I apologize for the short chapter, but there are two reasons for it. The first is that considering the goofiness coming up next and how serious this chapter can get I feel it would be in bad taste and out of place. The second is that I've been working a bit later and haven't been able to write as much before the deadline. It might have been two weeks, but I took a break from writing for one of those weeks.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!
Jumping across the rooftops of the Underworld's capital city was the figure of a young woman, the night sky obscuring her in shadows. Their movements were swift and silent, the citizens walking on the streets below completely unaware of their presence. Eventually, the woman stopped moving and stretched with a groan.
"Sooooooo good to get out of that stuffy building! This is my first time seeing the world outside the lab! Even if it's just a little bit of this city. I wonder if I'll be able to fight crime like in those comic books Selene always reads."
The woman resumed leaping from building to building.
Luke left with Rias and the rest of her peerage after the audience with the Great Satans and they were on their way to one of the lower levels for a special presentation.
"Luke?" Rias motioned her finger to signal him to come to her side.
"Yes, President?" Luke asked as he came up to Rias.
"There's something I need to talk about." Rias started whispering to him. "Honestly, I should have told you this the day we met."
"Huh?"
"Just as you lost consciousness after Raynare nearly killed you, something… how should I explain this… briefly awoken?"
"I don't understand."
"I see, so he is your servant." Another voice spoke up from behind them, one Luke had never heard before.
Luke turned around and saw the pink-haired woman with horns that was watching him during the Great Satans' speech.
"I must say, you've recruited quite the intriguing young man to your peerage." The woman said.
"You're-!" Rias seemed awestruck at the presence of this woman.
This woman must be someone important for President to react like that. Luke thought as he gave Rias a perplexed look.
"That's Roygun Belphegor." Yuuto whispered to Luke. "She's ranked second in the Rating Game."
Second?! No wonder President is like this. She's starstruck. Now that I have a closer look at her, Roygun is stunningly beautiful.
"I came here today to see a friend, but I did not expect to sense such an unusual aura coming from your servant." Roygun's eyes focused on Luke. "I can't quite put my finger on what it might be, but this boy has a unique quality to him that I've never felt before. An aura different from that of a Heavenly Dragon. What is your name?"
"Erm, my name is Luke, ma'am. Luke Sigmund."
"Luke Sigmund, I look forward to the day your master cultivates your abilities to their highest potential."
Both of them were dead silent as Roygun intensely stared at Luke, which started to make him feel uncomfortable until she suddenly placed her finger underneath his chin.
"… Sapphire Dragon Emperor, you have a really cute face."
Almost immediately, Luke's jaw dropped and his face was as pink as Roygun's hair at her compliment. Suddenly, Rias grabbed Luke by his arm and held onto him while pouting at Roygun.
In the presentation room, most of the young Devil heirs and their peerages were waiting for a special announcement from Genesis when a nervous-looking man came up to the stage and spoke on the microphone.
"We're currently experiencing some technical difficulties. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."
"Looks like we're gonna have to wait a little longer." Issei thought out loud.
"Something isn't right." Melody said. "There was a hollowness to those words."
"How can you tell?" Issei inquired.
"My Power of Sound also allows me to sense vibrations around me. If someone is lying or being dishonest, there is a slight physical reaction I can pick up on. In other words, I'm a living polygraph."
"Poly… graph?"
"A lie detector."
Looks like there's no fooling Melody-sama…
"Melody-sama, Issei-senpai?"
Melody and Issei saw Azusa come up to them.
"I… I can't find Spiral-niisama anywhere."
"Maybe he just went to the restroom." Issei guessed.
"He should have been back by now." Melody said. "I know he was with us in the audience hall earlier."
"That's the last I saw Spiral, too." Issei stated.
"Spiral's been acting strange ever since we came to the Underworld." Melody recalled.
"… I'm really worried about Spiral-niisama…" Azusa looked at the floor.
"Why are both of you so worried?" Issei asked.
Melody scanned the room with her eyes before speaking again. "Primoir isn't here, either. I don't like this. Azusa, Issei, we're heading out."
"Huh? Don't we have to stay for the presentation?" Issei was confused.
"It doesn't matter what this is about, if we don't head out right now, Spiral could end up dead."
"What?!" Issei gasped.
Near a dilapidated railyard elsewhere in the city, a young woman was walking down the dimly lit streets. She had long lilac hair tied into two pigtails and was wearing a lavender and white idol outfit.
"This city is so cool!" The woman cheerfully said out loud. "I really want to see more of it, but I should really head back-Hm?"
