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Magical Trickster DxD (HS DxD Magician!OC-I with some X-overing)

Search & Rescue & Destroy (1)
Chapter 22: Search & Rescue & Destroy (1)

The strong stench of blood and scorched flesh had been torturing her nose for hours now.

Asia Argento was scared, her continuous shivering a testament to that as she was forced to suffer through it all since she was held constricted by magical ropes to one of the many chairs by the long, elegant table.

Within her mind prayers over prayers were genuinely, fervently and faithfully pronounced, a never-ending begging for the violence and pain around her to stop at once. And yet the smiling familiar face in front of her didn't call his peerage off as he finished to sip from his wine-filled chalice.

The cloaked women, silent and inhumanly emotionless, continued to slaughter the servants that were there to try and save their Lord and Lady from the barrier keeping them imprisoned.

The night before, when she was finally escorted in Hell to an impressive castle, she expected the worst to happen. While Issei was proof that not all Devils were inherently evil, there was that intangible but ever-present sense of fear and dread that only horrible situations had.

Her eyes darted left and right, up and down as she studied quickly the entire rooms she was seeing for the first time, the former nun praying that whoever had ordered the foul-mouthed blond man that had kidnapped her to this ominous place.

Finally the large doors before her opened, a throne room quickly revealed to her sight as she was brought closer to the deepest end of the room.

Three large thrones, two behind the one that was currently being used by a familiar face. Her eyes widened, partial relief at seeing the smiling figure that was seated in that very large chair.

The young man stood up and bowed slightly. "Asia! I am happy to see that you are fine and well."

A small shaky smile formed but the girl felt like something was off about this whole situation. She nodded slowly. "Y-You are the Devil I- I helped back then."

The widening of his smile confirmed her suspicions and he nodded at her words. "Yes! I'm elated by the fact you remember me and… I'm sorry that I took so long to find you."

Curiosity filled her still nervous brain. What was he talking about?

"To think that I would have you be approached by that filthy dragon and that… scum." He shook his head, disgust visible as he sighed tiredly. "It's saddening that I couldn't approach you because of those two mongrels."

Her mind didn't waste time in connecting the denigrating terms to the very individuals that she first met in Kuoh Town. Her lips narrowed down, her eyes locking suspiciously at the still smiling individual.

"But now you are here and- Oh, I almost forgot!" He gave another quick bow. "I am Diodora Astaroth, heir to the noble house of the Astaroth Clan and… I wish that you become my Bishop."



Asia blinked at the sudden proclamation, realizing that by 'becoming his Bishop' he meant turning herself in a Devil which… wasn't something she actually wanted for herself.

Senpai had been rather genuine in saying that Devils couldn't pray to God nor be blessed by His love, something the girl cherished as the first and one of the most important things in her life.

Becoming a Devil was… not acceptable.

"I-I am happy for the kind offer… but I wish to remain human." She replied, her tone still nervous and stuttering but while her polite declining was meant to be offered the best way possible, the blonde noticed almost immediately a brief but noticeable change in Diodora's face.

A quick scowl, dismay glowing from it before he returned to smile confidently.

"But Asia, the dangers you braved should be more than a good reason to be accepting of the gift, to stay by my side to be safe, healthy and… loved."

There was a pause, one that the former nun needed to properly understand the implications of that last word.

Confusion was rekindled, her mind burning a little at the mentioning of 'love' but the quick image that showed was enough to make her blush. The smiling face of Issei compared ot the one of the noble Devil before her.

The brunet had a natural, cheerful smile that looked kind, human and forgiving. Meanwhile the smile of the Astaroth was… besmirched somehow, the ever-present line stretched that way devalued by its frequency, a hidden sin that her pure mind perceived but couldn't properly understand as she was still confined by the hold of the two cloaked figure.

She gulped nervously, but still responded. "I-I am happy that you c-care for my safety, Diodora-san, but I-I'm fine in staying in Kuoh Town a-"

CRACK

Her eyes went wide as the floor right below the Devil's feet cracked slightly, some frustration now easy to perceive coming from that twitchy smile.

"Asia, I'm offering you unconditional love and care, I offer you my heart and… you reject it?"

A little sadness formed in her chest, but the blonde decided to not reply to those words, the pause ending up to further irk Diodora as the scowl grew stronger than the smile.

His eyes narrowed and some hostility finally broke through his sympathetic smile, the hold of the two individuals at her sides tightening and making her almost yelp in pain at how painful their hold was getting.

"Maybe kindness will not work to conquer you, lovely Asia. It means that I will have to take drastic decision about i- Uh?"

Just as the poisonous words left his lips, the large doors that led to the throne room opened again, this time a little dark-haired girl slowly walked towards them. There was something odd about her, her clothes looking fairly strange but the very peculiar detail was her own eyes.

The darkest shade of black with… reptile-like pupils.

"O-Oh, Ophis-sama. I-I wasn't expecting your visit today. I'm thankful that you decided to bestow me with your g-gift and-"

"Shut up." The newly-named Ophis stated blankly while her sight remained on the blonde. "I'm not here for you."

… "E-Eh?"

But the little goth girl didn't reply, stopping her steps only just few moments away the former nun. Asia blinked in surprise as the two cloaked figure backed away, releasing her from their hold and giving her the chance of fully study the child staring at her.

"You are one of his friends aren't you? The… older brother of Kunou-san."

