Chapter 5
Erebos Empire Capital
The Emperor was leading them into another large and empty hall, close to the throne-room.
Suddenly a symbol in form of an omega was lighting up on the ground. And above it a giant pillar of incredible supernatural energy formed itself above the symbol on the ground.
Behind this intagible energy however, there was malevolent intelligence. It was alive. And this life was powerful beyond any comprehension.
"This - the presence what you see before you is Lord Galid," Dagon the Emperor introduced the incorporal being. "He is our secret and also our greatest ally. When our new Empire arises, he will be the secret force beind it.
"Galid however is just the code-name we were calling him as part of the project to deceive possible agents of his enemies," The Emperor announced.
"His true name is and has always been Darkseid..." he announced.
"Centuries ago he had been a being of nearly endless power. A God and more. He was the ruler of entire worlds. But then his body was destroyed in a fight with a group of powerful enemies.
But his spirit and energy survived, very weakened and drifting aimless through space.
Until he was found by us," he stated. "And we helped him regain his strength."
"How?" Issei-013 asked.
"By sacrificing the ones who are not worthy to exist," the Emperor simply replied, "many of them."
issei didn´t need to explain who he meant, Issei-013 thought. Devils. The hatred these beings had for them nearly equaled his own. That actually made them sympathic to him.
"... And soon he will return," the Emperor continued. "Just like we will... and he will be on our side. Together nothing and no one will be able to stop us."
Something about his expression and the look in his eyes actually unsettled most of them. But none wanted to openly admit it.
Even the Erebos High Lord Pazuzu. Ever since they had started this entire alliance with this alien entity here, he admitted he had secretly been rising more and more doubts about the mental state of his ruler.
But on the other side, now - especially with exactly this entity at his side - the Emperor was as good as invincible.
xxx
Issei-013 remembered how they had been brought them here. On their way he had noticed that there were actually Devils here in this palace, who were working as Servants - or better said slaves.
He had blasted and killed the first two he had seen - two femaled who had the appearance of young women - on sight. Ironically, it it had not been for their race, he would have actually thought them cute. Their breasts, by what he had seen, had not been bad anyway.
But as it were, he lost his senses and vaporized the two `girls´.
As he found out however, nobody acted particular hostile about it - or even seemed to care.
The being named Pazuzu had told him that this two Servants could easily be replaced.
The other members of the Devil Hunters remembered what happened as well. They all hated the Devils with all their heart as well and could not really care about the death of two of them.
But still this incident worried them. They all saw how he had seemed to completely loose his senses for a few moments. The absolute rage he radiated from one moment to the other.
Vali and Kuroka had actually been holding him back, afraid he could continue
What kind of loose gun had they recruited here? they asked themselves. And what were the Emperor and his secret ally thinking to give him even more power?
xxx
"Now Hyoudou - we want to make you an offer," the Emperor said. "Are you willing to take some of Lord Darkseid´s power for your own? Do you accept to bond your energy to his?"
"Do you accept this terms?"
"Yes - I accept," he answered without hesitation. A normal person would have second thoughts about this. Most would be afraid or at least careful, to let an unknown entity into themselves.
"Good," the Emperor said.
The black energy was suddenly moving toward him. It was practically shooting out at him and then surrounding his body.
Then it concentrated on his Sacred Gear... and was starting to enter into the supernatural object, streaming into it.
More and more power was building up inside him and Issei-013 sank to his knees. But a smile formed on his face.
Yes - he would destroy them all.
xxx
Inside the Boosted Gear
The Dragon Ddraig from DxD-Universe-013 could barely believe that his host had done now. He had realized a long time ago that his latest Red Dragon Emperor had gone mad. But this was... he had actually permitted some creature access to his Sacred Gear.
Instinctively he was trying to force back the black energy that was invading what had been his living space for centuries. But it was in vain.
The Dragon watched how in front of him the energy was shaping itself into a dark figure. It looked as if part of this creature´s body was made out of solid rock. His head was shaped like a helmet and the eyes in his grey colored face were red as blood.
This was only a manifestion, he knew. It was only a part of the essence of this creature that had entered the Sacred Gear and has now taken this pseudo-physical shape.
But it had been enough to create a connection to the rest of this creature. It had now access to his Sacred Gear.
