"The death of the previous heir of House Gsya-Labos, the sight of that Tengu, and the increase of Diodora Astaroth's Demonic Powers are all connected," Azazel said as he entered Sirzechs' office.

  Sirzechs did not look up from the paperwork in front of him. "Hello to you, too, Azazel."

  The Governor General threw himself into the chair in front of Sirzechs' desk, zily pcing his legs over one of its arms and folding his arms behind his head. "Vali also came to give me a warning."

  "And you didn't kill him on the spot, or at the very least arrest him for his betrayal?" Sirzechs asked, still maintaining his warm and friendly tone as he finally lifted his head to look at the Fallen Angel.

  Azazel chuckled, shrugging his shoulders pyfully. "What can I say? I'm soft on the kid, and it's hard to be too upset with Vali when I know the kind of person he is and why he would align himself with Khaos Brigade."

  "And am I correct in assuming that this warning Vali has given you is about Kahos Brigade?"

  Azazel sighed. "It is. Diodora had been tasked with killing Rofeldam Gsya-Labos as a way of proving himself to the cause. And because the poor bastard had accidentally stumbled upon one of the group's secret bases that was stationed near the Gsya-Labos territory and needed to be silenced."

  "And I suppose you haven't also come to tell me that the base is still in use?"

  "Hah, no. Apparently, Khaos Brigade is constantly on the move, even if we knew where to look, they would be long gone by now."

  Sirzechs leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing as the weight of Azazel's words settled into pce. "So Diodora has already crossed the line from ambition into treason? I figured he was pnning something foul, but I had assumed it was the typical Devil politics."

  And why would Diodora want to align himself with Khaos Brigade and the Old Satan Faction? Diodora benefits from the current status quo; he is the cousin of a Maou and heir to one of the most powerful and richest houses in the Underworld. So why would he wish to side with those who seek to dismantle everything and throw the Underworld into disarray? He cannot be foolish enough to believe that he will not be terminated should the Old Satan Faction win, can he? Sirzechs thought.

  "And the Tengu?" he asked. "Was that also part of Diodora's initiation?"

  Azazel shook his head. "No, it wasn't, apparently Diodora's been… outsourcing." His lips twitched in mild irritation. "He's been making deals with other pantheons. I don't know who, but someone with Shinto authority purposely allowed the Tengu to slip through Kuoh Town's barrier."

  When a country or territory belonged to a pantheon, permission was needed to allow outside beings to stay and act freely within its borders.

  All of Japan belonged to the Shinto Pantheon, and the only reason the Devils of the Christian Pantheon were able to run Kuoh was because of a carefully negotiated pact the two groups had created decades ago, one built on mutual non-interference, allowing the former to enter the city at their pleasure.

  Sirzechs' fingers tightened imperceptibly. "That complicates matters, especially as Natsuki was the target of this attack."

  Azazel hummed. "At least we can be sure that their leadership doesn't know about Natsuki. Otherwise, we would all be dead."

  "Which means that this would have to be a rogue agent," Sirzechs muttered. "Why did Vali tell you all of this?"

  Azazel crossed his arms, loudly sighing, exasperated. "It's because of the Rating Game between Diodora and Rias' Peerages.

  Vali still wants the opportunity to fight Natsuki and Issei again, so he wanted me to intervene to keep them, in his words, from 'getting killed too quickly'."

  Sirzechs chuckled at the tired look on Azazel's face. "He truly does enjoy a good fight, doesn't he?"

  "More than anything," Azazel said, before leaning back in his seat. "And I'm guessing since nothing has been done to stop it, the match between the Astaroth and Gremory Peerages will continue as pnned?"

  Sirzechs sighed. "As much as I would like to cancel it, preparations are too far along to do so without losing face. And even then, Diodora seems to be obsessed with my sister's Peerage, more specifically, Asia Argento. If the match goes forward, I do not doubt that Diodora will reveal himself, thinking that he has gone unnoticed."

  "Hah, so you're using your precious little sister and her servants as bait?" Azazel smirked. "How positively ruthless of you, Sirzechs."

  Sirzechs turned toward the window overlooking the Underworld skyline. "They are not bait," he said evenly. "They are my responsibility."

  Azazel snorted. "No matter what pretty words you want to use, it still sounds like they're bait."

  Sirzechs' eyes darkened as he turned back from the window. "If Diodora believes himself untouchable, then the safest pce to expose him is where countless Devils, Fallen Angels, and Angels will be watching." His hands folded atop the desk. "And if he truly means to make a move against my sister and her servants, then he will do so arrogantly and recklessly, believing himself victorious."

  Azazel's smirk grew. "Well, at least this all will be interesting; things have been pretty boring tely."

  "You have a warped view of what is considered entertaining," Sirzechs said dryly.

  "So, I'm guessing you also don't want to hear about the intel Vali gave me about Loki and his faction?" Azazel pyfully asked.

  Sirzechs eyes narrowed, and Azazel ughed at the Ultimate-Css Devil's expression.

  Natsuki still found herself surprised by how simir Devil society was to its human counterpart.

  The building from which Roundtable of Sin filmed was no different from any high-end television studio in the human world, with gss walls, immacute lighting rigs, security personnel stationed at every entrance, and Devils bustling about with practiced efficiency.

  The only real differences were the sigils etched subtly into the walls, the faint pressure of Demonic Power humming through the air, and coming from every being in the building.

  Natsuki's gaze drifted across the studio floor, her burgundy eyes catching on the polished stage where the interview would soon take pce.

  "We are gd you are here. Rias Gremory-sama. And her servants-sama. Please come this way," A producer said, leading them deeper into the studio and toward the makeup and dressing rooms.

  "Is your cousin and his Peerage getting interviewed too?" Natsuki suddenly asked, staring down a nearby, empty corridor.

  Rias' brow furrowed. "My cousin? Why do you-"

  It was then that the Bael Peerage turned into the corridor that Natsuki was facing, and everyone realized that the Pawn had long since sensed the group's presence.

  "Rias, are you also getting interviewed as well?" Sairaorg asked with a grin as he and his Peerage walked down the hallway.

  "Yes, I am," Rias answered, inclining her head politely. "My brother insisted upon it. And I take it you were given the same invitation?"

  "We were, and since you're all just now arriving, I believe that my Peerage and I will be interviewed first." Sairaorg ughed lightly. "But enough of that, I saw your first match."

  Rias raised an eyebrow, wondering what her cousin would have to say about it, given how blunt he could be at times.

  "I have learnt many things from the match between you and Sona Sitri. I know that there are many unknowns about Sacred Gears; we won't know what peaks they can truly reach, or the secrets they hold," Sairaorg said as he looked at each member of the Gremory Peerage, his gaze staying on Natsuki and Issei the longest. "And I know that fighting you directly would be foolish in those kinds of conditions, but I desire nothing more than to fight you with only my pure power."

  Sairaorg left with his Peerage after saying this, and Natsuki could still fear the overwhelming sensation of the Pure-Blood Devil's strength, eager to meet his challenge.

  "Now, why did he have to go and say that?" Rias sighed. "As if the prospect of fighting him in front of thousands of people won't be terrifying enough? Not to mention that I don't need him exacerbating Natsuki's condition."

  "Condition?" Issei asked as everyone looked at the King, confused.

  Rias smirked. "Yes, her condition, battle junkie syndrome. The symptoms include bloodlust, enjoying fighting to the point of obsession, and seeking out strong opponents to test their limits and to crush and dominate said opponents, or simply because they love the thrill of combat. It hasn't progressed as far as it has for Natsuki as it has for Sairaorg, but there is no cure, and it will get worse."

  "Fuck off, Rias," Natsuki muttered.

  I'm not that bad, am I? Natsuki thought as they reached the dressing room.

  But then she remembered how her pulse had spiked when Sairaorg smiled at the idea of fighting her.

  …Okay. Maybe a little.

  "...I…. I… I…. I…. I-I…. I want to go hooooome!" Gasper excimed, trembling behind Issei as a group of stylists approached the Peerage.

  "Don't be so dramatic, Gya-kun," Koneko said as he picked Gasper up by the colr of his shirt, carrying the now crying boy towards one of the makeup chairs.

  "Geez, Koneko-chan, I think Gasper would be more cooperative if you didn't manhandle him like that," Issei argued.

  He could not fault Gasper as he usually would for being so afraid, as he too was nervous. When they were walking through the studio, Issei noticed all the seats that would be filled by the live audience.

  This reminded him that not only would there be a crowd inside that would be watching them, but that the interview would also be broadcast live. But it seemed that only he and Gasper were nervous, as everyone else in the Peerage carried themselves with an ease that he almost felt jealous of.

  Rias sat calmly as a stylist adjusted her hair, already slipping into the composed elegance expected of a noble Devil. Akeno smiled and chatted idly with one of the makeup artists, her ughter light and unbothered. Kiba stood patiently, posture straight, treating the situation like any other formal engagement. Xenovia and Koneko showed no emotion as various outfits were paraded before them, and Asia smiled softly as a stylist began to apply blush to her cheeks.

  Even Natsuki, who Issei thought should have been as uncomfortable as he was, looked disturbingly at home, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed, eyes half-lidded as she studied her reflection in the mirror.

  Why does it feel like I'm the only one who realizes how insane this is? Issei swallowed nervously, fidgeting with the bottom of his shirt.

  "Now, we already have questions prepared for you and your Peerage to answer, Rias-sama, so there is no need to worry about being taken off guard by any curveballs," Another producer said as they handed Rias a few sheets of paper.

  Rias looked them over. "There are a lot of questions here for Yuuto-kun and Akeno."

  The producer nodded. "Both of them are increasing in popurity, especially since your st match. Kiba-san is getting more female fans, while Akeno-san is getting more male fans."

  "Are you serious?!" Issei excimed.

  I mean, he's handsome, and she's beautiful after all. It would be weird if they weren't popur, but still!

  He then gnced toward Kiba, who looked faintly embarrassed by the attention, and then toward Akeno, who only smiled knowingly when she noticed Issei's stare.

  "You'll have your turn, Issei-kun," she said lightly, which did little to quell the jealousy that had unexpectedly hit him.

  "Maybe Issei-senpai would be a bit more popur if he didn't create a spell that helped him understand breasts," Koneko said dryly.

  "Wait, you're Hyoudou Issei-san?" Another member of the staff asked, staring at Issei shocked.

  Issei scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Um, yeah, I'm Hyoudou Issei."

  "Ah! You are! Your armored form had a strong impression, so I couldn't tell you were Hyoudou-san in your normal state."

  Natsuki could not stop the ughter that burst forth from her lips when she heard this.

  "Shut up, Natsuki!" Issei hissed, blushing.

  "Although you won't have to worry about a ck of attention since you are the famous Chichiryūtei."

  "C-Chichiryūtei?" Issei asked.

