The first thing she felt when she came to was a fog in her head and an intense, stabbing pain in her chest. Her memories were barely present but she knew who she was and where she was. Anything from the past several or so hours she could not recall no matter how hard she tried.

She blinked. Mitsuki pushed the blanket off her face and slowly sat up. A cool breeze washed over her skin.

Skin?

She looked down and saw her bloodied uniform. There was a glaringly large hole in her shirt, exposing a portion of her chest to the world. She noticed that the bra she wore underneath was ruined, leading her to wonder what exactly had occurred to render her clothes in such a state.

"Wha… the medical tent… how…" Her head throbbed as she recalled her last coherent memory before everything went black.

She was in Centralia. Mitsuki had just found Lily and the other girl, Yozora, before going to find her brother. And Mitsuki arrived in the church where Issei and one of the Fallen were fighting. Lance, if she properly recalled. And then… and then…

Her eyes widened. She tried to properly recall the sequence of events that happened in the church but no matter how hard she tried, her memory always cut off at her meeting with Issei and having a conversation. After that, it was simply nothing. Even if she had been knocked unconscious, there should have been something there. But… whatever memory was there was replaced with nothing but an empty white void.

Mitsuki trembled and she looked down at her bloodied clothes. "I… What happened after that? I can't… I can't remember…"

Her hands gripped the blanket tightly.

Mitsuki let out a sigh and got up. Her eyes roamed the room and noticed that she couldn't see her beloved sword anywhere. "Huh? Did Dad take Yorihime away?" she absentmindedly asked herself.

Mitsuki glanced down at her coat and decided to button it up until she got a change of clothes and underwear. As she began buttoning up her long coat, she heard a familiar set of voices enter the tent.

"I've notified Father. Did you tell Iris?"

Dad?

"I…"

"Elaina…"

Mom? When did Mom get here? she wondered.

"Auntie."

The tent flap opened and the occupants of the tent froze and locked eyes with one another. Mitsuki was frozen mid-button when she saw her parents' shocked but hopeful faces. Her eyes swiveled over to glance at Irina's reaction.

Irina's hands were around her mouth, tears welling up at her reddened eyes. Mitsuki noticed that her mother's eyes were also red due to crying. Her father looked haggard, appearing to have aged several years in a single night.

But… why are they so shocked? Mitsuki thought.

Irina shakily reached her hand out to touch her but retracted it. Her brow furrowed. Something wasn't right. Something wasn't adding up. Mitsuki was alive.

Katsuki drew his sword and pointed it at her. "Who are you?"

"D- Dad?" Mitsuki took a step back, shocked that her own father would draw his infamous odachi, Watatsuki, on her.

"Who are you and why are you using my daughter's body as a puppet?" he demanded.

Elaina's eyes began to glow with fury. Red magic circles appeared around her, all humming with power.

"Mom, Dad, it's me." she took a step forward but jumped back when a red bolt of energy struck the ground before her.

"How dare you use my daughter's voice!" Elaina roared.

"W-Wait! I'm not a skinwalker or a ghoul! I can prove it!" Mitsuki held her hands up in surrender. "If… If I was really a skinwalker, would I know this? Irina, when we were 6 years old, we had a sleepover and during that sleepover, you walked over to Aniki's bed when you thought we were all asleep and-"

Irina's face turned red and she held her hands out. "S-Stop! Okay! You're real! It's really you!" Irina yelled.

Elaina and Katsuki glanced at each other.

"Dad, you have a collection of Underworld Gravure Magazines in your-"

"Okay! Okay! Stop! Mii-chan, your mother is right there!" Katsuki said.

"Wait… what? Underworld what?" Elaina's gaze narrowed as she shot her husband a nasty look.

"Er… anyway, M- Mii-chan! You're awake!" Katsuki said.

"Yeah. What happened? I was…"

"What was the last thing you remember?" Irina asked.