The careful wording wasn't lost to her, a glance back to Diodora confirming that only her and the little girl knew whom they were referring to. There was only someone that owned that title and she quickly nodded. "I-I do."

There was an interesting glimpse within the two dark orbs before the girl slowly spread her arm and waited. "Hug me."

The sudden request was incredibly unexpected, the former nun's eyes widening for a while but then… she knew not to question the words of this child. There was something about the Astaroth's sudden change of mood, from anger to quick submission that seemed off and ominous about Ophis.

Thus, without hesitating for long, the blonde crouched and brought the waiting goth girl in her hold. To her mind came the way her senpai would embrace the few people he cared for, the way he was careful to be soft but also very protective and her arms did the trick.

Tensing a little the younger female stood there, unresponsive to the warm embrace but… then her arms wrapped around Asia and there was a soft sight coming out of her lips as she slowly melted in the young woman's chest.

A small smile formed on the blonde's face as she slowly and tentatively reached for the goth girl's head, starting to caress it.

The reaction was instantaneous, Ophis' head pressing onto the hand as the former nun continued to care for the young girl until the very child decided to interrupt the embrace to deign Diodora a glance and some words.

"This girl is now under my protection. Give her a proper room."

The Devil blinked, eyes going wide open at the scene and his jaws dropping at the imperative request of the young girl.

He gulped nervously and nodded slowly. Asia was surprised to be escorted to a large room with girly decorations, a large bed, a wardrobe with clothes and a desk with some books on it.

Ophis followed, a soft humming painting the walk there as the young girl made another statement before returning to silence. "I wish that you play with me the same way Hoitsu does with Kunou."

It was quite an interesting order, but Asia decided to comply and accept the modest situation that had presented to her.

In a certain way, it did remind her how she would spend her time in the orphanage back home, where she would play with the children and sometimes do sleepovers with the younger girls.

In fact the following few hours did seem more of a repetition of those occasions, both females spending some time playing with the few toys lying around and doing some 'Nome, Cose and Città' (1).

Then they moved to the clothes present in the wardrobe and Asia nodded at the idea that very few of those were her size and none were Ophis'. Yet something curious happened when the girl still wanted to try some out as none of them obviously didn't fit with her short and slim frame but the sight was… amusing.

Soon the two tried out the clothes and rehearsed some of the comic scenes the former nun had tried back at the Theater Club, managing to get the goth girl to smile at some of them while also getting her involved and interested on the acting roles the blonde would give to her.

The whole evening passed quickly and one of the servants came to serve some plates with food, it was dinnertime.

The dishes were delicious, much better than anything she had tasted back at the Academy's cafeteria but paling just a little in comparison to Mrs. Hyoudou's masterful cooking.

Night came and the two girls easily fit within the covers of the Queen-sized bed. Asia was surprised to see the partially indifferent Ophis then move to sleep while hugging her but, considering how desperate for warm contact the goth girl had been until now, it didn't sound as surprising as it would have been few hours ago.

The day finished, her mind still pointing out that she has been kidnapped but the blonde was grateful for the positive aftermath of the encounter with Diodora.

Then the following day came and… things went down the drain. Asia wasn't there to see the attack happening but she did see the aftermath of the battle for this large manor they were now waiting within it.

Smoke clouded some of the large gashes created upon the massive building's walls, the floor was stained in red in some spots and lifeless corpses were littering few of the corners of the halls they were walking through.

The large living room was now sporting a particularly vast hole where once part of the roof was, giving a clear sight of the sky and the clouds forming by the smoke reaching out above from the fires spreading in the mansion.

Ophis took part at the assault in minor part, her major accomplishment being the sealing off of the Lord and Lady of the family and the silver-haired maid that tried to help in the attack. Diodora commented how there was also a fourth member of the family that was currently being hold in a safer place as a hostage, but his words were directed at the uneasy-looking man that had been responsible for her kidnapping.

Raiser Phenex had been a rude, foul-mouthed individual with little consideration about the things and the people around him, but he looked rather nervous at what was going on. His peerage was protectively around him, the younger blonde that was Ravel Phenex, his sister, giving him disappointed glances at him and horrified flinches at the massacre unfolding around them.

"You could have imprisoned them, avoid the blood-spilling."

Diodora blinked at the Phenex's remark, merely smirking his way. "And waste energy in keeping them around? To risk a possible combined attack? You are quite the silly fellow, Raiser. Please don't make such dumb assumptions."

The man looked offended but decided to back down from the interaction and focus on the 'prize'.

"Still, I think that the killing of so many servants will cause the wrath of the Maous. Sirzechs in particular will-"

"Be keen to accept our demands unquestionably and sign the contract you demand to officialized if he wishes for his son to live through today." The smiling Devil interrupted, ignoring the grimace in the blond's face. "By the way, while I can see how profitable this will end up to be for you, I don't see how you will deal with your brother's inquiry. Gaining the lordship of the Gremory house will hardly protect you from the wrath of the Bael and your own family."

Raiser didn't reply and Diodora sighed calmly. "And I thought you had some more substance rather than being a simple-minded individual, but I guess that is acceptable and, since you have been kind enough to bring me Asia, I will assist you in removing your brother once he comes here."

… "W-What?" Ravel exclaimed, the Astaroth's smile widening at the two siblings' shock.

