Lilith sat atop the church, dangling her feet. She narrowed her eyes when she felt a sudden spike in power. A tinge of rot and decay hung in the air as the sky slowly grew darker with each passing moment until the sun was blocked by dark gray clouds.
"Beel's entered his Qliphoth Form," Leviathan said, watching the plant life around the church rot and wilt into nothing. "Those kids won't be able to defeat him now."
"..." Lilith said nothing and continued to keep her gaze fixed on the great forest in the distance.
"So Sis, what are you going to do?" Leviathan asked.
"Nothing." She crossed her legs and rested her head on her hand, continuing to watch the raging battle with a bored expression on her face.
I hope what you showed me was real. Your resolve. I hope I didn't choose wrong when I chose you, Ise-chan.
Beelzebub took a step forward. Each step he took tainted the ground below him, killing all the life that lived underneath the soil and erasing any and all hopes of life ever returning for the next few centuries. His shadowy form sucked in all the light around him as if he were a walking black hole. And even from the distance, the two teams could feel the irresistible pull of his aura.
"Now, let's move on to the main course. You've all made me work up an appetite," Beelzebub said.
He raised his arms and the world trembled and quaked. His aura surged forth from his body, blanketing the entire region in a foul miasma.
Rias narrowed her eyes as she tried to gauge the depths of the being before them. What she found almost made her vomit. Her entire body stiffened and refused to move. It was as if she were a prey animal staring down an apex predator in the face. The fear that coursed through her made her want to shrink into a ball and accept her fate.
"Prez?" Asia asked.
Rias bit her lip and found her courage.
"We…"
"Qliphoth Mode…"
Rias turned to Mitsuki, who was supporting herself with her sword. She watched as the girl began to walk forward.
"What a drag," Mitsuki said as she drew Yorihime from its sheath.
"Adashino-san?" Rias said.
"Prez, just stay back and heal up. Mii-chan and I will draw his attention away from you and the others while Asia heals you," Issei said, walking past her.
"I- Ise? What about you? You need to heal… too?" Rias's eyes widened when she saw most of Issei's wounds were gone. "W- When did Asia…?"
"I didn't," Asia said, much to Rias's shock.
[Partner, I hate to admit this but even with the Satan Lucifer's help, I have a high doubt that we can pull off a win. Beelzebub's Power of Sin allows him to absorb everything as long as it's not a physical attack which means that the Power of Destruction is useless here as is virtually all forms of magic. I don't know how you can pull off a win] Ddraig said.
"You're being way too pessimistic, Ddraig~! Ise-chan's got me!" Mastema chirped.
[Hmph, are you sure you'd be willing to go through with this? You of all people?]
Oddly enough, Mastema did not answer his question. Not immediately, at least. She let out a sigh before speaking up.
"If that's what it takes…" She manifested her projection next to Issei.
"Don't count me out," Irina said, walking forward. She glanced at Mitsuki, whose eyes were already a blazing shade of red. "Do you have a plan?"
Mitsuki closed her eyes and resheathed Yorihime. She lowered her stance a little then opened her eyes.
"I do have a plan. Attack."
Her body flickered and she disappeared from her spot, sprinting at full speed toward the Demon Lord.
Irina sighed and ran after her, vanishing in a burst of speed.
"Tch! Those two-" Issei paused when he felt Ingvild's hand on his shoulder.
"Wait for an opening," she said.
My Balance Breaker. My body will break from the strain if I activate it now… I just need the right time!
Her eyes took in everything. Beelzebub's relaxed form. The sheer density of the demonic aura that exuded from his body. Even the way his wings were positioned. She drank every detail and committed it to her mind.
"So you're first! Rushing once more to death! How pitiful of the boy to have even tried!" Beelzebub created a massive dinner knife made of shadows and swung it with furious speed.
Mitsuki drew her blade and parried each blow, wincing each time she did so. Cuts opened on her arms and legs as she blocked each one. She performed a small backstep and sheathed her blade.
Her leg and core tightened as she exploded forward, drawing her sword and spinning like a top.
Beelzebub performed a side-step, dodging her attack.
"Mmm?" he looked up and saw Irina performing a vertical spinning slash.
"Hanami!"
He jumped back as Irina reached the final cycle of her spin, dodging the attack by only a hair's breadth.
"Foolish Angel!" Beelzebub said.
He threw his hand forward, firing a blast of black lightning.
Irina jumped back but the force of the explosion sent her flying into the air. She caught herself in mid-air, using her wings to act as a balance.
Her eyes narrowed when she saw Beelzebub was no longer in his spot.
"Where is he-"
"Rin!" Mitsuki flew and grabbed her, teleporting a few feet to the side as a large dinner knife made of flesh swung down in a vertical line.
The earth exploded as the ground and sky were split completely in half. A large trench whose depths could not be discerned was carved across the entire woods and beyond.
"A strike is carried out with malice, girl!" Beelzebub said, rushing toward the two.
Irina pushed Mitsuki away, saving them both. She dashed forward, engaging Beelzebub in furious swordplay.
Beelzebub easily parried her blade.
Mitsuki thrust her sword forward, coating it in lightning and touki.
An extra appendage extended from Beelzebub's side and blocked the sword with a fork made of shadows.
