Volume 6 – Chapter 11 – Part 2 – The Wizards of Oz and Atsutarou Himejima

Japan, Kuoh

Skyward Household

…

Jin Skyward's Soliloquy

…

After I told Team [DxD] the plan, all the groups mobilized immediately. As far as I knew, those were the only countries and pantheons being targeted. However, my next action was to quite literally put all the humans in the world to sleep and teleport them back to their homes. I didn't want any of them being part of this, and as far as I can tell, there weren't too many injured during their initial attack.

Cúntóir: Answer: They have been brought to certain countries and realms, there is no rhyme nor reason to them, I believe they were chosen at random.

"Jin, where was Sae taken?" Tobio asked calmly.

Cúntóir: Answer: She is in Kyoto.

I looked up at Tobio and said, "Kyoto. Yanuyo and God Serena will be with you. I already have shadow soldiers stationed there, so they'll help defend the place. Good luck. If I can make it on time, I'll help you out."

He nodded and immediately left; both of the Electa followed after him. I hope he keeps his cool, otherwise it won't end well for him. The current Slash/Dog Team was in disarray since the two Minagawa sisters were silently panicking along with Shigune, Suzaku and Fusae, because during the quick meeting, Mephisto also informed me that her dad went missing.

I also got a text from Misla Bael that Sairaorg was distraught. First, she was kidnapped by Shalba and his goons, now by the Wizards of Oz? I can feel for the guy, which is why I'll try to find her too.

'Cúntóir, go into detail on where each of them are located.'

Cúntóir: Answer: Suzaku Himejima's parents are in Italy, along with Luneala, Shemhazai's wife and other families that are part of the Alliance. Natsume and Kanami's mother are in Germany with Fusae's father. Silveteela Stolas, Sofiel and Shigune's mother are in France. There are also attacks in a few other factions and pantheons, and other families are there too.

"I'm heading to Italy then; I'll go get Suzaku's parents."

"I'm coming too!" Lavinia said.

I had a feeling that we may face Glenda there and whoever kidnapped Suzaku's parents… they may be part of the exiled members of the Connected Harmony.

"I will accompany you too, Aaron," said Suzaku.

I nodded, tapped my head and sent the information I just learned from Cúntóir to everyone relevant. I'll try to finish my business in Italy and go to the other countries as fast as possible. However, as I left my home and arrived outside, something… felt off. I wasn't sure, but I decided to leave that for later and focus on what I needed to do now.

"Let's go."

…

Third Person Point of View

…

In the country of Italy, several individuals stood at a certain place with some prisoners.

"Hmm. It seems like the humans have been put to sleep by someone. Perhaps the Middleman? Well, it doesn't matter, we have everyone ready, don't we?" asked Glenda as she looked to her side.

Suzaku Himejima's parents were tied up with rope and had magic casted on them to prevent any escape. Luneala, Shemhazai's wife was also there. She was extra worried because of her baby. Others with them were a few noble devil families and high-level angels that are also pregnant.

In the distance, Atsutarou Himejima held a certain individual by the neck. They gasped for air and clawed at his hands, yet the young man did not budge.

"Oh, don't worry, you shitty geezer. I won't end your life yet, not until I get Shuri here with Suzaku and his lover. I want them to see your life end at my hands," he spat with venom.

In Atsutarou Himejima's hand was Suou Himejima, the former head of the Himejima clan. He had also kidnapped him along with Suzaku's parents. Back to Glenda, the one that she had stood beside the prisoners were the resurrected hybrid parents of Lavinia Reni.

Frediano Reni and Nives Reni. These two do not have any free will whatsoever, nor can they think for themselves. They simply exist to take orders from Glenda herself. She wanted to inflict as much pain on Lavinia as possible, which is why she decided to use her parents against her.

"Nealuchi, are you ready?" asked Glenda.

Nealuchi, a new apprentice that is also a loyal follower of Glenda. Nealuchi is a male in his late 20s. He had short black hair, lilac-colored eyes, he wore a black robe and black hat. He had a monocle on his right eye and is a very skilled magician.

"Yes I am, Glenda-sama. I wish to test myself against your former pupil and also the Middleman," replied Nealuchi. "I have practiced and trained myself for this day, and I will show you the fruits of my labor."

Glenda smirked. She had seduced, brainwashed and had full control of Nealuchi. She, like Lavinia, had taken him in at the lowest point in his life. However, since he was a male, she used her womanly charm to control him.

She taught him magic, gave him many things, and even slept with him on the regular basis. To Glenda, anything and anyone is just a means to an end. She will do anything if she is satisfied with her research on magic and Sacred Gears.

She also wanted revenge against the Grigori, the Slash/Dog Team and the Five Principal Clans and even Vali Lucifer. But most of all—the newest pest, Jin Skyward, the Middleman. However, as luck would have it, they are all connected to him in one way or another, so if she hurts any one of them, it would draw him out.

"Now we wait…" muttered Glenda as she waited there with her followers and a few divine beasts and cryptids from the Khaos Order. She knew that he would come here with her former pupil.

Glenda was also prepared to die. She knew that she wouldn't get out of this alive. Whether her former pupil managed to kill her, or if the Middleman was the one to end her life, she was prepared for it. The same could be said for the other two witches in her group.

…

"Their operation has started. Unfortunately, the Dual Dragon prevented any major damage because he had his shadow soldiers everywhere in the world as well as their alliance partners," said Promestein.

"We did give him those few months to prepare, at least we know he's not that naïve. It matters not, however, one of the Ueboros is assisting them with this operation. Are they already there?" asked Chernobog.

"Well, they did manage to find two creatures in the Phantasma's universe and thanks to two other universes technologies we managed to merge them—is the portal above the world ready for it?" asked Promestein.

"According to Satanael, it is, but they want to slowly charge it to full open and release that thing on the earth, so the Dual Dragon can't immediately stop it. They have the Ueboros member and a few others that went with them to distract him," explained Mard Geer.

"We also may need a new member for this group. I doubt Ashtulai and Yashina are coming back to us after tonight. The same with a few of the Wizards of Oz's group, right, Oz?" asked Kyôka.

"Correct. All three of those witches will die tonight and they all know that—they knew the risks. However, they are calculated losses. This is also an experiment after all, and if we manage to enact our revenge, then it's just a bonus for us," replied Oz.

"Which ones are dying?" asked Kecate Tepes.

"Glenda, Dorothy and Theodora. They also have their apprentices, Churel, Isaac, Frida and Nealuchi," said Oz.

"Frida… isn't she a survivor of one of those extinct devil clans?" asked Yomiel the fallen angel.

"Yes. Frida Zagan, supposedly extinct, but we have a lone survivor of her clan that Theodora took in and trained. It's unfortunate that she will perish today. She and that ability of hers was useful," Oz said dismissively.

"Hades gave them five Super Devils that are around combat god-class level, so they should also be fighting the Dual Dragon soon," added Nyx. "He wanted to see how well they would perform in this kind of scenario."

"It doesn't matter—we focus on the Chinese Pantheon now, apart from the Connected Harmony in wanting to kill the Sacred Beasts, in turn killing their hosts. We wish to analyze them first, to improve our own Divine Beasts. Have we sent any of our members there yet?" asked Promestein.

"We have and they've all been killed or can't get close enough. The Sacred Beasts are powerful—they have even more protection because of the Middleman, and it seems they had strict orders not to leave the vicinity of the Sacred Beasts," replied Chernobog.

"That's a problem," muttered Promestein while putting a hand on her chin. "…Let us create a few prototypes of the 'Battle Gods' and send them during their operation over there then."

"Isn't it a bit early? We only modeled a few of them after those things in the Fadir Ferdora universe…," said Mard Geer.

"It matters not as I said, it's only a few prototypes, we can use it to our advantage and collect data. Go," she ordered and everyone slowly left. Promestein looked at the empty seat of Yashina and sighed. "A new member… who could it be…?"

…

Once Tobio Ikuse, God Serena and Yanuyo arrived in Kyoto, the place looked like a war zone. The Wizards of Oz did not care about killing innocent lives in this attack. The entire city of Kyoto was burning—it was as if the young man had stepped into the fiery depths of hell.

Tobio was about to run around and find Sae when he felt a hand grip his shoulder. It was God Serena.

"Tobio-boy, why are you in a rush?" he asked.