"Why, if you need to make sure the Phenex will not disinherit you, the only viable option is to kill your brother and have yourself or your sister take the title of heir of the house. Your parents will have to accept your claim, especially when your other older brother was disowned after marrying a Fallen Angel."

"I-I will not accept this!" Ravel rebuked angrily, then turning to her brother. "R-Raiser-nii, we need to reconsider-"

"And please, don't make me punish your own peerage in case they decide to be 'morally good' in this predicament. We both know the results wouldn't be… kind to you, Raiser." Diodora interjected, still looking happy as ever, causing the oldest Phenex to sigh gravely.

"Ravel… be quiet."

The girl's eyes widened but she still nodded at the order, knowing that there was little they could seriously do about this predicament.

Asia felt saddened by all of this, but she decided to return to head-pat Ophis as the goth girl rested quietly while hugging her. From what she could garner from that discussion, the most important individuals within Hell's society were meant to deal with this situation and that gave her the hope that Hoitsu and Issei were going to participate at whatever attempt to rescue her and the others before any official deal was struck.

Hopefully they will arrive soon...

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Issei looked ready to throw up any moments now, the pace I had taken with the usage of the Silver Linings was incredibly… neck-breaking.

Wind whistled loudly in my ears as we continued our rush from rooftop-to-rooftop, some nervousness still present in my brain at the fact the more time I lost there, the more the chances of horrible things could be happening to Asia.

I jumped once more, my legs burning at the prolonged blitz, but my eyes gave me the relieving sight of the small building that was my house just few more dozens of meters away from where we were.

Another jump! My feet blasted off part of the edge of the building I was standing onto, the propulsion strong enough to get us swiftly sailing towards the building and for a moment, my brain started to turn its attention to how I was supposed to be 'teleported' to Hell without Azazel's knowledge?

In fact should I even ask to Baraqiel for that? The man could seriously refuse to this and he would be correct in doing so… but the situation was that grave and I wasn't going to back down even with the odds stacking against me.

'Look out!'

Little Neko-missile inbound!

Wha-

SLAM

A silver-haired bullet reinforced by Touki and Rook's strength boost intercepted the glide to reach the porch of home.

I rolled taking some minor damage while hitting the ground and groaning as I felt both Koneko's and Issei's bodies acting as weights during said impact.

Both got away from me, the girl taking a guarded and tensed stance while Issei merely getting to a safe distance from the possible battle that was beginning.

I got up from the floor and quickly noticed that my body was weaker than before, eyes widening a little at that discovery.

Sorry, time's up for now. Should be capable of giving you some more time in half an hour.

Gritting my teeth, I finally directed my focus at the Nekoshou and sighed. "Kohai, please you-"

"No, I can't have you go away!" A wave of energy formed around her, a strong orange that reminded me much of Gon's Nen and determination. "I can't lose you too!"

She rushed towards me, but my shock was more directed at her words and… at her tears.

...Did I remind her of how her sister left? Was she that scared of losing someone now of all times?

I was sure the answer to both questions was a supreme yes.

I blinked and I slowly prepared for the approaching punch, bending a little while the girl was lost in her emotional rush. Golden eyes widened as I bent properly to dodge her fist just barely but her greatest shock was when she realized that this offensive was lost that I had already moved against her.

My arms rapidly wrapped around her and pulled her close, the Nekoshou panicking as we both tripped, my back taking most of the fall damage.

She struggled a little, expecting a fight, a betrayal, something that made her rightfully want to attack me.

But in that hug, keeping my hold strong against her constant attempts of freeing herself, I did nothing but wait.

A full minutes passed and then… she stopped moving, her face dropping on my chest as the waterfall was fully unleashed. Her hands straddling on my shirt, trying to keep me the closest possible, while I slowly went to pat her head, trying to be careful with her cat ears.

She tensed momentarily, but then accepted the kind touch. The girl even purred at the warmth, making me crack a small smile at that.

"You are a dum-dum to even think I was going to leave you."

Her head shifted at my whispering, nuzzling in the process as one of her eyes was now staring up to my face, silent questions that barraged my own soul as I sighed tiredly at her uneasiness.

"While I am incredibly pissed at Rias and partly at Akeno… I don't hate you, you little thing."

She groaned at the nickname, a small snicker leaving my lips as I ruffled her hair, careful enough to not hit her sensitive neko ears.

"S-Senpai." Issei stated, breaking out of the brief freeze at seeing such scene. "I-I know it's important but… Asia-"

"I know, Ise." I patted Koneko once more before the both of us got up from the floor and stared at each other. "Listen up, Kohai, I want to cuddle you a little more, tease you a little and maybe add head-patting here and there, but I have to do this and we can continue later-"

"N-No!" She interrupted, giving a strong opposed look at my words. "I- Asia-san is a good friend a-and I want to be there to save her!"

I sighed, looking a little annoyed at the way she looked so stubborn about this. Just as I was about to decline this attempt of hers, I saw a fox-eared cutie rush from within the gates of the house, staring right at us. "I want to join in too!"

Uh…

Moments later, the head of Baraqiel poked out with a small smile. "It would seem like you got plenty of volunteers for this operation."

It's not the right time to- Wait a minute!

"How do you know that-"

"Orders from Azazel, you are scheduled to join up with Sougyoku-kun ASAP in the special sealing area just outside the Gremory Mansion."

Wait, Vali was going to be there too and- "What do you mean Gremory Mansion? What is going on?"