"The barrier around town went down and Ingvild told me that she got Aniki's signal. I flew into town as fast as I could and then saved Lily and that other girl. Then I ran into the church and saw Aniki knock out someone. And then, nothing. Next thing I know, I was here in the medical tent with a hole in my shirt and a blanket over my head. Which by the way, thanks for thinking I was dead." Mitsuki placed her hands on her hips, giving her parents and Irina a hard stare.

"Actually, about that, Mitsuki-"

The tent flaps burst open as Issei came rushing through. The two adults and Irina stopped to look at a haggard Issei, scanning the room like a madman. His brown eyes locked with Mitsuki's hazel ones. Tears welled up at the corner of his eyes.

"M- Mii-chan…"

"Aniki, are you alright—!?" She stumbled back when she felt Issei's weight slam into her. Before she could fall, Issei's arms wrapped tightly around her, holding her close. His head was buried in the crook of her neck, sobs wracking his body.

Mitsuki frowned and brought her arms up, rubbing circles on Issei's back. She felt his tears soaking through her uniform.

"Shhh, it's okay. I'm here. I'm here, Aniki." Her soft, soothing tone echoed into his ears, calming him slightly.

She was here. Mitsuki was alive.

It worked… It actually worked! Mitsuki, she's… she's… Issei thought as his hug grew tighter.

"A- Aniki! Air! Air!" she tapped his shoulder blade, attempting to get his attention.

Issei blinked and pulled away from the hug. He brought his arm up and wiped his tears away.

Mitsuki smiled and placed her hand on his cheek, wiping away the rest of his tears. "Gee, you're such a crybaby."

"Me? If I recall, you were a bigger crybaby even in middle school," Issei countered, laughing a watery laugh.

Mitsuki smiled in response.

"Ahem."

The two turned to see Elaina glancing between the two oddly. Katsuki had his hand on his chin and gave his wife a look.

"Mitsuki, we're glad you're awake," Elaina said.

"T- Thanks, Mom. But what was with the… magic and swords?" she asked.

Katsuki rubbed the back of his neck. "I need a smoke. There's been… reports of skinwalkers around here. Far from their usual territory in fact. Just needed to make sure."

"Oh… okay," Mitsuki said.

Something wasn't right. Her parents weren't acting right. She recalled her parents' words earlier. They acted as if she had-

"Mii-chan?"

She blinked. Her train of thought was cut off when she saw Issei staring at her.

"I'm fine and…" her stomach growled loudly. "I'm…"

"You must be hungry. Come on. Let's go to the tent we call a mess hall," Katsuki said. "I hear they have bacon and pancakes today."

"That sounds good!" Mitsuki bounded forward, smiling at her parents.

Elaina tried to smile but shot Issei a piercing stare. She turned her warm gaze back to her daughter and patted her head. "At least being knocked out hasn't ruined your appetite."

"M- Mom! Stop it!" Mitsuki said. She glanced over her shoulder. "Aniki, let's-"

"Issei and I need to talk. We'll catch up," Irina said.

She shot Issei a steely glare, causing him to freeze in his spot.

Mitsuki glanced at them oddly before shrugging and leaving the tent with her parents.

After sensing that Mitsuki's energy was farther than before, Irina stepped forward. Issei unconsciously took a step back, sensing the girl's anger weighing down on him.

"Irina…?" Issei asked.

"What did you do?" Irina asked, stepping forward.

Her eyes began to glow as she looked Issei up and down. A faint ringing sound began to emanate from her body, followed by the appearance of a dim light.

"W- What do you mean?" Issei cursed himself for stuttering.

"What. Did. You. Do?" she enunciated every syllable as she closed in on Issei.

Issei tripped falling on a bed. "I…"

"Stay still."

Irina towered over Issei, hand coated in holy power.

"W- Wait! I'm a devil! That's going to-"

"It will only hurt more if you keep moving. Something's wrong. No… something's been wrong ever since you walked into the tent. You… your light… it's so weak," Irina whispered.

"My… light?" Issei raised an eyebrow.

"She's an angel. A reincarnated one but an Angel nonetheless. Angels are psychopomps by nature. And while not all Angels can perform the roles that other psychopomps do like Reapers and Valkyries, Angels can still tell." Mastema's cold voice rang through his head.