"Hehehe, ahaha!" Beelzebub swung both weapons furiously, parrying and staggering the two girls. With one quick motion, Beelzebub knocked them both away with a single kick, sending them crashing into the ground.
"Now, where were we-"
A massive snake made of water exploded from the ground directly beneath him and swallowed him. The snake quickly morphed into a sphere of water which began to rapidly condense. The conditions inside were beginning to approach the pressure at the ocean floor.
"Now!" Ingvild yelled. Before he uses his Power of Sin to absorb the water!
"Haaaaah!" Issei appeared above Beelzebub and drove his fist into the spear, launching it at extreme speeds. It plowed through the forest before violently exploding, releasing an entire ocean's worth of pressurized air into the open. Trees within hundreds of feet were flattened in an instant.
"Mii-chan! Irina!" Issei yelled.
"Worry about yourself, Dummy Aniki!" Mitsuki said, getting up.
"What she said, Dummy Ise," Irina panted.
The forest exploded in the distance.
Issei's instincts activated and he ducked, narrowly avoiding a high-speed sharp projectile. A shadow enveloped his form and he suddenly found himself lying on the ground and staring at a shadowy figure with insect wings hovering in the air above.
"F- Fuck…" Issei cursed.
Beelzebub grinned. The wound he received from Ingvild's pressurized water seal was finishing its closure.
"Unless you can do something about Beelzebub's regeneration, then there's nothing you can do to win," Mastema said.
Well, fuck me in the ass, how do we bypass it? Issei asked, watching as Beelzebub continued fighting Irina and Mitsuki.
A blast of red and black energy struck him but was instantly absorbed by his Keter Shel Achlanut.
"The Prime Demons possess immense regenerative capabilities with the power to recover from discorporation, which is the complete eradication of one's form until not even ashes are left of it. Unlike the other Devils, the Prime Demons were originally created to counteract the Gods and thus, the Great Evil of Rebellion introduced the concept of Sin into the world, tying them to seven overarching sins from her own existence and embedding it into the universe.
"As those Sins are ideals that exist within all life, the Prime Demons can continue to return and reform even after their bodies have been completely destroyed, depending on how much demonic power they have so fighting a war of attrition against Beelzebub is a moot point," Mastema said.
"We really are fucked," Issei said.
"But there is a way to overcome it. In order to completely defeat Beelzebub, you must damage his soul's tie to the Sins of the Great Evil. A feat only possible with overwhelming power or a Boundary," Mastema said.
[I have the perfect weapon for this. Unfortunately, it's under lock and key.] Ddraig said.
"Assuming Beelzebub won't absorb it and use a magnified version against us. Which is why timing will be key for this," Mastema said.
"What exactly do you have in mind?" Issei asked.
"Mii-chan! Together!" Irina yelled.
Mitsuki nodded. She activated Telos Karma and drew out as much power as she could.
The two kicked off their spots and rushed toward Beelzebub.
"Mangetsu!"
"Mankai!"
A single, ruinous, all-cutting slash was followed by a series of furious swipes that severed light and air. The world resembled cracked glass for all but a moment. Numerous cuts littered Beelzebub's smoky, shadowy flesh and his head had been severed.
"Not ba-"
A torrent of pressurized water punched through his chest, destroying his left lung, A bullet of red and black energy punctured his torso, erasing several of his internal organs and spine.
"Like I said brats…" his voice echoed all around them. "Not bad."
Beelzebub's wounds vanished rapidly as his body restored itself to its prime. He wiped his mouth, knowing that there was no blood there. A grin appeared on his face. "But if this is all you can muster, then I think we can end this battle here. Playing with little kids can get really boring, you know."
He rushed forward, striking all of them in a second. The four were sent flying in different directions.
Mitsuki caught herself in mid-air, spreading her wings. A shadow loomed over her and she felt a hand grab her throat before she could even use Telos Karma to alter her fate. She kicked and struggled, grabbing at Beelzebub's hand as he lifted her above his head.
"Khhh…" she choked out, attempting to flare her demonic power to break the hold. However, each time she did, she felt more power leave her.
"To think that even after all that, you would still rush back here. To think that he wasted all that effort getting you back," Beelzebub said.
"Y- You and Lance repeating the same s- shit over and over again!" she managed to get out. Her blazing red eyes locked with Beelzebub's glowing yellow orbs.
"Ahahaha! So you don't even realize what happened back in that town?" he asked.
"Fuck you!" she rasped.
"Well, then, let me tell you about the oldest lesson in the book. About how the dead should stay dead, and about how…"
He opened his mouth and spoke.
Mitsuki's eyes widened when she heard the words come out of Beelzebub's mouth. A look of fury spread across her face. Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes held untold rage and denial. "You're lying! There's no way! He would never do something like that!"
"Ahahahaha! There it is! The sweet, sweet look of denial! Let me guess? You woke up and everyone was acting weird around you? Your own friends even thought you weren't you and you had to prove it to them! Isn't that right, Mii-chan?" he asked mockingly. "They pulled every old trick in the book."
Mitsuki bared her fangs and began to thrash harder within his grasp.
"You're lying! Aniki would never stoop so low!" she screamed.
"Oh? Then can you remember what happened between Centralia and you waking up? As Iris's granddaughter, your eidetic memory should allow you to recall every moment vividly," Beelzebub said.
Mitsuki narrowed her eyes.