His smile deflated and he sighed gravely. "The heir to the Astaroth clan and Raiser Phenex just attacked the Gremory clan, they destroyed the barriers and have been sighted within the building. It has been confirmed that Asia was spotted within the group."

"Then why Sirzechs hasn't-"

"They got his son as hostage, nobody is able to discern where exactly the boy is being kept."

Shit, Diodora got Millicas as a hostage. If things don't get solved quickly, war sure is going to spark by the end of the day. But seriously why would Ophis agree to this? I am quite sure the KB is not ready to face a full-blown conflict so why would-

Before I could finish this inner questioning, a familiar backpack landed on my face, returning me back to reality. "We are leaving in ten seconds. Get prepared and don't lose that bag, there are twenty Phoenix's Tears there."

...You know what this means, right?

'A spree of incredible murder and destruction?'

Going full-retard without any worry of dying of burning our core out?

Yes.

Changing up with my disguise, I noticed that Koneko's eyes widened at the mask, some questions leaving her mouth.

"Is that-"

"Yes."

"So that means that you know about-"

"Yes."

She pouted at being interrupted, while Kunou snickered at such reaction… while wearing a cloak and a mask similar to mines, her mask being a dark-shade of yellow. The kitsune seemed to glow the moment she saw my attention now directed at her.

"Do you like it, Niichan?" She struck a pose and I could feel the smug strong within her. "I'm pure and cute justice incarnated, I am Kogane-tan!"

'I think this is the most powerful light spell I have ever seen in my entire existence.'

My eyes and my heart! This is a shockingly powerful attack that not even the darkest soul could survive against!

"Look at you, an adorable masked figure just like your big brother." I said in a hesitant tone, while patting her head and getting a radiant reaction from her. "But I think I'm rubbing off wrongly."

She giggled. "Nope, you are head-patting me well, Niichan."

I meant- Goddammit…

'She either mean it or she is truly that good in pulling those sassy remarks.'

Atta girl!

I sighed tiredly but my attention was suddenly taken back to the Fallen Angel, Baraqiel preparing the large seal right below our feet and starting the teleportation.

It was a moment, just a single moment where from cement ground we were now standing in some untouched natural path… near a broken section of the Gremory Mansion that led to the dungeons.

"Ok, that was quick." I mused out-loud, trying looking at the large hole that gave some sight inside the underground section of the building-

"That's what she said."

My entire body tensed at the familiar whispering, my core burning in anticipation as-

Lick~

A small tongue licked right on my cheek, a smiling face on the side with two bright yellow feline eyes. "Nyan~, you taste lovely today-

He-ki-sho-ku-kyun~!"
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" I jumped away from her, eliciting an amused laugh out of her as I scampered the farthest from that dangerous woman.

"Aren't nyah the funniest?" Kuroka giggled again at the lack of response, suddenly turned to look at the rest of the group and- "Shirone-tan~!"

Koneko was frozen stuck, her whole self paling at seeing her older sister approaching and then… she was glomped.

"My little Shirone-tan has grown so pwetty!" The silver-haired Nekoshou's face sported a full blush at that comment, but the real interesting bit of her reactions were her cat ears twitching at such tones. "But still undeveloped, I guess your growth is a slow one- whoopsie!" The dark-haired beauty dodged a punch from the incredibly annoyed girl.

"Why are you here, Neesan?!" The enraged girl demanded, gaining a surprised look from her sibling and then the fellow Nekoshou gave a sheepish look.

"O-Oh right, kind of forgot to mention my current presence here and-"

"She is part of my team."

We all turned to look at whom just said that, my eyes narrowing on Vali as he approached with Bikou, Arthur and Le Fay on tow-

The fuck?!

'What's wrong?'

They shouldn't be there. They should be allied with the Khaos Brigade and… what the heck is going on?

"How and why." It wasn't a question but a demand, one that Vali ignored the tones and merely nodded at it.

"Kuroka-san and Bikou-san were… expelled from the group they were previously affiliated for failing their mission in Kyoto and-"

"Goldie and Le Fay-chan joined in because their faction is lead by a stick-in-the-mud." Bikou interjected, approaching me while holding his free hand out, meanwhile the Vanishing Dragon sighed and walked to chat with Baraqiel, a little far away from where the groups were mixing.

"Name's Bikou, Hekishoku-san. We were enemies in Kyoto… but now I hope we will be friends." The teasing smile, the possible lure…

I reached for his hand slowly and cautiously, ready to punch him if he pulled anything on me. He sighed at my tense stance. "Jeez, I'm sorry but why you seem this much 'scared' of me, Hekishoku-san?"

"You mean that I shouldn't be careful around the descendant of Sun Wukong?"

The smile froze and he groaned at being recognized. "Mou, to think that I would be known by someone this important..." Then he smiled once more. "This sure is going to be an exciting friendship then, Hekishoku-kun and I can only hope you will survive Kuroka-"

"What are you talking about, Bikou?" The Nekoshou interjected, pressing her cleavage onto my arm as she went for a sneaky hug, drawing me the closest possible to me.

This is a happy hell for sure.

Stop!

"Heki-kun and I are going to get well together, hold a proper ceremony and makes some strong kittens-"

"S-Stop harassing Hoitsu-nii, Neesan-!" Koneko's hands slammed quickly on her mouth, realizing the double mistake she just did as Kuroka glanced her way then back at me, as I continued to sweat nervously at this terrible predicament.