"Ah Ddraig," the figure said, "that was your name, wasn´t it? It looks like we will be spending some time together my new friend."
xxxxxxx
Alternate Kuoh - DxD-Universe-19 (Kalawarner´s world)
"Raynare? That is impossible," the Fallen Angel Reyla said. "What we sensed was at least an Ultimate Class Fallen."
"Really?" Raynare responded in a quiet and dangerous tone.
She saw that this version of her mother possessed two sets of wings. One more than she had ever reached in her own universe.
She was also wearing some already quite worn out looking civilian clothes, that however semed to follow the for female Fallen typical mixture of practical and sexy. A black leather-jacket with a grey shirt beneath it, black high heeled boots and a short black skirt.
"What are you doing here?" Reyla asked who she believed to be her daughter. "Last I heard you and your team had joined up with some pathetic bunch of renegade Devils after our people had been betrayed."
Issei had by now completely concealed his presence. Irina, Xenovia and Murayama were doing the same thing.
The group of Fallen had no idea that they were surrounded by powerful opponents.
Raynare was just starring at her pseudo-mother, trying to keep a stoic face.
"So I guess this means you have decided to return to the side of the true Fallen Angels," Reyla said, "and you have brought a Ultimate Class Fallen along with you. Not bad"
She looked at Issei, obviously deciding that he was the Fallen Angel they sensed earlier.
"And a few human Servants as well," she said with a glance at Irina, Xenovia and Murayama.
"Good - we can always use some. Maybe I had underestimated you daughter."
Raynare formed a lightspear in her hand.
"Think again," she exclaimed and moved the spear against her.
It wasn´t a very precise or dangerous slash. She was not really aiming to kill (yet). Just to vent out her frustrations. On some level she knew that this Reyla was not the same one who put her through so much shit.
Her mother was dead and not mourned at all. But the way she talked to her was just ryling her up.
To that came that Raynare was still barely using any of her power.
So Reyla had no real problem avoiding the strike.
"What are you doing?" she called out.
"Raynare - this is not truly your mother," Issei reminded her, trying to hold her back.
"Maybe - but she is certainly close enough," she replied.
Raynare was now powering up. All ten of her wings materialized now.
Behind Reyla, the other three Fallen Angels - two man and a woman - had now formed lightspears on their own.
But as they saw how powerful their leader´s supposed `low-class´ daughter truly was, they stepped back frightened.
Irina, Xenovia and Murayama meanwhile materialized their swords and showed their power as well.
Reyla on her part could only starring at the being before her in complete shock.
"You are not my daughter," she called out frightened. "Who are you?"
"Funny-" Raynare replied sarcastically, "now that you have seen what I´m capable of, I can suddenly not longer be your daughter. Maybe you should make up your damned mind."
Issei on his part had enough. He powered up without showing it in his appearance. And with a gesture of his hand, he froze the three other Fallen Angels in time.
Reyla was even more shocked as she sensed the short outbreak of power from the young man - who she until a moment ago had thought were an unknown powerful Fallen, who her daughter had recruited (probably by seducing him) to buy her way back into her good grace.
And as she realized that her three comrades were standing motionless like statues.
She had been wrong, she realized. Both of the powerful beings they had sensed were still here...and this strange double of her daughter was one of them.
"Who...?"
"You will see," Raynare said grimly.
She lifted two fingers and held them to Reyla´s forehead.
"I have neither time or am in the mood to explain things to you," Raynare said.
She formed a short mental connection. But it was enough to give a vaque knowledge... another universe, a similar life - one where she was dead... and how they were able to travel between these worlds.
"That - that is impossible," Reyla stammered. "Another world?... That just can not be."
"Believe me, it is," Raynare stated. "Is this not what you had always wanted? Your daughter being powerful like this?"
"Yes... no..." she said nearly toneless.
"And all what was necessary for that was for you to die and let me train with people who were actually helping me. You were useless to me. Maybe you are not her, but I bet you have done exactly the same."
"No - I... I wanted to help you get strong."
"You wanted me as your patsy to fulfill your pathetic ambitions. Besause you were too weak to do it by yourself. And how did that work out?"
"I-... I made a mistake," Reyla said.
"Yes - you did," Raynare replied.