You… You guys are still…

[Of course, we are! You stupid… I don't even know where to begin with you!] Ddraig snarled.

"Issei. Stay still."

"Huh? What are you-"

Without warning, Irina shoved her hand through his chest. Rather than piercing flesh, her hand went through as if his flesh did not exist. A white light radiated from Issei's chest. Veins akin to that of molten lava crept their way up his neck and across his face.

"Guhk! Aagggh! What the hell-"

Irina's eyes widened. Issei could see the horror in her eyes as she pulled her hand out.

"You… What did you do!?" Irina grabbed Issei's shoulder, her grip tight.

"..." Issei remained silent, ignoring the searing pain in his chest.

"My God, Issei. Why aren't you saying anything?" Irina said.

Issei clenched his fists before looking up at Irina with dull eyes. "I did what I had to."

His face snapped to the right. A stinging sensation was left on his cheek and Issei looked back at her in surprise.

Irina's hand was outstretched, tears threatening to erupt from her eyes. Her body shook as she took a step back.

"What you had to do?" she whispered. Her bangs shadowed her eyes before she rushed forward and grabbed Issei's shoulders. "WHAT YOU HAD TO DO!? WHAT PART OF THIS WAS RIGHT IN YOUR EYES!?"

Issei flinched when he heard her shout in his face. He had never heard Irina raise her voice like this before. Hearing her raw,

"Did you even think before you went ahead and did this? I may not know much about Blacklight or some other things but I'm an Angel, Issei. The first thing I learned was how to read souls and about what they're used for. So tell me, what the hell were you thinking!?" Irina demanded.

"It was my fault…" he replied.

"What?" Irina asked.

"It's my fault. I had to fix it," Issei said.

[Fix? What part of this is fixing this!?] Ddraig asked.

"F- Fix it? What part of this is fixing it?" she asked incredulously.

"Irina… I had to. She's… She's my best friend. Without the Boosted Gear, without prez, she was all I had. The only girl who would talk to me like a normal person. Raynare used me. Led me on. Left me to die... I'm sure if I had no Sacred Gear, Prez wouldn't even bat an eyelash toward me. I'm just the school pervert, Irina. Someone who goes on spewing about boobs but with Mii-chan, at least with her, she sees me as someone else. Someone more than just this…" he gestured to his entire body.

"Something more? Just the… Issei, do you have that low of an opinion of yourself?" Irina asked.

"I couldn't let her die. I just couldn't…" the tears began to flow freely from Issei's face. "We might not be related but she's still my sister. A world without her. A world without her means nothing to me…"

Ddraig and Mastema were stunned into silence.

Irina's eyes widened in shock before her hands tightened their grip on his shoulders.

"How… How is Mii-chan going to feel when she finds out her Aniki is going to die in one year?" Irina asked quietly. She looked down.

"She's not going to."

"W- What?" Irina looked up at him.

Issei grabbed her, looking at her frantically.

"Issei…?"

"She can't find out. Promise me you won't tell her," Issei said.

"I…"

"Please, Rin. Please don't tell her," Issei whispered, burying himself in the crook of her neck.

Irina frowned before nodding.

"I… I promise," she said.

"Thanks," Issei replied.

The two remained like that for several more minutes, basking in each other's presence. Irina wrapped her arms around Issei's broad shoulders, holding on to him as if he would disappear if she ever let go.

"Ahhh! It feels good to be back home!" Mitsuki said, stretching her arms.

"Are you alright?" Issei asked.

"Hmm? Well, aside from this throbbing pain in my chest and the fog, I'm fine. More importantly…" Mitsuki grabbed his face. "How are you? You were gone for almost three days and almost died. Are you okay?"

"I'm…" images of Mitsuki's dead body flashed through his head briefly before he composed himself. "I'm fine."

"By the way, that was everything right?" Mitsuki asked.

"Yeah, that was everything Beelzebub told me," Issei said.

He had been debriefing her on the situation.