The woman caught sight of something moving in the abandoned railyard. She squinted her eyes to focus on the moving shadows and she could barely make out a young man and woman walking on the tracks.
"A guy and a woman… Oh! This must be that thing Gloria talked about! They must be here to have 'sex'. This might be my only chance to see what it's like in person."
Spiral and Primoir were walking on the long abandoned tracks of the city's old railyard, with the latter leading as she was a lot more familiar with the city of Lucifaad. Neither of them uttered a peep since they left and the tension around them was thick until Primoir pointed toward the entrance of a tunnel.
"That should be a good spot for our battle." Primoir broke the silence. "No one will bother us in there."
"Right… It will just be the two of us…" Spiral mumbled to himself as he followed Primoir.
The tunnel they entered was incredibly dark, but as Devils it didn't do much to hamper their vision.
"This should be far enough." Primoir said after she eventually stopped walking and turned around to face Spiral. "This will be a fight to the death. Are you ready?"
"… Yeah…" Spiral kept his head lowered.
Both Knights drew out their weapons and Primoir prepared her combat stance. Spiral took out his sword and looked down at it in his hands like he was in a trance. Primoir remained vigilant as she watched Spiral, but something felt off about the whole situation. To her surprise, she saw Spiral toss his sword onto the ground in front of him.
"Wha?"
Melody, Issei, and Azusa were running through the streets of Lucifaad, with Issei lagging slightly behind them.
"Melody-sama, can you please tell me what's going on?!" Issei asked as he ran.
"If Azusa hadn't summoned me when she did, Spiral wouldn't be my Knight right now."
"I don't understand."
"Put two and two together, Issei!"
Primoir looked at Spiral in disbelief and she finally noticed that his eyes lacked any sort of glimmer as if he lost all sense of hope.
"I took the lives of your parents, as well as those of countless other Devils… Forgiveness is something I do not deserve… My life is the only recompense I can provide… You can make it quick and painless or drawn out and painful… It's your call…"
Stunned at his behavior, Primoir had no idea how to respond until Spiral started walking up to her. The moment Spiral got right in front of her, he pointed her spear towards his heart and Primoir saw that there were tears trickling down his face.
"Even though I was fooled, I still killed people. No amount of regret or atonement can undo what I've done. So… this is your chance. Take my life. I can't bear this pain anymore and you can rest easy knowing your parents' murderer can't hurt anyone else anymore."
He's right, this is my chance to finally avenge my parents… Primoir gritted her teeth as she felt an odd sensation inside of her heart. But… this isn't how I imagined it would go. Even the mercy he's begging me for is completely different. No! You can't pity this man! He's allowing me to get my revenge with no strings attached.
Primoir tried to move her arm and pierce Spiral's heart with the tip of her spear, but it wouldn't budge for reasons she could not explain.
I…
Suddenly, someone quickly got between them, grabbed the shaft of Primoir's spear, and moved it away from Spiral's chest. That someone was the young woman dressed like an idol and both Spiral and Primoir were surprised at her incredibly sudden appearance.
"Huh? When-Where did you come from?" Primoir asked the woman with widened eyes.
"A lab." The mysterious young woman plainly replied before becoming serious. "Even if he killed your parents, he doesn't deserve to die!"
"You… You heard everything we said?" Spiral asked in disbelief. "Were you following us?!"
"I thought you two-" The woman was about to say.
"Spiral-kun!"
Spiral turned toward the tunnel's entrance and saw Melody, Issei, and Azusa running up to him.
"Thank goodness! We made it in time!" Melody exclaimed between breaths.
"Melody-sama… what are you-"
"You dumbass!"
Issei punched Spiral square in the face and knocked him back several feet.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Issei shouted at Spiral. "How can you just give up your life so easily?!"
Spiral didn't expect Issei to say that.
"Spiral…" Melody confessed. "I told him what happened when we first met. How you… were about to hang yourself."
At first, Spiral looked like he was about to lash out, but quickly decided against doing so.
"… Melody-sama told you what I did, right?" Spiral's gaze shifted to the ground. "How I killed innocent Devils? What I have done cannot ever be forgiven, regardless of my regret. The only way I can atone for this is to offer my life in return."
"That's bullshit and you know it! You did some bad things in the past, but that's not who you are now!"
Spiral looked up at Issei with widened eyes.
"And who you are now is Melody's Knight! When you became her servant, you sword to live only for her! A real man wouldn't throw his life away while he has a girl to protect!"
Issei's words of encouragement caused Spiral to stare at him in realization.