She was now beyond terrified of this mirror image of her daughter. It was kind of ironic. She had wanted Raynare to be a top-level Fallen since she was a small child and done anything, no matter how extreme to push her to it.
Had she truly expected her to thank her in return?
"Leave now. Get away," Raynare said.
"What?"
"You heard me. Get lost. We are not here for you. And if you see your daughter, you should better remember what she could be if she had someone better to `help´ her."
"You just let me go?" she asked surprised.
"Yes. Go before I change my mind."
Issei released the other three Fallen Angels from their stasis.
"Let us get away from here," Reyla told them and they spread their wings and flew off.
And they disappeared as quick as they could.
"For a moment I really thought you might kill her," Issei said to her.
"Would you have let me?" she replied.
"Probably not," he admitted. "Even if I wouldn´t shed a tear after what you have told us about her. Still, we can not simply blame people for what their counterparts had done. Otherwise we all would have real problems, right?
But I was pretty confident that you would not go through with killing her anyway."
"I was close to. Maybe I should have. But given all the mistakes I made, I am hardly the person fit to judge someone. Even her."
Issei laid his arms around her.
"It is alright," he said.
It was about a minute later that a large Magic Circle appeared on the ground in a close distance to them and two more figures materialized.
The first was a red haired young woman with two black strains in her hair and the second was... Kalawarner.
"Raynare, Issei - I see you have finally found me," she said. "It took you long enough."
Issei and Raynare realized that they were still hugging and moved apart a bit awkwardly.
"Kalawarner," Raynare called out, "I am glad you are okay."
"I am Seria," the young woman said. They could not help to feel that they knew her from somewhere.
"I know what you are thinking," Kalawarner mentioned. "You of course recognize Seria here. But not under that name. Of course her style and the way she looks is now so different that you possibly just not see the obvious."
"My name was once Sona Sitri," Seria stated. "But I have given up this identity and all connected to it long ago."
"May I ask why?" Irina asked.
"You can ask. But that doesn´t mean I have to answer," she stated coldly.
"Does it have to do with the attack that destroyed Kuoh Academy?" Murayama questioned.
She said nothing, but the expression the girl calling herself Seria showed told them all they needed to know.
xxx
They spend the next half hour with this group of natives Seria was a leading member of and they and Kalawarner explained to them the situation in this world.
They were a group mostly consisting of Devils and a few Rogue Fallen, who had refused to follow Kokabiel and even a handfull of Yokai. In the end they were as it seemed just a small organization of renegades in hiding.
"So Kokabiel had with the help of Khaos Brigade assassinated Azazel and taken over the Grigori and then they went against the other Factions," Xenovia said.
"Yes," Seria/Sona replied.
This version of Sona had given up her identity and name. In fact, she was not even the same race anymore. She was not longer Devil, but human (or pretty close to it.) It seemed she or someone else had done something similar like the Evil Pieces, only the other way around.
It was no wonder they had not recognized her right away.
Issei could even sense that she possessed some kind of Sacred Gear. One quite similar to his own.
"What was even worse was that Ophis had been helping them," Seria stated. "With her and on top this secret ally that they had, they tore both the Devil and Heaven Faction down like nothing. The entire Supernatural World is in chaos since then."
"And this ally - they are called the Erebos?" Raynare asked.
"It seems you know them?" Kalawarner stated.
"We had a few run-ins with them in the time you were missing," Xenovia said. "They are not exactly friendly beings. We have also encountered a group calling themselves the Devil Hunters, who work for them."
"They are sewing chaos and dissent everywhere," Raynare explained. "They commit terror-acts, frame others, provoke conflicts. As it seems to weaken the Factions of these worlds for the eventual attack of their Masters."
"That makes sense," One of Seria´s allies stated. "They are weakening the enemy before their actual assault even started.
In this moment Issei-01 was receiving a call on his communicator. It was Gaeriel.
"Issei-" she addressed him, "there is something you should hear about."
xxxxxxx
Another DxD Universe (Universe 21)
The Devil Hunters arrived at the place of their next mission... their greatest so far.
They had just passed through the portal, together with their `administrator´ or maybe you should call it overseer Lord Pazuzu and an strike-team of his soldiers.
But they were just the beginning. Soon the rest of their troops would follow.