  The staff member nodded their head. "You have become very popur among children, and they call you the 'Oppai Dragon'. You screamed out 'Oppai' in the match against Sitri, correct? That was broadcast during snack time in the Underworld, and it became very popur among the children who saw that."

  "Bahahaha! The Oppai Dragon?!" Natsuki excimed, almost falling out of her chair due to ughing so hard.

  She did not know what was more ridiculous about this situation: Issei gaining such a nickname, being popur with children because of his perverted tendencies, or the fact that Rating Games were considered age-appropriate entertainment for children.

  Uoooooooon! Issei broke out of his shocked stupor by the sound of Ddraig crying inside his head.

  I, who was called a Heavenly Dragon. I, who has been feared as the Sekiryuutei… have been reduced to this?!

  The Breast Dragon Emperor Oppai Dragon. Lux drawled through her and Natsuki's bond. Devils never cease to amaze with their peculiarities.

  Natsuki ughed even harder. "So, Akeno and Kiba are becoming popur because they're good-looking, and Issei is becoming popur because he's obsessed with boobs?!"

  Issei was not sure how to feel about his newfound popurity and wondered who he must have angered in a past life to have deserved this.

  It was then that a sharp knock echoed through the dressing room.

  "Five minutes," a stagehand called.

  Rias rose to her feet, smoothing her skirt as she turned to her Peerage. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were sharp. "Remember," she said softly, "everything we say tonight will be seen by thousands. So speak carefully, as you will be representing the house of Gremory."

  "Yes, Buchou."

  The door opened, spilling bright stage lights into the room. "You're on."

  As the staff began ushering them toward the stage entrance, the distant murmur of the audience bled through the walls, hundreds of voices, yered with anticipation and curiosity.

  Natsuki rolled her shoulders once, the familiar hum of power stirring beneath her skin.

  I knew he would be here, but it still pisses me off to know that he's so close, but I can't do anything about it yet. Natsuki thought, sensing the arrival of Diodora and his Peerage.

  "Princess Rias-samaaaaa!"

  "Akeno-sama!"

  "Yuuto-kun!"

  "Look, it's Asia-chan! She's way cuter in person!"

  "Oppai dragon! Chichiryūtei, Chichiryūtei, Chichiryūtei!"

  "Xenovia-chan, my love!"

  "Looks like the crowd really does have their favorites," Natsuki muttered when the crowd exploded in excited chanting and screaming at the sight of them.

  "Eeek! T-T-This is a-a-a lo-lot of p-p-people!" Gasper cried, pulling his paper bag mask further down his head.

  Natsuki shook her head with exasperated amusement, pcing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder and pulling him close to her. "Gasper, I don't think you have to worry about most of the people here looking at you, given how obsessed they seemed to be with everyone else. If anything, you freaking out is just going to draw more attention to yourself."

  Gasper flinched. "Wah?! Really?"

  The Dhampir tried to hide himself behind Natsuki's body, but Koneko immediately grabbed him by the arm, pulling away from the Pawn's side.

  "You're not allowed to hide, Gya-kun. It will just make everyone's opinion of you worse," Koneko said as she dragged Gasper along to his dismay.

  As the group reached the stage and sat down in the chairs, across from them was a woman with bck hair styled into an elegant high ponytail, sharp crimson eyes gleaming beneath long shes. She wore a sleek crimson dress trimmed with gold, and her smile was one of practiced fakeness; polite, inviting, and utterly predatory.

  This was Fyserlea Maglud, the host of Roundtable of Sin. Her Demonic Power rolled subtly across the stage, sharp enough to remind everyone present that she was no ordinary interviewer.

  Fyserlea inclined her head slightly toward Rias, her smile widening.

  "Welcome back, everyone, to Roundtable of Sin," she said smoothly, her voice carrying effortlessly through the studio. "Tonight, we have the honor of hosting the rising stars of this year's Youth Devil Rating Game Tournament; Rias Gremory-sama and her distinguished Peerage."

  The crowd erupted again, cheers washing over the stage like a tidal wave.

  "Tonight's discussion will, of course, cover your recent match," she said lightly. "Your growing popurity and the expectations surrounding your upcoming Rating Game against the Astaroth Peerage." A glint then passed through her eyes, and her lips pulled into a pyful smirk. "And of course, this wouldn't be the show that it is if we did not… touch upon all the juiciest rumors currently circuting the Underworld and you all."

  Rias smiled politely. "And my servants and I will do our best to answer everyone's questions."

  "I'm sure you will," Fyserlea said before turning to look at Xenovia and Asia. "And I'm sure that everyone is dying to know how such nice, and sweet-looking girls, such as your Bishop and Knight, could have gone from devoted members of the Church."

  The studio's primarily Devil audience began booing loudly when Fyserlea said the word 'church'. The reaction was not very surprising; it had only been about two months since the three factions of Christian mythology had formally ended the cold war between them and were now actively working together.

  And it would take a lot longer than a few months and more than an external threat like Khaos Brigade to get rid of the hatred and distrust that had existed among the Fallen, Devils, and Angels over the st few millennia.

  "We want to know everything, from falling from grace to becoming Devils."

  Asia looked uncomfortable with the question at first as she was forced to think about Diodora. But when she turned her head and caught Issei's gaze, she felt reassured by the bright smile he was now giving her.

  "I was excommunicated from the Church for healing a Devil with my Sacred Gear and decred a heretic," Asia said softly.

  The audience booed again, and whispers broke out among them disparaging Heaven and its leadership for branding a girl as heretical simply for showing kindness to one of their own.

  "But," Asia quickly rushed to speak. "Afterwards, I met my friends, and they accepted me, all of me. They cared about me when no one else did and even risked their lives to save mine. I had not pnned on becoming a Devil, but I am gd that I did, and I am proud to call myself Rias-Buchou's servant."

  A bright and happy smile appeared on Asia's face, one that further endeared her to the audience.

  "How sweet, and you, Xenovia-san?" Fyserlea asked.

  Xenovia tilted her head to the side, thinking about her own response. "I would say that I had a simir experience to Asia-san. I had found myself lost and without purpose when I was excommunicated; the Church had been my entire world, but Rias Gremory and her Peerage offered me a new path. I am stronger as a Devil than I ever was as a servant of Heaven, and I regret nothing."

  Her blue eyes were sharp and unrepentant.

  "If that is what it means to fall," she added, "then I was never standing very high to begin with."

  A beat of silence followed, then appuse erupted, louder than before.

  Fyserlea's smile widened, clearly pleased. "Such conviction," she purred. "It seems the Gremory Peerage has a talent for attracting… exceptional women."

  Fyserlea's crimson eyes slid onto Natsuki, Koneko, and Akeno before settling on the Queen.

  "And speaking of exceptional," she continued smoothly, "Let's focus on the Queen of this Peerage, Himejima Akeno-san, and her performance during the game."

  Akeno had a calm and serene expression on her face; her hands were folded neatly in her p. "My performance?" She repeated softly, tilting her head just enough to let her bangs sway. "I simply did what was expected of me as a Queen."

  Fyserlea raised a brow. "Expected? Would you consider it expected for a Queen, for a Devil to use Holy Lightning as you did when fighting Yura Tsubasa-san? An ability that belongs solely to Fallen Angels?"

  Akeno's smile sharpened, and her eyes lost some of their shine as she stared at the host.

  Fyserlea continued to press Akeno, having smelled blood in the water. "I find it quite surprising how the knowledge that Rias Gremory-sama's Queen is a Fallen Angel-Devil hybrid could have been hidden for so long. Especially given that your surname, Himejima, is the name of one of Japan's five exorcist families?"

  Rias frowned, leaning forward in her seat. "That is more than enough. I don't remember this being a part of the list of questions that were given to us."

  "Oh, so could it be that House Gremory did not want this information getting out?" Fyserlea asked with a vicious grin. "I don't know why you are so defensive, Rias-sama. It's not as if the Underworld doesn't already know about you taking hybrids of... questionable lineages into your Peerage. I mean, what else would you call your Rook and first Bishop? The younger sister of a Rogue Devil, a Devil whose race's special ability causes them to lose their minds, and the Dhampir son of Lord Valentin Vdi, who's so afraid of his own shadow that he has to wear a bag over his head. To me, Rias-sama, it seems like you greatly enjoying finding-"

  "Honestly, how the hell is something as trashy and worthless as the shit coming out of your mouth considered good journalism?" Natsuki asked, cutting the host off.

  The woman froze, her eyes quickly flickering towards Natsuki as the smug smile that had been resting on her face for most of the interview fell away. "Excuse me? Who do you think-"

  Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Is this really what passes for entertainment here in the Underworld? If so, I feel bad for every person who has been subjected to this show."

  Fyserlea looked downright murderous, the carefully curated poise she had worn like a second skin cracking for just a heartbeat as a surge of Demonic Power rippled across the stage.

  The lights flickered, and a hush fell over the studio. For a fraction of a second, it seemed as though the host might sh out, then Fyserlea inhaled sharply, straightening in her seat, her smile snapping back into pce with practiced precision.

  "My, my," she said coolly, her voice smooth once more, though her eyes remained sharp. "It appears the Pawn of House Gremory has quite the sharp tongue."

  "I don't particurly like it when people decide to attack my friends and try to exploit them."

  "Well, I'm starting to see why you have become so controversial within the Underworld, Natsuki-san. Such savage and bitter words to perfectly match the feral and monstrous way you've fought in your Rating Games against Riser Phenex-sama and Sona Sitri-sama."

  A ripple of murmurs spread through the audience, some intrigued, others wary.

  Fyserlea leaned forward slightly, her smile sharp as a bde. "Tell me, Natsuki-san, do you consider yourself a Devil who fights like a monster or a monster who merely wears the skin of a Devil?"

  Silence fell over the studio, and everyone waited to see how the Pawn would respond to the other Devil's question.

  Natsuki tilted her head, red eyes gleaming beneath the lights. "If protecting my people makes me a monster, then I won't insult them by pretending otherwise."

  "That will be enough," Rias said firmly, taking some of the attention away from Natsuki. "We came here today to speak about the Rating Game Tournament, not to indulge in snder or character assassination. If this show wishes to discuss unfounded rumors, then it can do so with someone else."

  Fyserlea held Rias' gaze for a long moment, the tension between them sharp enough to cut. Then she ughed lightly.

  "My apologies," she said smoothly, though the edge in her eyes remained. "It seems I may have… pressed too hard. After all, passion makes for excellent television."

  Some in the audience ughed along; others did not, the awkward tension still lingering throughout the room.

  "But I can move on if I touch a nerve. So, Issei-san, or should I call you Chichiryūtei?"

  "So, this is where you've been hiding, Natsuki-chan?" Akeno asked as she finally found Natsuki standing near the craft services table.

  The moment that the cameras cut and they were given a break before the second half of their interview, Natsuki wasted no time jumping to her feet and vacating the stage, ignoring the calls of her friends to stop.