"'Hoitsu-nii'?" Her tone was ominous, her face tilting closer to my mask and then from her suspicious tone…

She smiled. "Then that means I don't need to have you gain Shirone-tan's trust, we are ready to skip for the marriage-"

"You aren't worthy of Niichan, you neko-baka!" Kunou- I mean, Kogane-tan proclaimed while splitting us apart and causing the dark-haired yokai to frown at her.

"And who are you, little brat?"

In that moment of true dedication and something that will make me the proudest of that adorable kitsune, the girl struck Jonathon's Hamon pose.






"I, Kogane-tan, shall allow none, especially you Neko-baka, to steal my Niichan!"

The kimono-wearing woman paused just a moment, her eyes going wide open in shock between being insulted, out-memed and threatened by a younger girl than her.

That is our baby!

But the Nekoshou was far from defeated as she struck another pose and played Kunou's game. "Kono Kuroka da, Ko-tan!"

This sure is… a horrible mess.

To be continued…

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Back inside the manor, as Asia continued to play around with Ophis, the blonde was the first to notice the sudden freeze the goth girl suffered while they played a minor game of checkers.

The black-haired child stared on a specific section of the wall, her eyes staring as if she could see through it. Then she smiled and looked back. "Things are going to become exciting very soon."

The former nun blinked in confusion and the younger female gestured her to come closer, which she did and then the girl whispered to her. "Hoitsu and Vali are here. That means I can try to recruit them now."

Asia frowned, contemplating the chances of the lovely girl to actually get her senpai and… this Vali to join the very group they are supposed to attack today.

The news meant a lot to her, showing that her prayers were being answered, while also gave her some worry about the possibility her Senpai had of beating someone like Ophis if things turned in a full-blown brawl.

"There is also the Welsh Dragon but… he is kind of weaker than the other two."

Now that got Asia's full attention. Issei was here? To save here?

Her heart skipped a beat or two and her cheeks reddened. "Oh."

The goth girl frowned at the reaction, tilting her head to the side to show her confusion. "Why is your face red?"

The question only made the blush explode even more, the girl stuttering a little but managing an answer. "I-I am- I mean, I was thinking about the fact Ise- I mean, the Welsh Dragon is a close friend of mine and… yeah, that's it."

Ophis narrowed her eyes. "Why are you lying, Asia?"

The tone made a chill go down her spine and the blonde giggled nervously. "I-It's because the real reason is embarrassing-"

"I will not laugh at it." The girl pressed on. "I want to know now."

Knowing that a 'no' wasn't going to be accepted by the interested child, Asia sighed and spoke once more. "I-I love him. Ise- I mean, the Welsh Dragon." Her head was burning, threatening to melt at declaring such thing and yet the younger girl didn't mind any of it, rather seeming more interested on another bit of the curt explanation.

"What does 'loving' someone means, Asia?"

Oh. Her mind was quick to regain control over her reactions, the former nun giving a confused at the simple question. "Could you elaborate, Ophis?"

"Why would you love someone as weak as the current Red Emperor? Shouldn't a woman seek a strong mate to produce a mighty offspring, isn't that what love is?"

"W-What? No." The blonde responded quickly. "L-Love is having someone that trust and care for you. Someone that respects you and help you when you need it without demanding in return. Someone that makes your heartbeat go really quick and make your head spin."

… "Oh." The simple word was attached to a rather interesting change of mood. From the usually 'blank but prone to smiling' to a realistic embarrassed reaction. Ophis' eyes darted away, widening as some heavy consideration seemed to be ongoing within her thoughts and soon a unique and rare red tint colored her pale cheeks. "Oh."

"Is something wrong-?"

"No, I mean, I'm fine- Let us return to that silly 'names' game." The goth girl replied in a quick pace, surprising Asia but also bolstering the growing suspicion that… this little one was crushing on someone.

An interesting development, one that came close to how many names the girl showed to know during their simple game to spend their time there.

Thankfully the rescue party was going to enter the Manor soon and deal with Diodora before things escalated any longer…

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AN

1): Nome, Cose and Città is a well-known Italian game that is generally played by children. It can be played in large groups and the rules are:

1- Someone is picked in a clockwise manner to pick a letter randomly by doing a small roulette with their hands and thinking about the letters in their mind, the one that would take the role next turn pick the time to stop the roulette;

2- With the letter chosen, you and your friends have to fill up once for all categories with words (normal game is Name, Things, Cities, Animals and Colors.);

3- Once everyone is done, they all say one at the time the things they picked in their category, those who wrote the similar word gets half the points (Normal point: 10.);

4- Continue the game either until the alphabet is done or you decide to call a day (The one with most points win of course).


This chapter was uploaded a tiny bit late (like 6 hours late) and the reason is, like I have notified in the forums, because I was busy away from PC. Good news, I passed the Eipass 7 Modules test and now I have to wait for some certificate.

Before anyone ask, Ophis is not going to be in a pairing. Like, there is no room for propositions about this. While you may advance the idea that she is technically 'showing a childish body', I can easily counter with the fact she is ageless and genderless, which is a big no-no in general. Comic relief? Yes, but after that nothing more about the awkward relationship between her and MC.

Kuroka is back and this time she got a new rival in Meme-ing. Will Kogane-tan win against the perfidious Nekoshou or shall she succumb to the forces of evil?