Irina stood silently behind them, watching them interact as they stepped foot in Mitsuki's house. Ingvild placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Did he…?" she asked.

Irina grimaced and nodded.

Ingvild sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Damn. I… I knew he was out of it but to think that…"

"I don't know what to do. I need to tell her but…" Irina trailed off and gripped her arm.

Ingvild nodded. "I know but Issei probably wants to tell her himself. He can't keep this to himself forever."

"Guys?"

The two blinked and saw Mitsuki looking at them oddly.

"Where did Issei go?" Irina asked.

"He went back to his house to check on the others. Mom's reporting this to Gramps so we might have to meet with the other alliance members soon to formulate a plan. I need to go get ready so I can provide a presentation for them," Mitsuki said.

"I'll go with you," Ingvild said. "Irina can go with Issei to check on the others."

Irina blinked before nodding after seeing the look Ingvild had given her.

"Oh right, Rin. Can you go tell Issei to bring the Gremory Peerage? Most likely… Rias will be coming along for the ride. Of course, this will mean that…"

"Your anonymity will be broken," Irina said. "You broke it for me. You'll break it for them as well?"

"Anonymity is our key. Only a select number of leaders know who we are and our numerous contacts across the world are constantly being monitored," Mitsuki said. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "The fact that our existence is a secret is partially why we're so effective as a union. You can't defend against a threat that you don't know."

"And to top it off, Rias's peerage is at the heart of conflict with Khaos Brigade and heavily involved with the creation of the alliance even if they weren't the contributing members. It would not hurt to have them by our side for this," Ingvild said.

"It was bound to happen the moment I recruited Aniki and now, you. It's better for them to hear about it from us rather than have them find out by accident sooner or later," Mitsuki said.

"I hope what you're doing is right," Irina said.

Mitsuki stiffened for a moment before nodding. "I hope so too."

Issei opened the door to his house, using a spare key he had tactically hidden underneath an imitation rock by the door.

"Guys, I'm- Oomph!"

Issei felt a weight slam into him. A pair of hands pulled him close, burying his face in a soft, heavenly valley of flesh. Blood began to trickle down his nose and a dumb smile appeared on his face as he sank deeper and deeper. This familiar sensation. The firmness. The bounciness. It was definitely Rias.

"Ise!"

Issei's mind went blank for a split second when he heard her melodious, seductive voice ringing through his ear. If that little girl had decided to rip the rest of his soul out now, he could die a very happy man.

"Senpai!"

"Issei-san!"

He felt Asia and Koneko's weights on his body.

Issei blinked.

"A- Asia?" Issei asked, seeing her green eyes peering into his.

Asia smiled and nodded. Without any warning, Asia leaned in and captured Issei's lips with her own. The two shared a deep kiss, earning jealous looks from Rias and Koneko.

Xenovia and Yuuto watched with small smiles on their faces, though Xenovia sported an annoyed look on her face.

"You… You're…" Issei asked breathlessly after pulling away from the kiss.

"I love you… Issei," Asia said.

"E- Eh? So suddenly!?" Issei gawked.

"I've… You being gone. Everyone became so desperate and I couldn't find any reason to do anything. When Mitsuki and Irina went to go look for you, I prayed so hard that they would find you. And… I've decided to stop running away from myself. Issei, I…"

"Not even five minutes and you already bagged another one."

The four turned to see Irina standing at the door with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face.

"Pretend I'm not here," she said, her cheeky grin causing Issei and Asia to blush.

"E- Eh!? I- Irina, this is…!"

"Mmm. Ne, Rias. It looks like we lost to Asia today, didn't we?" Irina asked.

Rias chuckled and stood, nodding at the twin-tailed girl.

"It looks like we did," Rias said.

Asia's reddened face began to glow. A flustered Issei quickly got up and straightened himself.

Irina's smile faded. "By the way, Issei. Mitsuki wants us to bring Rias and her peerage to the school."

"The school?" Issei asked.

"There's going to be a meeting there in half an hour. Rias needs to attend."