"But you can't. There's that fog inside your head that you can't shake. Don't worry though. It's just a dam we like to put up after we bring people back to life. Makes them less suspicious of things," Beelzebub said. "But that dam can be broken with just the right touch."
One of Beelzebub's arms slowly made its way to Mitsuki, extending a bony, double-jointed finger.
"Let go of her!"
Beelzebub glanced over his shoulder to see Issei rocketing toward him. He let Mitsuki go and flew back, narrowly avoiding a punch that was coated in black and red flames.
"Mii-chan!" Issei dove down and caught her before she could hit the ground. He gently lowered her to the ground. "Mii-chan?" Issei noticed the hollow look on her face for the first time. Her eyes were staring off into space, a look of horror and anger etched deep within her eyes.
"Mii-chan!" Issei yelled.
Mitsuki blinked and turned to see Issei giving her a worried look. Her eyes lit up with anger before she quickly suppressed it.
"I have a plan but we need to act quick or else Beelzebub will wipe us off the face of the planet," Issei said, glancing at the Demon Lord.
Beelzebub was engaged in a furious battle with Rias and Xenovia. The way he moved was far more refined than any of them. The hundreds of thousands of years of combat experience he had, coupled with his immense powers, were too much for them to handle.
All they could do was bank all of their efforts on this one plan.
"Remember what I said. You have one chance to do this. You must aim for Beelzebub's heart. Megiddo is a dangerous power. A power that embodies Finality and Armageddon, manifesting as flames that destroy even the souls of other beings. As you are right now, it is powerful enough to sever Beelzebub's link to Sin, allowing you to kill him. But you only have one shot at this. If he realizes what you're doing, it's over," Mastema explained.
Issei nodded. He prepared to rush toward Beelzebub in order to aid Rias and Xenovia when Mitsuki grabbed his arm.
"Aniki… what did you…?" Mitsuki looked at him with desperation in her eyes.
"What did I…?" Issei raised an eyebrow.
"What did you do? Did you… Did you…?" she asked, desperately wanting it all to be a lie.
Issei noticed her body shaking. The tone of her voice. He had not heard it since they were in Chiba. It was the same tone she took whenever she was in denial of something. "What do you mean?"
"Did you… sell…" she never finished her sentence. The shocked look on Issei's face told her everything she needed to know.
Mitsuki weakly let go of Issei's arm and slowly got up. "We'll talk about this later. Right now, we need to stop Beelzebub from achieving his goal."
She wordlessly walked past Issei, not even bothering to spare a glance at him.
"Mii-chan, I…," Issei said.
"We'll talk later," Mitsuki said.
"Right," Issei said, walking up next to her.
"What's your plan?" she asked.
"Basically, we need to…"
Beelzebub grinned and met Rias's own Power of Destruction with his own. The two orbs of pure annihilation clashed in mid-air, causing shockwaves to travel across the sky and disrupt the atmosphere. Eventually, Rias's sphere gave out and was consumed by Beelzebub's Power of Destruction.
A dragon made of pure water swallowed the orb, containing it for a few seconds. But in those few seconds, Yuuto and Irina came down, swinging their respective blades and inflicting enough damage on the attack to cause it to detonate violently.
Koneko rushed out from behind Rias and began to furiously engage Beelzebub in close combat.
Xenovia appeared from behind Beelzebub and slashed his unprotected nape with Durandal.
"You stupid kids! Don't you ever learn!" Beelzebub said, releasing a repulsive wave of demonic power.
Koneko and Xenovia flew back but managed to catch themselves.
"I'm bored now. I guess it's time for me to end it all. I'll start by devouring the soul of your pillar, Rias Gremory. It's been a while since I've consumed another person's soul. Though, I wonder what yours tastes like, Sister of Lucifer. Since you have red hair, I can imagine that it has a little tang to it like a tomato," Beelzebub said.
He held his hands out and created two large dinner knives. "So far, I've only been indulging you and eating all of your attacks. So how about you start defending against some of mine?"
Beelzebub's eyes glowed as multiple mouths appeared in the air around them. The grotesque lips opened, revealing sharp fangs and writhing tongues. He clapped his other two hands together and the mouths began to projectile vomit at them.
Rias quickly raised a magical barrier, defending her and the others from the vomit.
Her eyes grew wide with surprise when the liquid began to eat through her magic circle. The arcane carvings on her barrier began to distort as they melted.
"It's some kind of acid!" Rias yelled.
"Scatter!" Ingvild called out.
The group flew apart, narrowly avoiding the high-speed acidic projectiles that traveled across the sky. Each streak left a visible black vacuum in the air it traveled through. And each one landed on the ground, melting it and dissolving the area until nothing was left.
"Ise-chan, watch out. This is an application of Beelzebub's Power of Sin. As his sin directly relates to Gluttony, you know he has the power to consume any non-physical phenomenon he comes across and utilizes it for his own. This is a modification of that. The noxious substances he can summon have caustic properties that digest their target until nothing is left," Mastema said.
Why do bad guys always get cool powers! Issei said as he and Mitsuki flew toward them.
"Aniki, the longer we fight, the longer we're at a disadvantage. Beelzebub's aura will contaminate the area until everything dies, including us. We're on a ticking clock," Mitsuki said.
She looked down at her arm, noticing the burns on her skin were progressively getting worse as time passed.