It was this world here where their versions of Vali and Kuroka originally came from. So in a sense, this was also a personal issue to them. They had been the two first members of the team called the Devil Hunters.
Both were recruited in this particular universe. As part of a new `special force´ the Erebos Empire was assembling. They were the first two. Others followed from the other parallel worlds the Demons were scouting. Desperate and angry people who had nothing to loose. And people who had faced their losses thanks to the Devil Species.
The perfect material for them to form into their tools.
Vali had been the first one. He had grown up under the brutal control of his grandfather Rivezim. With the intention to turn Vali into an asset for himself.
Like most other versions of himself, he was freed. Bu in opposite to most, he did not end up with the Fallen Angels.
In his case it was that Rivezim´s hideout was suddenly being attacked by an army of strange creatures, who he would later find out were Demons. Vali had been barely more than a teenager at that time.
xxxxxxx
Several years before
Rivezim´s Servants fought, but they were badly outnumbered by the swarms of enemies that seemed to be appearing out of nowhere. That and the fact that the leaders of the attack were overwhelming powerful.
Two of them - a man and a woman, he would later find out their names were Pazuzu and Ninlil, two of their highest leaders - were wiping out Rivezim´s guards like they were nothing. The roof of the base was being blown away by one outburst of their power.
The young Vali was impressed. He had been thought to value strength after all.
Vali himself activated his Sacred Gear to join the fight. But he was not quite sure on which side. So he ended up fighting only the few of the invaders who attacked him.
But it was nothing however compared to as the Emperor himself appeared. The others had already been impressive, but the power of the tall black haired Demon was just unbelievable.
He had teleported into the already wrecked base and instantly blasted away a half dozen weaker Devils and Magicians who were standing between him and Rivezim... and now this being was fighting his grandfather himself.
Rivezim was the most powerful being the young halfbreed had ever seen... until now. Vali hated his grandfather like no one else, but at the same time he feared and respected his strength.
But this strange being was not just matching him, he was overpowering him.
As much as Vali had wanted to see the end of the fight, his common sense won out and he attempted to flee. He activated his Balance Breaker Armor and blasted everything that stood in his way, no matter on which side.
Before he managed to reach the end of the fighting zone however, he run into Rivezim´s right hand Euclid Lucifuge and a fight broke out between the two.
"Get out of my way," Vali said.
"I can not - sorry boy," Euclid replied.
The two clashed. Vali tried to use Divine Dividing to weaken his opponent. But their fight did not take long. Vali was at his physical limit. He was not nearly as strong yet as he would be a few years later. And Euclid was just too powerful.
After a few more seconds, Vali´s Sacred Gear deactivated and he sank to his knees completely exhausted.
But just a moment later Euclid was himself attacked from all sides.
A minute later the Erebos Emperor and his two present High Lords were standing around Euclid´s dead body and the unconcious young boy.
The Emperor looked down at him and smiled.
"It seems we have found a promising candidate here Pazuzu," he said.
"Does that mean we take him with us?" Pazuzu asked.
"No - not yet," he answered.
xxx
As Vali regained conciousness, he found himself locked up in a room he had never seen before and was shackled with enchanted chains.
A short time after he woke up, a man - a Devil - came into the room and introduced himself as his Master.
As it turned out, a Devil from the normal Devil Facton had noticed the battle and after the attackers retreated, he had come to investigate and found him. And had instantly claimed him for himself.
The Devil had told him in a superficially friendly (but obviously patronizing) way that he had found him close to death and saved his life by placing his Evil Pieces into him. He also mentioned that he should be happy that he had been there to `save´ him and offer him a new life in his peerage.
Vali said nothing. He knew perfectly well that he had not be dieing at all when he passed out and if the attackers had wanted to kill him as he was unconscious, they would have finished the job and not let him lying there still alive. No - this Devil had just found him used the chance to enslave him.
The next few years had not been easy for Vali. He knew he had just switched one Master for another.
But he would not accept this. He had every intention to assassinate the fool who thought he could turn him into his slave. But he knew if he did that, he would be labeled a Stray by the other Devils.
Vali knew he was strong. But not strong enough to survive having the entire Devil Faction hunting him down for long... not yet.