"Just… Just Prez?" Issei asked.

"If I have to go, then my peerage has to come with me," Rias said.

"Oh yeah, where's Akeno?" Issei asked.

Rias grimaced. "Beelzebub's possession of her took a heavy toll on her. She's resting upstairs. She hasn't woken up yet," she said.

Issei frowned before nodding.

"Mitsuki said that it's fine if the peerage comes. She said she's breaking the seal," Irina said.

Issei nodded. In the time he had been a member of Blacklight, the one thing that was reinforced into his head was that anonymity was their greatest strength.

The Seal of Anonymity was an oath Blacklight Members had to take. It was not a formal oath but an informal, unspoken one that had a thinly veiled threat hidden behind it. In order to maintain the status of the organization and its integrity, all of its members were given a hidden agreement to keep its existence a secret. As Mitsuki had once said to him numerous times…

It's useless to defend against an enemy you don't know exists.

Fifteen minutes came and went. The chosen venue for the meeting was the Student Council Room. The very same room that the Faction Leaders had their meeting in. The group had decided to arrive early to take a break before the meeting started. None of them knew what the nature of this meeting was for bar Issei and Irina. It was rather odd. Aside from the initial Three Factions meeting, Rias never expected to be a guest of another one.

Azazel sat in the room, waiting for them. Mitsuki sat in a chair as well, speaking with Ingvild with several holographic screens around them.

"Hey, kid. You're alive," Azazel said.

"That's a greeting if I ever heard one," Issei said bluntly.

"Have some more tact, Lord Azazel. Issei went through a very traumatic experience," Rias said.

Irina walked past the group, meeting up with Mitsuki and the others.

Issei glanced at them but decided to stay with the peerage. He did not want to disturb the two when they looked so busy.

Guys…

Issei tried reaching out to Mastema and Ddraig.

Can we… talk? Issei asked.

[About?] Ddraig answered.

About what happened, Issei said.

"Issei, what do you expect us to say?" Mastema asked.

I had no choice, he said.

[You fool. There's always a choice.]

I couldn't let her die, Issei argued.

[I know. I just…] Ddraig sighed. [I'm just very disappointed that you would throw your life away this easily.]

I'm really going to..,

[Don't you dare finish that sentence. We will find a way out of this, do you hear me? Even if we have to exhaust Blacklight's entire archive. Even if we have to scour every edge of this planet for a way. We will break this deal.] Ddraig said.

Yeah… thanks guys, Issei said.

"You don't sound very sure of it," Mastema said.

I just don't want to get my hopes up and be disappointed. That deal sounded absolute, Issei said.

"Aniki."

Issei blinked and saw Mitsuki snapping her fingers in front of his face.

"Huh?"

"We're starting," she said.

Issei nodded and turned to face the table. In the seats across from Azazel, holograms of Sirzechs and Asmodeus appeared. To his left, a projection of Michael appeared and to Azazel's right, the hologram of Taki appeared.

"Oh? Red Dragon. You survived an encounter with my younger brother. Very impressive. Not to mention that you managed to bring back two others from what I've heard. Beelzebub must either be really impressed or really annoyed." Asmodeus's sulfuric yellow eyes twinkled as they gazed through him. Her look made him extremely uncomfortable as he shifted in his spot and stood closer to Rias.

Sirzechs coughed. "Master, you're scaring him."

"Eh? Oh dear, you don't need to be scared of me. I'm not like my siblings," she said.

"In any case, we should start this meeting. Taki, are you alright with Mitsuki breaking the Seal of Anonymity?" Azazel asked, glancing at the man next to him.

Taki downed a bottle of whiskey before burping slightly. Mitsuki slapped her forehead and stepped forward. "The Seal of Anonymity will break today but you all need to promise not to reveal our existence to others. Only then can I do this," Mitsuki said in place of her grandfather.

"Do you hear that, Tomato? Gotta swear an oath," Azazel said, glancing back at Rias.

Rias bristled at the nickname before sighing. "I swear on my family name that none of what is said here aside from the obvious will leave."