"Your friend is right."
Spiral turned his head to the lilac-haired woman who just spoke.
"You shouldn't be using your guilt to bring yourself down, you should be using it to motivate yourself to never let it happen again. Your real atonement should be live out the life for those you have killed, those who are still alive, and the people who accept you despite your past."
At that moment, Spiral dropped to his hands and knees and broke down into tears.
"I'm… I'm so sorry…" Spiral apologized profusely. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Melody went up to Spiral, knelt down to him and started gently petting his head.
"It's okay…" Melody said in a soothing voice. "It's okay…"
Watching Spiral's emotional breakdown, Primoir looked down at her spear for a few seconds before putting it back in a pocket dimension.
"Wanting death would just be running away from your crimes." Primoir said. "Living with them would be a worse punishment."
When Spiral looked at Primoir's face, the contempt she usually had in her eyes whenever she saw him was completely absent. Just then, a portal suddenly appeared at the entrance of the tunnel and a figure stepped out from within. It was a woman with purple eyes, hair as white as snow tied into a ponytail and wearing a black kimono that barely concealed her slender figure.
"There you are, Aria (Age ?)." The woman looked toward the girl in the idol outfit. "The presentation cannot start until you have returned."
"'Presentation'? You must be with Genesis." Melody surmised as she turned to the woman.
"You must be one of the young Devil heirs attending our presentation." The white-haired woman politely bowed. Every movement she made and word she spoke was elegant and graceful. "I am one of Genesis's Directors, Sorashi White (Age 22). It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. However, we must make haste. I am sure that some of the Devil heirs and their servants are getting impatient. We can use my ability to warp there immediately."
"Wow, seriously?!" Issei gasped in amazement.
That ability… Melody thought as she narrowed her gaze at Sorashi. It's the Abaddon clan's Hole, there's no mistaking it. Just who is this woman…
"Please, follow me." Sorashi turned back toward the portal she came from and walked inside.
Before everyone else decided to follow her, they all turned back to Spiral and saw him standing back up and wiping his tears with his forearm.
"I'm feeling better now…" Spiral genuinely assured them. "Let's go back…"
Now that they were sure of that, everyone walked inside of the portal Sorashi created and appeared in a backstage area.
"Welcome back, Aria." Grimm approached the group with his partners in tow. "I trust that you enjoyed your little excursion of Lucifaad?"
"U-um, y-yes." The young woman referred to as 'Aria' became nervous the moment Grimm came into her field of vision.
This lady was so confident just a moment ago. Is she afraid of the Executive Director? And how do they know each other?
"I apologize for Aria causing you such inconvenience, Lady Melody." Grimm politely apologized. "Please, take your seats and we will begin the presentation momentarily."
"So, Aria was the reason why the presentation couldn't start." Melody deduced.
"Correct. You will understand in a few minutes. Come, Aria."
As Grimm turned around and walked away, Aria followed him for one step before turning around and looking back at Spiral with an expression of concern. After a couple of seconds, she continued following Grimm and Melody's group took the backstage entrance to the presentation room.
"Issei-senpai?"
"Hm?" Issei looked at Azusa.
Azusa seemed to be looking away from him and he could swear that she was blushing.
"Thank you… for saving Spiral-niisama…" Azusa bashfully expressed her gratitude.
Primoir split ways from Melody's group and made her way back to where Seth and his peerage were.
"Hey, Primoir, where've you been?" Seth asked.
"Oh, um…" Primoir was unsure of how she should respond as she didn't want to divulge such an intense situation so casually. "Spiral and I went out to have a chat."
"That's good." Seth said.
"Huh?"
"I know of the bad blood between the two of you. It's true that he did awful things in the past, but Melody wouldn't have made Spiral her servant if he was beyond redemption. I'm glad that you're talking things out instead of fighting."
"… Yeah… I think so, too…" Primoir quietly murmured to herself.
The murmuring of the crowd stopped as Grimm Red walked onto the stage and up to a microphone on a stand.
"Ladies and gentlemen, heirs to the noble Devil families and their servants, thank you for coming here tonight." Grimm began his speech. "I am Grimm Red, Executive Director of Genesis. For years, I have sought to create living weapons with their own free will, inspired by the creation of the Aegis. And like all living beings, they can forge bonds with others and those bonds in turn cane make them stronger. Today, I can finally reveal the fruits of our research to the public, the Regalia!"
With a motion of his hand, the curtain right behind him parted and revealed Aria.