So he trained. Just like he did before. His `Master´ actually approved of this. He was getting stronger after all. The arrogant Devil did not seem to realize that the purpose of the training was his death.
But as it turned out Vali would never get the chance. Another member of the peerage named Kuroka had killed him some time later.
Kuroka was also the only member he had been somewhat getting along with. Mostly because sometimes she seemed to doubt their `King´ as well.
The others? The ones who were actually contend to serve their so called Master. He did not interact with them unless it was ordered, he did not spoke to them unless he had to. They were not his comrades, they were part of the entire damn problem.
As he confronted Kuroka, she told him that the Devil had secretly been performing experiments on her to strengthen her powers and had now started to do the same to her sister Shirone, who was also part of the Peerage. She was sure that her sister would not survive these experiments. So she did the thing she had to do.
They both decided to flee together. On their way they defeated several other Devil Servants who were trying to stop them. They tried to take Shirone with them, but they could not find her. She was gone.
Later they found out that she had panicked when she saw that her Master got killed and got afraid... of her own sister. She fled and went back to the Devils.
And they also found out how they had thanked her for her `loyalty´. The Devil Faction had spread the story that Kuroka had gone insane through overuse of Senjutsu and killed her Master in a wild rampage.
They had also added that before that she had seduced him with both her body and the promise of fights against powerful enemies in the future. The reputation of being a battle-maniac that he had already build up did not help.
The worst however was that, with the excuse of wanting to `prevent´ something like that from happening again, the Heads of the Devil Clans had executed Shirone.
They only found out about it later. Kuroka had been devastated when she heard what happened.
And Vali noticed that he himself was as well. They had become close during the time they had been on the run. He came to realize that during these last years, Kuroka had been his only friend. A very attractive friend like he also admitted.
And during that time they had also become lovers. It had been one night as they had been sitting together in a hideout somewhere in the Underworld.
xxx
She had just come to him and sat down on his lap. At first she had told him her typical speach about wanting to repopulate the Nekomata race. It was by far not the first time she had flirted and tried to make a pass on him. But he did´t really buy her saying it was just to produce more of her race.
"Okay - you are right," she admitted. "This is just some stupid shit I say. Repopulating the Nekomata race? I am not even sure if we two will survive the next week.
It is just... I - I think I have fallen for you. But you never respond to me. I am trying to flirt with you, but you never react. And this was just the first think that came to my mind to get to you."
Vali said nothing for a moment. Then he pulled Kuroka closer to him and draw her into a kiss.
xxx
And then her sister had been killed by the same people Shirone had run to, to get away from her.
He was outraged about what happened to her, what happened to him... and for Shirone.
In fact he never actually liked Shirone. To him she was a naive self-righteous child, who was liking the boots of the same beings who had forced her and her sister into servitude. But she didn´t deserve this. And he saw what her loss had done to Kuroka.
They both swore bloody revenge on the Devil Clans and the Anti Satan Faction as well.
It had started with the next patrol group of Devils they came across. They ambushed and slaughtered them all. Except for the leader of the group, who they tortured so long until he gave them all the information about the Devil Faction, especially their locations in the human world, they wanted.
One day later they attacked the base of a High Class Devil in the Human World. They killed him and his entire peerage and tried to make it look like the Old Satan Faction was behind the attack.
But as they found out, they were not alone.
Vali instantly recognized the group of people that materialized in front of them. It were the same beings who had defeated Rivezim a few years earlier.
"Who are you?" he asked them.
This time the creatures introduced themselves and explained who exactly they were.
Demons - who had been forced out of the Underworld thousands of years ago by the current Devils and forced to flee to another dimension. And who were now back for revenge.
It was a fascinating thought.
Not only that, they had become travellers between the universes.
The one who had introduced himself as their Emperor from the Clan of Dagon told Vali that he recognized him from the battle a few years ago. He also told him that they were very close to killing him.
They told them of their deep hatred for the Devil Species. A feeling they both shared all too well.
But since they realized he was only part Devil... and they saw that he attempted to escape and even fought against Rivezim´s followers, they knew that he was not serving him willingly. So they decided to spare him.
Vali and Kuroka where still shocked and overwhelmed by what they had heard, as they received their offer. Just as the Demons had hoped they would be.