"Right, then let's do this!" Issei said as the two increased their speed.
"Mikazuki!" Mitsuki shot forward, slicing through the torrents of devouring acid that was shot toward them.
[Final Dragon Shot] Issei fired a beam of black energy that pierced through one of the mouths.
"Mmm?" Beelzebub turned to see the two flying toward him at breakneck speeds. His eyes lit up in glee as he raised his hand to intercept their attacks.
A sonorous boom shattered the sky, creating a shockwave that shook their surroundings violently.
"I was wondering when you two would come." Beelzebub effortlessly held their attacks back. Sparks flew everywhere as the metal of both the Scale Mail and Yorihime ground against Beelzebub's weapons.
"As if I'm going to go down before I finish my harem," Issei retorted, grinning behind his visor.
"Ahahaha! I really am going to miss you, Issei!" Beelzebub swung the knife, forcing them both back. He spread his arms, summoning an array of mouths behind him. The mouths puckered their lips before letting out a large burp.
A large cloud of translucent dark gas was expelled and traveled toward them at frightening speeds.
Mitsuki pushed Issei toward the ground and gripped Yorihime. Her eyes flashed and she drew her sword. "Futsukazuki!"
She slashed the gas cloud, launching several electrified vacuum blades. The gas cloud was sliced apart, however, Mitsuki's air blades were erased, having been digested by the gas cloud.
A shadowy arm extended past the cloud, reaching toward Mitsuki.
"Mokuren!"
A large wave of fire slammed into Beelzebub's back, causing him to pause momentarily, and allowing Mitsuki to gain some distance.
"You're becoming very annoying, Angel!" Beelzebub said, turning slowly.
However, his vision was filled with Koneko's fist. The unexpected blow slammed into him with the force of a freight train traveling with the speed of a bullet train. He plowed into the ground violently, kicking up several metric tonnes of dust.
"That was for earlier," Koneko said, panting heavily.
"Good job, Koneko! Let Xenovia and I take over from here!" Yuuto said.
The two dashed past her, not intending to allow the Lord of Gluttony to recover for even a second.
Beelzebub pushed the dirt off him and stood. He felt blades dig into his shadowy flesh.
Xenovia swung Durandal, using its holy power to slice Beelzebub in half.
As the two halves began to fall apart, they regenerated just as quickly. The two halves of Beelzebub began to merge back together. "Hehehe-" his laughter was abruptly cut off as Yuuto swung the Sword of the Betrayer, slicing him diagonally.
"Prez!" Yuuto yelled.
He and Xenovia jumped back.
"Haaaah!" Rias clapped her hands together, summoning a large magic circle underneath Beelzebub.
A pillar of black and red light erupted from underneath him, towering into the sky.
"Ingvild!" Rias called out.
Ingvild nodded and threw her hand forward. The eight dragon heads all pointed their heads at Beelzebub. They opened their mouths and began to condense a massive amount of magical power.
As long as we can keep his focus on regeneration, then… Ingvild snapped her fingers. The dragon fired all eight energy beams simultaneously, detonating upon reaching their target. A large portion of the northern end of the forest was vaporized in an instant.
The light died down, revealing nothing but a smoldering crater amidst a ring of charred trees.
Beelzebub stood in the middle of the crater, wounds healing rapidly.
"Even after all that," Rias said.
Prez!
I- Issei? Rias's eyes widened.
A magic circle appeared by her ear.
Mii-chan and I have a plan to take him down but I need time to do it. Can you keep Beelzebub off me? Issei asked.
Rias's eyes darted toward the fully healed demon lord, who was nonchalantly walking out of the crater. Death followed him as life perished with each step he took.
The corrosion and contamination brought about by the sheer toxicity of Beelzebub's aura would do them in if the Lord of Gluttony did not kill them himself.
What do you need us to do? Rias asked.
Just keep him off me. Mii-chan will help.
Rias nodded and cut the connection. She glanced at Ingvild and Irina, who looked at her with the same expression.
"What's with the look?" Beelzebub asked.
Rias said nothing but powered up.
"Oh?" Beelzebub stopped walking.
Her hair began to levitate and her eyes glowed brightly. The destructive aura of her family shrouded her entire body. "Let's finish this, Lord of the Flies!" Rias said, shooting toward him.
"Mmm?" Beelzebub narrowed his eyes and dodged the attack. She's gotten slightly faster-!?
Beelzebub caught Malkuth with his hand. Irina glared and pushed down.
"Ehehe! You're all like flies!" Beelzebub said. His eyes narrowed when a dragon's mouth erupted from the ground below. He held his other hand out, absorbing the water into himself.
"What's with the silent treatment?" he asked, slamming his fist into Irina. She flew back but caught herself in midair.
"Nothing! I just find it rude to talk during a meal!" Irina said.
"So Lord of the Flies? Has the main course satisfied you?" Rias asked, hovering slightly in the air behind him. Her demonic power was surging. This was her final surge. Her last wind. It was all or nothing for her and she could tell it was the same for her peerage.
"Mmm?" Beelzebub turned around, his shadowy face hiding any form of emotion.
"Because it's time for dessert." Mitsuki swiped her blade.
Beelzebub dodged the attack and jumped back.
"I hope you still have room left, Lord of the Flies," she said, pointing Yorihime at him.
Beelzebub froze at her words. After a few seconds, he threw his head back and let out a boisterous laugh. "Hahaha! What was that cheesy one-liner? Was that an insult? To me of all people? 'Hope you still have room left?'... who do you take me for, girl?"
His eyes glowed with untold malice. His wings spread and he took to the air. The mere motion of his wings began to create a windstorm that pushed them all back.
"I am Beelzebub, one of the Seven Deadly Sins and the Lord of Gluttony! To say such a thing to me… how laughable!" Beelzebub said.
The group took off, charging toward Beelzebub.
"Lady Gabriel, we're finished here," Dulio said, yawning into his hand.
"Show some respect, Dulio," Griselda scolded, pulling her blade out of the corpse of a devil.
Gabriel hovered in the air above them, watching the battle in the distance. "I wonder if Irina-chan is okay," she pondered. "Beelzebub has entered his Qliphoth Form. I doubt they can keep holding out at this point."
Griselda glanced at the Archangel with worry in her eyes. "Xenovia is…"
"Mah, I'll help them out. After all, as the aunt, I have to discipline my nephew," Gabriel said. She smiled menacingly and held her hand out. A clay tablet with arcane etchings manifested in her hand.
Griselda's eyes widened. A Divine Key…? She's willing to use that against Beelzebub?
"Don't worry, Big Sis. I'll spank your kids for you," she whispered as she stroked the tablet. Gabriel spread her six snow-white wings, whose tertiary feathers had light blue highlights.
Her eyes began to glow as light enveloped her body and she vanished from her spot.
Griselda sighed and turned to Dulio, who was sucking on a lollipop.
"Can you not…?" she asked.
"Not what?" he said.
"Not do that. Come on, at least be professional on the job," Griselda said.
"That's too much effort. I realized something after becoming Lord Michael's Joker. Putting in effort gets you recognized and getting recognized means more responsibilities so I decided to not do that anymore," Dulio said.
"Ugh, I should have brought Eliza with me instead," Griselda said, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Even with all their efforts, none of them were able to land so much as a scratch on the Lord of Gluttony. Yet, their goal was not to damage him. It was merely to keep his attention off Issei.
Mitsuki ducked underneath the swipe of the comically large dinner knife, losing a few strands of hair in the process. She followed up with a dashing slash.
Beelzebub merely turned his head, giving her a fanged grin. "Too weak!" He threw one of his other hands, condensing a mass of darkness within it.
"Haaah!" Ingvild slammed a wall of pressurized water into his side, causing him to stumble.
"Tch!" Beelzebub whirled around and swiped the earth, ripping it apart and sending a shockwave that blew Ingvild away.
Xenovia and Yuuto burst through the dust cloud, swords poised and ready to skewer him.
"Please, I saw that coming a thousand miles away!" Beelzebub gripped his dinner knife and parried both their blows, staggering them. He raised his free hand into the air, creating a swarm of wasps and directed them toward the two.
A wall of black and red energy erupted from the ground, blocking their path. However, the insects piled onto the wall, chewing through the magic.
Rias narrowed her eyes. He's using his Power of Sin through the insects. As if they were a part of this body, this is-!?
"Rias!" Irina grabbed her and took to the air, narrowly avoiding a large mouth from swallowing her whole.
"How useless. What is there to fight for in this current world? Temporary respite? Concessions to your aggressors? What is it like to be reminded every day you wake up that nothing in this world truly matters? Wouldn't it be better for this world to be burned away back to its origin and be reborn?" Beelzebub said. "A true paradise…"
"What do you know of us?" Mitsuki snarled, glaring at the Demon Lord above her.
"I know more than you. I have lost more than all of you to this world. We Prime Demons shoulder the Powers of Sin because we are Sin itself. We are the true nature of this world born from the Great Evil of Rebellion," Beelzebub said.
"An embodiment of primal evil wants to make the world a better place? Don't make me laugh," Rias retorted.
Beelzebub only grinned. "The world's malice can only be sundered by malice. Haven't you ever heard the saying 'Two negatives make a positive?'"
That's right. Keep him talking, Issei said, watching the fight from a distance.
Mastema remained silent, fixing her gaze on Beelzebub. Her eyes went through a myriad of emotions.
"Be careful with Megiddo. You only get one shot at this, Ise-chan~! I'd hate to have to rebuild you from the idea up!"Mastema said, changing her persona in an instant.
Ddraig remained silent as he gazed upon her back. Even now, you…
Issei grinned underneath his visor and continued condensing the dark black and violet flame into his hand.
He shifted his heel and took off, charging toward Beelzebub. The thrusters on his back exploded as he shot toward the Demon Lord, becoming nothing but a streak of green and red light.
Time slowed to a crawl as Issei brought Opposition into the air, condensing and shaping the swirling black flame into a blade. He thrust the hand toward Beelzebub's unsuspecting, unprotected back. Or so he thought.
Issei froze in mid-air, feeling every muscle in his body becoming paralyzed. His eyes widened.
"Megiddo." Beelzebub raised his hand and brought Issei closer to him. He held his other hand, pinning the others to their spots.
"The infamous flames of the Archangel Lucifer that slew many gods. A manifestation of her boundary, the Shevirat Ha-Kelim, and a flame that represents the world's finality and armageddon itself. One of the only things in the world that can truly kill a Prime Demon," Beelzebub said. "It was a nice effort but… you missed your only shot, Issei."
How… How did he…? Issei wondered.
Beelzebub smiled and the glowing yellow orbs that were his eyes split apart and he pointed above him.
A single lone eye stared down on the forest clearing. There were a myriad of irises within the eye, each one writhing and twitching to move and scan its visual field.
"I do have to give you an A for effort. To think that your time in Pennsylvania could have made you use Megiddo to this extent," Beelzebub said.
"But it doesn't matter anymore. Now… Now, it's over." Beelzebub raised his knife into the air. "I wonder what your taste will be, Issei Hyoudou!" He smiled maniacally and brought the knife down.
Issei closed his eyes for the impending impact when a flash of blue light slammed into Beelzebub, disrupting his focus and releasing all of them.
Beelzebub flew into the air where his body was blasted apart by several beams of blue light. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the light particles interfering with his regenerative abilities. Blue light…
"Gabriel!" Beelzebub whirled around to see Gabriel hovering in the air in the distance. Her hand was held high in the air with a tablet hovering over the palm of her hand.
"That… That weapon is Yesod, the Key of Foundation!" Beelzebub gritted his teeth.
"Sorry, Beel. But…" Gabriel snapped her fingers and held her hands out. The world reconstructed itself and pixels began to manifest around her. Several futuristic blades appeared in a ring in the sky.
Yesod… the Divine Key of Foundation. A power that allows its wielder to project imaginary ideals as weapons… How annoying. Beelzebub thought. He tore off the arm that was riddled with light particles. Smoke began to pour out.
"NOW! RUSH HIM! WHILE GABRIEL-SAMA HAS HIS ATTENTION!" Rias yelled, charging her demonic power.
The others scattered and took off toward Beelzebub.
A red blade arced through the air.
"!?" Beelzebub's arm was severed by Irina before it could fully reform.
She gripped Malkuth's handle tightly and a surge of red energy exploded from the blade.
"Tch! Typical! Both you and Gabriel can't do anything about this!" Beelzebub said, using his other arms.
However, his arms were sliced and bitten off by a combination of Mitsuki and Ingvild's attacks.
"Wha-!? Insolent-!" Beelzebub expelled a wave of darkness that repelled the blades and his attackers.
His limbs began to reform rapidly.
"Don't forget about us!" Rias pointed two of her fingers, encasing Beelzebub's regenerating arms with the power of destruction.
"W- What!?" Beelzebub turned to see his other arm being severed by Xenovia.
"That was for Akeno and Asia," she said.
"Tch! Just how much are you all going to interfere!" Beelzebub roared in annoyance. Mouths manifested in the air, projectile vomiting caustic gastric juices at all of them. The bindings around his arms broke and they reformed.
"Annoying… now Gabriel is here…" Beelzebub let his demonic aura surge forth at full force, causing the entire area to shake violently. "No more playing games." He raised his arms, unleashing a myriad of magical attacks. All of the attacks were powers he had absorbed and encountered.
"No way," Issei said, seeing countless attacks and powers beginning to manifest in the air.
Gabriel landed on the ground next to Issei.
"You still have one chance. I'll give you that one chance to land a hit with Megiddo. Aim for his heart," Gabriel said, holding the tablet above her palm.
"You're…?"
"There's no time, Sekiryuu-chan. Now go!" Gabriel barked.
Issei nodded and took off, flying toward Beelzebub.
"Haven't you learned already!" Beelzebub yelled, firing a beam of green energy at him. The beam began to multiply, forming an inescapable storm of energy blasts.
Gabriel thrust her hand forward, firing rays of cosmic light at the beams, intercepting some of them. However, despite her endless onslaught, Beelzebub's managed to break through and home in on Issei.
"Tch! I can't let it- Huh!?"
The beams all curved, as if their trajectory had been suddenly altered and impacted different areas of the land.
"What?" Beelzebub's eyes widened and he turned to see Mitsuki on one knee.
She was in her Balance Breaker, holding her hand out. A small emerald circle spun lazily within the palm of her hand.
"You… You really remind me of that girl…," Beelzebub growled.
Mitsuki's image briefly overlapped with that of a bluish-black hair.
"Emerald… Divine Clock! NOW GO! ANIKI! I'LL CREATE FOR YOU THIS ONE MIRACLE! NOW GO!" she yelled.
The emerald circle began to spin more rapidly, growing brighter with each rotation.
"You… insolent!" Beelzebub turned from Mitsuki to Issei, who was charging at him with a spear of black and violet flames in his hand.
"Raaaggghh!" Beelzebub let his aura burst forth, sending a storm of demonic blades toward Issei.
Issei powered through the blades, wincing as each one sliced through his armor. "Ruuuoooogggh!"
I can't… lose here! Issei said as he felt one of the knives embed itself within his torso.
"You-" Beelzebub's eyes widened when he felt an intense pain in his chest. He looked down and saw the black and violet flaming spear, embedded deep within his chest and out through the other side.
Issei panted, gripping the spear tightly, and shoved it in deeper.
Beelzebub coughed up blood. He gripped Issei's arms, struggling to pull the spear out.
Issei let go of the spear and watched as Beelzebub plummeted to the ground.
Beelzebub crashed into the forest floor, kicking up dust and leaving a small shallow crater in the ground. The Qliphoth Form had been dispelled, returning Beelzebub to his original form.
Issei landed on the ground a few feet away from him, his eyes never leaving the Demon Lord for a second.
The others watched with bated breaths, waiting to see what would happen next.
"To think… that I would lose here," Beelzebub rasped, staring into the stormy skies above. "It doesn't matter…" he held his hand up, reaching for the sky and watching as devils swarmed across the heavens. "I did what I needed to do… it has been fulfilled…"
Issei's eyes widened upon hearing those words.
"That's the funny thing about these Trumpets… semantics… are really a bitch. So you may have won, Issei, but this… is just the beginning," Beelzebub said.
He weakly snapped his fingers and in an instant, the forest became filled with noise as a mass of darkness rose in torrents from the forest and flew in different directions.
"No, he's…" Rias's eyes widened.
"Ahahaha… I have to keep up my end of the deal for this. Demons… always pull through with their deals," he laughed.
Issei's face contorted in fury and he whirled violently on Beelzebub. "You…! What did you do?"
"Like I said… Issei Hyoudou. This… is merely the beginning," he said.
His body began to break down. His arms, legs, wings, and even his torso began to lose their physical form, becoming a wispy black and green flame. His eyes locked onto Issei's as his body began to fade away.
"Hear this, Issei Hyoudou. Hith-'o-rehr, shqodh… ki'o-yivkha Has-Sa-tan, k'ar-yeh sho-'ehgh, mith-hal-lehkh, u-mvaq-qehsh 'eth asher, yval-leha," he whispered as the life began to leave his body.
"Zebul… I'm sorry… I couldn't… change anything," he said as his body dispersed into black mist, which faded into the wind.
Apollyon kicked Sirzechs through a tree and deflected Grayfia's attack with exact precision. She backflipped into the air, unfurling her wings to maintain her balance. She disappeared and reappeared in front of Grayfia, swinging her lightning glaive at the surprised woman.
However, her sword was deflected by a flash of silver light. Apollyon was blown back by the impact of the blow, sliding across the dirt.
Katsuki stood in front of the silver-haired queen. Watatsuki was drawn from its sheath, gleaming in the light. Silver aura wafted off Katsuki's body and his eyes had changed from hazel to an eerie blue.
"Human," Apollyon said, straightening herself.
"Hmph. So this is the masked bitch that beat my daughter up?" Katsuki said, relaxing his stance slightly.
Apollyon said nothing and reformed her glaive. She shifted her feet and was about to attack.
Katsuki narrowed his eyes and lowered his stance. However, Apollyon never moved. Instead, her body stiffened and a magic circle appeared by her ear.
"Return?"
"..."
"I see… As you wish, Ha-Satan," Apollyon said.
"Wait," Sirzechs said, rushing forward.
Apollyon turned to him and gazed upon him for a few seconds before her body collapsed within a swirling void.
Sirzechs reached out to stop her but lowered his hand when she disappeared. Ha-Satan… and Annalise's eyes. Just… who are you, Apollyon? Sirzechs wondered.
The celebration that took place after the battle was brief. Despite their forces, Blacklight had lost a good chunk of their deployed forces. The devils that had swarmed the forest and the skies had scattered to places unknown. A final order from Beelzebub before his passing at the hands of Issei and the others. Now, the organization was hellbent on locating the scattered demons before they could wreak havoc on the human population centers across the globe.
Yet even despite that, the Occult Research Club and the Lunar Raven Squad found their own time to celebrate away from the busy ongoings of the camp. A short distance outside of Blacklight's Camp, the group sat about, eating food and relaxing.
They chatted amongst themselves, recalling the fight and every moment, and were generally glad they all somehow made it out alive.
"I didn't think that Lady Gabriel of all people would come and help us," Rias said, taking a bite out of her snack.
"Big Sis helped out? No wonder I sensed a big amount of Holy Power in your direction," Azazel said, waving his fork around. "Sis, you really have to let these kids do their own thing."
"I couldn't let Beel kill them, especially that adorable Red Dragon Emperor," Gabriel said, brushing her hair aside and taking a bite from her food.
"Why are you even here, Lady Gabriel? Shouldn't you be with the other leaders and track down the devils that escaped?" Irina asked.
"Aww, Rin! You're so mean! I already have Griselda doing that for me~!" she said.
As the group conversed, Issei felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned to see Mitsuki giving him a hollow stare. She jutted her thumb toward the forest and the two rose from their seats, quietly exiting the group. Irina glanced out of the corner of her eye but made no comment, continuing to make conversation to distract the others from their exit.
Mitsuki and Issei walked a good distance into the forest. The sun had set hours ago and the two were alone in the dark woods of Hoia Baciu, taking in the scenery of the infamous haunted woods.
After a few minutes of silent walking, Mitsuki stopped and turned around to face Issei.
"Mii-chan, what is it?" Issei asked, seeing the look on her face.
"I… Aniki, I want you to tell me what happened back in Centralia," Mitsuki said.
"What? What are you-?"
"Did… Did I die?" Mitsuki asked.
"W-Wha…? Huh?" Issei froze upon hearing her question.
"Did you… Did you do the things those parents did for their kids and make a deal?" she pressed.