"Hi, I'm the Regalia, Aria!" Aria cheerfully posed like an idol making her entrance. "It's so nice to meet everyone!"
A good number of men in the audience cheered uproariously while Issei and Spiral were utterly dumbfounded that that woman they just met was a Regalia. Luke was also surprised, but more so because of Aria's idol-like behavior.
So, Aria is a living weapon like Pyra is? Spiral thought.
"I'm sure some of you may end up becoming a Wielder of a Regalia someday." Grimm continued. "For today, Aria will choose one of you as her Wielder. I thought today would be a good time to make this announcement with the Rating Game tournament between the young Devils coming up. The Great Satans and I are currently discussing new rules for the Rating Game to accommodate the addition of Regalia and the tournament is a timely opportunity to test them out. Aria, please choose your Wielder from one of the spectators. They could be one of the Devil heirs or one of their servants. If none of them appeal to you, don't hesitate to say so."
"I can pick anyone?" Aria looked to Grimm while cutely placing her index finger against her chin.
"Of course. I just said you have free will, so you should be free to make your own choices."
"Hmmmmm…"
Aria looked over every single person off stage, although it wasn't because she was trying to decide on one, she was looking for one person in particular.
"I pick… you! The guy with the violet hair!"
Aria pointed to where Spiral was and he looked around believing that she was referring to someone else but didn't see anyone else that matched her description and blankly pointed at himself.
"Are… Me?" Spiral asked.
"That's bull-!"
Before Zephyrdor could retaliate, Melody smacked him in the face with the back of her hand without even turning around.
Idiot… She thought in derision.
On Aria's request, Spiral got on stage and walked up to the idol Regalia.
"Since we're going to be partners from now on, can you tell me your name?" Aria asked while still maintaining her idol act.
"U-um… My name… My name is…" Spiral was hesitating to tell her his name, but eventually he steeled himself before finally giving it. "… Rasen. Rasen Hirano. But… my friends call me Spiral."
"Okay, Spiral! Starting today, you're my Wielder! Please take care of me!"
Aria held out her arm for a handshake and Spiral stared at her hand for several seconds before grasping it and firmly shaking, to which she pulled him closer to her and whispered into his ear.
"If you ever start feeling down again, I'll always be right here to cheer you up."
Aria's words made Spiral's heart feel significantly lighter than before and he couldn't help but warmly smile.
"Thank you… Aria…"
A/N: That's the end of the chapter! Yeah, that's how guilty and regretful Spiral felt about killing innocent Devils. Thankfully, Issei and the Regalia Aria managed to give him a reason to continue living and Primoir seems to be starting to forgive him. And it seems Issei's words of encouragement have drawn the affections of Azusa as well.
Speaking of Regalia, yes, I do plan to incorporate them into the Rating Games, so Luke will be using Pyra and Mythra in them as well. More of them will appear as the story progresses as well as how they function.
Rias was about to tell something to Luke about something that happened the night he summoned her, but unfortunately that won't be revealed until later. Maybe it has something to do with the unusual aura Roygun sensed from him, who seems to have taken a liking to him.
The next chapter is where summer training begins! Anyway I hope you all enjoyed! Stay tuned for next time!
Luke Harem: Rias Gremory, Karlel, Annabelle Wright, Akeno Himejima, Fumiko Kazuya, Melody Morag, Setsuna Kazama, Kayoko Kita, Xenovia Quarta, Emery Belmont, Roygun Belphegor.
Issei Harem: Misaki Shirayuki, Asia Argento, Hikaru Ueda, Akira Kazuya, Kiyome Abe, Seekvaira Agares, Azusa Hirano
Rias Gremory Peerage: Rias Gremory (King), Akeno Himejima (Queen), Yuuto Kiba (Knight), Xenovia Quarta (Knight), Koneko Toujo (Rook), Fumiko Kazuya (Bishop), Gasper Vladi (Bishop), Luke Sigmund (8 Pawns)
Seth Sigmund Peerage: Seth Sigmund (King), Annabelle Wright (Queen), Alastair Wright (Rook), Emery Belmont (Rook), Hana Sakuya (2 Bishops), Setsuna Kazama (Knight), Primoir Talraxen (Knight), Grencin Korin (8 Pawns)
Melody Morag Peerage: Melody Morag (King), Misaki Shirayuki (Queen), Katherine Petrova (Knight), Spiral Hirano (Knight), Azusa Hirano (Rook), Akira Kazuya (Rook), Hikaru Ueda (Bishop), Asia Argento (Bishop), Issei Hyoudou (8 Pawns)