To be continued!
Future milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites.

Future milestone 2: 696 Followers and Favorites.
 
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I've only known of one instance in fanfiction someone did anything except kill Astarophs peerage. Always bothered me because they're all women who have been broken Mind and Body by his tortures and basically made his broken slaves. Well this chapter has been of better quality than the last few we've had since that weird Trihexa Soul fragment chapter.

Things are going to exciting very soon."
become exciting

Asia but also bolstering the growing suspect that
suspicion
 
Asia felt saddened by all of this, but she decided to return to head-pat Ophis as the goth girl rested quietly while hugging her.
Good job Ophis those headpats are the best....you are learning through experience

"Do you like it, Niichan?" She struck a pose and I could feel the smug strong within her. "I'm pure and cute justice incarnated, I am Kogane-tan!"
Sailor moon would be proud....now go defeat evil with the power of friendship and love

"I, Kogane-tan, shall allow none, especially you Neko-baka, to steal my Niichan!"
Ohhhhh.....catfight


The kimono-wearing woman paused just a moment, her eyes going wide open in shock between being insulted, out-memed and threatened by a younger girl than her.
You go Kogane-tan.....you have been trained well my apprentice. ......those Jedi will fall before your adored fluffiness....o wait wrong universe:rolleyes::oops::oops:
 
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Tensing a little the younger female stood there, unresponsive to the warm embrace but… then her arms wrapped around Asia and there was a soft sight coming out of her lips as she slowly melted in the young woman's chest.
Asia's dragon affinity probably made this cheap.

"Kono Kuroka da, Ko-tan!"
What is this from? jojo?

"S-Stop harassing Koitsu-nii, Neesan-!" Koneko's hands slammed quickly on her mouth, realizing the double mistake she just did as Kuroka glanced her way then back at me, as I continued to sweat nervously at this terrible predicament.
What was the first mistake? Second I am guessing was the -nii suffix.

the girl struck Jonathon's Hamon pose.
Which one is that? I get a variety when I image search.

his' eyes darted away, widening as some heavy consideration seemed to be ongoing within her thoughts and soon a unique and rare red tint colored her pale cheeks. "Oh."
Surprised she would have such a emotional response.

The goth girl replied in a quick pace, surprising Asia but also bolstering the growing suspicion that… this little one was crushing on someone.
Guessing MC, Edit: AN effectively concurs.

3- Once everyone is done, they all say one at the time the things they picked in their category, those who wrote the similar word gets half the points (Normal point: 10.);
So why would anyone write their word if it is only worth half the points of saying it? This sounds like it is designed to be discrimatory to people with speech disorders...than again, children can be very cruel.

While you may advance the idea that she is technically 'showing a childish body', I can easily counter with the fact she is ageless and genderless, which is a big no-no in general
So your issue is with her being too old. What is the limit for you? Would a older devil, a goddess or elder dragon for example also be too old?
 
What is this from? jojo?
It's the 'Kono Dio Da' from the meme in Part 1.


What was the first mistake? Second I am guessing was the -nii suffix.
She called him Koitsu while he was wearing the mask.


Which one is that? I get a variety when I image search.
Open hand in front of his face, I think it's the one to charge up the Hamon.



Guessing MC, Edit: AN effectively concurs.

So why would anyone write their word if it is only worth half the points of saying it? This sounds like it is designed to be discrimatory to people with speech disorders...than again, children can be very cruel.
The words that get 5 points are those that match with another or more players'. E.G. If you wrote 'Dog' and another player wrote that one too, you both get 5 points.

So your issue is with her being too old. What is the limit for you? Would a older devil, a goddess or elder dragon for example also be too old?
It is also the fact she is genderless too. But yes, age is a problem like Grayfia is a thousand or more years old, same for other devils her senior or that generally fought in the Great War. It is also the fact that, mind-wise, she is more of a toddler with massive powers and she has proven in Canon to be particularly... Naive about certain things, taking the simplest bits out of it.
 
It is also the fact that, mind-wise, she is more of a toddler with massive powers and she has proven in Canon to be particularly... Naive about certain things, taking the simplest bits out of it.
On the mentality bit, I always assumed it was likely a mix and match. When it came to human (mortal) sociology, a toddler is not far off, but on things on the edge (or even beyond) mortal comprehension, I wouldn't be surprised if Ophis is actually mature...problem is that there is no real way to show such a thing.
 
Raiser feels ooc cause him plotting is wired since he won all of his battles through skill-sets alone little to no strategy unless it was stated by LN ,but anyways your story your way of portraying characters
 
Search & Rescue & Destroy (2)
Chapter 23: Search & Rescue & Destroy (2)

The infiltration started with some careful planning.

The Gremory Mansion had a very intricate underground section which still had the old prison quarters once functional during the Great War. Our first objective was to rescue Millicas and deprive the Khaos Brigade of the capacity to impose any demands on the Four Maou.

Thankfully there were some sensors within the combined forces, Le Fay being able to perceive the magical pattern of at least fifty magicians concentrated in a single area while Kuroka used her Senjutsu form to discern the presence of those capable of hiding their magical cores' imprint.

The pace was slow, but steady and cautious. While the enemy forces guarding the young boy was fairly distant, the presence of traps set along the way was something incredibly possible.