  "I'm not hiding, being on talk shows just makes me hungry," Natsuki muttered as she threw a piece of chocote into her mouth.

  Akeno raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

  Natsuki rolled her eyes. "I already know I fucked up; I don't need you or Rias or anyone else telling me just how much."

  Akeno frowned, moving to stand closer to the other Devil. "None of us were going to do that; we were worried about you."

  Natsuki quietly scoffed, leaning against the table behind her. "Akeno, that doesn't-"

  Akeno reached out, gently resting her hand on Natsuki's wrist. "When Fyserlea revealed to everyone that I'm a hybrid and about my former cn, I wanted to do far worse to her than tell her she isn't a good journalist, so I don't have much room to judge you."

  Shame had immediately washed over Akeno when Fyserlea had turned her attention onto her, followed by a terrible anger as she knew that she could only sit there and take it, that reacting in any way that strayed from the perfect, poised image she had spent years creating for herself, not unless she wanted to validate the narrative Fyserlea was trying to form to everyone watching.

  "And I know Koneko-chan and Gasper-kun feel the same way I do."

  "Do Devils have some kind of prejudice against hybrids?" Natsuki asked, already knowing the answer.

  Akeno's lips were pressed into a thin line. "Yes. Pure-Blood Devils pride themselves on their lineages, on their inherited power. Hybrids often possess a rge amount of raw power and potential that can greatly risk upsetting the hierarchy, just like Vali or Kuroka have. There have been quite a few hybrids among the different races of the Underworld that have gone on to cause numerous incidents throughout history."

  "And then that hatred trickles down the dder so everyone ends up propagating it," Natsuki muttered.

  Things started to make sense about how Akeno, Koneko, and Gasper carried themselves.

  Why Akeno hid her pain behind charm and cruelty turned inward, why Koneko quietly kept to herself and believed she was doomed to be just like her sister, and why Gasper shrank himself down until the world could barely see him.

  Natsuki sighed. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised by this. But still, I'm sorry that the three of you have had to go through that, on top of everything else."

  Akeno gnced at the floor. "It's not so bad, Rias never made any of us feel different, so we were shielded from a lot of scrutiny. Which is why she's so angry."

  "Is she?"

  A mischievous and vindictive smile soon appeared on Akeno's face. "She had a few choice words for Fyserlea after you left about her ambushing us with those questions. And you know how Rias can get when she's angry and when the people she cares about are hurt."

  Natsuki smirked. "Do you think Sirzechs will ever be able to convince her to do another interview like this again?"

  "Not even if her life depended on it."

  Natsuki chuckled and was about to say something else before she froze and quickly turned her head to the side. Her amused expression was now repced with one of murderous hatred.

  "Natsuki? What's wrong?" Akeno asked.

  Natsuki clicked her teeth together, turning away from the corridor she had been gring at. "It's nothing."

  "It's clearly not nothing," Akeno said, gently squeezing Natsuki's wrist. "You can tell me what's bothering you. I want to help."

  Natsuki hesitated for a moment, staring into the Queen's eyes and seeing the earnestness there. "It's Diodora. I could feel him since the moment he and his entered the building, and I could feel him watching us just now."

  She was very much tired of the Pure-Blood Devil's game, and it was only the knowledge that their Rating Game against him was tomorrow that kept her from chasing Diodora down.

  Akeno's body tensed, and the hold she had on Natsuki's arm tightened slightly. "I know that you're angry, more than angry about all of this."

  Natsuki scoffed. "That's the understatement of the fucking century."

  "But no matter how justified you feel, you can't kill Diodora. You wouldn't survive the fallout that would come afterwards. You know that, don't you?"

  "I know, and I don't care. He's responsible for the death of an innocent man, he's been harassing Asia for weeks now, and is most likely working with some unknown threat to the Underworld," Natsuki growled. "I don't care if his mommy and daddy are pissed off after; they shouldn't have raised such a terrible, arrogant little shit if they wanted him to live longer."

  "After Vali and the Old Satan Faction attacked the school, didn't you say that you were going to think things through instead of letting your emotions get the better of you and charging ahead?" Akeno asked, glowering at the Pawn. "Why are you so eager to just throw your life away, and to hurt the rest of us in the process for some-"

  "For some what? For some no-name, average little human?" Natsuki snapped, gring fiercely at Akeno.

  Akeno did not flinch; instead, her grip tightened. "For yourself," she said quietly. "Because this isn't really about him-"

  "Of course it is," Natsuki quickly said, looking at Akeno as if the older girl was talking nonsensically.

  Akeno stepped closer, her voice low enough that no one else could hear. "No, it's not, and you're not angry because he died," Akeno continued. "You're angry because you think his death is your fault and that you failed him. But killing Diodora won't bring that man back; it will just give you somewhere to put the guilt and anger you're feeling."

  Natsuki ripped her away from Akeno, tightly clenching her jaw. "That man had a name, Inaba Motonobu. He had a wife, a son, a job, and a whole fucking life that he'll never get to fully live because he was butchered simply because he was at the wrong pce at the wrong time. The Tengu wasn't after him; it was sent for me, and Motonobu just so happened to be a delicious snack it could eat as it waited for me to arrive."

  Motonobu's brutalized and broken corpse still haunted Natsuki's dreams; she could barely do anything without thinking about him, and about Makiko and Gennai.

  "I know that I didn't know him before his death, not truly, and that he doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. But you don't think it's messed up to ignore a life like that because you're too afraid of angering someone deemed more important? To decide when justice is allowed to be had? Motonobu didn't deserve to die scared in an alley. And knowing that the person who did it is in the same area as me and being told I have to wait, and that I have to let them go with a fraction of the punishment they deserve because they come from an important family, makes me feel like I'm being told to swallow broken gss."

  Who gets to decide that a Devil is worth more than a human? Who gets to just decide that people like Diodora can do whatever they want without consequence? Natsuki thought bitterly.

  "Motonobu's life may have meant nothing to you, Akeno, but it did to me and the people who cared about him, and that's more than enough of a reason to get justice for him," Natsuki clenched her fists, looking away from Akeno.

  Devils and humans, both societies are the same from their prejudices right down to their ck of empathy. The only difference is the magical power Devils are born with.

  Akeno frowned, hating the way Natsuki had been looking at her before she had turned away, as if thoroughly disappointed by every part of her.

  She doesn't get it; it's not as if I don't feel bad about Motonobu, but he's already dead. What good will it do for anyone to throw her life away or risk the stability between the houses of Gremory and Astaroth for his sake? Akeno thought. "Natsuki, you're-"

  "N-Natsuki-sama!" The two girls turned around and saw the only daughter of House Phenex approaching them.

  "Ravel? What are you doing here?" Natsuki asked.

  A small blush coated the younger girl's cheeks as she caught Natsuki's gaze, stopping just short of her. Her expression quickly changed when she took notice of Akeno, frowning as she pushed the dessert box she had been holding into Natsuki's arms.

  "T-This! It is a cake! My second eldest brother has his own television program that films in this studio, so I came to give you this since I had time!" Ravel said shyly, repeatedly gncing between Natsuki's face and the floor.

  Natsuki opened the box, and inside was a delicious-looking chocote cake with vanil frosting on top.

  "Oh yeah, at the banquet, you said that you wanted to bake me a homemade cake," Natsuki said, remembering the short conversation the two of them had that night. "Thank you, but I thought that you wanted us to have tea together so you could make this? You could have contacted me through Rias so we could set up a date instead of rushing to make this for me so te."

  "A date?"

  "A-A-A-A d-d-date?!"

  Akeno and Ravel said, respectively. Akeno's tone was ft, and her face was expressionless as she stared at Natsuki, while Ravel's entire face had turned bright red, her voice cracking with every word.

  Natsuki froze, staring at Ravel, then at Akeno, then back at the flustered Phenex girl, the realization dawning far too te.

  "…I meant," Natsuki said slowly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Like a day, a date on a calendar. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable by insinuating-"

  Ravel swallowed, clutching the hem of her skirt. "You didn't! You didn't make me uncomfortable. And you have a match with the House of Astaroth coming up soon, correct? So, I didn't want to waste your time, but I thought maybe I could give you a cake. Regardless, you should be grateful that I took time out of my day to do this!"

  Natsuki let out a snort, amused by how quickly the younger girl could go from being bashful to forcefully arrogant. Natsuki then, to the surprise of both girls, took a fork from the table behind her and used it to dig into the cake. After taking a rge piece, Natsuki lifted the fork to her lips and ate the piece of cake, allowing the sweet taste of chocote and vanil to wash over her tongue.

  "It's delicious, Ravel, thanks. I don't know when I will see you next, but let's make sure that we actually arrange a date for tea. Then I can bake you something myself to further show you how grateful I am."

  "B-B-Bake m-me, you, y-you bake…" Ravel stammered, her eyes becoming teary and her face even redder.

  Natsuki frowned. "Ravel, are you ok-"

  "I have to go, but I'll be cheering for you in your next match, Natsuki-sama!" Ravel squealed before quickly leaving the scene.

  Is this going to be a regur occurrence every time we see each other? Natsuki thought, thinking about how Ravel had simirly run away st time.

  "Natsuki, when did you and Ravel-sama get so close?" Akeno asked, and Natsuki could feel a sharp spike in Akeno's Demonic Power. One that made the people who had been around them take several steps back as they looked at her nervously.

  Natsuki blinked. "Uh, we aren't close, we just talked to each other for a little bit at that banquet that Kuroka and Bikou tried to crash."

  A sharp smile appeared on Akeno's face. "But you apparently talked to each other long enough to start pnning dates?"

  "It's not a date, it's two acquaintances hanging out together," Natsuki huffed. "And why would Ravel or anyone want to go on a date with me? Ravel isn't attracted to me, and I'm not attracted to her."

  The Queen knew that Natsuki was generally an intelligent and observant person, but it was moments like this that made her question just what was going on in Natsuki's head.

  How can she be so oblivious?! "Natsuki-"

  A stagehand's voice soon echoed down the hall, drawing their attention. "Two minutes!"

  Natsuki exhaled slowly through her nose, the tight coil of fury in her chest still refusing to fully unwind despite her efforts. She looked at Akeno once more; her expression shuttered now, carefully neutral, painfully distant.

  "We should go," Natsuki said ftly. "I don't want to give Fyserlea the satisfaction of thinking she rattled us."

  Akeno studied her for a moment longer, and what she wanted to say died on her tongue as Natsuki stepped past her, cake box still tucked under one arm.

  As they began walking back toward the stage's lights, Natsuki's fingers curled briefly around the cardboard edge of the box.

  Tomorrow… she thought.

  Diodora could hide behind politics and his bloodline all he wanted, but tomorrow, she would make sure that the hierarchy he used so flippantly would not be strong enough to protect him from her wrath.

