~Foxy Frenzy~

Far from the Underworld, while War made preparations for the demonic invasion to come, Death and Fury continued their hunt for Gluttony and Pride, the last of the Seven Deadly Sins to be captured and finally dealt with before the horsemen can focus on other matters that require their attention. After scouring the realms across Creation for even a trace of the two remaining Sins, their hunt eventually lead them back to Earth. When they did, they received word from Azazel to meet the fallen angel in the Japan city called Kyoto, where a threat arose that could endanger the entire world if left unchecked. While not entirely convinced, they were willing to investigate this supposed threat to the Third Kingdom themselves. Or at least Death was, while Fury tagged along only for the possible encounter with the Sins. After all, if Fury was able to find Sloth on Olympus, chances are that they will find Gluttony or Pride as well in this Kyoto.

Currently, at Kuoh Town train station, Death in his human disguise was patiently waiting for a train to Kyoto to arrive. This time, instead of using the secret subway of the Gremory devils, the horsemen have to use the human trains to reach their destination. As he did, Fury returned to her brother, but with a change in appearance of her own instead of having a disguise of Vulgrim's making. She was donning regular earthling clothes much like Death, wearing black and white biker outfit with exposed midriff and area between her breasts, her hair still dark pink, but with different, more elongated hairstyle, the black tattoo lines on her forehead and around her eyes gone, and her bright, pupiless eyes were now regular human eyes with blue irises, her sunglasses low enough to see her eyes.

"You could not have thought out of a more subtle disguise Fury?" Death asked in annoyance.

"Your disguise is hardly subtle either brother, especially with the mask around your waist as a giveaway." Fury said bluntly.

"You could not consider changing your hair at the very least?" Death asked curiously.

"The humans in this land tend to sport all manner of strange hairstyles, so mine will hardly stand out. Some even pestered me with praises because I looked like this woman." Fury said in annoyance as she showed him the picture she was given on her way to Death.

The Reaper noticed on the picture three individuals, a blue-haired man, a woman with dark pink hair much like Fury, and a humanoid cat standing in front of them, both humans wearing uniforms with a letter R on their shirts.

"I see." Death said simply.

A moment later, their attention was drawn to the sudden noise echoing across the train station.

"The train from Kuoh to Kyoto has arrived on lane 2. The train from Kuoh to Kyoto has arrived on lane 2."

"Let us hope that there are no angels and demons to recognize you on our way to this Kyoto." Death said as he and Fury started to walk towards the announced train.

"Speak for yourself, I long to mutilate an army of them. Or two." Fury smirked in apparent battle lust.

"Tickets please." The conductor said politely.

"No need." Fury said grimly, her eyes flashing crimson as she glared daggers at the poor human.

"Of course, my apologies." The conductor stammered in fear as he quickly bowed in apology to the riders, allowing them to enter the train with no issue, leaving the conductor trembling behind them in fear.


Thus the riders finally made their way towards their destination. The train ride from Kuoh to Kyoto was relatively smooth, and outright boring. Fury in particular wanted to tear her face off with how excruciatingly long the train ride was for her, but it was by Death's suggestion that they travel like this, to avoid suspicion from the eyes more discerning than humans, so she has no choice but to be patient. Eventually, the two riders arrived to the Kyoto train station. After disembarking from the train and exiting the massive station, the two riders were standing at the entrance to the station itself, searching left and right for Azazel.

"Where is Azazel?" Fury asked in annoyance.

"Good question. He was supposed to wait for us here." Death said curiously.

"I have no intention to stand around while he remembers to meet us." Fury said in frustration as she started to walk away.

"Where are you going Fury?" Death asked curiously.

"Exploring. You can choose to stand there or join me and see what this place has to offer." Fury suggested before she went ahead, with or without her brother. Seeing no alternative, Death agreed to tag along with her.

Death and Fury walked through the streets of Kyoto, not only to pass the time until Azazel shows himself, but to indeed see firsthand if this city is less hectic than Kuoh Town. After two hours of sightseeing, the horsemen were leaning on the balcony of the Kiyomizu-dera temple. As they did, Fury in particular took in the beautiful sight in front of her, the lush, green forest stretching far into the hills on the horizon, the crystal clear blue sky allowing the rays of the sun to shine above them, making the land around them more wonderful to behold.

"For all of their infighting, the humans take a great care for the world around them. At least those of this land." Fury said in contemplation as she scanned the landscape.

"A praise Fury?" Death asked in mild tease, but maintaining his usual, grim tone.

"Mere observation. With how much they tend to kill and destroy each other, one would expect that these hairless simians would turn one of the jewels of Creation into another form of Hell." Fury said in neutral tone as she continued to survey the land around them.

"Were it not for Lucifer's meddling eons ago, they would have never raised a sword at each other to begin with." Death said before both of them departed from the temple.

Later the horsemen would trudge through the Thousand Torii Gates, making their way towards the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine.

"How is it that Lucifer managed to corrupt humanity?" Fury asked curiously.

"I have told you of that event, have it not?" Death asked in mild annoyance as he looked at his sister.

"Yes, but back then I did not bother to pay attention. Now I am curious." Fury said bluntly as she looked at her brother.

"Then listen well." Death said before he looked forward. "Not long after the battle at Eden, Lucifer conspired with Lilith to create the artifact meant to corrupt humanity. That artifact was known as the Animus. To power this dark influence, Lucifer required the souls of the other demon lords of that time. To obtain them, he offered them great power, but at the cost of their souls upon defeat."

"And the fools accepted his bargain." Fury said neutrally, knowing all too well of the predictable nature of demons.

"Yes. In the effort to put an end to Lucifer's schemes, War and Strife eliminated one demon lord at the time, not knowing that with their deaths, their souls would fuel the Animus. And with Moloch's death, the artifact was ready to be used against mankind. From that point, the rest is history." Death explained.

"Do you believe that humanity's kingdom would have turned out differently, were it not for Lucifer and Lilith to corrupt them?" Fury asked curiously.

"I do." Death said simply.

Fury remained silent for a few moments, her thoughts being her own before she looked forward.

"Even so, instead of uniting their world into a single nation to be reckoned with, they choose to be divided into hundreds of tribes, living out their fleeting lives in their slices of land for all time. How do they expect to stand against the forces of Heaven and Hell if they do not fight under a single banner? Even if they are ignorant to their existence." Fury said in mix of confusion and frustration.

Soon enough the horsemen would finally exit the passageway and are now heading towards the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine.

"That remains to be seen when the time comes. Until then, we will carry on with our duty to protect them." Death said in usual, grim tone.

"You may hold their hands if you want Death, I could not care less." Fury said dismissively.

But as the horsemen would walk by the nearby shrine…

"You two are not from Kyoto."

A young voice spoke out of nowhere. The riders glanced left and right as they were suddenly ambushed by what appear to be six humans, wearing fox masks, white kimonos and katanas in their hands. When they looked up the narrow archway, they found a small girl with fox ears and nine tails, wearing what looked like a shrine maiden outfit similar to Akeno's, flanked by two anthropomorphic crows, visibly peeved at them of all people. Apparently by some form of madness, she is the leader of this group.