The rest of her peerage followed suit except for Issei.

Rias turned to Issei. "Issei, aren't you going to…?"

"He doesn't need to. Kid's known for a while. After all, that's what his little escapades were about," Taki said, eyeing the inside of the whiskey bottle.

"At any rate, on behalf of my drunk grandfather, I am honored to introduce the Blacklight Organization to the members of this room. Aside from our regular contacts, Lady Asmodeus and Lord Azazel. Lords Michael and Sirzechs have had no contact with us so it is my greatest pleasure to make your acquaintance," Mitsuki said.

"I am Ingvild Leviathan. I am also a member of Blacklight." Ingvild performed a curtsy before them.

Taki burped once more, eliciting a look of annoyance from his granddaughter. "You know me already. Well, Azzy and Modeus do."

"Ahem, Lord Azazel and I will begin our reports," Mitsuki said.

Azazel leaned back in his seat and waved his hand. "There's nothing much to report on our end. But from what we've gathered so far. The Old Satan Faction within the Khaos Brigade has fallen apart."

Sirzechs closed his eyes and nodded. "It would seem that Shalba's death contributed to its fall."

"Raezavan and Vali most likely didn't see them as allies either. Vali is in Khaos Brigade for two things after all. Revenge against his father and to help fulfill the goal of the Ouroboros Dragon," Azazel said.

"The Ouroboros Dragon? Now, this is surprising indeed," Michael said.

"A plot twist even I couldn't have expected. I never expected her to manifest there," Taki said.

"Her presence was distinct. The entire battlefield sensed her manifestation despite the chaos," Ingvild informed.

"The Ouroboros Dragon? By that you mean the Dragon God of Infinity, right?" Rias asked.

Dragon God of… Infinity? Ouroboros Dragon? Issei asked.

[In this world, there are two beings who can be recorded as absolute existences. They exist above the Gods and live in a realm higher than our own. The Ouroboros Dragon, Ophis, the Embodiment of Infinity, and the Dragon of Dreams, Great Red] Ddraig explained.

"Both of them possess Boundaries as well. Of the two, Ophis is the only one I can say without a doubt is a natural Boundary user. You can very well call her the First Ascendant," Mastema informed.

"Hmph. Her and Vali's interests align. In addition, I doubt Ophis would let an opportunity at Great Red pass by just because she wants to keep Raezavan alive," Azazel said, waving his hand.

"This is a matter we must address later. A battle between the Dragon of Dreams and the Dragon God of Infinity will surely pose vast consequences for the entire planet should it happen. For now, Mitsuki," Sirzechs said.

Mitsuki nodded and pulled out her AS. A screen projected itself before them, showing a map of the world along with the images of several people. Issei was among the images.

"Is that… Issei?" Yuuto asked.

"Yes. This is data compiled over the past couple of months ever since we detected their activity. I'm sure that the Faction Leaders are already aware of the information we gained from Miyo Yatogami after she was arrested," Mitsuki said.

The leaders nodded and she continued with her report.

"I will now present data from our investigations and from Aniki's personal report from his time spent in Centralia." she swiped her finger across the air, bringing up the images of the several children. The images revolved around the table.

"Issei Hyoudou. Lily Anderson. Yozora Izayoi. Lance McArthy. These are all people who have went missing and these four are the last remaining survivors of entities that the prisoner Miyo and Beelzebub refer to as Fallen. Short for Fallen Humanity. Humans that have been infused with the blood of the Origin Demon, Lilith. According to Aniki's report, Beelzebub informed him that they were created by feeding them blood as infants after he possessed the parent who made the Faustian Bargain," she said.

"Each one possesses different abilities ranging from the Power of Destruction to the Boundary of Chaos, the Shevirat Ha-Kelim. The purpose for their existence is unknown but the information gleaned from Beelzebub indicates that it has something to do with a new world order that he plans to implement," Mitsuki said.

"New world order? Is this leftover sentiment from the Great War?" Sirzechs asked, glancing toward Issei.