Just as few meters were made, we had to take a stop while the youngest of the Pendragon siblings started to disable some Silent Bombs wires that were well-hidden behind some old parts of the walls.

A painstakingly half-an-hour later and we managed to get through a dozen of traps without triggering any of them and don't alarm the terrorists. But while silence was advised, some individuals decided that it wasn't time to be quiet right in that moment.

"So you have been taking care of my sister since a month ago?"

Shoulders sagging and a strong desire to hit a bed and get some sleep away from the annoying woman deciding to latch onto me, I merely nodded as Kuroka hummed thoughtfully.

"But from my understanding you accepted fairly easily, if not eagerly, the role of older sibling." The Nekoshou pointed out and I glanced her way at that accusing tone.

Her voice was soft, still annoying but not as painfully as before. While she was uncaring of breaking the little rule of keeping silent, the powerful Yokai was careful to not raise her voice too loud, knowing that alerting the forces of the KB now would have been a terrible idea.

Yet it was the concerned brow that intrigued me, the idea that she was slowly showing the worries a big sister should have for her imouto. Maybe it was the fact that technically now we shared a similar title or maybe it was because Koneko was chatting with Kunou and distracted from hearing the half-whispered words from Kuroka.

"She was closed in herself." I sighed sadly. "You should tell her about-"

"I will tell her when the time is right." The young woman butted in quickly, unwilling to even mention the reasoning behind her 'Stray' state. "Just like I will tell her about other private things."

At the mention of 'private things' I knew she was referring to their… familial origin. While Koneko's memories of her childhood were mostly dominated by the presence of the older Yokai with some partial fragments about their mother, Kuroka was the only one that knew what kind of monster their father was.

A scientist that devoted his whole life and existence to the creation of Super-Devils, going so far to try and use his own daughters as specimens for the 'Greater Good'. A scumbag, one that Fujimai, their mother, had tried so desperately to bring out from that delirium he had fallen into.

All in vain, I thought grimly, as both Nekoshou ended up surviving alone in that harsh circumstance, fending off as the oldest of the two was forced to enter in a Devil's peerage and suffer the abusive attitude from such individual. All for her sister.

I blinked and sighed. "I… I can't be the one telling you what to do." I started to say, gaining her attention quickly, a confused frown on her face. "But the more you will keep this secrets from her, the more the impact those will have on her will be."

A blink, then two. "You mean I should… just tell her. She is still so young and she doesn't trust me." She said while squeezing a little her hold. It wasn't painfully tight, quite an attempt to draw more warmth if I had to be honest.

Those corridors were damp and cold, I could feel a brief shiver coming from her and I found myself questioning why she hadn't brought up her magic to keep herself warm.

Another sigh. "Then pick a time when you will tell her. She is 15? Then tell her on her 16th birthday. In the mean time, try to build your relationship with her. It will help."

The Neko blinked in surprise at that response, thinking silently about it as she slowly tilted her head and let it rest on my shoulder. "Why would she trust me then? I am still a criminal and-"

"I might tell her about some shady aspects of the Devil's judiciary system. Just don't bite off the hands offering in the process."

A soft giggle, it sounded fairly genuine. "You know how to give a girl some interesting ideas."

Narrowing my eyes, I turned once more to look at her and tensed up the moment I felt her warm breath on my neck.

Now, this is an incredibly troublesome kitty to deal with, isn't she?

'She is fairly annoying, but highly determined in her pressure on you.'

"It would take a bite to mark my claim. A. Single. Bite." She remarked, her tone oddly blank in this situation. "But it wouldn't be correct- no, it would be fairly disappointing to waste… such interesting fellow."

I felt my face exploding in a blush, my mind going in full panic mode as I tried to regain control over the situation and-

"We are near."

We both blinked and turned on Kuroka's free side to see a smiling blonde wearing witch-like clothes. Le Fay's smile was one of understanding, devoid of any possible teasing undertone anyone would assume at seeing this spectacle unfolding.

Much to my relief, we were standing in the front of this little squad and thus only the female magician was aware of this scene.

"Really? Then I guess we should prepare for some fun." The dark-haired Nekoshou pointed out, then smiling right at me. "And maybe some fun too afterwards to deal with the… stress of the fight."

"Please don't." I replied adamantly, the lewd comment being rebuffed instantly much to the young woman's annoyance, a pout plastered on her gorgeous face while the descendant of Morgan Le Fay looked a little red in hers.

"U-Uh, Kuroka-sama-"

"Relax a little Fay-chan, it's not like I would really jump his bones right now." The Neko sported a lying smile. "But I've to admit, now that I think about it, it wouldn't be a completely terrible idea."

"Please don't." My tone was now pressing her to stop, drawing more giggles as the poor fellow magician blushed a storm.

Much to my relief the situation didn't escalate any further as a light coming from the end of the corridor showed that we were indeed nearby the place where Millicas was being hold.

Kuroka detached from my arm and walked forward. "I hope you are not going to disappoint me, Heki-kun. I don't wish to think less of you, not now that you made such a good impression on me."

"I think my objective is to not get you impressed about me." I dryly rebuked and she sighed, her smile surviving if not widening at my words.

"Then I'm sorry to announce you that you truly failed that one, darling."

Goddammit.

She peeked at the door and giggled, rushing inside and forcing all of us to follow behind as the battle began.