"Why…? Isn't it obvious?! My pregnant fiancé has been kidnapped and might be hurt! I can't sit back and have them both killed!" he snapped back at God Serena.

"Do you have such little trust in Aaron-sama's protections on your fiancé and child?" asked God Serena which caught Tobio off guard.

"W-what? N-no, it's just…" He couldn't find the words to say and slowly started to cool down. "Of course, I trust them, but you'll only understand this when you become a father—that you'll prioritize the safety of your family first, and that's what I want to do now."

Before they could continue, larger pillars of flames erupted all around Kyoto alerting them. However, this also had a huge spike in magical activity near the crossing of Kyoto and Urakyoto.

"We will continue later, let's go," said God Serena and they made their way to the spot.

It didn't take them long to get there and they found several magicians, fallen angels, a few exiled members and a single devil with a witch with them and a female magician beside her.

"Dorothy!" shouted Tobio as he saw the woman in front of him.

"Fufu, hello Tobi-kun. It's been a long time, hasn't it? I take it you're well?" asked the witch Dorothy.

Dorothy was a woman with long messy red hair, red eyes and wore a black dress that resembled long black feathers. She wore a black hat with golden ornaments on it. She had a red bow on her hip and her nails were painted red too.

The woman beside her was an average-sized woman with well-endowed breasts and long blue hair. She wore a long off-white robe and a black hat that resembled a typical witch's hat. She had a red gem on a chain around her forehead and golden cone-shaped shells that covered her ears. She wore clamshells on her breasts which expose quite a bit of cleavage.

The devil beside them had long messy black hair, sharp white teeth, jet-black eyes with small yellow pupils and wore a professional black business suit with its chest open. He had the letters 'devil' written on his sleeves and he oozed killing intent.

"Where's Sae?!" shouted Tobio.

"Ah, ah, ah~! You shouldn't shout so much, Tobi-kun. Otherwise, you'll hurt your vocal cords, but let me tell you some reassuring things. She's fine…well, for now, fufu," replied Dorothy.

Dorothy may look harmless, or even innocent at times, but she's quite a vile person. Tobio knew this well—four years ago, prior to the 'canon' events, he and his team, the Slash/Dog Team faced against many of their own adversaries.

They had already killed the majority of the witches of the Wizards of Oz, but unfortunately, they were resurrected and stronger than ever. Tobio Ikuse as of right now was a High-Tier God-class in power. He could fight them with little problem, but…

"Take your pick, Tobio-boy. We will get rid of the rest, but make sure to keep them alive since Aaron-sama will have use of them," said God Serena and pointed at the devil, witch and magician.

Tobio looked around and noticed a few of the exiled members. He recognized a few of them, but they were much stronger than they were back then. "I'll fight Dorothy. I know her," said Tobio.

"Very well, we will try to find where your fiancé is, so focus on your fight," said Yanuyo.

In the next moment, the rest of the people there—the exiled members, the fallen angels and magicians exploded in splatters of blood, while the devil and female magician also disappeared.

"Ara~ the subordinates of the Middleman are quite powerful. How terrifying," said Dorothy in an uneasy tone.

"…No kidding," replied Tobio, also shocked at what they had done. 'They killed them all instantly. They were at least Ultimate-class to Satan-class in strength… Jin, where the hell did you find these guys…?' thought Tobio.

"Shall we start another dance, my precious Tobi-kun?" asked Dorothy as she summoned a broom and floated on it. "For today, I will perish, whether we succeed in this or not," she said and smiled at him.

"Gin…" A large black dog appeared from behind Tobio and it summoned a sharp crimson blade in its mouth.

Tobio put his hand out and summoned a black scythe and glared at Dorothy who smiled back. "I will win again, Dorothy. I know your tricks."

"Fufu, I've learned even more tricks since then, you know? I'm even stronger too," she said, but Tobio didn't answer.

"I don't care. What you and the Khaos Order are doing is wrong—that much is obvious, and we will stop you again. Even though I hadn't been out on missions, I had still been training and staying in shape," added Tobio.

He disappeared and reappeared behind Dorothy along with Gin. Both Tobio and Gin swung their weapons at Dorothy, but to their surprise she had disappeared. They hit nothing but air, they then landed on the ground and looked behind them as they heard giggling.

"See? I'm much faster than before~! You gotta be faster than that Tobi-kun, Gin-kun!" she exclaimed happily.

"Fine…" replied Tobio as he looked at his partner who flashed him a smile. He then started to chant the forbidden incantation.

<< — Behowlest the slaying of thousands of mortals and principles >>

Tobio Ikuse and the black dog Gin were enshrouded in a jet-black haze. It then spread, covering everything in the surrounding area.

<< — Besingest the slaying of tens of thousand of goblins and evil omens >>

Their limbs gradually dissolved into the darkness and turned into something with an abnormal shape.

<< — Mine name, which reacheth unto the farthest abyss, tis the Imitation God beguiling the Polar Night and the Midnight Sun >>

Tobio's entire body was enveloped in darkness. The area around them was covered in darkness that light could not penetrate.

<< —Thou shalt be exterminated by our own jet black demonic blade >>

Tobio remembered his last sparring match with Aaron. He couldn't help but smile at the words he heard him say back then.

'You'll confess to Sae; I'm not taking no as an answer this time.'

At the time it shocked him, but he knew he couldn't run away anymore. He couldn't look back at the past—he had to move forward, and now—this time in his life, he was the most happiest.

'When you do… It'll give you newfound strength.'

<< —Thou art merely ephemeral, oh paranormal Creator God >>

Simultaneously after Tobio recited the last stanza of his chant, his black dog—Gin howled clearly and loudly.

—Awoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

"Fufu, finally…! I get to see it again…!"

[Perfectus Tenebrae Lykaon et Fortis Densus Laelaps], Tobio's Abyss Side Balance Breaker. He uses this form sparingly as his normal Balance Breaker is usually enough. However, since it involved his pregnant fiancé, he didn't want to take any chances.

Black beasts that looked like Gin appeared near Tobio and Gin. They kept appearing one after another, increasing in number until they were the size of a large group. Plus, the countless number of dark Gins that emerged from the ground were also engulfed in darkness. Among the group's members, Tobio with his scythe and Gin with his sword heightened their aura explosively

<<Get ready, Dorothy. I'm saving the love of my life from you. We won't let the Khaos Order get in the way of a peaceful world!>> he declared.

"Fufu, please come and 'slay' me, Tobi-kun!" shouted Dorothy in ecstasy. She then created a large ball of light above them as well as summoned several hundred magic circles. "If I win, I'll have you embrace me~!" she declared.

…

Yanuyo punched the devil in the gut again and sent him crashing through several buildings. He himself knew that these buildings were unoccupied, he knew which ones were thanks to his connection to Aaron. As most of them had been evacuated from the area, he felt confident in using his strength moderately.

"I will ask again, where are the other bases of your organization?" asked Yanuyo as he dusted off his clothes.

"Fuck you, dumbass! I, The Great Ugginnal won't tell you that!" the devil named Ugginnal shouted back.

"The great, huh? You're quite weak and you call yourself 'The Great'? How embarrassing," said Yanuyo as he chuckled at the devil.

Ugginnal didn't like being insulted, so he rushed in front of Yanuyo, grinned and punched him in the gut.

"Hahaha! Take that dumbass! You can't keep up with this speed, can you?!" he asked in a maniacal way.

"What speed? You called that fast?" asked Yanuyo as he calmly caught the punch. This shocked Ugginnal as he stared at the man in front of him blankly.

"…No, I'm still holding back, don't get cocky!" he shouted and fired a demonic ball towards Yanuyo from his caught fist.

Yanuyo simply flicked the attack away and grinned at Ugginnal. He then declared, "For this 'fight' I will not move from this spot. Please do your best, 'Ugginnal-The-Great-sama'," he said jeeringly.

"…Oh I fucking will," replied Ugginnal, as various symbols around his body began to glow and could be seen through his suit. "I'm going to blow you away!" he shouted as his power increased dramatically.

…

"Why do you fight for the Wizards of Oz if you don't want to hurt people?!" asked God Serena as he made a few poses.

"B-because I owe Dorothy-sama and I want to repay her for taking me in!" replied the female magician.

"Taking you in?" asked God Serena as he stopped posing and looked at the woman in front of him.

"I'm… I'm a hybrid—a merfolk. I'm half human and half mermaid. Because of my hybrid identity I was exiled from my clan while still a child, but Dorothy-sama took me in and taught me everything. Even though I know they do bad things… I have to at least do this much…" she said and summoned a staff. "I'm sorry!"

"State your name, girl!" shouted God Serena.

"C-Churel! I'm Churel, a magician and merfolk!" she shouted back nervously.

"Hmph! Then I God Serena shall subjugate you and bring you to my master!" he declared and covered his left arm with flames and right arm with water.

Churel, the magician summoned multiple magic circles behind her and formed an hour glass that was made out of water behind her. God Serena looked at it with puzzlement, but sensed that the young lady in front of him had full control of this technique.

"B-by Lady Dorothy, I shall e-exterminate you!" she tried to say with confidence but stuttered.

"If you are serious about this, then come!" Two dragons made out of flames and water erupted from behind God Serena and both of them roared. "I will make you into my master subordinate!"

…

"Nattsu, it's fine… I'm okay…" said Sae as she looked around the place she had been teleported to. She couldn't feel any other presence other than Nattsu. Nattsu, or the Cowardly Leo had transformed into its Balance Breaker form and kept an eye out for Sae.

Sae sat on the ground, protectively caressing her pregnant stomach. She was concerned when she was randomly teleported here, but was relieved when nothing happened to her, her child or Nattsu. But she knew that Tobio, her fiancé would also become distressed.

"I hope Jin-san can talk some sense into him… I just hope…"

"Sae-sama, are you okay?" a voice suddenly asked.

Sae looked around herself but found no one. However, she then looked below her—at her shadow and found two glowing purple eyes staring at her with concern and regret.

"Y-you're the shadow soldiers Jin-san put down there?" she asked.

"Yes we are. Forgive us, we don't know what happened, but some kind of interference happened in those few seconds and we couldn't see anything or sense you. We immediately tried to leave your shadow but we couldn't. We can do it now, however, are you injured in any way?" one of the shadow soldiers asked and came out of her shadow.

It was shadow knight and they kneeled down beside Sae.

"I'm fine, I was just worried about the baby," replied Sae as she heaved a sigh of relief.

"…Our king has put powerful spells on you. You won't be hurt, nor will the baby. Unless an outer god directly tries to kill you, or if someone has one of those items that Lapis made, then you are basically invincible," the shadow soldier explained.

"I-I see…" replied Sae awkwardly. 'I-I didn't think Jin-san did that much for me… he's a bigger worrywart than Tobi, hehe,' thought Sae.

"…We are currently in Kyoto underground, and it seems God Serena, Yanuyo and your lover, Tobio Ikuse-sama are also here. Please wait a moment. I will try to get into contact with them," said the shadow soldier.

After a few seconds he nodded and said, "They will finish up shortly. I have already informed them of our location. Please do not worry, they will arrive soon."

"Thank you…" replied Sae. Nattsu was still prowling around them as he had gone into protective mode. Nattsu and Tobio had discussed this before and Sae had trained enough that her Cowardly Leo could enter his Balance Breaker with or without her input.

…

"Sis, are you sure you're fine?" asked Natsume. The current Slash/Dog Team was split up, and right now, they were in Germany.

Natsume, Kanami, Fusae, Ajamu, Kalawarna and Kouki were in this country. Meanwhile, Shigune, Meruem and Mittelt were in France. Their small team was also accompanied by Sairaorg Bael's peerage and Ezeri, one of Aaron's Electa.

"I'm fine, Natsume. We need to prioritize saving mom, then we'll kill these pieces of sh—sorry…" Kanami apologized and stared straight in front of them. She was disgruntled by the fact that their parents were involved. She was also confused on how they were kidnapped when Aaron had shadow soldiers in their shadows.

Kanami's group had arrived in Germany earlier, but were redirected by the shadow soldiers to a small town called Cochem and they were currently there. Like Kyoto, the entirety of Germany was lit ablaze by the Wizards of Oz. Not even the small town of Cochem was safe. As they walked through the streets of the town, they were thankful that Aaron had protected the people here.

They checked some houses and some of the town's folk had minor injuries but nothing life-threatening.

"I don't like it," mumbled Kouki as he looked around the destroyed town. "Bro's intending to restore most of this right?" he asked Natsume beside him.

"He will. Jin won't let it stay like this, and he certainly won't forgive them for harming the innocent," replied Natsume.

As they continued walking around town, they suddenly felt another burst of magic in the distance and they ran towards it. They had to run through a few large debris, a dirt road, fallen burning trees and… some dead animals.

Ajamu did a small prayer for those who lost their lives, but they eventually ran into a wooded area. Once they stepped past a certain threshold, they were greeted by a large amount of magic and very condensed mana.

"…Oi, we felt this before, didn't we?" asked Kouki.

"You did?" asked Kalawarna and Kouki nodded.

"It feels familiar—like someone we faced back a few years ago," he added.

"…Yeah, now that you mention it, it does feel like that," said Natsume. Out of the current team, Natsume and Kouki were the only originals in it, so the others didn't know about this.

The team eventually stepped into a large clearing—the crimson night was illuminated by the moon and the fires in the distance. In front of them was a woman with a man, and several creatures with them.

The woman had short curly brown hair, she had a large dark-purple hat with a white feather on it, a dark-purple top with a shirt beneath it with a black and white design. She wore black gloves, a purple skirt, black leggings and dark-purple heels. On her hip were various bottles, two books and a sword. In front of her was a grimoire with water floating above it.

Beside her, was a man with short dark-blue hair, brown eyes. He wore glasses, a long white coat that reached his knees, a blue blazer beneath that and a light-blue tie. He wore black pants and black shoes.

"…Theodora!" shouted Kouki.

The woman named Theodora looked at the current Slash/Dog Team and smiled. "It's been a while Slash/Dog Team. I see that you've gained new members, oh, little Ajamu is also there," she said and waved at them.

"…Hmm? You know of me?" asked Ajamu.

"Well, you wouldn't know about me, but I have seen you around when I came by to help Avezza with certain things in the past. I also saw you working under Valper Galilei and Azrael, though that seems like years ago, doesn't it?" she asked but Ajamu didn't answer.

"What are you planning?" asked Natsume.

"Where are our parents?!" shouted Kanami as she brought out her [True Longinus] and pointed it at the woman—her own anger slowly rising.

"Oh, you mean these guys?" she asked and snapped her fingers. Above them were the Minagawa sister's mother, Fusae's father, and several other individuals, one of them being a devil, and the few low-level angels with infants with them.

"Mom!" both sisters shouted.

"Kanami?! Natsume?! What's going on?!" asked their mother.

"F-Fusae…?" Fusae's father asked in confusion.

"It seems you didn't tell them anything, huh? That's pretty amusing. So let me inform them," said Theodora. She told the human parents everything about the supernatural and how their precious daughters were involved in this.

In the end, both sets of parents were shocked and silently stared at their daughters.

"We were meant to tell them ourselves, butt out of it!" shouted Kanami as she did several thrusts of her spear towards Theodora, who put her hand out and nullified the attacks with magic circles.

Kanami became shocked. Even though she held back there so she wouldn't hurt her mother and Fusae's father, she didn't expect Theodora to stop her attacks.

"She has a special power, Sis. She can absorb most attacks that are sent towards her. But they have a limit. That's how we beat her a few years back," explained Natsume as she summoned Griffon.

"And I have increased my limit, Natsume. Don't compare me to the woman who died four years ago. I also have help, you know?" she said and hundreds of creatures started to appear all over the town of Cochem.

"Let's play a fun game, why don't we? You probably heard it from Glenda, but… these guys have a limit of two hours. If you don't retrieve them from us, and get the Middleman to heal them, they will die. They have been fed slow acting poison, though it's from another universe, so the Middleman does need to search for a cure since it's not in this universe," explained Theodora.

"My creatures will also attack the sleeping towns people, and you'll have to fight them and rescue your parents while fighting both of us—ah, he's called Isaac by the way, and he's what I call a 'Super Zombie'. Play nice with him," she added and created a timer to run above them.

"Let's start then. Your parents, me, or the towns people? Who will you choose?" she asked and grinned.

Natsume stepped forward, as she planted her foot down on the ground, an enormous crack was created on it. She looked up and said, "It's obvious, isn't it?! Aaron taught us to be greedy, so we'll save them all! Griffon, Balance Break!"

Natsume's Sacred Gear, one of the Five Fiends, Qiongqi or Kyuuki began to glow and slowly transformed into its true form. It had the upper body of a falcon and the bottom body of a lion, much like a Griffon of legend. Her mother's eyes widen in awe at the transformation.

"…Yeah, and we'll have Aaron meet our parents after this, dammit!" shouted Kanami as several white-flame crosses appeared behind her—the pupils in her eyes also changed into crosses too. "Mom! We're dating the same guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuy!!!" Kanami screamed at the top of her lungs. "He also has a hareeeeeeeeeeeem!!"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh?!" Her mother screamed back in shock.

"You're not dating him yet though?" asked Natsume, confused.

"Deeeeeeeetaaaaaaiiiiiiiiils!!! Kanami screamed back.

"Heh, gotta back 'em up, right?!" shouted Kouki and he also summoned his Sacred Gear. Byakusa, also known as Taowu or Toukotsu. The Sacred Gear wrapped itself around his arm and formed a spear out of its tail and lightning started to discharge from it.

Kalawarna smiled at Kouki and summoned her jet-black wings and created several light spears behind her. She was in the team now, and wanted to support them all. She was given a second chance months ago, and wouldn't waste it.

"Umu, I will face you," added Ajamu as he brought out [Galatine], the Holy Sword.

"Wait for me, dad. I'll explain everything after this," said Fusae as she looked sadly at her father. He also gently nodded at her daughter. Fusae looked back at Theodora with a cold expression and summoned a wand.

Thousands of magic circles began appearing all around them and the town. "I've trained over the last few months too, you know? I won't let you involve my parents like this…"

Fusae Hirawa had reached Middle-Tier God-class in strength in those few months. She was trained by many people and received lessons from others too. She didn't want to be a burden to her new team and Aaron, and she certainly wanted to protect her parents from the supernatural.

"Fufu, so young, so determined… let's enjoy this shall we?" Theodora smiled at them as a giant kraken-like monsters appeared behind her along with several giant female water spirits.

…

Shigune's group was tense. They were in the town of Saint-Veran in France, in the lead was both Sairaorg and Ezeri, both of their lovers were kidnapped and they were furious, to Sairaorg this wasn't the first time, but the second time and it infuriated him. He felt that he was a failure since it had happened twice.

While Ezeri, this was his first relationship—he also received the blessings from his master which made him happy, so for this to happen not too soon after, it was world shattering for him. Whoever was responsible for this, he would personally torture them to death.

The males of the group, minus Meruem were on the lookout for anything. Any building they came across that was still on fire they would put out. Shigune walked behind the group. She had never felt this lonely and shocked in a long time. However, as her mind slowly spiraled, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," said a voice.

"…A-Aaron?" Shigune asked sounding shocked.

'Aaron' shook his head. "I'm an avatar, I'm here to help," he explained. He then took something out of his pocket and then gave it to Shigune. "Boss said to put it on top of your heart," explained Aaron C (Clone).

Shigune tilted her head, but complied. She accepted the item from Aaron C, which looked like a small figure of Poh. Once she did, the item glowed for a second, and then disappeared. Shigune had closed her eyes as they walked, when she opened her eyes, she smiled.

"Is something wrong, Shigune?" asked Kuisha.

Shigune shook her head and smiled. "No, it's nothing. I feel great, actually… let's go and rescue everyone," she said.

"And my job's done, goodbye!" said Aaron C as he disappeared.

"…Over there, I feel something," said Ezeri and he dashed away.

"Hmm. It seems the ones we're looking for are over there, in that small wooded area," added Meruem. The group quickly made their way there. Once they arrived, they saw Ezeri standing there, shaking with rage.

"Ah, a group finally arrive, eh?" said a female figure.

"A devil…" muttered Kuisha.

"Could they be the unknown devils that have been appearing all over the Underworld and supernatural lately?" asked Coriana.

"Most likely," replied Sairaorg. "Where are the rest of the ones you kidnapped?" he asked calmly.

In front of them was Sofiel, Ezeri's lover, covered in cuts, bruises and was bleeding profusely—yet her smile never left her. Behind them were… others. One of them was Silveteela and Shigune's mother.

"Mom!" shouted Shigune

"…! Teela!" Sairaorg finally noticed and he finally understood why Ezeri was furious.

Sofiel—even though she was weaker than Silveteela, she had protected them the entire time, perhaps even volunteering as the female devil in front of them only attacked her and no one else. There were also others with Silveteela and Shigune's mother and they all looked terrified.

"Yahooo~! I'm Elegia! An Artificially created Super Devil~! Nice to meet you all!" she introduced herself.

"A-artificially created super devils…?! How can… don't tell me they're using Lilith's…!" said Regulus out of shock.

"Bingo~! There are thousands more of us, mmm… maybe millions at this point? Ah who cares, hehe~! I'm here to stop you with a few friends! Clap~ clap~" she said and two figures appeared.

The female devil Elegia had long white messy hair, aqua colored eyes, and had two scars on her face that resembled lightning. She wore a medium-length black coat with blue lines on each shoulder. Under that, she donned a simple black and blue sports bra, the rest exposed her stomach. Her nails were painted black and she wore short black and blue shorts and black and white knee-high boots.

The one on the right was tall and had short red hair and bull-like horns on his head. He wore a lime green suit with a ruined light brown cape behind him. He had two dog tags around his neck, several pouches and wore arm and leg guards. He carried a large metallic scythe on his shoulder.

The one on the left was short. He had short brown hair, cat-like ears, a baby looking face, goggles around his neck, hazel-brown eyes. He wore a black-yellow coat, brown pants and black and yellow shoes. He had various worn-out equipment attached to him with a small monitor, tools, and some kind of large gun behind him. In his right hand he held a metallic ball.

"Do you like them? They're that Ueboros guy's subordinates. The big guy with red hair is Caedos and the midget cat-boy is Vigos. Anyway, if you want to get your loved one, you gotta beat us~! Oh! You also have a time limit of two hours before they die! You'll need the Middleman's help in curing them too, ufufu~!" exclaimed Elegia happily.

"I'm ripping your throat out…!" declared Ezeri as a blue and white aura covered his body.

"Ah, ah, ah~!" Elegia waved her finger at them and hundreds of divine beasts and shadows of the CxP appeared all around them. "Theodora is playing the same game, sooooo~ fight us, defend the town's people aaaaand recue your lovers! Let's goooo~!"

"…I will not forgive anyone who endangers the innocent," muttered Sairaorg. "Regulus!"

"Sir!" replied Regulus who jumped beside him.

"Oh, my lion—"

"Oh, King of Nemea—"

"You who bears the name of the Lion King—"

"Answer my howl—!"

"And turn into armor!!!"

Regulus turned into golden light and merged with Sairaorg. Sairaorg Bael was clothed in golden armor after the transformation.

"[Balance Break!]. Let us retrieve everyone, Ezeri-dono," said Sairaorg.

"You're damn right, Lion King-sama!" replied Ezeri.

"Kuisha, everyone, I will leave those monsters that are in the town to you. We will face these three."

Kuisha along with her peerage members and Mittelt agreed and flew towards the town. Ezeri, Shigune, Meruem and Sairaorg were the ones left to face these leaders.

Everyone else got ready. Shigune also summoned Poh who stood on the ground. She also summoned her whip too.

"Fufu, make this fun for us~!"

…

Atsutarou Himejima's Soliloquy

…

I didn't think my life would turn out this way. Being born into that clan was both a blessing and a curse. Being the son of that piece of shit was even worse. Anyone that did not possess the flame manipulation of our clan was shunned, even more so if they had a Sacred Gear.

One person, however, was always there for me in that hellhole. Shuri Himejima, she was the light in my life that was full of darkness. I would always go to her when the abuse got too much. She was the only one there who wouldn't discriminate against me, as well as Suzaku's parents and grandparents.

They made me believe that it wasn't so terrible being born there. However, one day, Shuri was exiled because she fell in love with a fallen angel. I was devastated, because she never saw me the way I saw her, but also hated the clan even more because she was exiled.

At the time, I was angry with Suzaku's parents and grandparents, but now I understand. They did try to stop it, but in the end their opinions didn't matter even if they gave birth to the inheritor of the Vermillion bird.

I have forgiven them and no longer blame them. I only kidnapped them to bring Suzaku here. I only wanted to thank her—the same with the Middleman. He brought Shuri back after she was killed. Even though I moved on from that part of my life after leaving that shithole, that shitty geezer wouldn't leave me alone.

I found another love of my life, yet she was taken away from me. By the orders of my old geezer, Suou Himejima, that… that's something I couldn't forgive. Even if I'm forced to fight Suzaku and the Middleman—no, Jin. If I have to get killed—I'll be reunited with her and it's fine.

That old piece of shit will finally get what's coming to him. I wasn't the first to be exiled, nor was Shuri, or even Ageha-obaa-san. Even Suzaku tried to have the clan accept Tobio Ikuse back then—she even thought of marrying him just to have him back in the clan… though that doesn't matter anymore.

Jin, he changed a lot of things for the better in the Five Principal Clans. If he's the one there, he can change it for the better. I just want to say goodbye to them one last time and take this old geezer's life with mine.

I was scouted out by Hanezu Himejima after he was resurrected. At the time I was skeptical, but now… after getting those new powers in the Crepuscule Phantasma, I believe I can fight God-class beings, especially with this Artificial Longinus. [Konjo Jiki], I suggested the name and Avezza who hadn't defected yet, called it another name [God's Rejection]. I didn't care too much about the name, I just said whatever was in my mine at the time.

"S-Shuri… wouldn't… approve… of this…" said my shitty geezer on the ground. I had beaten him up a few times since I brought him here.

"Keep her name out of your filthy mouth. You ordered her execution and even more so, you tried to kill her child, Akeno! You're better off dead, you piece of shit!" I shouted back at him. I crouched down and held his head. "You've been scheming too, haven't you? You've been trying to break up Suzaku and Jin, haven't you?"

He didn't answer me which just confirmed it. "Leave people alone, their love life has nothing to do with you. You're God damn lucky he doesn't just end this shitty clan, because as far as I can tell, he hates your guts too. Maybe I should just ask him to ask Amaterasu-sama again, eh?!"

"Our clan… has to remain pure. Having those dragons' genes in it will only corrupt it…!" He replied with conviction.

"You're disgusting. No wonder Amaterasu-sama lost hope in you—I would have, retarded purists like you can rot in hell—with me of course, since I'm bringing you with me."

"They're here," said Glenda and I looked up to see Suzaku Himejima, Lavinia Reni and Jin Skyward.

Perfect. I can finally settle this.

"Let them go," said the Dual Dragon Emperor.

"Well…" before I could continue, multiple figures appeared and attacked the Middleman, forcing him into a different dimension.

"Aaron!" both women shouted.

Aaron? Does he have another name or something? Well, it doesn't matter….

"They were our super devil friends and someone from the Phantasma, they'll entertain the Middleman for the time being. It's been a while, my beloved daughter, Lavinia. How have you been?" asked Glenda.

"…Don't call me that," replied Lavinia Reni in an icy cold voice.

"Ara? Fufu, I didn't think you'd become that cold towards me. I took care of you for all those years, you know? Well… I'll have you play with some friends you met before," she said and clapped her hands.

"You've met before, yes? Here are Ashtulai and Yashina in the flesh. Please do play with them."

Both ladies flew in front of Lavinia Reni. "It's been a while, Ice Princess. I'm here to continue from our last confrontation," said Yashina.

"And I'm here to pay you back for the humiliation," added Ashtulai with gritted teeth.

Glenda walked beside me and said, "I'll play with them too, make sure to play your role too, Atsutarou Himejima. Make it entertaining too, because once we die… that thing will—"

"I get it! Go already, I need to speak to her," I snapped and she laughed and left.

"Let's take this somewhere else. I think you wouldn't want to hurt them, will you?" asked Glenda as she pointed to the town below us, as well as the other people we kidnapped.

The two hybrids that she brought with her also joined Glenda. Lavinia Reni quietly glared at them as they teleported away.

"Suzaku Himejima. I will kill this piece of shit," I declared once they were gone. "Your parents will be safe though."

…

Third Person Point of View

…

"Why?" asked Suzaku as she landed near Atsutarou.

"…You know what happened when this pile of shit was still the head of the clan, Suzaku. You saw what he did to everyone that was born different! You know what he did to Shuri!" replied Atsutarou.

"Even still, there are other ways of doing things. We can't just kill people ind—"

"But he can?!" shouted Atsutarou, interrupting Suzaku. "He exiled Ageha Ikuse, in turn Tobio Ikuse, the same with Shuri and Akeno and multiple others! If we stayed then we would be abused, neglected and they would do other things! Especially to the women!"

Atsutarou kicked Suou in the stomach and he groaned in pain. "Didn't Amaterasu-sama seal his flame manipulation?! Did you know that he tried to break your relationship with the Middleman?! How can you defend him?!" he asked in fury.

Suzaku began to say something when she was interrupted by Atsutarou. "Bring Shuri here. I want to talk to her," he demanded.

"I can't do that… I can't endanger Auntie Shuri like that. Uncle Baraqiel or Aaron would be upset if I did that," she replied.

"Then so be it…" he said and glared at her. A blue ring appeared on his right arm and he repelled Suzaku back. Suzaku flew back but she quickly recovered. When she looked back, she saw Atsutarou gripping Suou on the neck and he had a red ring on his left hand.

Suzaku quickly flew back and elbowed Atsutarou in the stomach—this time he was the one blown away as she caught her great uncle. She looked at her parents and then at the other kidnapped people there.

"Why?!" shouted Atsutarou as he came back and his blue ring and Suzaku's flames collided against each other. "He needs to die…!"

"He can repent and reflect on his actions!" she shouted back. "Everyone deserves a—"

"Not him! Anyone but him! He's scum that can't be redeemed! You know that more than anyone else! He tried to go against your every move. You compromised so much for him, yet he didn't even budge on the smallest of shit!"

Suzaku was shocked that he knew this. Atsutarou saw this and laughed. "I'm still in good relations with your grandparents… they told me all about it because they felt bad for me. The clan can move forward without Suou or those elders! They hold you back from becoming a better clan!"

"…Even still, I can't hurt anyone there—especially those close to me!" said Suzaku. She then increased her flames and blasted Atsutarou away, but at the same time healed him.

"…You're too kind, Suzaku. Just like the Middleman—no, should I call him Jin? Or do you prefer Aaron? You two are made for each other because you try to give people chances. I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to give me one after all I did!"

"What if I do?!"

"…You're too naïve at times," Atsutarou said calmly. "Balance Adjust." The area around Atsutarou Himejima erupted in a blue and red light. This created a powerful shockwave that knocked several people off the platform they were on.

Suzaku summoned numerous shikigami which she ordered them to catch the people who fell and bring them to a different spot. The shikigami freed her parents who also started to help the others. She told them to let her face Atsutarou Himejima by herself, and had her great uncle evacuated too.

"Please stop this, Atsutarou-san! We can find a different way! If you do, I can convince Aaron to let you see Auntie Shuri!" begged Suzaku.

"…I have nothing left in this world. So I'll simply go down swinging. That's how I've lived my life so far, and that's how I'll go out," he said and the light around him vanished. What was left was Atsutarou Himejima covered in red and blue futuristic looking armor. It had countless glowing monitors and glowing pulsing veins around its body.

"I don't have a name for it, but this will drain my life as I use it. For the remaining time—I will ask you to let me see Shuri," he told her. "Which is it, Suzaku Himejima?" he asked. He would use her own kindness against her.

Suzaku became distraught. She didn't want him to die, but at the same time she wasn't sure what Baraqiel or Aaron would say if she brought Shuri to Atsutarou. She could tell that he may not cause her harm, but at the same time, she wasn't sure if his 'allies' would show them the same courtesy.

"…Your parents, the shitty geezer and the others also have a slow acting poison. If you don't get the Middleman to treat him, they will die," he added. "You have a two-hour time limit."

Suzaku was conflicted. If she could, she wanted to save everyone. However, she would try to convince Atsutarou for as long as he lived, and if she couldn't… she'd ask Aaron to help her.

"…I choose all of them. I want you to live, and finally start living life again, Atsutarou-san!" shouted Suzaku as she held her hand up. A small bird made out of flames appeared and began to quickly grow. "Please rethink this and surrender."

"Heh. I already told you, I won't!" he replied and propelled himself towards Suzaku using his blue ring on his right wrist. Once in front of her he tried to punch Suzaku in the face, but she easily dodged the attack.

But she noticed that she was slowly being pulled towards him, and backed away. The fire bird above her started shooting breath attacks at Atsutarou, who repelled them using Sacred Gear. He also absorbed some of them using the red ring and then repelling them back with even more power with his blue.

Atsutarou grunted and pointed both his hands at the fire bird. Both rings on his arms turned purple and the gravity around the bird increased several folds, but to his surprise, it didn't weigh it down. 'Most would be brought down with x300 gravity around them. What the hell is wrong with that thing?'

Atsutarou was shocked by this but also grinned. "That's one tough bird, as expected of the Vermillion bird," he said and summoned red and black blades around him. He then fired them towards Suzaku and the flaming bird.

Atsutarou gestured with his hand and they disappeared. They then appeared all around her, but also multiplied. Suzaku increased her flame's heat and melted the blades making Atsutarou click his tongue.

"You didn't even let me show you the cool part," he complained. "…Well whatever. I knew it wouldn't be easy facing you, even with this Artificial Longinus, it won't do too much against the people trained by the Middleman. I guess I'll rely on that then."

He backed away and an ominous crimson and purple aura covered his body. One of his eyes developed a strange symbol—almost like the letter 'Y'. His power also quickly increased and the area around them began to tremble in an uncontrollable manner.

…

"Hmm… so you're using it, Atsutarou Himejima? …Farewell then, for whatever you become after using that power, you will no longer be with us," muttered Hanezu Himejima as he took a sip from his cup of coffee.

"Atsu-Astu is going bye-bye, huh? He was pretty fun. I wish he had stayed a little longer," said another individual. "Why didn't you join them?" he asked.

"It is not our time yet. We are waiting for other items to be prepared. This operation by the Wizards of Oz will also provide useful information for us," replied Hanezu. "Today, we lose one comrade, but we will gain more from his loss."

…

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagghhhhhhhhh!" Atsutarou groaned out in pain. His veins became visible on his face, and they had turned into the color of purple, his other eye that didn't have the symbol of 'Y', also changed colored—it had become purely jet-black.

"Atsutarou-san!" shouted Suzaku. She became worried and tried to approach the man, but… a powerful aura erupted from him, forcing her back. The area around him also began to repel and attract everything around him—like he was some kind of broken human magnet.

The armor he had previously worn had fused with his body. He himself had become the Artificial Longinus—the trials he had faced and the reward he sought after at the end was power, but also balance. He, like many others was greedy, so he asked the thing he faced in the end of the trial for an 'unknown power', but something practical… so he was given this.

One could call this a very morbid 'Abyss Side Balance Breaker' if only the Artificial Longinus had that kind of effect. Those items already had power, they just needed to adjust themselves for the wielder, not an unleashment of power. However, the thing that gave him this… 'blessing', made him fuse with it.

His own self-loathing and hatred were also used to unleash this power that was given to him. Right now, Atsutarou Himejima is a Human/Artificial Sacred Gear hybrid. The power that the Sacred Gear had, was now his own. His judgment was clouded, and the only thing in his mind now was—

"Aaaaaah!" the scream of Suou Himejima echoed throughout the area. Atsutarou Himejima had held his hand out and had pulled Suou Himejima towards him.

"…Die…!" as Atsutarou began to crush Suou's throat, Suzaku quickly appeared beside them, and with one swift motion, sliced Atsutarou's hand off, dropping Suou, and Suzaku caught him. She then flew away and made her great uncle float beside her.

"…Please stay close to me. Otherwise, you will be in danger," she told him.

Cúntóir: Answer: Suzaku.

'C-Cúntóir-san? H-how are you…?' Suzaku was confused. She didn't know that Cúntóir could do this, but—

Cúntóir: Answer: Aaron predicted this, so… he asked me to contact you. Atsutarou Himejima is no longer there. Whatever power they obtained in the universe of the Phantasma, that took away their humanity and reasoning, you must kill him, and pray that he wants to come back when Aaron gets back here.

"…Okay. I'll do it," said Suzaku as a single tear left her eye.

Cúntóir: Answer: Good luck.

Suzaku took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'Aaron, forgive me,' she thought and summoned a magic circle beside her. Suou who was beside her became shocked.

"You use magic?! That's—"

"…Great Uncle, please be quiet," said Suzaku in a calmness that he hadn't heard before. However, when Suou looked at Suzaku he shivered.

"…Auntie Shuri?" Suzaku called out to the magic circle.

"Suzaku? Is something wrong? A lot of things are happening in Grigori right now and everyone is on edge…" replied Shuri.

"…Please listen. I'll explain something to you right now, and I want to ask for a selfish request."

Shuri agreed and listened to what Suzaku wanted her to do. It was a simple request—Suzaku had no idea if it would work, but… she wanted to at least try to reach out to Atsutarou Himejima one last time. Even if it was for naught, she can at least say she tried.

"I'll do it."

"Thank you, Auntie. I will keep this magic circle open, so please just speak to him as I face him," said Suzaku.

"Yes, of course."

Suzaku then covered Suou Himejima in a powerful barrier and flew towards Atsutarou Himejima. The closer she got, the stronger the gravitational pull was, however, she covered herself in her own aura to counteract it. The berserk Atsutarou turned his attention to Suzaku and fired several purple balls of magic. However, as soon as they entered Suzaku's space they melted.

"I'm getting close, Auntie. You can start now," said Suzaku and arrived in front of Atsutarou.

"Atsu?" asked Shuri. Suzaku closed the distance even more and hit Atsutarou with a palm strike to the chin. "Remember when we were younger? Though you're a few years older than me, we went to the local gardens and looked at the koi (Japanese pond fish)? You even started calling one Tsui-chan, and another Ken-chan and told them they were married."

This didn't faze him and Atsutarou threw a punch at Suzaku, but she deflected it, from his fist—a large shockwave followed and crushed everything behind Suzaku. Thankfully the barrier that was covering Suou protected him, and he looked horrified at the landscape behind him.

"Do you remember her name? Hirano, the woman you loved. I know you liked me, but I couldn't reciprocate those feelings. You were like an older brother to me, but I was happy when you found someone else. Atsu, do you really want to end it this way? When you meet her again, will she be happy for you? Will be happy for yourself?" asked Shuri through the magic circle.

Atsutarou didn't react. He simply continued attacking Suzaku, yet Suzaku didn't falter and kept delaying as much as she could. She also kept an eye on the time—if she couldn't get through to him in the next few minutes… then she would end it since she couldn't risk everyone's health just for one person—even if she cared for them.

Thousands of blue and red blades started to dance in the night sky. They attacked anything indiscriminately. They simply slashed, sliced and tore through anything in their way. Perhaps this was Atsutarou Himejima's feelings coming through from his former Sacred Gear, or it might have been coincidence, but—

"Remember when we wanted to get a puppy but we weren't allowed? We were both sad for weeks on end…!" Shuri sounded upset through the magic circle, but she kept on talking about her past with Atsutarou.

To Suzaku's surprise, silent tears began to spill from his eyes, indicating that a small part of Atsutarou Himejima was still there, and she held some hope that he could be brought back.

'Maybe… maybe if I ask Aaron to bring back Hirano-san, then…!' thought Suzaku, but before she could make her next move, she was suddenly teleported away. She looked around confused, but then heard a terrible sound and looked up. Her eyes widen in shock and horror.

Then it clicked for her. She had swapped places with her great uncle, Suou Himejima. But… what shocked her even more was that both Atsutarou Himejima and Suou Himejima had been pierced by a large hand through both of their chests.

"I hate it when people forget about me, you know?" said a young man in a black robe and hat.

This young man was Nealuchi, the current apprentice and 'toy' of Glenda. He had used a spell that switched people around, and summoned a powerful monster from the Phantasma's universe and pierced both Atsutarou Himejima and Suou Himejima.

"I was hoping to stay with Glenda-sama too, but it seems she wants me to stay here for some dumb family drama. Honestly, hearing all that cutesy gushy shit made me want to hurl. God, how can you people talk like that? Feelings? Emotions? Give me a break…" scoffed Nealuchi.

"Suzaku? Suzaku?! What happened?! Suza—"

Suzaku put her hand out and teleported both Atsutarou and Suou to her side—and in the next moment, an enormous pillar of flames erupted from the spot where Nealuchi stood. The flame pillar kept expanding more and more until it covered the entire country of Italy. All the while, Nealuchi's screams were heard inside of it.

She finally ended her attack, but only the monster had perished.

"Hehe…hahahahaha! Did you really think some flames will kill me?! I have a very strong regeneration ability!" Nealuchi laughed manically as his body quickly repaired itself. However, Suzaku didn't say anything.

"I am the next generation of magicians that Glenda-sama has made! I will be the prime example of what they should strive to be! If I didn't meet Glenda-sama, I would be nothing, but she gave me life! She gave me a reason! And I will show her that I am the worthy one! Not that Lavinia Reni whore!" he shouted and summoned multiple magic circles and slimy tentacles appeared from them.

He smirked and added, "I enjoy torturing females too, you know? I even use these to pleasure Glenda-sama. Seeing mind-broken females is such a turn-on for me. Be a dear, and be my next test subject?" He paused and then asked her, "…Hmm? What's wrong with your eyes?"

Unknown to Suzaku, just like Aaron and Lavinia, the pupils of her eyes had just turned into sharp slits like a snake. Suzaku Himejima rarely shows her anger—genuine anger, so when it does—

Suzaku opened the palm of her right hand and a single black and white flame appeared. It was different from the one she usually used. It wasn't like the flames of her clan, nor the normal flames created by magic, but…

The black and white flame instantly hit Nealuchi's right arm, and lit it ablaze. However, after a few seconds it vanished along with his arm. Nealuchi smirked and waited for his regeneration to start, but… it never restored his arm. As the realization hit him, he looked at his missing arm and then at Suzaku in horror.

"E-eh? W-what the hell did you do?!" he asked in fury. There was no blood, no bone—nothing. It simply vanished as if he had never had that body part at all. "Shit! Kill her!" he shouted, and the tentacles shot towards Suzaku.

But like his arm, several black and white flames shot up from Suzaku's hand and exterminated the tentacles that were going towards her. Then… he noticed it. The surrounding area, the temperature there began to increase in intensity, Nealuchi began to sweat profusely and then… he looked up.

The flaming bird that Suzaku had summoned earlier—its color had changed to the same as her black and white flame.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck, what the hell is wrong with her and her magic?! Glenda never told me about this! No… they did warn us to be wary of the Dual Dragon's women, but… shit! I underestimated them—no, I just didn't take those threats seriously!' Nealuchi panicked even more as the clothes on his body started to melt away too.

Before Nealuchi could move, Suzaku Himejima appeared in front of him and grabbed his head. He tried to struggle and summon more tentacles, he fired attacks at her, and even clawed her at hand and arm, yet… they never reached her.

Aaron had sensed the distress coming from Suzaku and shared his [Infinity] with her, preventing any attacks from ever reaching her. Suzaku Himejima didn't utter a single word to Nealuchi. To her, that man in front of her was nothing but filth—and so, the black and white flame left her hand and incinerated him.

His screams this time was real—the sound of true agony, yet Suzaku's face never changed. It was emotionless. She held the man's head until it finally turned into ashes and blew away in the night's wind. It was an abrupt end to the man called Nealuchi, yet no one shed a tear for him.

Once this was done, she turned around, flew back and tended to both Atsutarou Himejima and Suou Himejima.

Suzaku wasn't the most skilled at using healing magic, but she could still use it. She touched both of their wounds and applied it to them. It slowly sealed up the holes in their chest. Her parents also joined her. The others that were kidnapped had started to help put out the fires that had been started by the Wizards of Oz earlier in the evening.

"Atsutarou-san?" Suzaku's mother called out.

Atsutarou Himejima opened his eyes and looked at Suzaku's mother. "Heh… I didn't think I'd be killed this way," he said tiredly. "I wanted to go out in a cooler way, you know?"

"…Please hold on, when Aaron comes back he can—"

"…I don't want to be healed or be brought back to life. I want to join her in the afterlife." Atsutarou interrupted Suzaku and declined her offer. "Also… this will kill me either way so… let me help you out a bit. The planet Stroyater in the Phantasma's universe… that's where you'll find the cure for the poison the Wizards of Oz used on all of them. Right now… you still have over an hour to treat it."

'Cúntóir? Cúntóir?!' shouted Suzaku.

Cúntóir: Answer: I heard, Suzaku. I will begin analyzing it. Please touch either one of your parents or Suou Himejima.

Suzaku touched her father and explained why she did it and he nodded. After a few seconds, Cúntóir told Suzaku that it was enough and she would analyze it as quickly as possible. She gave her an ETA of around twenty minutes.

"…Can I—"

Before Atsutarou Himejima could finish his sentence and request, a magic circle appeared beside him and out came Shuri and Baraqiel. His eyes widened in surprise and Shuri kneeled down beside him.

"Atsu…" said Shuri as tears fell from her eyes.

Atsutarou Himejima glanced at Suzaku and said, "Heh, can I thank your fiancé for this?" he chuckled again and looked at Shuri and Baraqiel. "You made it, Shuri. It's been a while, hasn't it? I look pretty pathetic, don't I?"

Shuri just shook her head and took a hold of his hand with both of hers. Baraqiel also knelt down and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. The two never knew each other, nor have they interacted, but Atsutarou was relieved that Shuri's husband didn't hold a grudge against him.

"If only Akeno-chan were here and Jin, I think I'd die happily. But this is fine, they're off fighting their battles… I can help a bit more, I won't reminisce too much but…the Connected Harmony, the faction I'm in…they want to attack the Sacred Beasts in the future, they plan on getting aid from the Monkai Association and the Seekers of Truth. Various Evil Dragon Clones are also going there…"

"…The Chinese Pantheon. We will inform them," replied Baraqiel.

"Also, I think Qlippoth is preparing to attack a place soon. I'm not…too sure though," said Atsutarou. He then coughed up some blood.

"…Glenda…she…has another apprentice. Well...it's probably more like a mind-controlled child. She's a…survivor from one of the…extinct clans from those 72 pillars. I think she was called Frida Zagan…she should be with Glenda right now."

"Warn Lavinia Reni, that devil's ability is being able to conjure anything with mere words. If she says 'tornado' or something, a tornado will just come out of nowhere...maybe it should be called 'Speech Magic' or something, if that's a thing? I'm not sure if it's a clan ability or just unique to her though. That's all I know…"

Again, he coughed up more blood. Atsutarou Himejima had lost a considerable amount of blood already, and the healing magic that Suzaku used wasn't working on him since his own powers were also killing him. Suzaku glanced at Suou Himejima, and the healing powers worked on him as he silently slept.

"…Suzaku, go. Lavinia may need your help—if not, then go to the Middleman to warn him…" said Atsutarou. "I'll be fine here…"

Suzaku hesitated, but asked the shadow soldiers here to protect everyone here and left after having a few more words with them there. She was headed towards Lavinia Reni. These two were tied the closest to Aaron, and she finally had 'that' happen to her own eyes.

…

Atsutarou Himejima' Soliloquy

…

"…I wonder if that pond is still there…" I said and looked up at the sky. The night sky here was beautiful, even if it was mostly red because of the fires that were started by the Wizards of Oz.

"I don't know, I was exiled to you dummy…!" replied Shuri.

There was a brief silence when an unexpected voice spoke up.

"…It's still there," said the shitty geezer. That asshole was going to live, though… I was kind of over it since I finally get to rest. "…I had to uphold the teachings of our elders, and the elders before that. So I was shocked at the time when I found out my own son didn't possess our clan's flames."

"…Hah! You were ashamed of me, weren't you?! …I couldn't inherit it; do you have any idea of the abuse I received from those…assholes….?!" I shouted and coughed up more blood. I'm seriously wondering how the hell I'm still alive.

"...The abuse you would have received if I hadn't allowed them to abuse you would have been worse."

What the fuck is that supposed to mean?! He let the abuse happen to prevent worse abuse?! How the fuck does that make sense?!

"It sounds bad but…you have heard of the rumors of what happened to women back when my father and his grandfather were the heads of the clan, have you not?" he asked.

"Physical and sexual abuse, correct?" asked Baraqiel.

"…Yes. I was aware of it, and I knew of it, and even saw some of it. What you're not aware of is that I am myself a baby made out of sexual abuse. Your grandparents did not conceive me out of love, hence why I never understood that kind of thing. Only when I married my wife and had you, I understood it…partially," he admitted.

W-what? No, hell no! I won't sympathize with you! To hell with your shitty backstory!

"I couldn't change any of the rules. I wanted to when I was younger—even more so when I found out I was going to be the next clan head. However, living a long life, and seeing those elders still there, I was limited to what I could do. I even had to reject and stand against Suzaku's changes. Well… that was until he showed up."

"An outsider, a despicable outsider…he showed up out of nowhere, resurrected Shuri, and did all those things, and even had Amaterasu-sama visit us, and even took away my ability to use our clan's flames. I had never hated and liked someone so much…he could do the things I wanted when I was younger. He had power, and he used it to change everything."

"…That's why…you, Akeno, Tobio Ikuse, and the other exiled are no longer of that status…I will stand with Suzaku, even if I am shunned by those elders. Although, I believe the Midd—Jin, may bring our goddess back to our clan to…"

He stopped talking and violently coughed up blood. Shit, how long has it been since Suzaku left? They only had two hours, if they took their sweet ass time then…! I seriously doubt this shitty geezer means any of this—maybe he feels like his life is ending and wanted to go out looking good…?!

"You may not believe me, but…I meant every word I said. I'm finished…running away."

"…I won't forgive you," I told him.

"…I don't expect you to. But, even if it's late…I was never ashamed of you—to the limited understanding I had, I loved you, and still love you, and so did your mother."

"..."

"Fufu, you're crying, Atsu," said Shuri as she wiped something from my cheek.

"…No, I'm not…" I denied, but I could feel it. Fuck me, I didn't want to hear those words, you shitty geezer…!

...Maybe in the back of my mind, somewhere in my heart and soul, I wanted to have a normal relationship with my dad. However, because of the environment we were in, it wasn't possible. Shit! I won't admit that, I never will...

"…If we somehow survive this…let's go visit your mother's grave, and your fiancé, Honami."

"How—"

"…I searched high and low to find her grave, and I finally did. I will go apologize to her too, even if you don't forgive me."

"…Do what you want," I told him and sighed.

"I'll get my son-in-law to heal you and we can have a family dinner in Grigori, Atsu. After that, maybe a family outing, oh and we can go clean the grave of your fiancé, oh and—"

Shuri rambled on about scenarios she wanted to happen. She was insanely confident in the Jin's abilities. I myself didn't hold any hope in survive past tonight, but…seriously, how I am even alive…?

'Because I slowed your bleeding down and prevented Artificial Longinus from killing you,' said a voice in my head.

'W-what the—who are you…?'

'Call me Cúntóir, one of Jin's closest allies. I believe he would give you a second chance. Please wait for him to return here,' she told me, and my mind went silent.

Fuck…fuck all of you, why are you willing to forgive scum like me…? I tried to hurt so many—and even after I joined this stupid group, I hurt even more…I don't deserve any of it…

"You deserve a second chance, Atsu. And who knows? You may find love again in the future, so please wait for Aaron to return, okay?" asked Shuri.

I didn't answer them. I simply closed my eyes and focused on my breathing.

…

Third Person Point of View

…

"I didn't think you two would come here," said Maeve.

"Well, we were sent here by Team [DxD]'s leader after all," replied Scathach.

"I am also your bodyguard, Queen Halloween," added Aífe.

The two sisters, as well as the Sitri Peerage had come to Thine Ifreann Réimse, to help defend the realm.

"Do you know why they would target you, Halloween-sama?" asked Sona.

"Not that I would know of," replied Maeve.

"Perhaps you created something long ago? Or even have something sealed inside of you?" Sona suggested.

Maeve looked at the ground then back at the chaos unfolding in her realm. "Well, I did seal something in our realm. But that creature should be long dead. One of the Bánánach, you could call them the equivalent of 'devils' or 'demons' from our mythology. Though they're just giant skeletons walking around."

"Apparently, they served Balor of the Evil eye from years back. One of them somehow managed to get into our realm, and with the help of Roselia, we sealed it deep underground. Alice Kyteler oversees the seal and goes to check on it from time to time."

"Then they may be trying to get that—"

Suddenly a large explosion occurred near Queen Halloween's castle.

"I got it, President!" shouted Saji as he flew towards the location with his devil wings and his Balance Breaker activated.

"Alice Kyteler is in that section of the castle. She is no fighter. She may know spells and magic, but…" said Queen Maeve worriedly.

"Ruruko, can you go with him?" asked Sona.

"Yes ma'am!" she replied energetically and flew after Saji.

The two sisters, Scathach and Aífe looked at one another and nodded.

"Sona, we'll leave it up to you and your plan. We'll go out there and slaughter the rest," said Scathach.

"Don't wait for us, Sitri [King]!" added Aífe.

"Yes, and have fun," replied Sona as she watched both of them leapt away.

The two sisters and Sitri peerage's battle had just started. In contrast, the Gremory peerage was also in Ireland, however, they were in another section—they were in the Land of Heaven Falls as it was also attacked.

Heaven's brave saints were in Germany to aid the alliance's team there too, meanwhile the Vali Team was in Italy. Even though Vali wouldn't admit it, he was worried about Lavinia, so he decided to go there too.

Once Saji and Ruruko arrived at the spot that was blown up. They saw two individuals there, one of whom was a woman and the other a man. The woman had Alice Kyteler by her neck and squeezed it. Alice Kyteler's face was already starting to go blue as she couldn't breathe.

"Saji!" shouted Ruruko.

"Got it!" Saji dashed towards the woman, but the man stood in front of him. However, he temporarily increased his speed and disappeared from the man's sight, shocking him. Saji appeared beside the lady and punched her straight on the side.

This caused her to let go of Alice and drop her, while the unknown woman crashed through several book cases and walls. "And he scores!" shouted Saji. "Miss, are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-yes, thank you…," said Alice. They then turned around to see Ruruko kicking the man in the face and sending him in the same direction as the woman.

"Do you know who those two were?" Ruruko asked.

"…One of my former husband and servant. They have come to take my life since I betrayed them when all three of us were still normal humans," she explained and looked disheartened. "I was prepared to die, why did you come save me?"

"Because Jin-senpai said to help those in need! Also, we're part of Team [DxD], so it's only natural!" replied Saji and Ruruko nodded along.

"I see…"

The walls suddenly exploded, and a loud shriek came from them. "I won't let you live any longer, Alice!!"

"Petronilla de Meath, my former servant who was supposedly executed in my place, and my third husband, Richard de Valle."

The two figures stepped out with furious looks on their faces. Both of them glared at Ruruko and Saji.

"I'll take the woman," said Ruruko.

"The guy's for me then. Alice-san, please go back down to Queen Halloween-sama since she's protected by a barrier by our [King] and also several shadow soldiers of Jin-senpai!"

"But I—"

Saji didn't wait for her answer as he touched her arm and teleported her away. "I'm Genshirou Saji, the [Black Dragon King]! Let's dance!" he shouted at the man.

"You didn't need to announce it, Gen-chan," said Ruruko. "Well, I'm here too after all, so let's do this!"

Both of them looked at each other and shouted, "Promotion: Queen!" they both glowed and were promoted to [Queen] and had their abilities increased.

"It's overkill but…" said Saji.

"We want to get back home and eat!" finished Ruruko. "Balance Adjust!" Ruruko summoned her Artificial Sacred Gear, [Procellarum Phantom] and used its Counter Balance. Her body was covered in armor. Initially, it only covered her legs in armor, but once her Counter Balance was used, it also encased her upper half in armor.

"Counter Balance, [Hyper Procellarum Phantom]!" shouted Ruruko.

While in this form it greatly increased Ruruko's leg strength and speed. This enabled her to jump high and move at a rate that was challenging for Issei to track while in his crimson armor. It also has the ability to deflect and rebound the trajectory of various moves and techniques with the swing of her kick.

"The Black Dragon King and his little rabbit. We should be able to defeat them," said Richard.

"Kill them as fast as you can, so we can go get Alice. I won't let that wench live a day longer. We've waited long enough!" shouted Petronilla.

"Like we'd let you!" both of them shouted and dashed towards the two.

…