"No. At least, not that he said so. To be honest, he didn't really say a lot beyond using us to wash the world clean. But one thing he said was that we were soldiers or something," Issei said.

"Soldiers. He means to kill all but one and he calls you all soldiers?" Michael asked.

"Er… I'm not really sure. This was all he told me. He said that he's going to use us to create a new world after erasing the old one," Issei said.

"Whatever his plan is, he has what he wants now right, in the form of that kid, Lance?" Azazel asked.

Issei clenched his fist and nodded. Memories of that horrid moment replayed over and over in his mind.

"Purpose, eh? Hmm." Taki stroked his beard.

"Aside from us… er most of us, you've fought Beelzebub before haven't you, Taki?" Azazel asked.

"It was back then. World War II. Prior to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We were keeping a close eye on the Manhattan Project in America at the time. However, when the current president decided to nuke Japan, we scrambled to prevent it from happening. But… Beelzebub showed up before we could keep the aircraft from taking off," Taki said. His hologram leaned back in its chair.

"In the span of two days, a majority of the Divine Ten was wiped out in the ensuing combat, including my older sister, Rei. Our defeat scrambled our efforts and the US was able to drop the two bombs," he finished.

"If you want purpose, then I don't have one for you," Taki said.

"How strange. Do we know where Beelzebub is?" Michael asked.

"Yes, we do. But the fact that we do is… rather strange," Ingvild said.

"I'd assume so. It's probably a trap," Sirzechs said.

"But in the end, we would have no choice but to take the bait," Azazel said.

"Heh. We would actually. Ingvild, project the current intel we sent to you," Taki said.

Ingvild nodded and swiped the screen, projecting an image of a massive forest with a perfectly circular plain in the center.

Azazel whistled. "Wow. Hoia Baciu. Couldn't have picked a more conspicuous place," he commented.

"Our scans indicate a force of over more than a thousand devils. Possibly more. There's a massive magical distortion engulfing all of Romania that makes detecting magic difficult," Mitsuki said.

"That's not a number we can just ignore. A number like that and Beelzebub can launch an attack on any human country in the world and decimate it within minutes," Asmodeus said.

"Maybe that is their plan. After all, we've tracked their scouts as well. All of them are targeting major population centers across Europe. The fact that we were able to easily detect the movement of his scouts almost makes it look as if he wants us to find him," Taki said.

"So it is a trap," Rias said.

"More or less, what choice do we have? In the end, whether or not we bite, Beelzebub will get what he wants. A test run of his new army," Azazel said.

"Then, we're all in agreement on moving on him. Trap or not, this is not something we can pass up. Countless innocent lives are in play here and not to mention, this is one person we cannot allow to run. We must sever the head of the snake before it devours the entire flock," Sirzechs said.

"Not to mention, any move Beelzebub will make will most likely earn him the ire of the Great Evil of Reverie, Veles," Azazel said.

"I have no problem with sending an assault force to disrupt Beelzebub's forces. I'll send for Dulio and Griselda to go accompany all of you. Gabriel will most likely show up as well," Michael said.

"I can contribute myself, Team Slash Dog, and Baraqiel. Since this is a force of a thousand, it's best that we send in our best," Azazel said.

"Mitsuki, your father, aunt, and Black Wolf Squad will be heading there with you and your… nameless squad," Taki said.

"N-Nameless? W- We have a name!" Mitsuki said, stamping her foot.

"Sure you do. Napping Reaper and her squad will be there with Operative Blood Moon and Blooming Orchid," Taki said.

"As for us, I will go along with my peerage and Rias's peerage. I'll leave the Underworld in Ajuka and Serafall's hands," Sirzechs said.

"Then, it's settled. In approximately 2 hours, we'll make our move," Azazel said.

"We'll meet you over there. We need to set up a forward camp. Moon Halo. Nona Ouroboros. Crimson Wyvern-"

Issei's eyes widened when he heard it. "Me?"

A grin nearly split Taki's face apart. "Yeah, kid. You. That's your codename from here on out. Meet Blood Moon at the camp with the others in two hours. Black Wolf Squad will be there with them waiting," he said.