What they didn´t know that the Demons had in truth been monitoring them for a long time. They had actually already made him out as an candidate for their new `project´ before they even attacked Rivezim. Even if there was Devil blood flowing in him.
They had never intended to kill him, that was a pure lie. In fact Lord Pazuzu had intended to take the boy along right thereafter he passed out.
But the Emperor had another idea. So he send out a anonymous message. Directed at the location of the hideout of the closest Devil peerage they had made out during their scouting missions and informing them about the battle that had happened.
And just like the Emperor had predicted, only a short time later a couple of Devil Servants appeared and found the remains of the battlefield... and an incredible powerful, unconscious young boy with incredible potential... who the Master of this group could of course not hesitate to force into his peerage.
Both Pazuzu and Ninlil voiced doubts about intentionally letting a fighter with that kind of power be captured by the Devils.
But the Emperor had just reassured them. This would only increase the boy´s hatred for the Devils and make him hate both the Old Satan and the New Satan Faction equally. And they already had their sights on this particular Devil, he assured them. Should the boy not have broken free by himself in a few years, they would just kill him and free him. And making him feel indebted to them as a bonus.
Even Pazuzu admitted he was disgusted by this plan. Were their methods truly not different than the Devils? But it was the word of the Emperor.
As it turned out the boy named Vali, with this world´s version of the Dividing Gear did not need their help to break free after all. And the girl named Kuroka had turned out to be another bonus he brought along with him.
Both were broken, desperate... and full of hate. Perfect.
Both of them didn´t hesitate as they offered them a free and save shelter... and the chance for revenge in a way they had never thought possible. So their new group gained not only one member, but two.
xxxxxxx
The present - the same world
They were in the moment standing at a spot at the side of a road, leading to this world´s Kuoh. Like in most realities like their own, the town was a stronghold of the Devil Faction.
"It is finally beginning," Vali stated.
"Yes," Kuroka said. "It feels strange somehow, to be back here - Nya."
"Back here - for the last time," he added grimly.
"Yes."
"So is it," Lord Pazuzu stated. "Power up and take your positions. Operation World-Storm is now beginning."
With that he and his tross of warriors were teleporting away. They were crossing over to the Underworld of this reality... their main target.
The Devil Hunters would stay for a few more minutes.
"So this is our `great day´," Koneko commented.
"It is," Vali said with a hollow voice. He sounded not nearly as convinced as he wanted to.
"Do you have doubts?" Kuroka asked him.
"Why would you," Issei-13 said. "Isn´t this what you told me, you have been working for, for years?" I for my part will enjoy every moment of this. It is not every day that you see a whole Underworld burn."
Nero - standing behind them - staid silent, like most time.
Raynare-17 didn´t say anything as well.
"Let us beginn," Vali stated.
He powered up his Sacred Gear and then activated his Balance Breaker, with Issei doing the same thing a moment later. Their Scale Armors formed around their bodies and the two Dragon Emperors from different realities rose up into the air.
Normally both of them should have been bitter rivals, being carriers of Ddraig and Albion.
And in fact they came short to blows not long ago. But it became clear to both of them that Vali would have beaten him instantly, much to Issei´s frustration. However not simply because he wanted to beat Vali. It reminded him how inadequate he still was for his goal, to take revenge on them all.
Yes - in many cases much of the lives of many White- and Red Dragon Emperors circled around fighting each other.
But in case of these two, they had both found another target for their emnity. And for their hatred.
They both were taking position high above Kuoh Academy.
It did not take long for the Devils present to come out and confront them. Until two years ago, the control of this Kuoh had - like in most worlds - been in the hands of the Gremory and Sitri Families.
But this had changed after the Sitri heir and half of her peerage had been killed. The control of the town had been given to the Families of Belial and Phenex, who were running it now.
The Devils of course had noticed the presence above them. They came rising up to meet the intruders.
The current rulers of Kuoh were Diehauser Belial - a Satan Class Devil - and Rias Gremory´s husband Raiser Phenex. The Devils had learned from Kokabiel´s attack and did not longer left a couple of teenage girls with inexperienced peerages in charge of the town.
But here it made no difference. Both Dragon Emperor´s faced the attacking Devils with a smile on the face and used the special powers of their Sacred Gears.