  The Next Day

  Diodora Astaroth had a rge smile on his face as he hovered above the rge group of Devils occupying his estate.

  The Rating Game between himself and the Gremory Peerage was set to begin in a matter of minutes, and already he wished for the time to move faster.

  Everything I've worked for has all come down to this moment. Diodora thought, excited by the prospect of finally enacting his pn.

  When the Old Satan Faction had come to him, revealing their alliance with the Khaos Brigade and their desire to bring him into the fold, Diodora had at first ughed off the proposal, seeing it as the most ludicrous of plots.

  Why would he wish to topple the New Satan Faction when he benefited from it due to his retion to Ajuka Beelzebub? Why would he become a traitor and risk death at the hands of the strongest Devils the Underworld has to offer?

  But then he had been shown the limitless power that had been given to the traditionalists by the Ouroboros Dragon, Ophis, and knew that he could not refuse this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

  And when Ophis' Snake had been embedded inside of him, Diodora had almost known no greater joy than using his now exceedingly increased Demonic Power to take Rofeldam Gsya-Labos' life.

  Still, this power simply cannot compare to that of my dies. Diodora's smile grew as he turned to where his Peerage was standing.

  "Rachel, come," Diodora ordered.

  The Queen summoned her wings and flew towards her master, forcing a sweet and gentle smile on her face. "Yes, Diodora-sama?"

  The King swiftly lunged forward and grabbed Rachel by the neck, squeezing it tightly.

  Rachel's eyes widened, her mouth falling open with a gasp as she now struggled to breathe. She grabbed his wrist with both hands, but could not remove it from her throat.

  Diodora admired Rachel's long, pale lic hair, her light blue eyes, her heart-shaped face, her smooth, supple skin, and how red it was starting to become, and the way her bountiful bosom bounced as she desperately gasped for air that his hand was preventing her from getting.

  "Who do you love the most, Rachel-chan?" Diodora sweetly asked.

  "Y-Y-Y-You, D-D-Dio-dora-s-sama. O-only you…" Rachel choked.

  Diodora smiled before leaning forward and smming his lips against hers, forcefully kissing her.

  When Diodora finally released Rachel, he watched amused as she fell out of the sky, only being saved from hitting the ground when one of his Rooks, Davina, jumped up to catch her.

  One of his Bishops, Grace, the one whom he had been pnning to give to Rias in exchange for Asia, quickly rushed towards Rachel and Davina, and began using her magic to heal Rachel.

  Grace's healing magic in no way compares to what Asia can do with [Twilight Healing, although I suppose I shouldn't compare normal Demonic Power to that of a Sacred Gear.

  As he began to think about Asia, his test obsession and soon-to-be his newest conquest, despite telling himself not to, he could not help but compare his servants to her.

  For as long as he could remember, Diodora had been utterly obsessed with nuns and Holy maidens. And once he was old enough to form a Peerage of his own, he had gone to various countries in the human world to prey on famous nuns and Holy maidens.

  He would seduce them with his passionate words to make them fall in love with him. And after the nuns and maidens were cast out by their churches, and were left devastated, he would appear before to save them from the depths of their despair, reincarnating them as his servants and taking great pleasure in breaking them.

  He found no greater satisfaction than taking their purity and innocence and twisting it into something unrecognizable. He enjoyed seeing them with expressions of pain and sadness, seeing it as the ultimate form of entertainment.

  Asia will be my greatest prize yet. I wonder if she'll bleed, if she'll cry when I take her virginity? Maybe she'll beg for that worthless fool Hyoudou to save her when I fuck her.

  "Diodora-sama," One of his Pawns called out to him. "It is almost time."

  Diodora grinned as he turned to look at the warriors before him, each one looking just as eager and bloodthirsty as he felt.

  "Tonight, my fellow Devils, will be the day that the false Maous finally receive their reckoning and punishment for the disgusting travesty they have turned our race into," Diodora excimed as he addressed the countless souls below him, his voice echoing throughout the room. "Tonight, the Old Satan Faction shall emerge victorious and restore the descendants of our true and fallen Maous to their rightful thrones! Tonight, we remind the Underworld what it means to be Devils, not servants of compromise, not pdogs of Heaven and the Grigori, but rulers of everything we survey!"

  A roar answered him; Demonic Power surging as his Peerage and allies responded in kind.

  "And when this Rating Game ends," he said softly, almost lovingly, "House Gremory and everyone else who follows them will learn what happens when they stand in the way of destiny."

  Diodora did not believe the words coming out of his mouth, but had no issue with spreading his arms wide, basking in the moment.

  This was all simply a means to achieve power for himself, and as he floated back down to the ground the moment various teleportation circles had appeared, he could only think about what he would be gaining in the next few hours.

  Rias stared at her friends from the front of the clubroom as they all waited for the teleportation circle that would take them to the location of their match to appear.

  She saw the tension in their shoulders, the way each of them tried to remain composed as they waited for the moment to arrive, but it was her second Pawn that drew Rias' attention the most.

  Natsuki stood slightly apart from the others, her expression unreadable, her gaze steady and cold. Rias felt a flicker of unease, not fear of her Pawn, but of how calm she was, especially in reaction to how she had been carrying herself these st few days.

  Eventually, Rias stood from her seat, drawing every eye in the room to her. "I just want to say before we leave that this match will not be easy. Diodora is dangerous and strong, but he is not invincible."

  She met each of their gazes in turn. "We fight together; we protect each other, and we will show the Astaroth Peerage and everyone watching tonight just how much we have improved and that we are not a team to be underestimated." Her eyes lingered on Natsuki for half a heartbeat longer than the others. "And most importantly, no one acts alone."

  The air shifted as the teleportation circle finally bloomed beneath their feet, its magic humming with anticipation.

  Rias allowed herself one final breath. "Let's go."

  In a burst of light, the Gremory Peerage found themselves in a spacious white void, standing before a rge, deteriorating temple that looked like one that a tourist could visit in Greece, and sitting above rocky and desote soil.

  "Wait," Xenovia said, looking around the arena, bewildered. "I thought our match was supposed to take pce in a version of Luciferd. Why are we here?"

  Kiba summoned one of his swords, looking up at the sky suspiciously. "And as the arbiter, Grayfia-sama should have already started giving the announcement to begin the match."

  "Something strange is going on here," Rias said, narrowing her eyes as she looked back at the shrine.

  "Everyone!" Natsuki shouted as she summoned her Sacred Gear; her body had already turned toward the other side of the temple. "We're about to get some company, and a lot of it!"

  Just as she said this, a rge magic circle appeared directly where Natsuki was facing, and in an instant, multiple magic circles started appearing all over the pce, surrounding the Peerage.

  "That isn't the symbol of Astaroth!" Kiba shouted as he took up his stance with his sword.

  "None of these magic circles are simir to each other. But they have certainly been made by Devils." Akeno added as she covered her hands with electricity.

  A red aura covered Rias' body as countless Devils emerged from the teleportation circles, gring at the Pure-Blood Devil and her servants. "Judging from their magic circles, they are affiliated with the Old Satan Faction of Khaos Brigade."

  If this really is the Khaos Brigade, then we can't be the only ones being attacked. Targeting only the sister of a Maou would be a stupid idea, especially since there's a whole amphitheater full of people who came out to watch the game. Natsuki thought.

  "Why would Khaos Brigade want to attack now?" Issei asked, gring at a Devil who was heckling Rias, resisting the urge to run at him.

  Natsuki's head quickly snapped to the side, and she ran to where Asia was standing, tackling the Bishop, and narrowly avoiding the figure who had tried to swoop down to grab Asia.

  When the figure tried to grab Asia again, the girl formed a barrier around herself and Natsuki.

  "Asia! Natsuki!" Issei shouted, now looking at the form of Diodora Astaroth trying to break Asia's barrier.

  Akeno fired a bolt of lightning at the Devil, forcing Diodora to jump back to avoid it.

  "You know, I am getting quite tired of having to deal with you, Sukehiro," Diodora said, gring at the Pawn.

  "So, you're a member of Khaos Brigade, huh?" Natsuki asked with a vicious grin. "At least you being a traitor will give me a better justification in the eyes of the Higher-Ups for killing you."

  "Killing me?" Diodora let out a condescending ugh. "Are these the type of delusions you've been entertaining yourself with, little Pawn? You stand in front of me, surrounded, isoted, without arbitration or protection, and yet you believe you hold the advantage?"

  An evil and twisted smile appeared on Diodora's face as he looked at the rest of the Gremory Peerage. "This isn't a game; all of you will die here by them, the Devils of Khaos Brigade. No matter how powerful all of you are, you won't be able to take on well over a thousand High-Css Devils and Mid-Css Devils, right? Now, hand over Asia to me, unlike the rest of you, she has a greater purpose to fulfill by my side."

  [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!]

  Issei gred at the Pure-Blood Devil; his jaw clenched so tightly as his Demonic Power began surging wildly in conjunction with his [Boosted Gear].

  "You're not taking her," Issei growled, wings snapping open behind him. "Not now, not ever, you fucking bastard! And I'm going to kick your ass for even thinking about ying your hands on her!"

  "Is that so?" Diodora asked rhetorically, spreading his arms wide, his wings unfurling as his Demonic Power surged outward.

  The space around the Devil started to become distorted, his body becoming blurry before disappearing entirely.

  The air in front of Asia's barrier suddenly ruptured, and the spell shattered when Diodora's fist smmed through it, reappearing in a blur as his other hand was outstretched toward the Bishop.

  Natsuki twisted her body around Asia and smmed her forearm into Diodora's chest.

  Shockwaves tore through the ground as Diodora was hurled backward, skidding across stone before stopping just short of the temple steps.

  Diodora's perfectly styled hair was now disheveled, strands falling loose around his face, his immacute uniform dusted with stone and cracks spider-webbing through the ground beneath his boots.

  A look of pure, unadulterated hatred sat on the Devil's face as he forced himself to his feet. "Ugh! Kill them! Kill each one of them!"

  The battlefield exploded into motion as those of the Old Satan Faction moved to carry out Diodora's order.

  "Everyone!" Rias shouted, coating her arms in Power of Destruction. "Get in formation!"

  She and her servants then stood in a circle, their backs now facing each other as they prepared to fight.

  "Ise!"

  Issei grinned, raising his left arm towards the sky. "Dragon Shot!"

  The red beam flew from Issei's palm at breakneck speed, and after reaching a certain height, fell back towards the ground, splitting apart into several skinnier but no less powerful beams.

  The beams tore through the swaths of Devils they hit, some of their bodies disintegrating mid-air as Issei's Demonic Power detonated violently on impact. Explosions rippled across the battlefield, smoke and ash billowing upward as screams echoed through the ruined arena.

  But even as dozens fell, more poured in to repce them, teleportation circles fring brighter as reinforcements continued to arrive.

  "They're not stopping!" Kiba shouted as he deflected a hail of magic bsts, summoning another sword as the first shattered in his grip.

  "Of course they aren't," Akeno replied, lightning screaming outward from her hands as she tore a Devil from the sky and smmed him into the ground. Her smile was gone now, repced by something sharp and furious. "They came here expecting a sughter."

  "Then let's keep disappointing them," Xenovia said, Durandal bzing to life as she stepped forward, cleaving through two charging Devils in a single, brutal arc.

  Rias raised her hand, Power of Destruction warping the air around her and killing several Mid-Css Devils who got too close.

  "Hold the line! Do not let them separate us!"

  Gasper flinched where he stood, his hands shaking as he clutched the hem of his shirt. The killing intent he could feel from the numerous Devils around him pressed down on him until his chest felt tight.

  "Gasper!" Rias shouted, killing the Devil who had tried to grab the boy.

  Gasper's eyes widened, and his Sacred Gear activated instinctively, causing time to come to a harsh lurch.

  Several of the charging Devils froze mid-motion, expressions locked in snarls and screams as the world around them stuttered violently. Others resisted, muscles twitching as they fought against the creeping paralysis.

  Koneko did not hesitate, vanishing from her spot, appearing beside the frozen Devils in a blur of white. Her fists glowed faintly as Senjutsu reinforced her small frame.

  One blow shattered a Devil's torso, another sent a body flying backward like a broken doll. Stone cracked beneath her feet as she moved, each impact echoing through the ruined arena.

  Natsuki moved like a bde slipping between cracks, her Sacred Gear roaring as she intercepted any Devil that strayed too close to Asia. Each strike was a precise, bone-shattering blow that sent bodies flying or reduced them to nothing but dissipating Demonic Power.

  From atop the temple steps, Diodora watched the chaos unfold, his earlier fury giving way to something far more composed and dangerous.

  An evil and heavy pressure flooded the battlefield as Diodora's Demonic Power surged outward, thicker and darker than before.

  "Enough of this," Diodora said softly as he began floating in the air, his gaze never leaving Natsuki's form.

  Natsuki's eyes widened as she felt Diodora's Demonic Power change. "His power, it feels like that Old Satan Devil Azazel killed, Katerea Leviathan."

  "Diodora has a Snake?" Rias asked, horrified. "Are you sure, Natsuki?"

  Natsuki nodded her head, gring at Diodora. "Yeah, I'm sure, but his feels even stronger than hers."

  Ophis' influence over him is strong. And even further beneath, the divine energy we felt from him on Earth persists. Lux said in Natsuki's head. So you and the others must continue cautiously, Natsuki.

  I will. Natsuki replied, still intent on killing the High-Css Devil.

  "I will show you peons, the true might that I-" Diodora suddenly froze in the air, quickly turning to face west as he could feel an overwhelming force coming from that direction.

  Diodora quickly flew toward his Peerage. "Rachel! Form a teleportation circle!"

  Rachel quickly did as her King commanded, and the group disappeared in a fsh of light.

  "Damn it! Issei excimed, punching a Devil across the face. "Where did that asshole run off to?!"

  "It was most likely my fault that he decided to flee," The Gremory Peerage all swiftly turned around, seeing a familiar old man standing nearby, an amused smile resting on his face.

  "Odin-sama! Why are you here?" Rias asked, surprised.

  "It will take a while to expin, but I'm sure you all have figured it out that this game has been taken over by the Khaos Brigade."

  "Yeah, no shit," Natsuki muttered while firing a torrent of water at an approaching group of Devils.

  Odin ignored the Pawn's sarcasm, creating a small barrier around himself and the Gremory Devils, giving the teenager a reprieve from fighting. "And this isn't the only pce that's being attacked; the game committee and the different factions are cooperating to take them on. This game field is also being covered by a strong barrier, so it has been hard for normal people to break or go through the barrier. Especially destroying it will be really hard, and we can't do anything unless we stop the one who turned the barrier on from the inside."

  "Then how did you enter here, geezer?" Issei asked. "And how the hell did Diodora and his Peerage escape?"

  "When I gave one of my eyes to the Mímisbrunnr, I became familiar with these types of Demonic Powers, magics, and other spells. The same applies to barriers, too." Odin said as he removed the eyepatch that sat over his left eye. In pce of his missing left eye was a glowing crystal with magical letters covering it.

  When they saw the symbol on the artificial eye, Natsuki and Issei both felt their bodies stiffen, and could even feel their dragons' nervousness through their Sacred Gears.

  "And Diodora Astaroth hasn't left this dimensional space; he is hiding inside that temple over there," Odin then pointed to the temple.

  "C'mon! That old fucker is the Chief God of the North! We'll become famous if we take his head!" Someone shouted, and the Old Satan Faction Devils began firing countless spells and attacks at the barrier.

  Odin smirked and hit his rod onto the ground once, bringing down the barrier and continuously reflecting the attacks away from them.

  "Hohohoho!" The God ughed, stroking his beard.

  "Wow… he-he's really strong," Gasper whispered, awed by the sight.

  "Normally, I can break this kind of barrier with my power, but I could only enter here. Hmm, so what kind of enemy did this? Though I was told by that brat, Azazel, to give this to you. To be making an old man work this much, what should I do with that brat afterwards?"

  He then gave the teenagers small communication devices before turning away.

  "Go, leave this mess to this old geezer and run towards the temple, and I'll cover you guys." When Odin pointed his rod at them, a shallow aura enveloped the Devils. "That will protect all of you until you reach the temple. Now, go."

  "But geezer! Will you be okay just by yourself?" Issei asked, not wanting to leave the God behind.

  Odin smiled energetically. "For a baby who only lived for less than two decades to worry about me…."

  A spear then appeared in Odin's left hand. "Gungnir."

  He fired a single attack at the opposing Devils, releasing an enormous amount of aura from the spear, splitting the earth underneath it, and killing the dozens of Devils that were unfortunate to be caught up within it.

  His power is on a completely different level. Natsuki thought, watching the Norse God, reluctantly impressed.

  The opposing Devils became nervous, watching Odin fearfully.

  "Hohohoho! You know, geezers like me need to work out sometimes, too," Odin ughed. "Now then, terrorist Devils, come at me with all your might! This geezer here is stronger than you can imagine."

  "Thank you, Odin-sama! I will leave this pce to you!" Rias said, giving her thanks to Odin. "Come on, let's head to the temple!"

  As they ran towards the temple, the Devils put the communication devices in their ears, and the moment they did, Azazel's voice almost instantly flowed through the devices.

  "Are you guys alright?"

  "Sensei! We're alright," Issei responded.

  "I've been wondering why it took so long for that old bastard Odin to hand you the earpieces. I'm sure you already know, but this Rating Game has received an assault from the Old Satan Faction of the Khaos Brigade. The field you are at, the special field where the VIP room is, and the amphitheater, are flooded with enemy Devils. But this is something we anticipated beforehand, and currently, all the factions are working together to defeat them," Azazel expined.

  Rias frowned. "So, you all knew this would happen and did not think to inform us?"

  Azazel sighed audibly through the device. "We suspected they would attack; we didn't have confirmation until the barrier went up. And if we had warned you beforehand, Diodora would've changed his pn."

  Rias closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself. "…I see."

  "Regardless, those who are reted to the current Maou have started to die mysteriously over the past few months, and the Old Satan Faction was behind the murders. It was said that the previous heir of the Gsya-Labos died in an accident, but Diodora had killed him. And by terrorizing this game, they're trying to show the other factions of the world their strength."

  Natsuki scoffed. "And what do these idiots expect to happen? That the other factions would decide to join them in their attack? The Old Satan Faction wants to rule the world and doesn't try to hide the fact. Wouldn't attacking during an event like this only show everyone else that they can't be trusted?"

  Azazel chuckled. "Well, I never said that they were the most intelligent bunch. Either way, I can't have you guys stay there any longer, the Old Satan Faction Devils are continuously being teleported there by their magic circles, so the battlefield is just going to get worse. From what I can see, there is a hidden basement in that shrine. You guys can hide there until things settle down, and we'll eliminate the rest of the terrorists."

  "No way," Natsuki growled, gring at the temple as she and the others continued to run towards it.

  Azazel sighed. "Khaos Brigade made this field with a Longinus possessor. You can somehow enter inside, but it's nearly impossible to leave from there. It's called [Dimension Lost, and it exceeds all other Sacred Gears reted to barriers and space, so even that geezer, Odin, who specializes in barrier techniques, can't destroy it. You guys won't have any backup-"

  "Which is exactly why we should deal with Diodora and his Peerage ourselves," Natsuki said coldly. "Odin is already dealing with the grunts, and you and the others can't get in here until you take out the Longinus holder anyway, and Diodora is in the temple. Do you really think we'll be able to go inside, and he won't try to fight us? Or that he won't escape before you break through the barrier?"

  "Are you saying this because you think it's the logical choice, or because you don't want anyone else to take away your kill?"

  "Does it matter?"

  Rias looked at her second Pawn, sighing before addressing the Governor General. "Azazel, we're not hiding. Diodora Astaroth orchestrated this attack, murdered a noble heir, aligned himself with Khaos Brigade, and tried to kidnap one of my precious servants. If we retreat now, he could escape, regroup, and try again. As the King of this Peerage, the heir of House Gremory, and the sister of Sirzechs Lucifer, I cannot allow that."

  "Azazel-sensei, we have the right to use our power against those who do suspicious actions within our faction, correct? Diodora showed rebellious actions towards the current Devil society, no?" Akeno asked.

  "Yeah! What kind of Devils would we be if we let that asshole get away with all of this?!" Issei excimed, pumping his fist into the air.

  Azazel took a moment to respond, sighing tiredly. "Geez, you guys are a bunch of stubborn brats, aren't you? Well, okay then, go and rampage to your heart's content, I won't try to stop you."

  When they reached the temple, the air had become heavier, Demonic Power pooling around it like rot beneath the earth. The doors of the temple groaned open at their approach; ancient mechanisms within grinding together. The Inside of the temple was spacious, a never-ending void with giant pilrs, connecting hallways, and nothing else.

  When the Peerage went through the temple, another smaller temple appeared right ahead of them, and when they walked past it, another temple appeared again, and this would keep happening no matter how far they walked.

  "Wait," Natsuki said, bringing the group to a halt, turning to face an adjacent hallway. "I can sense them this way."

  The group went down the hallway that Natsuki had pointed to, and when they reached yet another temple within the rger temple, they found all fifteen of Diodora's servants standing in front of it, each wearing white robes.

  "Hand Asia Argento over to us and leave this pce before we must put you down!" One of the Devils shouted.

  "Now, why would we do that?" Rias scoffed. "Natsuki, is Diodora-"

  "He's in there," Natsuki answered. "I can feel him slithering about."

  "I'm going to enjoy ending your life, Sukehiro Natsuki." Diodora's voice suddenly echoed throughout the building; his tone filled with amusement.

  Rias stepped forward, gring at the temple. "Come out, Diodora! There's no point in hiding behind your servants!"

  Diodora ughed. "I'm not hiding, I simply wish to partake in the match we had to cancel."

  Rias scowled. "Match?"

  "Well, of course, this temple was built for a battle; it would be a shame for all this to go to waste. I even had my eight Pawns go through the trouble of Promoting to Queen."

  Rias' jaw tightened, Power of Destruction forming around her hands. "Ise, Natsuki, when the rest of us make an opening, I want you two to run ahead."

  Issei frowned. "But, Buchou-"

  "We don't have time to waste," Rias cut in sharply, leaving no room for argument. "Diodora wants to bog us down with fights of attrition, and I won't give him that. So, when we move, you break through and go straight for him."

  Issei grit his teeth, then nodded. "Got it, Buchou."

  "How delightful," Diodora purred.

  The white-robed Devils in front of the inner temple shifted, Demonic Power fring.

  "Very well then," he continued. "Let us begin."

  The fifteen Devils lunged forward at once.

  "Now!" Rias shouted, Power of Destruction roared from Rias' hands, erasing the first wave of incoming magic.

  Akeno's lightning tore through the ceiling, crashing down in blinding arcs that forced the enemy's formation apart.

  Issei summoned Ascalon from his [Boosted Gear, throwing it to Xenovia before following Natsuki as the two of them ran past the Astaroth Devils and crossed the threshold of the inner temple, the doors smming shut behind them.

  Diodora's two Rooks sprinted towards Xenovia, but the blue-haired girl was unfazed, dodging their attacks with ease.

  Xenovia made a cross with Durandal and Ascalon, the aura from the two Holy Swords starting to synergize with each other and increasing the Holy Power of the other.

  "Now, let's go! Durandal! Ascalon!" Xenovia shouted as the bdes responded to her feelings.

  Durandal and Ascalon start to create pilrs of light that burst a hole in the ceiling of the temple before Xenovia swung them towards the two Rooks.

  The two big waves of Holy Power merged and enveloped the Rooks, violently shaking the whole temple in the process. Two big sshes were embedded in the ground in front of Xenovia, and gone were the pilrs, the wall, and part of the ceiling that had once stood in front of her, only leaving behind the broken and unconscious bodies of the Rooks in their wake.

  Nearby, [Forbidden Balor View] activated, and Gasper was able to freeze three Pawns that had tried to attack him, allowing Koneko to rush forward and knock them out.

  While he was focused on the three in front of him, Gasper failed to notice the other two Pawns that were sneaking up on him behind. But before they could touch him, a barrier suddenly appeared at Gasper's back; the incoming attacks splintered uselessly against it.

  "Gasper-san! Are you okay?" Asia asked; her hands stretched outward as she held the barrier.

  Gasper nodded his head. "I-I'm fine, th-Thank you, Asia-senpai."

  Koneko, with her Senjutsu bzing, then vanished in a blur of white. Her fist crashed into the first Pawn's sternum, the reinforced blow shattering ribs and sending the Devil flying backward like a rag doll. She pivoted mid-motion, her heel snapping upward into the second Pawn's jaw with a sharp crack, dropping her unconscious before she even hit the ground.

  The floor fractured beneath her feet as she nded lightly, tail swaying once before going still.

  "Stay close to Asia-senpai," Koneko said ftly as the three remaining Pawns turned to face them. "I'll handle anyone who gets past."

  Kiba, meanwhile, was dealing with Diodora's two Knights. Their movements were sharp and synchronized, twin magical spears fshing as they pressed him from both sides.

  Kiba exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing. "Two-on-one?" He said calmly. "Then I won't hold back."

  Dozens of swords bloomed into existence, each humming with different attributes as they spun into a deadly formation, rushing towards the Knights. The Devils jumped to avoid the bdes, but could not stop some from reaching them and carving a few disabling wounds across their armor and limbs.

  The Knights barely had time to react before Kiba moved.

  One Knight screamed as her weapon shattered against Kiba's mid-swing, and the other staggered as a bde pinned her cloak to the floor.

  With a final motion, Kiba crossed his arms, and the summoned swords converged at once. And when he dispelled them, both Knights y embedded in the far wall, weapons shattered, bodies slumped unconscious.

  Power of Destruction rippled outward as Rias advanced, erasing the arms of a Bishop mid-incantation.

  "Akeno!" Rias shouted.

  "Already on it!" Akeno smirked.

  Thunder screamed through the temple, lightning chaining from pilr to pilr as Akeno ughed softly, her wings fring. The two Bishops fell smoking from the air.

  The Queen of the Astaroth Peerage instinctively took a step back under the overwhelming pressure.

  "Rachel," Diodora's slimy voice came out of the earpiece Rachel had. "Bring Asia to me, now."

  Rachel hesitated for a moment; if she did as she was ordered to, she would be leaving her fellow servants behind.

  She had been the first human to fall for Diodora's charms, who was foolish enough to believe that he loved her and would care for her after she was excommunicated from the Church. And she had seen it as her duty to look out for every other girl that would come after her to the best of her ability.

  Rachel clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms as she watched Asia standing behind Koneko's small frame. "Diodora-sama, if I leave now, then the others will-"

  "I do not care about the others, Rachel." Diodora spat. "They're already failing me, proving how useless they are by failing to win. Asia is what matters, and I will have her by my side forever. Now bring her to me, I will not ask again."

  "Yes, Diodora-sama," Rachel whispered. The Queen swallowed hard, her wings trembling. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

  When Rias and Akeno turned away from the fallen Bishops to face Rachel, she had already activated the artificial Sacred Gear that Azazel had given her, [False Halo].

  A cracked crimson halo forms behind Rachel's head, along with scarlet sigils that crawled up her arms and spine. Her Devil wings distort unnaturally, feathers phasing between light and darkness, and her eyes glowed a faint and constantly flickering gold.

  "Crown of Command!" Rachel excimed as she turned to see Rias and Akeno about to attack her. "Freeze!"

  A purple aura covered both girls, and neither could move their bodies.

  "What?" Rias' eyes widened. "Why can't we move?"

  "The Sacred Gear Azazel gave me, [False Halo] feeds off my negative emotions, boosting my Demonic Power and giving me the ability to force priority commands on others with weaker willpower than myself," Rachel replied coldly.

  Seeing this, Kiba tried to cut Rachel down with his Holy Demonic Sword, but several purple chains materialized from the ground, wrapping around the Knight and pinning him to the ground.

  A teleportation circle soon appeared underneath Asia's feet, sending her directly to Rachel's side before Koneko or Gasper could pull her away. Rachel wrapped an arm around Asia, holding the girl in front of her when Xenovia tried to cut her down, forcing the Knight to stop herself mid-strike to avoid hitting Asia.

  "Freeze!" Rachel shouted.

  The same thing that happened to Rias and Akeno happened to Xenovia, leaving her frozen in pce, but the moment that it did, the chains around Kiba instantly disappeared.

  It looks like she can only focus on three people at the same time with her Sacred Gear. Kiba thought, pushing himself to his feet.

  "Take another step, and I'll kill her," Rachel said, holding her hand to Asia's throat.

  "N-No y-you won't," Xenovia said, her body straining against the aura around her, taking one heavy step forward. "Diodora wants Asia alive; he certainly wouldn't want her dead."

  Rachel's nose began to bleed due to the strain of using her Sacred Gear. "Drop!"

  Xenovia immediately fell to her knees, but it was then that Rachel noticed that Rias and Akeno were beginning to break free from their immobilized states, as Xenovia almost did.

  Rachel then flew up into the air and towards the temple, still using Asia as a human shield.

  "ASIA!" Rias shouted, stumbling forward as the aura around herself and Akeno dissipated due to the distance between them and Rachel growing.

  "We can still catch up to her," Akeno said, summoning her wings.

  "Koneko," Rias growled. "Can you sense them?"

  Koneko's cat ears twitched. "Yes, Rias-Buchou. She's trying to head towards Diodora."

  "Then let's make sure she can't," Rias said as she and the others flew into the temple as Koneko led them.

  You can't let your anger get the better of you once you reach Diodora, Natsuki. Lux said through their bond. He has now become far stronger than most of the enemies you have faced so far.

  I know, Lux. Natsuki said.

  The closer they came to reaching Diodora, the hungrier she felt; the need to rip the Devil apart piece by piece was an overwhelming one.

  As they reached the furthest end of the temple, the two Pawns found themselves before two rge doors that stretched all the way towards the ceiling. And when they pushed them open and entered the chamber, they found Diodora smugly sitting on a rge, eborate throne in the center of the room.

  "So you finally came?" Diodora said, still smiling.

  Diodora's gentle smile only served to anger Issei further, and he quickly started his countdown for his Bance Breaker.

  I'm going to pierce through that guy's stupid face with my fist when I reach my Bance Breaker! Issei thought.

  "You know," Diodora began, slowly pushing himself off his throne and standing. "I went through a lot of effort to get Asia after watching her for so long, from injuring myself the day I met her, to purposely allowing the Church to learn of this fact so that they would kick her out of their order. I even pnned on appearing the night that Fallen Angel woman, Raynare, kidnapped Asia and was going to kill her after she killed Asia and give Asia my Evil Piece. I thought you wouldn't win, even if you were to interfere. But then you turned out to be the Sekiryuutei and pulled off an unbelievable victory, which allowed Rias to steal my pce as the Devil King who would give Asia a second chance at life. And now you're still interfering, both of you are, and it is infuriating to know such lowly dragons are the reason why my pn has failed."

  "You fucking bastard!" Issei shouted, gring at the other Devil. "You ruined Asia-chan's life! And for what? You said that you loved her, so why would you do this?!"

  Asia suffered greatly because she was kicked out of the Church, she died because she wasn't protected, and he's the reason why! He doesn't even care about everything Asia went through.

  Diodora titled his head to the side. "Love? I suppose I love the idea of ruining her. The expression women affiliated with the Church make after falling from grace, no matter how many times I see it, I never get bored of it. It's what I've done with every member of my Peerage, destroying every bit of hope they have left inside of them, and I know Asia will be the same once I have her. Asia is still a virgin, right? I like to train them up from virgins, and I would hate it if she were already used by the Sekiryuutei. Ah, but maybe it might be fun to cuck the Sekiryuutei right before his eyes?"

  "Shine on, Over boost! Welsh Dragon Over Booster!" Issei shouted, equipping his [Booster Gear] Scale Mail and igniting the fire from the boosters on his back, and closing the distance in an instant.

  Natsuki grinned widely. "Now we're getting somewhere. "Go Yellow Dragon! Heavenly Absorption!"

  Issei punched Diodora in the stomach, the stone beneath Diodora's feet shattered outward in a violent ring as Issei's fist buried itself into his abdomen, the shockwave ripping through the chamber and blowing chunks of marble from the walls.

  Diodora vomited blood when Issei pulled his fist back, and seeing the difference in strength now between them, he activated Ophis' Snake. Bck patterns crawled along Diodora's arms, scales flickering in and out of existence as his Demonic Power spiked violently, and Diodora raised his hand forward, creating a rge number of magic bullets.

  Diodora snarled at Issei. "I'm a High-css Devil! The blood retive of the current Maou Beelzebub! There is no way that a noble high blood like me will lose to a lowly, filthy, and vulgar Reincarnated Devil like you!"

  Diodora's magic bullets showered down on Issei like raindrops, but Natsuki jumped in front of Issei, absorbing all of them.

  Natsuki then dashed forward, forcing Diodora to create multiple barriers between them to try to stop her from getting closer. But Natsuki absorbed each of them with a touch, each barrier colpsing the moment her body met them.

  Diodora's eyes widened for the first time as Natsuki closed the distance in a blur of motion. "What-?!"

  Her fist smmed into his jaw before he could react, snapping his head to the side and sending him crashing through one of the chamber's pilrs in a spray of shattered stone. Diodora twisted mid-air, wings snapping open as he stabilized himself, coughing up blood as bck scales spread further across his neck and face, feeling the Snake writhing beneath his skin.

  "You… insufferable creature," Diodora hissed. "Do you have any idea what it cost me to obtain this power?!"

  "Natsuki!" Issei shouted.

  "I know," Natsuki snapped back.

  [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!]

  Issei surged forward once more, his fist colliding with Diodora's guard just as Natsuki drove her knee into his ribs from the opposite side.

  Diodora screamed in rage. "Enough!"

  Diodora put his left hand forward and created a thick wall of aura.

  Issei's impact was stopped when he tried to hit the wall, but Natsuki came in and absorbed it. She then grabbed Diodora's left hand and crushed it within her grasp, smiling when he cried out in pain and ripped the appendage from his shoulder.

  Diodora staggered backwards, holding his right hand against his bleeding shoulder. He looked at his left arm, watching as Natsuki threw it off to the side.

  "I thought the power of Ophis would be enough; I suppose I should have known better than to rely on a dragon," Diodora spat.

  Natsuki did not say anything, creating a Bck Bolt in her hand and throwing it at Diodora, intent on killing him with this final attack.

  The spell flew at Diodora at breakneck speed, but when it reached him and created a cloud of smoke, a terrible chill suddenly crawled up Natsuki's spine, her eyes widening as her heart started to beat faster.

  "Issei! Get back!" Natsuki shouted, throwing herself to the side.

  Issei flew upwards, narrowly avoiding the rge beam of light that Diodora had fired, the attack destroying the ground where the two Pawns once stood.

  When the smoke cleared, Diodora's appearance had changed again as a new power came forth. The bck lines and snake scales were gone, repced with glowing, eldritch blue eyes, bulging veins across Diodora's face, neck, and hands, and a bck aura with small specs of white, red, purple, and green that covered Diodora from head to toe, making the Devil look like a living celestial body.

  "You know, Kogane Ryū Kōgō," Diodora said, his voice having been distorted by his transformation, a cruel smirk resting on his face. "I had been told to keep an eye on you, to see the speed of growth. At first, I didn't understand, to me you were nothing special, even when you fought that Tengu that was given to me for the sole purpose of testing you, I was still unimpressed."

  Natsuki gred at the Devil, clenching her fists tightly at the mention of the Tengu. "Like I give a shit. I'm going to kill you for sending that fucker monster into the middle of a poputed city."

  "Aw, are you upset because of that worthless human that was eaten?" Diodora mockingly ughed. "I never would have taken you for being so pathetically empathetic toward fucking worms, although you were once one yourself, so I shouldn't be surprised by your weakness. But regardless, I wanted to thank you."

  "Thank me?"

  "If my patron had not been so obsessed with you, I never would have been given the power of a God of the Stars! He told me that using it for more than five minutes would kill me, but I know that I will not even need a minute to kill you both."

  Natsuki could hear Lux clicking her teeth together in her mind. Natsuki, if he truly has been given power by a Star God, then he-

  "That's a lot of talk from a guy who has been getting his ass kicked this fight!" Issei yelled, violently emitting a red aura from his body.

  "Fme Bze!" Issei shouted, using his Boost and then Transfer to enhance the small fire he produced and shoot the rge wave of fmes at Diodora.

  Stars burned into existence behind the High-Css Devil, consteltions twisting unnaturally as gravity itself seemed to bend around his body. Issei's attack was quickly unched back at him, forcing him to dodge.

  Natsuki smmed her hands against the ground. "Void Shatter!"

  The moment the bck sun was printed on the ground, Diodora blitzed Natsuki before the spell could be finished, smming his fist into the girl's stomach, sending her flying backwards and through the wall behind them. When he turned to Issei, the Pawn did not have time to register Diodora moving before a fist smmed into his chest pte, the impact folding his body inward as the Scale Mail screamed in protest.

  The Sekiryuutei was sent crashing across the chamber, skidding through shattered marble before embedding into the far wall, cracks spreading outward from his impact point.

  "Gah!" Issei coughed, blood spttering against the inside of his helmet as his Bance Breaker flickered violently.

  Diodora floated calmly, hands behind his back, stars orbiting him like obedient servants. "How pathetic."

  He lifted a single finger, and space started to buckle around him. But in an instant, Diodora's smile twitched, and a vein burst along his temple, bck ichor seeping from the corner of his eye. He wiped it away, staring at the blood coating his fingertips with irritation.

  "Five minutes, that's all you're worth," Diodora muttered, the stars behind him fring brighter.

  Natsuki forced herself to her feet, ignoring the pain screaming through her body. She walked to where Issei was, her eyes locked onto Diodora.

  "Issei," she said without looking back. "Are you good? Can you still-"

  Issei spat out some blood from his mouth and grinned weakly. "I'm fine, Natsuki, I'm not going to leave you to fight this guy alone. So, let's just kick this bastard's ass already."

  Natsuki smiled. "Good."

  "Let me go!" Asia cried out, wiggling in Rachel's grasp.

  "I can't," Rachel said, trying to fly faster. "You are what Diodora-sama wants."

  Asia pressed her hands against Rachel's forearm, using her magic to freeze the limb. Rachel flinched and instinctively let go of the Bishop as the pain from her now frostbitten arm hit her. This allowed Asia to break out of Rachel's grasp, bringing out her wings.

  Unfortunately, the Queen was not going to let Asia go that easily and activated her artificial Sacred Gear. "Freeze!"

  Asia force in mid-air, and just as she started to fall, Rachel swooped down to catch her, her wings straining as she stabilized herself.

  Asia's breath hitched, and her fingers were trembling as she clutched at Rachel's sleeve. "Please," Asia whispered. "You don't have to do this."

  Rachel stiffened, and for a moment, the Queen said nothing, her grip loosening slightly, but not enough to let Asia escape again.

  Asia could feel it, the hesitation, and she could see Rachel warring with herself when she looked into her eyes.

  Rachel frowned. "I-"

  Rachel quickly twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the rge icicle that had been unched at her back. When she looked behind her, she and Asia saw the rest of the Gremory Peerage flying after them.

  "We're not going to let you take Asia!" Rias shouted, firing another icicle.

  The cracked halo above Rachel's head glowed a dark and ominous red. "Bance Breaker: Dominion of the Fallen Throne!"

  Xenovia's eyes widened. "Azazel-senpai gave his artificial gears Bance Breakers, too?!"

  "I'm going to kill Azazel when we see him next," Rias growled.

  Rachel's halo shattered; the crimson fragments exploding and reforming into a massive, fractured, and asymmetrical crown of light above Rachel's head. Chains of violet and gold erupted from her back, wrapping around her wings, her arms, her spine, each one etched with broken holy scripture and inverted Demonic sigils.

  "Fall into despair," Rachel ordered when she stopped flying and turned around to face the other Devils.

  When the words left her mouth, the Gremory Devils suddenly lost their will to fight, their emotions changing to differing degrees.

  "Why do I feel so sad?" Xenovia asked, dropping her Holy Swords as her body slumped over, her knees hitting the stone floor with a dull thud, her shoulders sagging as if the weight of the world had settled on her back. "What's the point…?" She murmured.

  Kiba staggered beside her, one hand bracing against a pilr as his breathing grew shallow. His Bance Breaker cttered to the floor, dissolving into light. "My strength…" he whispered. "It feels meaningless."

  Gasper curled in on himself; his hands cmped over his ears as tears streamed down his face. "S-Stop… please stop…"

  Koneko's knees buckled, and she fell to the floor. Even Akeno faltered mid-air, her wings trembling violently as her expression became repced with one of naked anguish. Rias felt it too; a crushing despair wrapped around her heart, whispering doubts she had buried for years.

  "Stop, you're hurting them!" Rachel's eyes widened as she looked down, seeing Asia shaking in her arms, trying to break free again.

  "That's not possible, Dominion of the Fallen Throne amplifies [False Halo]'s original power and affects everyone around you; it should be strong enough to fight against it," Rachel stated, shocked. "No one who has guilt, fear, or despair in their heart-"

  Asia clutched the cross-shaped pendant on her chest. "I know what all those things feel like, I lived in them for as long as I can remember. Every day felt like a struggle, but I had my faith to help me get by, and I had friends, people who cared enough about me to save me. I know that those feelings are nothing compared to the love I feel right now, and I know that my friends will save me again!"

  "A-Asia?" Rias said, forcing her wings to spread despite the despair cwing her chest as the Bishop's words had broken through the fog that had been pced in her mind.

  "I said fall into despair!" Rachel yelled.

  Rias gasped, clutching at her chest as it felt like her heart was being ripped in half.

  Rachel summoned a torrent of fire and threw it at the King, but before it could hit Rias, a jet of water extinguished the fmes.

  Akeno was breathing heavily; her right arm stretched out in Rias' direction, her wings trembling and sweat pstering dark hair to her face.

  "Tch… don't think… you can take her…" She panted, forcing herself upright. "Not while I'm still breathing."

  "T-The s-same goes for the r-rest of us," Kiba decred, summoning a sword into his hand. "W-We won't let our negative emotions rule us, n-not when Asia-chan needs us."

  Koneko forced herself to her feet, fists trembling as Senjutsu fred weakly around her small frame. And Xenovia picked up Durandal and Ascalon, staring at Rachel and Asia with a stronger resolve than before.

  Gasper sniffed, wiping his eyes as he took a shaky breath. "I-I'm scared," he admitted. "But… being scared doesn't mean we stop."