"What? Mitsuki, come on! Are you really going to believe the words of Beelzebub over me-!?"
"Tell me the truth, Issei!" Mitsuki yelled.
Issei froze. Issei. In the time they had known each other, Mitsuki had only used his first name when she was serious about something. And she had only done that three times their entire life. He turned, refusing to look her in the eyes, knowing that she would be able to see the truth inside of them. But his actions spoke louder than anything he would ever say to her.
Mitsuki took a step back in shock and her shoulders slacked. "How… How long?" Mitsuki asked.
Issei rose to meet her gaze. "One year. She said that I used up almost all of my lifespan for it so I only have a year left," he said.
Mitsuki clenched her jaw. Without warning, she slugged Issei across the face, knocking him down to the ground.
Issei's eyes widened in shock. The pain in his jaw slowly began to register. He felt Mitsuki grab him by the collar and pull him up with surprising strength.
"How could you do that!? How could you just give your soul up just like that!?" Mitsuki yelled.
"Mii-chan, I promised-"
"Don't Mii-chan me!" she spat.
"I had to," he said.
Mitsuki's grip slackened slightly.
"I had to… we made a promise. It's my job to have your back-" Issei was interrupted.
"And what do you think mine was? I made my choice! I made that choice to save you! You're my best friend… and my family. Don't you think that I wouldn't do the same for you?" Mitsuki said, tightening her grip on Issei's shirt. "And then you go and do this? How could you do that!?"
"Because I couldn't do it," he whispered.
"What?" Mitsuki asked, looking him in the eye.
"I said I couldn't do it. Mitsuki, I couldn't do it. A world where you didn't exist. A world like that means nothing to me," Issei said.
Mitsuki let go of Issei, dropping him on the ground. She took a step back before falling to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"If… If I could go back and have the same choice, I would do it over and over again. I would even trade all of my lifespan just for that," Issei said.
"Aniki, you…" Mitsuki let out a watery sigh. She wiped her tears and got to her feet, walking over to Issei and helping him up.
"So what now?" Issei asked.
"Now? It looks like, I gotta save your ass this time," Mitsuki said. "I will break that deal. No matter what it takes, Aniki."
Amidst the ruined Circle, a swirl of darkness coalesced and condensed into a sphere. The sphere dispersed and Lilith walked out onto the clearing. Her footsteps were light. The moon shone down on her silvery-white hair. Her mismatched yellow and blue eye glinted in the moonlight.
"Beel," she whispered, kneeling where she sensed his life force fading.
A tear streaked down her cheek as she laid her hand on the ground. "I swear to you… that I won't stop until we reach the end of the road we abandoned a long time ago."
A pulse of violet light traveled through the clearing. White camellias began to grow on the toxic, polluted ground.
"For you, for everyone…" Lilith stood. Twelve pairs of feathery black wings unfurled from her back and a black halo appeared above her head. Whispers began to echo across the clearing.
"I hope you're ready, Ise-chan. This… is only the beginning."
Gabriel
One of the Seven Archangels and one of Heaven's Four Great Seraphs alongside Michael, Uriel, and Raphael.
She is the Third of the Angels to come into existence and the Angel of Foundation, bearing the Key of Yesod. Due to the sheer power she possesses, she is commonly known as the Strongest Woman in Heaven and is the rival of Serafall Leviathan, though she only acknowledges it to anger said Devil.
Her airheaded appearance belies a sharp wit and a need to satisfy her own endless boredom. Said need gave birth to three of the world's largest religions.
[]
Blacklight File: Archive #113
File Name: Gabriel, Jibril
Information:
One of the Seven Archangels and a ruler of Heaven. She is the twin sister of Raphael.
Her true combat capabilities have been documented and measured over the course of the Hundred Years War. A powerful and divine being on par with that of a God, whose true powers lie underneath that of the Great Evils. Possesses several unique abilities, key amongst them being that of the Sephira Form, her connection to the Key of Foundation Yesod, and her ability to manipulate the concept of Purification, allowing her to absolve her surroundings of impurity with a nigh-undefendable divine light.
Yes, here we are. We have reached the end of this arc and also Volume I. This story will go on break because I have to not burn out when I write this story. I do plan to make it past the second volume for this which is like... 2 arcs. I won't give you guys an exact time frame for when it will come back but probably, a month or two break just because I do have a life outside of writing fanfics for DxD and I also have other fanfics that are on hold. But enough about that let's talk about some things.
Megiddo. It is that black energy that Issei called the Power of Destruction at the beginning BUT it's not. It is an energy that represents Armageddon and can completely erase something at full power. But, since Issei can't contain Mastema's full powers, he can only erase physical objects and is only powerful enough to break Beelzebub's regeneration.
Second, Prime Demons. Something different about them from the previous two iterations. They are born as embodiments of the Seven Deadly Sins. As long as Sin exists, they can keep reforming and coming back. The only way to kill them as Mastema said is to break their link to the Sin which is easier said than done. Before you say anything, there are weapons and powers that can kill them so they aren't completely unkillable. Also, their Powers of Sin are tied to what Deadly Sin they embody like how Beelzebub can absorb and regurgitate abilities he encounters or projectile vomit stomach acid or burp out acidic gas from his mouths. The only one who doesn't have one is Lilith for reasons that will come later.
Anyway, that's it from me for now. See you all in a few months!