(Boost Boost)
(Divide Divide)
Issei-013 was using the abilities of the Boosted Gear to boost his powers more and more, while Vali used his to weaken and absorb the one of their opponents.
At first they fought with their regular powers against the first Devil Servants they met. They both materialized Holy Swords that the Erebos had given to them before the mission. Another gift for them.
Issei cut two of them down who had already been weakened by Vali´s power with glee on his face, while Vali himself killed another one with an emotionless expression.
"Who are you?" Diehauser called out. They all recognized Vali as the White Dragon. But he had not been seen in years.
"You are the Red Dragon Emperor," this world´s version of Raiser said, looking at Issei-013. "But that is impossible. The last Red Dragon was a woman and she died only a few years ago."
"Oh really?" Issei replied sardonically.
This world´s timeline had diverged from his long before Vali had been born. So it looked that someone else than him had become the Red Dragon Emperor here. Not that it mattered to him.
Issei activated the new power he had received. And so did Vali one moment later.
A black aura was surrounding both of them.
Even a Satan Class like Diehauser was hopelessly outmatched against this. He tried to use the Power of Worthlessness to negate their powers, but realized in horror that they were immune to it.
It was the same with Raiser, who was in this moment being shielded by his Queen Yubeluna. Only for Issei to use his new powers to literally rip her apart with a wide smile...
... and then continue to drive his with dark power enhanced sword through the shocked Raiser´s body, his regeneration was being neutralized by the sinister energy.
The same was happening to Diehauser.
Less than a minute later it was over. They were levitating in the air, lying beneath them the dead bodies of the few opponents they had not completely vaporized.
"We are finished here," Vali stated. "Let us join the others."
xxxxxxx
At the same time in the Underworld of this Universe
Pazuzu and his group, along with the Devil Hunters Kuroka, Koneko, Nero and Raynare, had meanwhile prepared everything. They were standing in a large circle around a large futuristic looking device they had brought with them through the dimensios.
A few seconds Vali and Issei-013 appeared next to them as well.
The machine they were standing around looked similar to a to an about four meters high metallic pyramid with a fast rotating also metallic globe on it´s top. A blueish light was building up around the device as the surrounding Demons, including Pazuzu himself, lifted their arms and transferred their own supernatural energy into the machinery...
... before it was channeled into a beam that shot up sky of the Underworld.
And there, about 200 meters above them, the beam focused and opened a giant dimensional portal, nearly 50 meters wide.
A second later a large techno-magical airship was leaving the portal, surrounded by hundreds of Erebos warriors who were flying with their materialized wings. The first ship was followed by several more of the same type and similar ones and flanked by thousands of more Demons.
In the end the personal barge of the Emperor was crossing the portal.
The invasion of this world had begun.
xxxxxxx
DxD Universe-19
Back in the world Issei and his team were currently visiting.
"That is it," Gaeriel explained. "Multiple transfers between the same worlds. It is as if someone is transporting an entire army from one to the other. We have already send a couple of this test drones into the universe in question."
"I see," Issei-01 replied.
She was in this moment seeing the first of the data this two probes were sending. The one she had send to the alternate Kuoh showed a picture that was more or less normal, except for signs of a battle between Supernatural Beings that seemed to have taken place above Kuoh Academy.
Through the probe drone´s camera, she could make out a few bodies that were lying scattered over the school-yard and a large crowd of students who were starring at the bodies in obvious shocked fascination... and the police that just arrived.
She easily recognized the dead as that world´s version of Raiser and a few members of his peerage. Someone must have attacked and killed them and just left their corpses behind without care of the humans present finding them.
The recording from the other probe, which she had send directly to this world´s Underworld, however were much worse.
It showed a giant battle, going on around the Devil capital of Lilith. The town itself was standing in flames and at least a few districts had already been devastated.
One side of the battle were the defending Devils, the other she recognized as Erebos Demons.
The beings calling themselves the Erebos Demons, who had so far mostly been shown as a lurking theat, go in this chapter finally in the offensive and start to conquer a few of the other worlds.
There is also a bit of background for a few of the members of the Devil Hunters.
To the guest reviewer Trinity Seven: No - Akeno will not be part of the harem. I have thought about it, butsince the beginning of part two, I knew very little to do with her character.