"Alright, kids. You have 2 hours. Get ready," Azazel said.

Several hours had passed since he had arrived. A trek through a forest without a map and surroundings that changed constantly to disorient him had made the trip longer than it ought to be. Lance took a deep breath as he broke through the tree line onto the clearing.

"You finally made it."

He jumped and turned to see Beelzebub standing behind him.

Apollyon stood silently behind Beelzebub, observing Lance with her piercing blue eyes.

"I'm here. Now what?" Lance asked.

Beelzebub pointed to the skies. Lance slowly looked up and his eyes widened. The sky was filled with winged beings. Each one dressed in a cloak that hid their face from the world. Their wings were shaped like that of a bat and they all stood in attention as if they were waiting for something.

"W- What is this?" Lance asked.

"Your army," Beelzebub said.

"My what?" Lance took a slight step back.

Beelzebub walked past him and turned to face him, spreading his arms in a grand gesture. "This is your destiny. In exchange for your sister's life, this is the path you've chosen. To lead this army as its leader to usher in a new world and crush the current one beneath your heel.

"To trample upon the Gods, Angels, Monsters, and Devils alike. With the ashes of their corpses and their blood, we shall welcome a new world free from the failings of the current one. Imagine it, Lance. Your sister can live freely without her affliction, without the stigma of what she has. But it's all up to you," Beelzebub said.

"Doing this… This is beyond just the trials-"

"And what of them? You've murdered children and adults and you're backing out now? You're on the verge of making the greatest omelet ever and you're worried over a few eggs?" the Demon Lord said.

Lance bit his lip and clenched his fists.

"In the end, your sister will be the one that suffers if you don't do this. Not that she'll live long anyway." Beelzebub turned around.

"What…? What are you—"

His eyes widened when he saw an image of the behavioral facility where his sister was being held. The image quickly changed to the hallways. The orderlies and nurses that walked down them all had pitch-black eyes. One of the orderlies glanced into the room where his sister was being held before walking away.

"You…"

"A little incentive if you don't cooperate," Beelzebub said.

"You're… This wasn't the deal! The deal was that I—" He was cut off when Beelzebub spoke.

"This is the deal. The deal was that you fulfilled the duty we laid out for you in exchange for her life and safety. You don't get to back out of this, Lance. If you do, well… your sister might become their toy with just a snap of my fingers. Can you imagine what they'll do to her? Will they violate her purity or rip her apart slowly, limb from limb?" he taunted.

Lance's eyes burned with rage and hatred toward the man. But he knew anything he tried would end in his and his sister's death. His shoulder slumped in defeat. "I'll do it…"

"Good boy. Now… let's prepare to raze this continent to the ground and welcome our guests," Beelzebub said.

"Guests?" Lance asked.

Beelzebub gave Apollyon a look and the masked devil nodded. She disappeared in a swirling vortex.

"Of course. Did you think that we wouldn't be noticed? The Red Dragon Emperor and his friends have come here. Be ready to greet them, eh?" Beelzebub said before disappearing in a swirl of black mist, leaving Lance all alone in the middle of the clearing.

Here we are... at the last 3 chapters of the Arc. Yes, I gave Angels the ability to read the status of souls. Yes, it is very painful and involves physically touching the soul in order to know just what's going on. No, there is no COLT like in the last two iterations of this fic. This is now mostly its own thing and will move on from its predecessors.

I plan to make this finale a three-part one and then this story will go on a short break to allow me to cool down from writing a whole ass 29 chapters for the first volume (Arcs 1 and 2). Volume 2 (Arcs 3 and 4) will come out sometime this month, most likely at the end when I come back. I do have most of it plotted out all the way to the end. We'll learn more about Boundaries and Ascendants but for those of you who can't wait.

Basically, it's a concept I based on two of my favorite VN series and is the counterpart to Laws in Azure, my other fanfic.

With that, I'll sign off. I'll see you all at the beginning of the end of this arc, yeah? Remember to leave a review and to have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours.