he watched more than anything, looking for any emotions he, and only he, knew she was capable of expressing.

Yet all he saw was apathy and perhaps a touch of pity. 'Is she writing me off as dead already?' Fury filled his body before he focused on the gate. 'I will show her that there is nothing to fear! I shall crush the Fakers and then Azazel!' Decided Creuserey, full of determination. "Men! Let us write our names into Eternity!"

Another roar later and all of them took flight towards the ceiling before diving bombing to the magic circle which was connected towards the stadium. Thanks to shared information between the Khaos Brigade the teleportation was truly instant, akin to entering and exiting a tunnel.

Chaos reached the twenty one men's ears but Creuserey wasn't bothered and neither were his men. They all expected that and had their goals to accomplish dictated before the invasion began. Without any sort of signal the squad broke apart and several of them started bombarding different parts of the stadium in search for their targets.

Either the new Satans or their families, it didn't matter. The goal was to weaken the enemy either physically or physiologically. Yet the real fight couldn't wait anymore as the Old Satan Faction was always fighting in a deficit. Number wise they would always fall short when the enemy was most of the Underworld.

They also wanted to preserve enough to repopulate so the fight needed to end somewhat quickly.

Considering all that, Creuserey took the first step. "Show yourself Falbium Glasya-Labolas!" The name was shouted with utter loathing masked as fury. "I know you can hear me! With your Power of Voice and your magic I am sure you are monitoring the battlefield!" He called out again but got no response which made his anger grow. Soon Ophis' power responded and the dark aura flared. "FALBIUM GLASYA-LABOLAS!"

Creuserey's scream was so loud that, for a brief moment, there was respite in the stadium as almost everyone stopped to watch his fury unleashed. His power exceeded every devil fighting until that point so all also paid attention to not suddenly become a target. His presence and challenge were also signs.

Signs that the average soldier had no place in the battlefield anymore. Signs that the real battle was about to begin.

Signs that the Old Satan Faction was seriously going for their coup d'etat.

The gauntlet had been thrown and the challenge given, it was a matter if the New Satan Faction would answer in kind or be reduced in strength by having their morale crumble under their leaders if they prove themselves too passive.

"Creuserey Asmodeus." Contrary to his challenger's tone, Falbium's voice was calm but also disinterested.

It didn't matter for the man present in the stadium as his wings were beating rapidly with joy. "Finally the coward shows himself! Or that is what I would say if you were here!" Pushing out more demonic energy, he started to look around. "Come out, Falbium! Come and face me! I remember that back in the war you never fought against any of the Asmodeus, leaving Sirzechs and the others to do all the dirty work!" A black magic circle with the symbol of infinity appeared on his right hand which he used to destroy a whole section of the stadium, killing several hundreds. Yet his fury didn't waver as his enemy hadn't shown up. "Face me, you coward! You want the name 'Asmodeus'?! Come and get it!"

Because of how casually the man destroyed a part of the stadium everyone stopped to watch his actions except by one redhead who was rushing towards that area to see if anyone could be saved.

It was only by chance that Creuserey had shot towards where the fighting had been less intense but didn't change the fact that much of the stadium had become dust and dozens of men had lost their lives for absolutely nothing.

The so-called 'True Maou' didn't care about his allies, at least not really.

Shirou looked up at the devil who casually murdered hundreds with a wave of his hand, a new fury burning in his heart not just towards that man but to Sirzechs who made him promise to allow the Maous to deal with their counterparts.

Bellerophon sent to his soul positive and soothing feelings yet it wasn't enough. 'If he starts again…' Separating his double sword, he held the Married Blades in preparation to Ascend. 'He won't get another shot…'

Creuserey looked around the battlefield for any signs of his enemy before a smirk grew in his lips. "A coward to the end!" Chuckling for a few seconds, he felt satisfaction within himself. "Unable! Weak! Incompetent! Always on the back lines, never in the front! That is the new Asmodeus?!" The mockery in his tone couldn't be missed. "Show yourself, 'Maou', and prove that you are worthy of your throne!"

A moment passed and people started to believe Falbium was moving to the location. Those who knew better weren't surprised to hear a loud yawn that filled the stadium. Despite not being a word the Power of Voice allowed them to hear everything that left its owner's mouth.

Including the long and disinterested yawn that couldn't be confused with anything else. "I could go there and explain the functions of a strategist to you but I won't even bother."

"What-"

"I am not even close to the stadium, Creuserey. At this moment, I am helping the troops around the Underworld deal with your attack." Another yawn left echoed around Lilith.

Every yawn was like an insult to the challenger's honor. "Are you insulting me?! Coward!"

"Now you are just being repetitive and that isn't my intention. Just that I have a lot of work right now."

"Proof that you don't deserve to be the Asmodeus of the Underworld!" Creuserey announced loudly before gesturing to himself. "A true Maou is always on the front lines! We are the pinnacle of our race and must always act as such!"

"Yeah, sure. Okay." Falbium sounded completely uninterested in going along with the discussion. "You want the throne of Asmodeus, right?"

"As is my right!"

"Then you can have it if you can beat that guy. Don't worry, he is a bit stronger than myself so if you win-"

"You are the one I want to-"

"-you can have it. Sounds good? Good. He is coming from the East right now."

Creuserey spit to the side with rage and disdain. "I am not here to kill a random-"

Before he could finish the statement something huge broke through the barrier surrounding the stadium which fell apart. Quickly the ones sustaining it tried to salvage whatever they could but the troops of the Underworld, who had already dealt with the terrorists outside, poured in.

Suddenly the Old Satan Faction found itself really losing in numbers, sixteen to one odds to be more precise.

Not that Creuserey had time to care as the man quickly flew higher, avoiding the huge mass who began to fly around and pick apart several of his men who were being powered by Ophis with ease.

That was unacceptable for Asmodeus' descendant who threw a blast towards the creature who raised one of his mighty wings to block the attack. "Are you so much of a coward, Falbium Glasya-Labolas, to send a dragon to fight in your place?!"

"Kukuku. Are you really saying that when you are using Ophis' power? What a hypocrite." The huge dragon, purple and dark red, flew up until the two were eye to eye level. Which meant it was still much closer to the ground considering how tall he was. "Isn't this a bit more fair? Dragon against dragon. Calling you a devil is a bit hard but hey, I am also one."

"Silence reptile!" Creuserey shouted while using his left hand to send a huge blast of black mana towards the dragon's face. Moving his neck a little the huge being dodged it, making Asmodeus glare with fury. "Fine, Falbium! You want me to kill this pretender! Then I shall do it gladly!"

"Well, if anyone here is a pretender, it would be you." The dragon replied with a chuckle while crossing his arms. "If you think just having a bit of Ophis' power makes you stronger, then get ready because I, Tannin, will teach you what a real dragon can do!"

After that declaration he opened his huge maw to unleash an even bigger fireball towards Creuserey who began to fly higher just in time to escape it. However Tannin's attack wasn't done as the dragon immediately gave chase and began to spit more flames towards his target.

Mana exploded from the smaller devil as he glared at the Dragon King. "Then I will teach you, lizard, the might of Asmodeus!" A huge magic circle fired a blast bigger than the devil which connected, unleashing a huge explosion. "Did you like that, lizard?"

Unfortunately for him, Tannin emerged from the black light with just a scratch on his chest. "Not really." His right claw swiped the devil higher in the air. "Too weak! Incinerate!"

A huge flamethrower left the Dragon King's throat and became a pillar that cut through the skies. Creuserey managed to escape again even if part of his cape caught fire which he put out with a few pats. However his escape didn't last for long as it only took a twitch of the dragon's neck and the flames hit his face.

Or at least tried too as the black serpent gifted to him involved his body protectively, keeping the dragon's flames at bay. It bought enough time for the black haired man to make another magic circle to defend himself but he could feel the powerful fire basically consuming his mana.

It was just too hot because those flames could be compared to lava or called even hotter. Such was the power of Tannin the Dragon King. That sort of attack was demanding everything Creuserey had just to survive while costing almost nothing to the dragon. Literally it could be said using those flames was as easy as breathing.

Unable to fight back directly, the descendant of Asmodeus focused solely on defense and was pushed back higher looking for an opportunity to escape the flames. It came when he was close to the clouds which generally were hard to find in the Underworld but were present on that instant.

Creuserey managed to let go of his magic circle with his left hand to create a smaller one to manipulate the clouds and hide his presence while preparing his escape. Tannin lost sight of his prey for a second and that was already too much for the Queen of Mephistopheles. A beat of his wings later and the dragon had crossed the clouds towards the clean sky.

All he saw was the boundary field which controlled the 'time' around Lilith even if it was night and the barrier on it was irrelevant. Looking around the giant devil failed to locate his prey for a few seconds before something hit him from behind. With a roar he turned around while unleashing an ocean of fire but hit nothing.

Beating his wings with all his might, the rare clouds of the Underworld vanished as a gust cleared the sky above the city. Still nothing entered his sights which irritated the dragon who took a second to glance at the stadium to make sure his target hadn't escaped back down somehow.

While feeling several others using Ophis' power their presences were weaker than Creuserey so Tannin knew he wasn't back there just yet. 'Where are you?' Flying in a circle, the giant form of the Dragon King moved purposefully as his tail kept swiping left and right. "Ouroboros' power is wasted in the likes of you. Makes me ashamed of calling that Dragon God-" A roar escaped the Queen's throat as something hit the middle of his back. "Fool!"

Predicting that his opponent was somehow holding himself, Tannin flew higher before letting out a gigantic fireball for him to dive inside. He let out a steady stream of fire from his maw while trying to feel his back for Creuserey but found nothing. Dismissing the flames, the dragon was starting to grow suspicious.

Taking another second to look around, he began to sniff for traces of anything that wasn't sulfur or brimstone. Basically he was trying to ignore his own smell and find Creuserey's which should be easy since few things should be present that high in the sky. Didn't take long for his nose to pick up the smell of burnt flesh from his prey but also something else.

'Rain? In Lilith? Right now?' That was enough to distract Tannin since he realized the clouds he had dismissed a minute ago were gathering again. 'That is odd-'

Another roar marked another hit and Creuserey was very pleased with himself as he flew silently around the dragon. Far from Tannin, he was safe when the giant devil turned around with his tail moving rapidly. Soon another blast of fire followed the Dragon King but the Asmodeus wasn't close enough for it to hit.

"Invisibility! How dare you use invisibility?!" However Tannin figured out his trick. "You, who received the power of Ophis, who should be an honorary dragon, dare to hide like a coward!"

'Foolish lizard. That is called strategy!' Creuserey thought with a smirk while pushing mana on his cape as it helped him stay hidden. 'Be grateful your death won't be a slow one since I can't waste time.'

Indeed the cape the man was wearing was treasure he managed to acquire during an event several years ago while helping rebuild the Old Satan Faction. As far as mystic codes went it was very weak with just the ability to erase sight and smell from enemy detection but being unable to block detection spells.

Pretty much that cape was useless against magicians and those with similar skills.

It was still useful, especially against beings that lacked detection skills or counted on their senses to locate hidden opponents. Despite the sky lacking any manner of cover, so long as he had mana to give his cape, Creuserey would be almost undetectable. And thanks to Ophis he had a lot of mana, enough for the task.

At least he believed so and Tannin would do everything to prove him wrong. "Fufufufu. My mistake." The Dragon King suddenly chuckled, surprising the devil who was moving behind him once again. "You aren't a dragon. I need to remember that. Ahh~ It has been so long since I have fought in a Rating Game… I forgot how tricky some devils could be."

The temperature began to quickly raise as a wine colored aura shone around Tannin with clear malicious intent. More fire threatened to pour from his maw but the dragon kept it closed for the moment, calmly accumulating energy for a truly powerful attack.

"Let me show you what a Dragon King can really do!" Creuserey was shocked when Tannin unleashed a heavy hot wind that pushed him back before the Reincarnated devil flew even higher in the air. Once close to the boundary field around Lilith, he quickly turned around and took a deep breath. "Blaze Meteor Shower!"

Huge fireballs the size of mountains left the dragon's mouth towards the Underworld, an attack so big that Creuserey doubted he would be able to dodge. His cape didn't hide magic circles which was why he always attacked from behind but against that staying invisible was worthless.

Ophis' snake must have agreed, for it helped him sustain the magic circle when the first attack hit, both being burned on the second and third ones before Tannin's fire exploded in a tempest of flames that cleared the skies of clouds for the second time.

The Queen saw his target suffering with his flames and quickly his body was covered with fire. "Behold, the technique the actual Red Dragon Emperor learned from this mighty dragon! Blaze Meteor!"

Faster than Creuserey could react his body was hit by the full weight of a huge dragon several stories tall. Added to that the Reincarnated devil's flames, hotter than the lava of an active volcano, touched his body making the terrorist scream as the both descended from the sky.

During the path Tannin only accelerated as his flames and wings pushed more power into his prey's body with the full intent of crushing the challenger like only a Dragon King could. His pride demanded he taught the upstart who used the powers of dragons how to fight like one.

The clouds reformed behind them a second after but neither cared.

One of them simply couldn't because Creuserey was too busy being cooked alive, his chest and legs broken in several pieces because of the force pushed on his body as the rest of his bones followed suit.

When they were just a few meters above the stadium the giant devil halted his flight and allowed the burning form of his prey to complete the trip by himself. There was no hope nor escape as his very body was catching fire and the momentum was too strong for the man to do anything.

Anything other than crashing on the center of the arena, several meters to the right of the crystal ball used for Rating Games, like a meteor the attack was named after. The crater open by the collision was big enough to destabilize the crystal ball and reach the stands where many still fought.

But then the fight stopped as all watched the fire spreading from the impact with care. Those flames weren't normal for the shockwave from the crash should have put them down. It didn't happen, not with Tannin's flames when using his signature technique, one nobody had ever beaten.

"Considering everyone retired from my matches after I used Blaze Meteor, it has actually been a while since I used it. Kukuku." Tannin joked while floating above the stadium. "So, anyone else? That wasn't enough to even warm my soul!"

"Aaaaahhhhhh!" Creuserey screamed as he stood up from the debris, surprising Tannin and everyone else who were sure he was dead. "Like I would… Lose to a lizard!"

His body was almost completely burned with his right hand turning black from the damage as the rest of his skin was a vivid red. Blood poured from his eyes and back, his clothes mostly obliterated with barely enough left to protect his modesty. He was also bald, his pointy ears exposed to the elements as his body no longer had any sort of hair.

Ophis' serpent still lingered, the creature stronger by itself than when Katerea divided it for her purposes. It lingered and remained because of the Concept it carried, barely being able to survive and it wouldn't be for long.

The same could probably be said about Creuserey as he took a step forward before some of his left foot fell apart and became ashes in the wind. The Dragon King's flames were too hot for him and if not for Ophis the devil would have been dead several times over. Dying would have been a mercy as well because the pain was unbearable.

Even then the Dragon God's power was sustaining him, keeping him together as pretty much all bones of his body were broken. The black serpent coiled around the devil for as long as it could as its partner opened a magic circle and summoned a flask of Phoenix Tears to his hand. It disappeared soon after, spent after saving the Asmodeus.

Seeing that Tannin didn't hesitate and took another deep breath before unleashing a huge blast of fire. Compared to what he was using in the sky that one was much tamer and smaller, his control of it was perfect as it would have been enough to just burn his enemy and nobody else.

It never made contact, not when others using Ophis' power jumped in front of the attack for their leader and master. Five men went and five men died without hesitation while ordering the serpents involving their bodies to travel towards their Maou who was drinking the elixir greedily.

Only two of the serpents arrived, the other three vanishing while trying to hold back Tannin's attack. It was enough for Creuserey who felt rejuvenated by their energy and the Phoenix Tear's healing. One wrapped itself around his right arm and finished destroying the hand to replace it with its head.

The other regenerated the damaged foot, tying its body around the devil's leg in a light hug before becoming a black foot with long nails made of mana. "You will pay for that, lizard." Creuserey announced while breaking the flask on his hand. "I will have your head and mount it on my wall!"

With glowing purple eyes the snake on his hand opened its mouth and began unleashing several blasts of mana towards the dragon who raised his arms to block the attacks. Quickly the Dragon King realized the spells were much stronger than before and took flight again to evade some of the damage.

Some but not all, he was just too big to escape the onslaught fully but the temporary retreat bought him some space to open his maw for a counter attack. "Incinerate!"

Fire took over the floor and melted stone just as Creuserey jumped to avoid it. His right foot hurt because of a new burn but all his focus went to his wings and keeping his arm raised. Ophis' snake focused a bigger quantity of mana on its mouth before unleashing a stream of energy which pierced the fire and hit Tannin's.

The Blaze Meteor Dragon fell to his back while tasting his own blood. He realized that if the attack had been a little stronger, he would be dead. That his size in that moment was for his detriment.

Growling with irritation, Tannin's body pulsed before it began to shrink under his command which surprised Creuserey. Soon the giant beast he was facing was barely three meters tall, jumping to his feet with a glare that told his enemy that transformation wasn't something the dragon liked doing.

Bulk wise the Dragon King looked exactly the same but smaller. "This feels tighter than it used to. My fault for not using this form more."

"How did you-"

"Ophis can turn into a little girl. What makes you think other dragons can't do similar things?" Tannin asked while his tail slammed on the earth.

Sure he, and pretty much every dragon he knew, couldn't just take a human form like the Dragon God but they were masses of power as much as flesh and bone. Shapeshifting wasn't developed naturally, needed practice and felt restrictive even for those who mastered it but something like that was part of the Dragon King's arsenal.

His piece said Tannin dove straight through the flames towards Creuserey who began to fly up again. The dragon opened his mouth and a more concentrated fire sailed to the sky and bit part of the smaller devil's shoulder off. Screaming in pain the Asmodeus fell on the ground, rolling around to get rid of the flames.

Lowering body and raising his neck, the Dragon King aimed his horns towards his prey's back as he still recovered. However Ophis' serpent dislocated the bald devil's shoulder to unleash a beam of mana that the dragon countered with a fast fireball. Eventually the serpent's attack neutralized the flames but by that point it was too late.

Tannin's horns pierced Creuserey who screamed from pain and fury before starting coughing blood. Not surprising since the huge horn had pierced the front as well even if the serpent's movements assured the pureblood's survival for at least a while. It was questionable who regretted more the fact the heart was missed; the man screaming or the dragon laughing.

"What was that about my head on a wall?" The Dragon King asked while blood fell on his face. Even if he couldn't see the devil's expression, the screams were an excellent indicator of the situation. "That was a lung and some ribs! Let's see if you die before I get to your heart!"

The dragon twitched his neck before pushing the devil off his horn with all his strength sending the formerly black haired man into the sky. Opening his wings again the Queen prepared himself to pierce the man's heart properly. He leaped up at full speed while taking aim.

However Creuserey hadn't given up and proved that fact by repositioning his body to aim his arm towards the flying dragon. The serpent gathered energy again but didn't fire immediately as its owner held the power back while creating two magic circles in front of it. Both had the symbol of Infinity and acted like crosshairs with the dragon in the center.

When Ophis' snake unleashed the mana it grew in potency when passing through both magic circles, acquiring a respectable quantity of power. Unfortunately for him it was so telegraphed that by the point the serpent fired Tannin was already out of the way and closing the distance between the two.

"Nice fireworks!" The Dragon King joked before grabbing Creuserey's shoulder right on the hole his horn had made. Making the matters more painful were the dragon's long claws. "Here, let me show you some real fire!"

Opening his mouth point blank range the Reincarnated devil breathed so much fire that Creuserey's whole body would have been covered in flames if not for the serpent on his leg moving it to kick the dragon's snout to the side.

The event was so surprising that Tannin had no time to stop his own flames from burning more of the stands before turning back towards his prey ripped his own shoulder open to get rid of the dragon's grip.

'It won't end like this!' More black mana left the smaller devil's body while he fell, the snake which had replaced his hand aiming towards Tannin's chest. "DIE!"

A huge explosion followed the blast and threw its conjurer backwards towards the ground where his body skipped around two times before stopping. Without any extra Phoenix Tears nor means to heal himself the descendant of Asmodeus knew he was finished.

At least intellectually. "Not yet! I haven't killed Falbium yet! Azazel! That Scapegoat needs to pay!" Managing to get to his feet, the bald man looked around for his desired enemies. He only saw the scared faces of soldiers from both sides. "What are you staring at? Can't you recognize a True Maou?!"

In fact they didn't or couldn't.

Devils were usually appealing to the eye with even the oldest and less active of them at least having visages of gravure models. They were supposed to look beautiful, tempting existences beyond the average human whose appearance should secure a contract before magic ever got involved.

A devil wasn't considered successful when using magic to convince someone for a contract anyway and if anything it was bad form. Such a tradition existed since the beginnings of the Great War when the first devils began making deals so it would be fair to say their appearance was fundamental.

So to anyone staring at the current Creuserey it was hard to call him a devil in any sense with how hideous his appearance had become because of Tannin. His body was full of burns with several patches of his skin distorted because of the damage or just wrong because of the rushed healing from the serpents.

One leg even looked taller than the other because of the new foot and Creuserey wasn't helped by the fact one of his hands was gone with the head of a snake in its place. Nor the lack of hairs as every single bit of it had been burned into ash. Truly he was bald from head to toe, not even an eyelash left to tell the tale.

Combined with the pointy ears it was hard to say that man was ever a devil in the first place or if he was one then would be the most egregiously repugnant representative of the species ever conceived.

Not a creature men would be tempted into deals with but a monster who would have villages raising forks and torches the instant it showed up.

"Well, you are ugly." Tannin commented while landing in front of the scarred Creuserey in all his glory. It was hard to not see the majesty of his existence despite or perhaps because he was a dragon. "Really ugly. I would apologize for leaving you like that but you did deserve all this."

Flames poured from the dragon's nose after the last line just before he unleashed a huge fireball towards his prey. And Creuserey was Tannin's prey, no matter how much he didn't want to admit it. Nor had he time to do so, jumping to the right and opening his wings again.

Only to fall face first on the ground as the hole on his back made it impossible for him to bring his wing out. Despite having evaded a fatal blow, the damage was too extensive for him to do anything.

Gritting his teeth, Creuserey got back to his feet just in time for Tannin's claws to almost rip him open from the front. Asmodeus' descendant tried to recover but the dragon's tail came for a follow up hit, stabbing the man's biggest wound and making him scream again. In fury more than pain as he raised the snake's head and fired on his opponent's face.

A blast strong enough to push a dragon back wasn't an easy feat but the Concept of Infinity was just that powerful despite being a fragment. However the recoil on his right arm broke his shoulder for the second time that day. All things considered still better than when the giant dragon had tackled him.

But it was not enough to take down the Dragon King who looked at his prey with disappointment. "And so that was what Ophis' power was reduced to. A crutch for the weak."

"Shut up!" Creuserey got up again but quickly fell to his knees which didn't surprise Tannin.

It was all part of Falbium's plan as the man had calculated how much power an Ophis' serpent could give to a pureblood devil by using Katerea's attack during the Peace Talks as a benchmark.

The more powerful the user, the stronger they would become after having Infinity engraved on their soul but it was possible to calculate the progression of power. The Strategist of the Underworld had Ajuka and Azazel doing that while constructing a plan that would give his side victory and prestige.

Regardless the research bore some fruit and by all estimates the Four Maous would have no troubles in dealing with them. To show they were the legitimate rulers it would be best then for each Maou to fight their counterpart but it would also depend on who showed up first. If any other then Asmodeus attacked then Sirzechs, Serafall or Ajuka would be there.

Same couldn't be said about Falbium who neither liked fighting personally nor would be available as he was the main Strategist for their faction. His place was in the center of Lilith organizing the troops and coordinating the Underworld's defense. If he fought it would actually cause more problems than solve them.

Which was why he negotiated with Tannin to take his place and secure an overwhelming victory for their side. While it would be better if the Maou Asmodeus defeated the Original Asmodeus' descendant, a dragon demonstrating the value of Evil Pieces also could be used as propaganda.

Creuserey showing up first was the worst outcome but it didn't matter so long as Tannin crushed him in combat. Which he did as the bald devil tried and failed to get up again, falling on his knees and using his remaining hand to balance himself.

"Disappointing." The Dragon King grunted.

"I said SHUT UP!" A blast of black mana hit the dragon right below the eye but the power was much smaller than previous attacks.

So much so that Tannin didn't even react, his scales not even scratched. "I wasn't talking about you but Ophis' choice of allies… which is still about you, I suppose…" Nobody knew if it was mockery or pity what the dragon was expressing but the words sounded sincere. Crossing his arms, he shook his head. "Are they really that desperate to defeat Great Red? I can't believe they could be tricked by such weaklings." He shook his head again before letting loose another fireball that Creuserey dodged. "At least you are lasting a little."

Then Tannin's body began to grow until the dragon was the size of a building once again. He glared at Creuserey who was still struggling with getting up before preparing another fireball. By that point killing the smaller devil was a mercy and after doing it the dragon would take care of the others descendants.

"Disappointedly none of your allies came to save you after those soldiers." The Dragon King commented while focusing the fire on his throat, making Creuserey grit his teeth.

"As a Maou… I am more than capable… of dealing with… vermin like you!" Asmodeus' descendant stood up one final time and raised his right arm higher to unleash another attack blast of black mana with a magic circle to strengthen it.

If the previous ones did no damage, that one didn't even tickle Tannin who waited for the attack to vanish before shaking his head. "That is just shaming us dragons-" His words were caught on his throat when a drop of water touched the top of his head. Soon it began to pour, slowly at first but quickly growing in volume. "It is really raining…"

Tannin wasn't the only one surprised and soon all fighting ceased as everyone looked up to the gathering of dark clouds covering the whole city. The skies of Lilith were completely taken over by rain which was growing stronger and becoming a storm complete with lightning and thunder.

Which was extremely odd to devils, sure some times it rained in those parts of the Underworld but the rain was picking up faster than it should be possible. There was already so much water in the stadium that Tannin's flames began to be put out by the volume which was still growing.

The arena itself, damaged as it was, began to flood with several places following its example. On a normal day the structure wasn't built to take that much water and after the attack started it just got worse. Water was getting everywhere at a rapid rate but nobody on the surface could pay attention to it.

No, all their focus was on the strange rain and the ominous presence that came with it.

'What is this feeling?' Tannin immediately flared his power, ignoring the defeated Creuserey close to his feet. In the rhythm things were going he would drown either way. 'This presence… it feels like a dragon but also not. Someone that I haven't felt in a long, long time.'

Yet his memory failed as instincts were warning the Dragon King about whoever had called rain to the Underworld and in such huge quantities that gallons of water were already flooding the streets.

Such a display of power wasn't to be underestimated and Tannin began to prepare himself for a real fight. 'Where are you?' Patiently the Dragon King looked for his new quarry until his eyes managed to catch a small figure floating just below the storm. 'Found her…'

Indeed he knew that the woman with light blue hair that danced freely in the rain's rhythm like it was a cascade was responsible for the storm. It wasn't just the power she was displaying to the world but her very presence which was impressive enough for him to take note.

And it wasn't diminishing despite the storm she was sustaining, implying that she was doing it with a considerable ease.

Several names ran through the Dragon King's mind when he tried to deduce the woman's identity, plenty of them gods or beings of considerable might that were quickly discarded because she looked like none of them nor her power carried Divinity.

Leaving only the unbelievable as there was a category of beings who had the power of a god but were not and of them there was one who was known for her control of water which was capable of flooding cities.

'Leviathan.' Tannin concluded with a mental chuckle. 'Katerea Leviathan. She looks different from the pictures and didn't show any ability to create a storm during her previous appearance. Interesting.' Without any more deliberation the Dragon King unleashed his fire against Leviathan.

The streak of fire flew straight towards the woman only to grow smaller and smaller until vanishing without ever reaching her. The downpour had suddenly grown even stronger but that shouldn't have been enough to put out Tannin's flames. He certainly was shocked but also intrigued.

"Tannin! Get back! Leave her to me!" Serafall, wearing her magic girl outfit with a small staff which held a star on top, appeared close to the dragon's head. "She is my opponent and-"

"And I was utterly disappointed on my own so I am taking her!" Tannin declared and immediately the new Leviathan felt a huge build up of power from the dragon. Water began to turn into vapor as the temperature around him rose as the Dragon King prepared his strongest roar. "Finally someone worthy of dying by the jaws of a dragon! Blaze Meteor Flames!"

A single, huge, burst of fire bigger than the stadium he was standing in was unleashed and the attack was so powerful that all water that had already reached the ground had suddenly been vaporized as it cut through the sky towards Leviathan.

She casually raised her left hand and a blast of energy clashed with the fire with a similar intensity. Such an action would have Tannin laughing with joy if his mouth wasn't busy with their short struggle. And short it was for a second later his fire had won out and kept pushing through towards the woman despite having grown weaker.

But Leviathan was still very far from the fire, far enough that she had time to twitch and twirl her right hand, forming two huge spheres of water that somehow compressed hundreds of gallons of the liquid inside the size of baseballs.

Then, when the flame of the strongest dragon of the Underworld was just a few meters away from her, Leviathan sent the two spheres towards the fire. They danced with each other in a sort of rapid spiral that clashed and surpassed the strongest flame. Vapor escaped the conflict and enough of it to create a dense fog.

A fog that was quickly going down towards the ground no matter how much power the Dragon King put in his attack. The disadvantage of his Element against Water shouldn't be that great but he was just fighting against a greater force.

Serafall realized that just as quickly as Tannin did and a magic circle took shape on the top of her wand before she slammed it down on the floor to counter Leviathan's storm. Ignoring how it would appear for her to support her ally in his time of need instead of trusting his strength, the former Heiress of Sitri focused on protecting him.

With how powerful she was, it didn't take long for some of the rain to freeze because of her spell. Unfortunately her attempts of helping the dragon were in vain. It wasn't even because of a lack of strength on her part but because of how strong the Dragon King's flame was.

They were too hot, so hot that the Ice Serafall was trying to generate using the rain just turned back into water and she was unable to even affect the main attack. As far as combinations went, her and Tannin's had the worst sort of chemistry with the dragon still expanding his flames to fight the rain instead of accepting any help.

All he did was push more power but it wasn't enough and soon the dancing spheres approached enough for the Leviathan to make her next play. Changing her hands into a knife shape posture, she trusted them forward in the air and the spheres obeyed the silent order.

Both turned into arrows that suddenly had dozens of gallons of water sprouting from behind like high pressure jets which increased their speed tenfold. It was too fast for Tannin to do anything about it and he didn't see the attack coming until it was too late.

Serafall rushed to try and help defend the dragon with several magic circles but her ally's own flame consumed them before anything could be done and the attacks connected with the ground releasing a huge quantity of water which flooded the arena once again.

"TANNIN!" The woman holding the title of Leviathan called out in despair.

Still standing despite his condition the dragon could no longer move as the top of his head and heart had been pierced, both organs destroyed as the water made its way behind him to become a new lake.

Tannin, Blaze Dragon Meteor, Dragon King of the Underworld and Queen of Mephistopheles had died on his feet.

And Leviathan approached the lake she made, wearing the rain like a cloak.

Ready to claim her next victim.

…..

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