  Rachel stared at them, eyes wide, her Sacred Gear flickering erratically above her head, her hold on Asia loosening, allowing the girl to stumble forward. "No… that's not possible," she whispered. "You should be broken; you should be drowning."

  Rias swallowed hard, her fingers curling into fists as she forced the crushing weight off her heart. "Akeno."

  Akeno raised her hands, creating a rge orb of condensed lightning magic. The sphere was humming violently as arcs of electricity shed outward, warping the air around it.

  She thrust her hands forward, and the orb shot forward like a bullet. The lightning detonated against Rachel's head, her Sacred Gear shattering as Rachel's body was sent flying backwards, convulsing as she hit the floor.

  Asia looked down at Rachel's unconscious body with pity, her hands trembling as she knelt beside her. For a moment, she simply watched the rise and fall of Rachel's chest; the shattered remnants of the artificial Sacred Gear flickering weakly before dissolving into nothing.

  "…I'm sorry," Asia whispered. "I hope… someday, you'll be free."

  "Asia, are you okay?" Rias asked as she and the others rushed to her side.

  "I'm okay," Asia said quickly, forcing a small smile when she saw the panic on their faces. "Really."

  Rias hugged the smaller girl, relieved. She stepped back with a smile. "Good, now we should-"

  A violent tremor suddenly shook the temple, the floor cracking as a surge of power erupted from deep within the structure. No words needed to be exchanged between the group as they took off running in the direction of the tremors.

  Natsuki threw the Sword of Methuseh at the Devil, the bde catching fire as it curved towards Diodora.

  Diodora leaned his head to the side, avoiding the sword as it flew past his cheek, the bde cleaving clean through a pilr behind him and detonating in a violent burst of holy fme.

  Diodora did not flinch, looking inhumanly calm.

  "How crude," Diodora said softly.

  He lifted his hand, and the stars behind him shifted, and space began to fold inward.

  Natsuki barely had time to move before the gravity around her became inverted. The floor cracked, and rge pieces of it were sent rushing toward her from every direction at once, battering her body and smming her into the ground hard enough to crater the stone beneath her body.

  Issei roared, jumping in front of Diodora and firing a point-bnk Dragon Shot. The beam curved unnaturally around Diodora's body, splitting into fragments that tore through the chamber instead, shredding walls and blowing holes into the ceiling.

  "You still don't understand," Diodora said, mockery creeping into his voice. "You can't beat me! I have transcended far above you; I am a God!"

  Natsuki dragged herself to one knee, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth after the mask of her Scale Mail had been broken.

  "You're not a fucking God, just an arrogant piece of shit whose deluded himself into thinking he's one," Natsuki growled.

  "Shut your useless-" Diodora's eye twitched as another vein burst along his neck and bckened blood began to drip down his colr.

  "You're wasting time," Issei growled. "You said it yourself; you can only use this power for five minutes, and by my guess, it's already been two."

  [Boost!]

  [Boost!]

  [Boost!]

  Diodora snarled, the stars behind him fring violently. "Then I'll erase you both before the clock runs out!"

  Consteltions tore free from the void behind him, colpsing inward as a miniature star began forming between his palms.

  "Uh, Natsuki," Issei asked nervously, watching as the star grew bigger, brighter, and stronger with each passing second. "Do you think you can absorb that?"

  "Yes?" Natsuki said, and her tone did not reassure him.

  Natsuki wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand and forced herself to stand.

  The miniature star screamed as gravity warped around it; chunks of stone and debris were torn free from the chamber and pulled toward its blinding core.

  Diodora ughed, blood now freely leaking from his eyes. "You think being a dragon compares to a God of the Stars?!" Diodora roared, thrusting his hands forward. The star was now the size of half of the room, but moved quicker than one would expect.

  I can't give up, not now! Natsuki thought as she threw her arms out wide, the star smming into her like a dying sun.

  At first, everything seemed fine, but as time went on, Natsuki could feel the uncomfortable and rare feeling of her body reaching full magical capacity.

  Natsuki, you must release the excess of stored power; you are reaching your limit very soon. Lux warned her partner.

  But there's still too much of the star left. If I stop now, then the rest of the attack will hit Issei and me faster than I can counter. Natsuki thought, gritting her teeth due to the strain.

  Do you mean to tell me that you pn to absorb as much of this attack as you can, and then allow the boost in power the magic will give you to brace yourself for the rest of the spell to hit you and hope it does not injure you too badly? Lux asked incredulously.

  Natsuki did not answer the dragon as she turned her head to the side. "Issei, I need you to move."

  Issei's eyes widened. "What? I can't do that, you'll-"

  "If you don't, we'll both be caught in this attack. My body will be able to handle it, yours won't." Natsuki argued.

  Issei clenched his fists, teeth grinding as he looked between the colpsing star and Natsuki's shaking form. "…Damn it," He hissed. He took a step back, his wings fring as he forced himself to move despite every instinct screaming at him to stay.

  "Don't you dare die," Issei growled. "If you pull this stunt and don't walk away from it, I'll never forgive you."

  The moment Issei cleared the bst radius, Natsuki screamed, and the remaining mass of the star colpsed inward, detonating against her body.

  The chamber erupted in a fsh of white light, and Natsuki felt a pain unlike anything she had ever known tear through her veins, her Scale Mail cracking and reforming repeatedly under the strain.

  When the light finally faded, Issei stood frozen, staring at the smoking crater where Natsuki now y. Her armor was fractured; parts of it dissolved entirely, as smoke curled from her skin, blood covering her face.

  "Hahaha! I told you that you were nothing compared to-" Diodora was knocked off his feet as Issei punched him in the stomach.

  [Explosion!] Issei's [Boosted Gear] cried out, a red aura forming around Issei.

  The High-Css Devil was unched backward, smashing through yers of stone and pilrs, his ughter cutting off into a wet gasp as blood sprayed from his mouth.

  Issei did not let up and was on Diodora in an instant, repeatedly smming his fists into Diodora's chest, each blow accompanied by a thunderous detonation as his [Boosted Gear].

  Eventually, Diodora managed to shove Issei off, gring at him as his bloody and damaged face became more evident. "This must be a lie! There is no way I will be beaten! I won against Agares! I was going to win against Bael! There's no way I will lose to the worthless servant of the untalented and weak heir of the Great-King! I'm Diodora from the House of Astaroth!"

  "I don't fucking care!" Issei roared, preparing to attack him again.

  Diodora screamed and ran towards Issei in a blind rage, the stars behind him flickering wildly as their once-perfect consteltions fractured and colpsed. Each step he took was uneven, his movements sloppy and desperate, bck ichor spttering across the shattered floor as his borrowed divinity began to tear him apart from the inside.

  Issei pnted his feet and roared, crimson energy exploding outward as his wings fred wide.

  [Boost!]

  [Boost!]

  [Boost!]

  He stepped forward and drove his fist straight into Diodora's chest, and the impact was deafening. The remaining stars behind Diodora shattered like gss, colpsing as the miniature cosmos sustaining him imploded inward. Diodora's scream was cut off abruptly as his body folded around Issei's punch, ribs cracking audibly.

  Issei pulled his fist back, allowing Diodora to fall to the floor. Issei stood there for a moment, chest heaving, before his head snapped toward the crater behind him. "Natsuki!"

  When he reached her, Natsuki was already in the process of slowly sitting up, her eyes glowing a fiery red color.

  "Natsuki? Are you alright?" Issei asked, kneeling next to her.

  Natsuki turned her head to face Issei, her eyes still glowing, and it was then that Issei noticed that the injuries on Natsuki's body were quickly healing.

  Since when can Natsuki do that? Issei thought. "Natsuki, can you-"

  "Did you kill him?" Natsuki asked as the fog she had found herself in had started to fade.

  That was a fucking rush, I've never felt so good, so strong in my entire life. Is this what absorbing divine energy can do to you? No wonder Diodora started losing it.

  "No, I didn't, but he's not getting up again," Issei said as he looked to see that Diodora was lying, seeing the Pure-Blood Devil crying to himself.

  "I don't give a fuck, that idiot needs to die," Natsuki said as she pushed herself to her feet.

  It was at this moment that the rest of the ORC stormed into the chamber, shocked at the scene before them.

  "Ise, Natsuki! Are you two okay?!" Rias asked.

  Natsuki ignored them all as she walked towards Diodora, a Bck Bolt forming in her hand. She grabbed Diodora by the colr and was about to shove the Bck Bolt into his heart when the spell suddenly dissipated.

  "What the fuck?" Natsuki muttered.

  "So, it seems that the wielder of [Twilight Healing] has not been attached to the absorption device, after all the trouble that the creator went through in making it. Now we must readjust the pn for necessity's sake." Everyone turned around when they heard an unfamiliar voice speaking above them.

  Above them were two men; the first was a handsome man dressed in bck armor with purple detailing and a cape. He had long brown hair that went to his hips with many bangs covering his right eye, and ghostly pale skin. The second was a man who looked to be Japanese, with dark eyes and pale white skin, but his hair was snow white, falling to the center of his back with streaks of blue and pink running through it. He was wearing a dark blue yukata, getas, and carried a sword on his hip.

  "Who are you?" Rias asked the men.

  The man who had spoken smirked as he looked down at the Devils. "It's my first time meeting you, sister of the annoying fake Maou. My name is Shalba Beelzebub, the true successor of the Great True Maou Beelzebub. I'm different from the retive of the fake one you fought earlier." He then turned to look at the crying Devil on the floor, disgusted by the sight. "Diodora Astaroth, I and Fukiaezume both lent you our power, and look at the situation you are in. You are very foolish indeed."

  At the sight of the Devil, Diodora pushed onto his knees and began pleading to the descendant of Old Beelzebub. "Shalba! Please help me! If you're here, then I know together we can kill the Sekiryuutei, the Kogane Ryū Kōgō, and the rest of them! Our pn will-"

  A strike of light which was shot from Shalba's hand and pierced through Diodora's chest.

  "Pitiful. I even told you about the power of that girl's Sacred Gear, and yet you still couldn't do anything. How useless must you be?" Shalba said while ughing.

  It only took a few seconds for Diodora's body to turn into dust, and the ashes scattered across the shattered floor, erased so completely that it was as if Diodora Astaroth had never existed at all.

  "The power of light?" Issei asked, shocked. "But I thought only Angels and Fallen Angels could use it, how can a Devil do that?"

  "It's that device on his arm," Natsuki said, never taking her eyes off the pair. "It feels like somehow, they've managed to store Holy Light into it."

  The second man, Fukiaezume, met Natsuki's gaze, a small smile appearing on his face. "It is good to finally meet you in person, Sukehiro Natsuki."

  Natsuki frowned. "Am I supposed to know who you are?"

  Fukiaezume's smile grew. "I am Fukiaezume, a God of the Stars, belonging to the Shinto Pantheon. And I have waited for so long for the day that I could finally end your life."