"Stupid outsiders! How dare you?! You better return my mother to me right now!" The little girl shouted angrily as she pointed at the riders.

"Your mother?" Fury asked in confusion.

"Don't play dumb with me, i know you have her! Now give her back to me!" The little girl demanded angrily.

"I do not know what you are babbling about child, but if i were you I would lower your weapons." Death threatened.

"And what if i don't?" The little girl said defiantly.

"Then your mother will be the least of your concerns." Death growled in low, dead serious tone as he glared daggers at the fox girl.

That threat sent chills down the little fox girl's body, paralyzing her momentarily in fear. But she would muster the will of defiance as she would again glare daggers at the Reaper.

"How dare you?! Attack!" The girl pointed at the riders in scared, yet determined voice.

But a moment or two later, she would notice that her warriors would stay still, paralyzed in place as their bodies trembled in fear from the very presence of these newcomers. The realization that they were petrified in fear made her more scared, but determined to get her mother back, she would order once more.

"What are you waiting for? Seize them!" The girl shouted almost in a panic.

Noticing the crippling fear of these wretches, Fury would let out a muffled chuckle of amusement as she folded her arms.

"At least your dogs are not as rash as you little one." Fury smirked in amusement as she glanced at the mortified masked men before she looked up at the girl. "I advise that you turn back to wherever you came from."

"And know this. Should you again act against us so brazenly, there will be no mercy." Death warmed, maintaining his low, grim, dead serious tone.

The fox girl was tempted to continue with her defiance, but the longer she gazed at the duo, the more scared she would be as there was a terrifying presence about them. It was as if they are piercing into her very soul with those stone cold glares, especially the man with long hair. With the sense of self-preservation overwhelming her, she gritted her teeth in mix of fear and frustration as she has no choice but to comply.

"Very well. But mark my words, this isn't over, not until you return my mother!" The fox girl shouted in mix of fear and determination as she pointed at the duo, before a whirlwind formed around each member of the group, promptly disappearing from the spot as soon as the winds dispersed.

"Apparently the child has been misled." Death said in completely unamused tone.

"As amusing as this was, it is another example as to why children should never be allowed to lead." Fury said in neutral tone.

"Indeed." Death said simply.


Later that day in the afternoon, Death and Fury would still wait at the shrine for Azazel to show up, growing more frustrated with each passing hour. Currently, Death was leaning on a pillar with folded arms, while Fury paced back and forth, reaching the limit of her patience.

"Where is that accursed crow? He should have been here by now." Fury growled in frustration and impatience before she approached he brother. "If we have to wait a minute longer, I will hunt him down and flay him alive."

"At this point sister, I would not mind if you did." Death said coldly before he inched forward from the pillar and stood upright. "Let us leave this place."

But before the riders could depart, they noticed a row of people emerging from the forest in front of the shrine. At first glance they appeared to be humans, until they noticed that these newcomers had fox ears like the little girl they encountered earlier, along with fox tail, but only one, wearing shrine maiden outfits, the colors on bottom part being turquoise for men.

"These wretches again." Fury said, now not as amused as she was before.

"I warned you that there will be no mercy the next time you face us. Leave now, or die where you stand." Death warned grimly.

Bravely, or foolishly, none of them moved from their spots, nor would any of them utter a word of reply to Death's warning, but the riders could notice beads of sweat coming down from the sides of their heads. Seeing that these unfortunate souls are not going anywhere, Fury could only laugh briefly in amusement.

"Die it is!" Fury shouted in murderous glee as she had a battle ready grin.

Both of the riders now burned away their disguises and revealed their true selves to the newcomers. The Youkai's eyes widened in fear and even took a step back, while the horsemen took their own, signature fighting stances, ready to pounce and dismember these fools in a moment's notice. But before they could…

"Horsemen, wait!"

A familiar voice called out to the riders. That voice was Azazel as he sprinted and stopped next to them.

"Hold on a second! They are not here to fight us!" Azazel said in panic as he raised his hands in front of him to calm the riders.

"I doubt it." Death said grimly, his murderous gaze still fixed on the Youkai.

"Please, they realized their mistake. They just want to take you to their leader for a peaceful meeting." Azazel pleaded.

"And you fallen angel!" Fury snapped angrily as she pointed at Azazel. "You better have a good reason to have us wait for so long for your arrival."

"I had an urgent meeting with the Youkai after you were first attacked. Thankfully no one got killed when they confronted you." Azazel said in serious, yet nervous tone.

"The cowards were not worth staining our blades with their blood. Though I might reconsider if this turns out to be a waste of time." Fury said in frustration.

"I assure you, it's not. Now let's go and meet with their leader." Azazel said in serious, yet nervous tone.

"Do as he says Fury." Death said in usual, grim tone as he sheathed his scythes.

"What?" Fury said in mild bafflement.

"I intend to discover if the threat is as severe as Azazel said. If not, you may deal with these 'Youkai' as you please." Death said in usual, grim tone.

"So be it." Fury said as she begrudgingly sheathed her weapon, much to the relief of Azazel and the Youkai present.


Later that night, Azazel and the Youkai have lead the horsemen to the settlement hidden from human eyes. As they were walking along the streets to their destination, Death and Fury would look left and right at the creatures residing in the buildings along the way. The riders have seen so many strange species across Creation over countless centuries, but these... things called the Youkai are definitely a different type of strange, from the bunch they encountered in recent months that is. Anthropomorphic animals, floating heads, creatures with body of a snake and human head with forked tongues, among other creatures they noticed along the way. Nothing out of the ordinary for the horsemen, but still a surprise that humans would be so diverse with appearances that are not marred by an angel or demon.

"Humanity's kingdom is certainly not without its share of oddities." Fury smirked in amusement as she looked left and right at the residents.

"Apparently so." Death said in contemplation as he glanced left and right as well.

"Sadly the humans have a phobia for the supernatural. Matters not whether they are angels, demons or Youkai, they fear them all the same and would see them executed because we are different than them." The anthropomorphic crow next to them said bitterly.

"So I am told." Death said, while Fury would chuckle in amusement.

"What else can you expect from a tribe of useless, hairless simians, courage and honor?" Fury said mockingly.

"Such is the consequence of Lucifer's meddling, one that is yet to be rectified." Death scolded mildly.

"Do what you will Death, but i won't bat an eye if they suffer forever or die tomorrow." Fury said dismissively.

"So you said in the past." Death said in mild annoyance.

"And i stand by it till this day." Fury said bluntly.

After a while of walking, they would finally reach their destination as they could see what looked like a massive mansion, similar architecture like the other houses in the settlement. When they got close, they noticed a certain little fox girl standing at the steps of the mansion. Death's eyes narrowed as he and Fury noticed that it was the same girl that confronted them at the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine.

"Greetings. I lead the Youkai who dwell in the shadows of Kyoto. I'm the daughter of Yasaka, the name's Kuno. Please forgive my rash behavior, i wasn't thinking straight when i attacked you earlier today. It was wrong of me. I'm truly sorry." The little fox girl now known as Kuno would say formally, her voice laced with regret as she bowed to the horsemen, her eyes facing the stone floor.

Death said nothing as he approached the girl and towered over her while she was still bowing, making it appear like David Vs Goliath between them. Suddenly he roughly gripped Kuno by her hair, making her scream a bit in pain as Death lifted the girl to his eye level. While she was gritting her teeth in pain and tried to loosen Death's iron grip, the Youkai behind her tried to stop him, but with a simple death glare, all of them would be petrified in place in fear of Death's wrath. When Kuno looked at the rider, she too would be paralyzed in fear.

"The only reason my ghouls didn't flay you alive for your impertinence child, is because we have enough enemies to contend with as of late. Your concern for your mother is understandable, but we are not known for our forgiveness when slighted. And do not think that i will go easy on you because you are a child. The next time you confront us so impulsively, my ghouls will feast on your flesh, before i reap your soul and sell it to the demons. Am i clear?" Death said in low, grim, dead serious tone.

"Yes sir." Kuno would say in quivering voice as her body trembled in fear.

Death would now let her hair go, dropping her unceremoniously on the ground, making her rub her butt for the pain to subside.

"I advise to heed his words little one, he is certainly not known for idle threats." Fury smirked in amusement with folded arms as she stood behind Death to his left.

"Before the things escalate, how about we go inside and inform you of the recent troubles?" Azazel said in serious, yet nervous tone.

"For your sake, it better be as severe as you suggest fallen angel. You wasted enough of our time with this distraction." Death said grimly before he and Fury would make their way towards the mansion, leaving Azazel and Kuno behind.

"Forgive us Kuno. The horsemen can be a handful to deal with at times." Azazel said seriously as he helped Kuno up.

"No. It was my fault for acting so impulsively. It was a mistake that I shall not make again." Kuno said as she looked down in regret.


Eventually, everyone would be in the meeting room within the mansion, discussing the reason as to why the horsemen were summoned to begin with. Within the meeting room, Kuno, Azazel, the red-skinned man with crow wings and a fox woman would kneel and sit on the pillows, while Death and Fury would still be on their feet, folding their arms as they gazed primarily at Kuno and Azazel.

"Here is the situation. A few days ago, Yasaka, Kuno's mother, the leader of the Youkai left to meet with the servant of Sakra of Mount Meru. Safe to say, she never made it to the meeting. After some inquiry from the Youkai side, they reported that she was kidnapped by an unknown party. Because of that, they searched all over Kyoto for any suspicious group that might have been involved with her capture." Azazel explained formally.

"And so her daughter confronted us on the matter." Fury said with folded arms as she looked at Kuno, while the little girl looked down in shame.

"Yes. As soon as I heard of Kuno's attack, I knew that I had to meet her and other leaders immediately before things got bloody, to tell them that we are not involved with Yasaka's disappearance. That is why I could not meet with you horsemen at the appointed time." Azazel explained further.

"See that you do not make a repeat out of it fallen angel." Death said grimly, while Azazel could only look at the rider with a serious, yet nervous look on his face, the bead of sweat apparent on left side of his head.

"We are lead to believe that the Hero faction of the Khaos Brigade was involved with princess Yasaka's disappearance." The red-skinned, bearded man said.

"The Hero faction? The irony does not escape me." Death said in dry, sardonic tone.

"Is this a fact or speculation Azazel?" Fury asked curiously.

"I would strongly go for the former, judging by the intel we received and the method they utilized to capture her." Azazel said seriously.

"Horsemen. Governor-General. I beg of you, we must find a way to save princess Yasaka. We share a bond with the nine-tailed clan since the days of old." The red-skinned man said before he pulled out a rolled item from his right side. "If it would help you, here is the painting of princess Yasaka."

The man unrolled the item, revealing that it was indeed a painting. When it was fully rolled open, Death and Fury noticed a beautiful, voluptuous woman. As they eyed every detail of their princess, they noticed that this Yasaka has a blonde hair a shade brighter than that of her daughter, fox ears and nine tails much like Kuno, a golden crown, and a shrine maiden outfit similar to those of other Youkai, but more regal, fit for a ruler of their kind.

"Horsemen, please. I beg of you. Please lend us your strength to save my mother." Kuno pleaded as she bowed forward, her hands on the floor and her forehead nearly touching the back of her hands.

After a few moments of examination, the riders would look at Kuno.

"While your story is tragic little one, I fail to see how any of this is our concern." Fury said in cold, almost disinterested tone as she would still fold her arms.

Kuno looked at the horsemen as she gasped in shock, sorrow and panic slowly overtaking her. Apparently the only hope she has for her mother's salvation is slowly but surely slipping from her grasp.

"I concur. We are on the mission to capture the Seven Deadly Sins, being who hold the power to threaten all of Creation if left unchecked. Your mother's fate matters little in comparison to that." Death said coldly.

"But please, you have to find my mother, you must-"

"We must nothing child!" Death snapped angrily, interrupting her frantic, desperate plea before he glared at the fallen angel. "And you fallen angel. You will pay dearly if you do not explain how her disappearance will affect the Third Kingdom." He said sharply as he pointed at Azazel.

"I'm getting to that part. There have also been reports of unsettling Chi disturbances." Azazel said in almost nervous tone, anticipating and dreading the moment where the riders will finally lose their patience and kill them all.

"Chi?" Fury asked in confusion.

"It means life force, the energy that flows through all living things in the universe." The red-skinned man explained.

"Humans and their contrived terminologies." Fury thought in annoyance and frustration.

"Historically, Kyoto is a city built on balance, it was designed using the principles of onmyoudou and feng shui." Azazel explained seriously.

Death and Fury could only watch the fallen angel in confusion, not familiar at all with the Japanese terms like those. Noticing this, Azazel sighed slightly in annoyance at their obliviousness before he continued.

"Our sources tell us that the leylines across Kyoto, the massive sources of chi are being directed at the Nijo castle. If I were a betting man, that is where the Khaos Brigade will converge their efforts later tonight. And we may even find princess Yasaka there as well. With Yasaka and the massive power they are directing at the Nijo castle from across Kyoto, it may prove to be a threat to the world as I mentioned before. If you are in agreement, I suggest that you go to the Nijo castle, save Yasaka and put an end to the schemes of the Hero faction." Azazel explained seriously.

"And you?" Fury asked curiously.

"I will see that we divide our forces and secure the key areas around Kyoto, to make sure that no one interferes in your fight at the Nijo castle. I will also contact Sirzechs, Michael and other allies to help in this as well." Azazel said seriously.

With nothing else to inform them about, Death would look down and rub the bottom of his executioner's mask in thought for several long moments. Fury had no idea what was her brother scheming, but it would definitely involve these Youkai in some capacity. As for others present, they waited with baited breaths for Death's answer whether they will help them save Yasaka or not.

"What are your thoughts Death?" Fury asked curiously.

After a few moments of brainstorming, he would again look at Kuno, who would wince in fear as soon as he looked at her.

"We will see that your mother is returned to you from this 'Hero' faction. In exchange, the Youkai are to lend their mystical arts to our cause, should the need ever arise." Death said seriously.

"So be it. Thank you horsemen." Kuno smiled gratefully.

But her smile would disappear as Death now had an intimidating look on his masked face.

"Be warned child. If i discover that you have in any way lied to us, I will not hesitate to consign you the demons in the circle of Lust." Death warned in low, grim tone before he finally departed, along with Fury, leaving Azazel, Kuno and two Youkai alone in the room.

A few minutes later, the horsemen would be outside in front of the mansion, making their way towards their next destination.

"You certainly have a way with children Death." Fury smirked slightly in amusement as she looked at her brother.

"Let us find her mother and put an end to this distraction, so we may return to more pressing matters." Death said in usual, grim tone.

"Do you truly believe that the child lied about her mother's capture?" Fury asked skeptically.

"Not entirely. But if so, it would not be the first time for the fools to pay with their lives for such deception." Death said grimly.

"No. I suppose not." Fury said in agreement, all too aware of so many liars and deceivers they faced in the past, demons being on the top of the list.


Several hours later at midnight, the horsemen would slowly make their way towards Nijo castle. After Dust scoured the premises, it returned to Death. When it perched on his shoulder, it brought unexpected news.

"Humans? Are you certain?" Death asked curiously, before Dust squawked once in confirmation.

"What is it?" Fury asked curiously.

"It would appear that the humans are part of this 'Hero' faction. And one of them is in possession of a powerful Sacred Gear." Death said grimly.

"You speak as if they are a threat to you." Fury jested with a smirk.

"They are not. Before you do anything rash, I will speak with these humans and discover why they joined Ophis." Death said seriously.

Before he could start walking, Fury almost instinctively grabbed Death's right shoulder.

"Death. I am aware of your hesitation to take a human life. I will not tolerate such weakness if they prove to be our enemies." Fury said in serious, yet concerned tone.

"If they are indeed a threat to the world as Azazel suggests, I will execute them myself." Death said in usual, grim tone.

"Good. Then let us see this through." Fury smirked as she nodded in approval to her brother. Death nodded back silently before the horsemen made their way towards the castle.

When they approached the gates, they suddenly started to open by themselves. Cautiously the horsemen entered the premises, glancing at their surroundings to discover the humans Dust mentioned. However, when they approached the main building, the four said humans appeared on the roof, looking down at the riders. When the horsemen looked up, the first individual they noticed was a young man in blue and white, wielding a spear the length twice his size. The second man looked much like Freed and George Selzen that the rider encountered before, undoubtedly another swordsman. A third man looked like your typical grunt, and the fourth member was a blonde woman in orange armor.

"Greetings horsemen. We finally meet face to face." The spearman said in almost arrogant tone.

"Who are you?" Death asked grimly.

"I am Cao Cao, the descendant of the famous Cao Cao of the Three Kingdoms. Human Three Kingdoms to avoid the confusion." The spearman now known as Cao Cao said.

"Is that supposed to bear meaning for us?" Fury said smugly.

"Probably not, other than I am hardly someone to trifle with." Cao Cao said confidently.

"Are you responsible for the disappearance of princess Yasaka?" Death asked in demand.

"I am. In fact, she is standing right over there." Cao Cao said as he pointed behind the riders.

When the horsemen turned around, they noticed a woman just like from the painting, her arms held by two men who also appear to be humans. Kuno did not lie after all, her mother is indeed captured by these fools. And they also noticed that they put her in a state of stupor, preventing her from fighting back.

"She will be part of the experiment that we intend to perform tonight." Cao Cao said as he leaned the long hilt of his spear on his shoulder.

"What experiment?" Death asked in demanding tone.

"See for yourself." Cao Cao said simply before he tapped the roof with the pommel of his spear.

As soon as he did, Death and Fury would turn sideways again towards Yasaka as the Youkai leader screamed and grabbed her head in pain. A blue aura formed around her before her body expanded and transformed rapidly. When the blinding light died down, the woman morphed into a ten meter large fox with yellow fur, and reared her head up in the sky as she howled like a wolf, her howl echoing across Kyoto, threatening to alert every human and Youkai within the city.

"Magnificent isn't it? A nine-tailed fox is the absolute highest class among the Youkai. The city of Kyoto has an unbreakable bond with them, and as such it was built to ensure that there is always a bountiful supply of Chi. With the combined power of the Youkai and Kyoto, we will be able to lure the Great Red into this dimension." Cao Cao said as he gazed at the giant fox, sitting still in place, as if waiting for his orders.

Death's anger is starting to rise, mostly at Ophis. That lizard would dare to even use the humans for her schemes? If he had the power, he would have thrown her through the gate of Oblivion himself, the least that wretch deserves for this crime on playing the puppet master on the humans.

"So that is the purpose of this "Hero' faction, to bring the Great Red into this reality?" Death asked angrily.

"Not exactly. That is the goal of my boss Ophis, but ours is something else. We simply seek to test our limits and see how far we can push ourselves as humans." Cao Cao explained, maintaining his confident, charismatic tone.

"Why?" Fury asked curiously.

"Think about it. Demons, angels and everything in between, they have incredible power, yet it's always humans who ultimately defeat them. It's embarrassing all things considered. So I decided to undertake this challenge, to see just how far I can go as a human fighting among the gods." Cao Cao said seriously as he looked to his left at the horizon, as if in thought.

"A pity that you allowed yourselves to be Ophis' puppets. You would prove ideal champions for the Third Kingdom against Heaven and Hell." Death said in usual, grim, and almost disappointed tone.

"Well, in a perfect world that might be the case, but the reality is that the wielders of the Sacred Gear are prosecuted by the society for myriad of reasons. Some were even willing to kills us just for the fact that we have Sacred Gears. So we have no interest fighting for the world that treats us like trash. Angels and Demons can have their way with other humans however they want for all I care." Cao Cao said in serious, if not cold tone.

Now knowing everything Death needed to know, the Reaper made his decision.

"If this is the way you seek to test your limits, to threaten all of Creation by bringing the Great Red into this reality, then we shall put an end to your path to power." Death said grimly as he took two steps forward towards the humans.

"Try to stop us then Reaper, I am looking forward to test my spear against the vaunted Horsemen of the Apocalypse." Cao Cao smirked confidently before he looked at the man with glasses to his right. "Georg, start the experiment."

"You got it." Georg nodded.

Before he could get the ritual started, in that moment of distraction, Fury quickly utilized the Storm Hollow and fired two lightning bolts from her left hand at the boy, instantaneously hitting their target, one lightning shooting him in the head, making it explode, while the other lightning pierced his heart, leaving a gaping hole on his left chest. With that sudden assault, the boy's body twitched in place for a few moments before it collapsed lifelessly on the ground.

With his death, the mist dissipated all around Kyoto, revealing themselves for even the humans to see. But that is a fact that the horsemen seem to ignore, focused as they are to the battle at hand.

"Anyone else with a wish to die this night?" Fury asked menacingly as she glared daggers at the four humans on the roof. Death may be hesitant to kill them, but certainly not her.

But before either of them would make their move, the giant fox suddenly stood up on her four feet and roared at the riders before she dashed away from the group into a rampage. And already they could hear the screams of terror and panic, followed by the sounds of buildings being torn apart.

"What have you done?!" Death asked angrily as he and Fury looked at the four on the roof.

"Me? Nothing. Georg however had a feeling that you might pull off something like this, so as a precaution, he placed a berserker spell on her that would trigger upon his death. So now you have to deal with a rampaging fox and us at the same time. What's it going to be horsemen? Better hurry before the fox tears Kyoto apart." Cao Cao said, eagerly waiting for the fight to finally start.

Death would quickly look at Fury, silently asking her who of the two would chase the fox and stop her. In response, Fury nodded silently before she promptly turned around, summoned Rampage and mounted her steed, riding to catch up to the giant fox. With her on pursuit, Death turned towards the four humans, pulled out his scythes and crouched down in his signature fighting stance.


As Fury made her way towards Yasaka, the giant fox in her bloodmad state already starting to spew blue flames left and right, incinerating everything it its path, humans and buildings alike, the screams of terror continuing to ensue. While Fury doesn't particularly care for the humans, the last thing she needs is to be berated by the Council and her brothers for massacring these hairless simians during her fight with Yasaka, especially since she is already under threat of Oblivion for being involved with the Lord of the Hollows. With that in mind, she decided to take this fight far from Kyoto.

The giant fox growled as she could notice Fury riding towards her miles away. The Youkai promptly dashed on the roof and roared as the fox reared her nine tails, the tips of her tails pointing towards the horseman. From the tip of her tails she conjured blue Senjutsu fireballs similar to the ones Kuroka used against Strife. The Youkai roared as it now fired a barrage of fireballs from her nine tails, all aimed at the black rider. Fury saw the volley coming, but that didn't slow her down in the slightest as she either directed Rampage to dash left and right, or used her whip to strike at the fireballs and fizzle them out of existence. When Fury was close enough, she jumped in the air as Rampage disappeared into the ether, whirled her bladed whip at the nearby building wall above her and used it as a grappling hook to launch herself upward, quickly reaching the roof and facing the animal. The fox roared as it now pointed the tip of her tails towards each other and formed a singular, powerful orb of energy before firing it at the rider. Fury saw the attack coming as she quickly used the Force Hollow, reared back Scorn in shape of a warhammer, and swung it back with twice the speed back to the beast. The giant fox quickly dashed from the energy ball onto the next building, with the energy attack detonating the hill in its trajectory, completely destroying it. Fury gritted her teeth in frustration as she looked at transformed Yasaka, roaring at the rider before it did long jumps from one building to another. So much for taking this fight out of Kyoto. Fury reverted to her normal form and leapt from the roof down to the streets, summoning Rampage and landing on the saddle, riding through the streets in quick pursuit of the giant fox, not caring of her steed on occasion ramming through the vehicles in her pursuit like they were nothing. As she kept up the pace, and as the fox continued to jump from one building to another, suddenly she would stop and spew blue flames from her mouth at the rider. Fury saw the attack coming as she quickly dismounted, used her Flame Hollow and narrowly dodged the blue flames. Now utilizing her Arcane Counter, she bolted fast towards the fox as a fireball and struck the fox hard, sending it careening towards the streets, quickly followed by the rider. As the fox was slowly recovering, the horseman landed in front of it, the two combatants now taking their battle to the streets. The beast roared as it again readied to spew blue flames, while Fury wreathed her hands with her own flames, before both of them fired a torrent of fire on each other, the blue and orange flames colliding and creating a fiery explosion, incinerating everything around them.


Back at the Nijo castle, Death would still face the four humans, while all of them can hear the sounds of battle between Fury and Yasaka.

"Well, those two are sure tearing things up. What do you say we do the same?" Cao Cao said in amusement as he gazed at the pale rider.

Death said nothing as he dashed up towards the roof, readying his scythes, but when he was close and swung them, Cao Cao and the three humans dashed back towards the open area of the complex. Death quickly pursued them and landed in front of them.

"Before we get the battle properly started, I believe introductions are in order." The gray-haired man in exorcist uniform stepped forward. "The name is Siegfried, and I have toys that I would be delighted to show you."

Normally Death would not care for the formal introductions, but since that spear Cao Cao possesses caught his interest, he was curious enough to see what these humans have in their arsenal, so he stayed his hand for now. And as the horseman looked into this particular stray priest, apparently he is behaving differently from that lunatic Freed Selzen. There was calmness and focus in his eyes, with a hint of excitement for battle, not being overtaken at all by the murderous glee that ultimately lead Freed to his demise.

Without a word spoken, Siegfried promptly pulled out two swords from his blazer. Although the light sword was typical for these exorcists, it's the red sword that caught his attention.

"Gram? The demonic emperor sword? In your hands?" Death asked curiously as he eyes the blade.

"Good of you to notice rider. Then I assume that you know that it can take any blade without difficulty, even your infamous scythes." Siegfried said confidently, while Death could only huff through his nose in annoyance to the man's overconfidence. "Cao Cao said that you horsemen are not for trifles, so I will go with my Balance Breaker before I show you the rest of my arsenal."

Without a moment to waste, the stray priest utilized the Balance Breaker by having two silver arms forming from his shoulder blades, while the other two formed beneath his arms. Again from his blazer he pulled out four more swords, each with different shape and auras radiating different energies.

"This is my Balance Breaker, Chaos Edge Asura Ravage. As for my swords, they are Tyrfing, Dainsleif, Nothung and Balmung. Along with Gram and my blade of light, this will prove to be more than a challenge for even the Four Horsemen."

"I doubt it." Death said bluntly.

Despite Siegfried's claim that the horsemen are not to be trifled with, he is still making a mistake by underestimating him, so much that he goes out of his way to openly explain the capabilities of his Sacred Gear. Well, that's less work for Death to figure out how they function. And if he is not mistaken, that is what these other three humans will do as well. So by the battle's end, the only thing left to determine is will these weapons be of real use to the riders in the longrun. But before he could ponder on it any further, Siegfried charged at the rider, his six swords at the ready, while Death dashed towards him as well, his scythes ready to strike.


Back to the other part of the city, Fury would continue to fight the giant fox throughout the streets of Kyoto. During a brief reprieve of battle, as if time itself had slowed, Fury would glance at the humans left and right. As she did, she noticed that they either curl themselves in a ball on the ground, paralyzed in fear from their battle, screaming in horror and sorrow at the bodies of their loved ones burned and blackened to the bone from the searing flames, running in panic for their lives, the mothers hugging their crying children for dear life as they were also paralyzed on the ground, among other traumatic responses from the petrified humans. Such sights made Fury grit her teeth in rage, mostly at herself. Despite her openly mocking the humans for so long, and allegedly not caring whether these humans live or die, she couldn't help but sympathize for these poor souls. And that sympathy makes her angrier because it makes her look like a complete hypocrite. Still, hypocrite or not, the sight of them having to go through these levels of terror was honestly something that they didn't deserve. If there are species across Creation worthy of these horrors to be forced upon, it would most certainly be demons of Hell. Her moments of reprieve would pass as the giant fox roared at the rider, ready to continue their fight, while the black rider frowned seriously at the transformed Youkai. With a nauseating, yet strong urge to protect the humans, she decided to end this fight here and now.

The nine-tailed fox roared as it charged at the rider, while Fury stood her ground, waiting for the animal to get close. As the giant fox closed in and tried to chomp on Fury, the black rider jumped above the beast's head and whirled her bladed whip around the fox's neck, the blades of the whip pinning onto her flesh as it roared in pain, while Fury landed on Yasaka's back and pulled her head back hard. But in that moment, before Fury could pull her whip hard enough to decapitate transformed Yasaka, a flashback of Kuno's plea rushed through her mind.

"Horsemen, please. I beg of you. Please lend us your strength to save my mother."

Fury gritted her teeth in greater rage in that moment of hesitation, not willing to deal the killing blow and rob the girl of her mother, due to the nauseous level of sympathy that has now gripped her entire being. But as she hesitated, the fox used one of her nine tails to grab Fury in a firm grip, forcing her whip to loosen around fox's bloody neck and retract into her hilt, before the fox whipped Fury away with her tail. As she was sent flying, the rider used her whip as a grappling hook to latch onto the nearby building, redirecting her trajectory as she did a barrel roll twice before she launched like a cannon ball straight towards the fox. During her speedy flight, Fury switched to Force Hollow, quickly falling on the ground as if she put ten tons on her body, landing and drilling through the concrete before she finally stopped a good distance from the fox, turning back to normal as she walked up from the ruined street.

The giant fox roared in rage as blue flames started to emit from her body, but with no searing pain to be seen, not even a threat of hair to be burned from her fur. But in that moment, as the giant fox was about to attack the horseman, Fury noticed a smaller fox to her right, running towards her and stopping between her and Yasaka. To her surprise, the fox transformed into none other than Kuno, spreading her arms wide in desperate attempt to stop her mother's rampage.

"Mother! Mother, stop!" Kuno screamed desperately.

To Fury's greater surprise, the giant fox came to a screeching halt. She wasn't sure how she was able to get to her, motherly instincts, some hidden technique of the Youkai, the rider didn't know. What she did know is that the fox finally came to her senses, or so it would appear. But strangely, she was not powering down in the slightest, as if Kuno got through to her for only a moment. Now the rider has a feeling like this battle is yet to be concluded.

"Daughter?" Yasaka said, momentarily recognizing her daughter.

"Surprise surprise, it speaks." Fury said sarcastically as she folded her arms.

But her words, whether intentionally or not, only served to aggravate the Youkai leader as she growled in fury, glaring daggers at the rider.

"You! Stay away from my daughter horseman!" Yasaka growled angrily, slowly returning to her berserk state, her eyes slowly turning from red to yellow.

Fury raised her eyebrow curiously at her change of eye color. Not only that, she could feel Yasaka's power rising, and growing darker by the minute, as if she had faced against this kind of power before.

"Mother! Please, stand down, they are not here to fight us!" Kuno shouted in plea, tears forming in her eyes in desperation.

"You ignorant fool!" Yasaka roared angrily, her rage rising as her flames slowly turned yellow.

Not only that, but Fury could also notice that the giant fox was enveloped with yellow light and black liquid, the same symptoms she noticed on the Archon Lucien back at Lostlight. And that means only one thing.

"The horsemen will be the end of us all! If you will not stand aside, then you will die with her!" Yasaka roared, slowly succumbing to madness.

"Mother." Kuno whispered in shock and sorrow.

"She has been corrupted." Fury said grimly.

"Corrupted? What do you mean?" Kuno asked in panic and sorrow as she looked at the rider.

"It means that she is beyond reason. Run child, you are of use to your people dead." Fury said in dead serious tone as she walked in front of Kuno, not letting her sight from the seemingly corrupted fox.

Just as the horseman had predicted, Yasaka roared in madness and rage as she charged at the rider. Fury almost on instinct gripped Kuno's uniform from the back and threw her sideways high in the air. Kuno screamed momentarily from being thrown so suddenly, before she turned into a fox and landed on the roof of the nearby building with no harm, switching back to her human self and rushing to the edge of the building. As her mother was blindly charging at the horseman, Fury again switched to Force Hollow, and when the fox was close enough, she smacked her warhammer right onto the fox's head, pinning her momentarily before she rushed sideways and smashed her weapon on the fox's chest, sending the animal flying high in the sky, far away from Kyoto. Fury quickly followed suit as she switched to the Storm Hollow and bolted in the same direction as a ball of lightning. Yasaka would soon fall through the forests and hills north of Kyoto, with Fury landing not long after she did. The beast growled as yellow flames and black liquid encompassed her body, confirming the fact that she has been indeed corrupted much like the Archon.


Back to Death, he would duel with Siegfried for a time, easily parrying each and every blow before the two fighters would dash backwards and stop with their bout for a time. As he did, he quickly assessed what each sword was capable off, though he was hardly impressed. Balmung had the ability to create powerful whirlwinds with each strike, Tyrfing possessed raw power in its swings, Dainsleif has the ability to conjure ice pillars and slow or even freeze it's foes with its attacks, and Nothung seem to focus in piercing attacks. Still, these swords with their abilities and potency might be useful for the likes of Kiba, the only swordsman that comes to mind other than War, who seem to prefer no other sword but Chaoseater.

"Alright Siegfried, I think you had enough fun with him." The young woman said as she walked forward and stood behind Death. "Time for me to dance with the Reaper."

Death said nothing as he turned sideways, his eyes now fixed on the young woman. As soon as he did, she swung her rapier and conjured hundreds of what appear to be swords wreathed in holy might, rushing towards the rider in a row. Death promptly leapt sideways, avoiding the row of swords.

"What do you think? It's called Blade Blacksmith, very lethal against demons." Jeanne said eagerly before she stood upright. "But it gets even better." She now has what appear to be look of ecstasy on her face. "Check out my Balance Break." She would moan almost in pleasure at what she's about to do.

Death could almost groan in frustration at how hormonal teenagers like Jeanne can be, humans are certainly one of the worst in that department. Fortunate that his interest towards her Sacred Gear outweigh her alleged lustful moments. That said, she conjured a dome of holy blades behind her, before it formed in what appears to be a white dragon with blue wings, roaring loudly as its body finished forming.

"You wanna know what I call him? Stake Victim Dragon. Cool huh?" Jeanne said eagerly as the dragon roared its head towards the Reaper.

"No." Death said bluntly, visibly annoying the young woman.

At this point, Death was already losing his patience. He had intended to wait and see what this fourth human had to show, but with Fury fighting the giant fox, and hardly being subtle about it, he decided to end this bout here and now. But as he was about to make his move towards Jeanne, he was suddenly stabbed through his chest from behind with Nothung and light sword by Siegfried. The swordsman would follow by piercing him with Tyrfing, Dainsleif and Balmung, while Jeanne stabbed her rapier into the ground and conjured about twenty blades, piercing each and every part of Death's body, while the pale rider closed his eyes, arched backwards and groaned and grunted loudly in what appears to be agonizing pain, holding his scythes in his grip for dear life.

"Don't die on me yet horseman, I am yet to do my finishing move. Get him!" Jeanne said cheerfully as she pointed at the rider for the dragon to attack. The dragon roared as it flew up above the three combatants and readied to devour the rider.

"Huh. He's finished." The dark-gray haired man said arrogantly as he folded his arms. But in those moments, his arrogant smirk would disappear when he looked at Cao Cao, who looked like he wasn't convinced at all at the impending demise of the pale rider.

In truth, it was all an act on Death's part as he suddenly shot open his eyes. When he did, he used his right scythe to drive it through Siegfried's chest, and he threw his left scythe like a boomerang, the blade of the weapon piercing Jeanne's chest. After that, with a simple flex he unleashed a burst of his power, shattering Jeanne's conjured swords from his body, along with the dragon into hundreds of pieces, the swords dissipating into nothingness as Jeanne collapsed on the ground, along with Siegfried. Both were gravely wounded, but still alive, for the time being. The five swords were still stuck through his chest, including the light sword, but he thought nothing of them as he turned sideways towards Cao Cao and the human who is yet to introduce himself. Having seen enough, he pulled out Nothung from behind his chest and threw it like a dart at such speed that the dark-gray haired man couldn't process, piercing his heart and killing him before his body could hit the ground. Now the only human left is Cao Cao as Death pulled out one sword at the time from his chest, not feeling even a tingle from wounds that would kill any lesser foe. When he finally pulled out every sword from across his body, his wounds would quickly heal, as if they were never inflicted.

"There is it. I can expect nothing less from the leader of the Four Horsemen." Cao Cao smirked in satisfaction.

"You humans underestimate me." Death said grimly as he pulled out his scythe from Jeanne, forcing her to choke out blood. "That mistake will cost you dearly."

"Well, I've beaten the impossible odds before. I don't see why it wouldn't be the same this time." Cao Cao smirked confidently as he pointed his spear forward and took a fighting stance.

"None are beyond Death. A lesson you will learn presently." The Reaper said grimly as he took his signature fighting stance, holding his scythes in reverse grip.

Before they could commence their duel, he noticed behind Cao Cao far in the distance how the forests in the hills were alight by yellow and crimson fire, on occasion hearing the echoes of beastly roars. Apparently Fury took her fight away from Kyoto. A little late due to the collateral damage she no doubt caused beforehand, but at least she isn't entirely reckless. It is also a reminder that he wasted too much time idling around with the humans, waiting for them to whip out their Sacred Gears to see what they can do. However, in that moment of distraction, Cao Cao extended his spear and impaled the rider's chest, piercing left side of his chest where his heart should be. And to the Reaper's surprise, that one actually hurt. This pain. He had not felt it's like for eons. It is not as potent as the pain he felt when he was impaled with Affliction during the Abomination Crisis, but it's still there. Still, the light sword that he was stabbed with was a harmless pinch compared to the holy might of this spear. If he were full demon, it would have killed him before he would've registered what happened. Perhaps Cao Cao might have not been bluffing about killing angels, demons and other creatures, using a weapon of this might against them.

Seeing how it can hurt even him, it is all the more reason to retrieve it from Cao Cao and maybe put it for his own use. After all, it would not be unheard of from him to use weapons other than Harvester.

"Not a good move to be distracted like that rider." Cao Cao said confidently.

But as he tried to retract his weapon, Death would clutch the spear still impaling his chest, not allowing it to retract to its owner. Cao Cao would now try to put more effort, but it still wouldn't budge.

"And I had my fill of sneak attacks." Death said grimly.

As he did, he morphed one of the Frostforged Twins on his right hand, the bony armblade manifesting before the rider promptly threw a crescent blade of purple energy towards the human, slicing off his right hand from its shoulder socket. As Cao Cao writhed in pain in those moments, his left hand was also sliced off. Death was now free to pull the spear from his chest and stick the pointy end of the spear on the ground, slowly approaching the human until he was in front of him.

"Such power, yet such wasted potential. If you will not fight as humanity's champion against Heaven and Hell, then in the name of the Balance, I will make use of your powers myself." Death said in grim, if not disappointed tone before he did a light karate chop on Cao Cao's neck, knocking him unconscious.

With the humans dealt with, now he can rush to help his sister pacify and possibly save the giant fox. Before he could depart, Azazel suddenly emerged from the magic circle near him, and with him, Dust also appeared, the bird being tasked to fetch Azazel while he dealt with the said humans.

"You called rider?" Azazel asked curiously before he glanced around the defeated humans in amazement.

"Azazel, tend their wounds and lock them up, I have plans for these humans." Death said grimly.

"And you?" Azazel asked curiously.

"I must aid Fury in putting an end to Yasaka's rampage." Death said seriously.

"Got it." Azazel nodded.

"Be warned fallen angel. I will hold you responsible should I find any of them missing, be it humans or their Sacred Gears." Death said grimly before he summoned Despair and galloped towards his sister, assuming his human disguise along the way.


Finally back to Fury, her battle with Yasaka has torched the forests for miles around, neither of them bothered by the heat of the flames as they continue to attack each other, with corrupted Yasaka spewing yellow flames, while Fury unleashed her own torrents of flames utilizing her Flame Hollow. The transformed Youkai roared in rage as it now charged at Fury, while the horseman used Scorn in shape of twin flails as she spun them sideways and charged the flames within. When the beast was close, she jumped up, avoiding the fox chopping on her, flipped forward before she slammed the flails down on her back hard, slamming her on the ground. Then she reverted to her normal form and rushed towards her nine tails, wrapping her bladed whip at the base of her nine tails. Before the corrupted Youkai could react, Fury pulled her whip hard and viciously sliced the nine tails from her body, making the fox howl in rage and agony. The giant fox would then frantically submerge into the ground through a portal of some kind, prompting Fury to leap from the animal and land on the saddle of her steed. The fox would re-emerge a good distance from the rider on the other side of the open area, and when she did, she growled as the black mass formed around the base where her nine tails were and formed nine black tentacles, while from her back sprouted wings made of black bone and solid liquid. When her unnatural transformation was done, she roared before she took to the sky. Fury would keep Rampage moving as she looked above her, anticipating what the corrupted Youkai plans to do. The giant fox would let out a beastly roar as she would dive down right at her, prompting Rampage to charge forward at increased speed, escaping the fox's trajectory on time as she slammed on the ground. Fury would dismount from Rampage and turn around, but when she did, the giant animal was nowhere to be seen. Akin to that of a dolphin, the giant fox would jump from the portal on the ground and try to devour the rider, but Fury nimbly jumped sideways, avoiding the beast as it submerged in another portal. The rider looked left and right as to where the beast will emerge again, before another portal opened to her left. The beast tried to devour Fury again, but she would again avoid the fox, prompting it to submerge in the portal. On the third try however, as soon as the portal started to form behind her, and the beast emerged to try and eat Fury whole once more, the horseman switched to the Force Hollow, turned around and smacked the giant fox by the jaw, launching it upward.

Determined to end this bout, and seeing that Yasaka is beyond reason much like the Archon Lucien due to Corruption, she decided to go for the kill. That said, Fury used this opening as her body exploded from the overflow of crimson energy, transforming into Havoc Form. In this ultimate state, Fury looked up and merged her dual empowered, bladed whips into one, having a single whip with the power of two as intended. The giant fox roared at the rider not far from her foe, but before the Youkai could charge down, Fury whirled her whip upward and started spinning it in a circle around the fox. She would quickly pick up the pace, and before the corrupted Yasaka would be aware, Fury would spin her whip so fast that she formed a cyclone of crimson fire. The cyclone would be so massive that everyone within Kyoto and without could see for dozens of miles around, but the rider didn't care as she could see that her technique is doing the intended purpose, incinerating the beast as it roared and howled in agony, burning every ounce of her body, along with the Corruption that took hold over her, leaving not a trace of the giant beast. With the deed done, Fury whirled her whip down before she reverted to her normal form.

With that act, Yasaka's rampage was finally over. An unfortunate end, but necessary. However, moments later, Fury would notice Kuno suddenly appearing from her right, and she could already see her eyes filled with sorrow and horror at the death of her beloved mother. Fury would follow the little girl's gaze, and she noticed a golden crown lying on the ground, an item that belonged to Yasaka if she is not mistaken. Slowly Kuno would walk towards the crown, until her knees collapsed when she was near, clutching onto the crown as if it was her own mother in mindnumbing disbelief.

"Mother." Kuno would whisper in sorrow and disbelief.

Feeling a surge of compassion towards the girl, Fury took a few steps forward until she stood behind Kuno.

"Why? Why did you kill her? Why didn't you try to save my mother?" Kuno asked in sorrow and disbelief.

"Because she was beyond reason child. She was overtaken by a dark power that leads its victims to madness and rage. There was no other way I could have stopped her. All I could have given her was a swift end." Fury said softly.

"Begone. Now. Before I kill you." Kuno gritted her teeth, more out of sorrow than rage as she bowed her head down and placed the crown close to her, starting to sob and weep uncontrollably.

"I sympathize for you loss. Truly I do." Fury said in surprisingly compassionate tone, before she turned her back on Kuno and started to walk away.

As she did, she noticed her brother Death in his normal form standing behind the two with folded arms, and gazed silently as his sister would walk past him, with a hint of guilt in her eyes if he is not mistaken, before he looked at weeping Kuno. Not long after Fury walked past him, Death would follow his sister. It is never an easy thing to rob a child of its parent, but Yasaka was no ordinary mortal, and her power threatened to put the Third Kingdom into jeopardy in her corrupted state. As tragic as this battle's conclusion was, it was the only way to put an end to it.

A good distance away from Kuno, the horsemen would find Azazel waiting for them with folded arms, glancing at the weeping Kuno behind them.

"Was there really no other way?" Azazel asked in serious, if not disappointed tone.

"There was not." Death said grimly before he looked at the fallen angel. "Have you taken care of Cao Cao and his followers?"

"I have." Azazel said seriously.

"Then let us go." Death commanded.

"While you are busy with the fallen angel, I will continue my hunt for Gluttony. Perhaps I may find him in the other corner of this world." Fury said seriously.

"Very well." Death said simply.

"You should also know something else." Azazel said seriously, drawing the horsemen's attention. "Sirzechs recently informed me that a demon named Abraxis encountered him and War in the Underworld."

"Abraxis?" Fury asked curiously.

"Yes. He told them that a demon lord Nebiros is leading a massive army of demons to invade the Underworld, intent on wiping out the devils for good. They are expected to arrive in two days." Azazel said seriously.

"Finally. I was waiting for another chance to slaughter the dregs of Hell once more." Fury grinned in murderous glee as she pumped her right fist in front of her.

"Focus on the mission at hand Fury. Use these two days to find Gluttony and deal with him. If he is not dealt with by then, go to War and deal with the demons." Death said in usual, grim tone.

"I would not dare miss such carnage." Fury said in murderous glee before she departed, with Death and Azazel doing the same in opposite direction.

"Damn it. Now I feel bad that we couldn't stop this on time." Azazel said in serious, yet compassionate tone as he glanced back at weeping Kuno.

"Explain." Death demanded.

"We discovered that one of the leylines of Kyoto had been tainted with a dark and terrible power. And since those leylines were used to empower Yasaka, that evil has infected her as well." Azazel said seriously as he looked at the rider.

"Yasaka has been corrupted because of one of the tainted leylines?" Death asked curiously.

"Yeah. We managed to neutralize it completely thanks to Azrael, but by the time we did, it was too late." Azazel said seriously as he looked forward.

"So even the Earth is not safe from Corruption. Absalom. I certainly hope that he is not the source of Corruption as Fury have said." Death thought grimly as he and the fallen angel would continue to walk towards the city.

Thus Kyoto has been saved, what's left of it, and its citizens will thrive in time. But with Yasaka's death, the horsemen can no longer count on any support from the Youkai. However, that didn't bother Death much as he found a fitting alternative with Cao Cao and his companions, more specifically the Sacred Gears that they wield. Pity that they chose to side with Ophis instead of carving out their own path. While it is unfortunate that they are alienated from the human society due to them having Sacred Gears, that is no excuse to put all of Creation in danger, like they did by using Yasaka as a bait to lure the Great Red into this reality. No matter, if they will not dedicate their Sacred Gears to the betterment of mankind, regardless of how they are seen by others humans, then the Reaper will ensure that those weapons are put to proper use, Creator willing or not. The last thing the horsemen need at this time is another catastrophe to rival if not surpass the Grand Abomination crisis.


- Gamelover41592 Thank you, seemed right for War to recognize the hard worker like Sairaorg, even if he is a devil.

- DOOMRAIDER Exactly. Issei himself is similar to Worf, despite his heroic efforts, he always gets beat up until either someone else shows up to save them, like Vali against Kokabiel, or pulls out a new power last minute for one perverted reason or another, like with Cao Cao and Sairaorg. And the only reason how he even survived all those battles is cause enemies either played with their food like Kokabiel and Cao Cao, or deliberately let them be stronger so they can be a better fight later, the prime example being Vali. And I agree, struggle is arguably a key component to making a good story, and there are so many ways in which a character can struggle in a story, not just physically against an overwhelming opponent.

Sounds interesting indeed. I dunno about Athena, but Samael is the type of character who like any demon is only playing a game that he knows he can win, and only when it really benefits him. Demonic pride is something that can be exploited, but Samael like Lucifer is a demon who as Ostegoth said, only plays a game of his own devising, and everyone is his pawn.

Indeed. Obtaining victory and actually celebrating that win is good and all, but as you said, not all victories are worth a feast and song, one of the examples being how Rias won against corrupted Sona, but only felt sorrow because she had to kill her closest friend.

- BoilingPoints30 Thank you. While that is true, I'll have to say that I would keep Issei as the mc of Highschool DXD. As much as Sairaorg is more relatable with his motivations and suffering through his life to achieve the greatness he has, the hilarity of Issei's zealous fixation on boobs galore, and coming up with techniques like Boobie lingual and Dress Break is what makes him stand out from other mcs in ecchi harem genre, and gave the anime the charm that it has. Sairaorg would've better stood out as mc in shonen animes like Dragon Ball or Naruto, but not Highschool DXD.

- Jeremiahkelley93 Thanks, happy holidays to you too!

- Super heavy weapons guy Thanks, and merry Christmas!

-Carlom2408 In later chapters you'll see that Strife sees flirting with women as exotic pass time, he still primarily enjoys being a super powered death machine like in Genesis.

P.S in what regard?

-The Eschaton Sure :)

Not much to add what already hasn't been said, other than thank you for the reviews, faves and follows and I'll see you in the next chapter :)