Most of the magicians, those that were away from the entrance, were caught unprepared as our group rushed in. Kuroka chopped the necks of the two cloaked figures by the entrance, disabling any chance of the various individuals there to be alerted of our presence.

From a moment of stillness, the world exploded in fire, thunder and beam of lights as the room was lit by our attacks.

The operation has truly began!

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Sirzechs continued to stare at the monitor that showed the aerial perspective of his family's house.

The attack had been unexpected, a terrible situation that had brought him away from the brief diplomatic reunion with Michael. The Angels were unaware that his sudden retreat back to Hell was caused by a crisis of this proportions, but the Lucifer wouldn't deny the possibility that they suspected something had happened to get him that much worked up.

The man could hardly find relief at the fact his son was being used as a hostage in that predicament, his heart swelling in anger at the despicable attack but managing a composed front before his subordinates and the other figures in the headquarters.

Falbium was coordinating with Baraqiel the current state of the infiltration, the Asmodeus being the best in dealing with Military Affairs differently from the redhead, but also the one with the least emotional attachments about the situation.

He was the perfect individual to face the ongoing crisis and the former Gremory believed in his capacities to successfully plan this whole operation.

Ajuka was missing from the board, the man having mentioned the fact he had to 'check few things' with his parents about why Diodora was given so much free rein over the family's funds. While the Beelzebub had been spending time away from his family, he was particularly shocked to learn that his estranged brother was the main cause of the home invasion against his friend's house.

But it was Serafall that got him the most worried.

The current Leviathan had taken into herself to bring there to safety both Sona and Rias after the news of the attack had reached them, dodging any calls from Sirzechs as she got their siblings out of Kuoh the quickest possible.

The young woman was someone that could be as much as cheerful as competent enough to deal with Diplomatic issues and not only got them there, but also decided to be the one to interrogate his little sister about the matter, telling him how she will keep the most impartial and objective point of view over the questions she will ask to the girl.

It was the least she could do, she said before bringing his scared Rias in the interrogation room, sending just some messages about the current status of the situation that she was obtaining from the younger redhead.

As much as the girl's fault was minimal, the gravity of the situation didn't allow any chances of properly get her out of that predicament.

It certainly didn't help that Azazel, the man currently speaking with Falbium, had been adamant about giving a just and proper punishment for the girl without any unnecessary leniency from their part.

And while the first words coming from Serafall told him how his baby sister had only 'allowed' things to happen without taking an active role in any negotiations about Asia, but only accepting Raiser's offer to shred the marriage contract, the situation was big enough that her minimal punishment would still be devastating on her.

A death penalty has been promptly denied for several reasons, something that the Governor-General of Grigori agreed on by the basis that the girl was too important to her family and Hell itself and too young to be taken in account for something of this magnitude, considering the minor role she had during this ordeal.

But Sirzechs wasn't delusional enough to hope in any trick he could pull, he knew that things were now going to get more difficult once the operation concluded as Zekram Bael would demand some serious actions to be taken to make sure a situation like this never happens again.

The man might have softened just a little after so many years, but he wouldn't condone any light punishment for Rias, especially since she was related to him by blood and any hint of ill-applications of the law might cause some major issues to their family's image.

His sister had dug herself a troublesome grave, one that will be difficult for her to get out from and one that his big brother could hardly do anything about it, both for legal and personal reasons.

If she had refused, if she only had checked upon the current investigation Lord Phenex had launched upon hearing his heir's terrible accusations… things would have gone incredibly different.

It had all been possible because… of a stupid mistake. One that had put his son's and his wife's lives in jeopardy.

Gritting his teeth, one of the strongest people in Hell couldn't help himself but stare powerless as the rescue attempt continued.

Hopefully Hekishoku and Sougyoku will prove to be as effective as Azazel bragged them to be.

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Millicas has been forced to crouch in that dark spot of the cupboard for a while now.

His mind was confused, his body shaking in fear as things have happened so suddenly for him to understand. Bad people, the ones that were now guarding him and keeping him in that small and cold place.

Tears had stopped to fall sometime ago, his mind failing to grasp the accurate quantitative as he couldn't think of how much time he had been there now.

As it been hours, a day, maybe two?

The boy was scared, this was the first time he had to deal with a dangerous threat so suddenly and… he was starting to lose hope now.

He had heard little from his captors and no one had yet come to try and save him.

Was it because they had moved him? Was he still back to the manor or-

SLAM

His entire body stopped shivering, his eyes widening at the loud noise that preceded some fighting ongoing, his heart beating a little faster as his mind could only provide with a single explanation with what was going on outside.

Someone was battling with his captors and… that meant that someone was trying to save him!

His skin regained some color after thinking of this, the chance of be free from that cramped place was… relieving.

But soon the fight stopped and… there was some brief silence. Then small footsteps approached and Millicas frowned at the curious lack of weight and… the small door creaked open.

A familiar mask appeared, similar to Hekishoku-nii but… a dark yellow. Gold?

"Are you Millicas?" The feminine voice asked, bringing him out from his silent study and making him nod nervously, the door fully opening and revealing… someone interesting.

Taking his hand and pulling him out of that gloomy spot, the young Gremory was further shocked to be pulled in a warm hug from the girl and his face heated up quickly at the sudden intimacy.

"U-Uh?"

"Shh, Niichan says that when someone is scared, one should give them hugs. And you are scared."

I am scared, his mind agreed to his savior's statement but… it was still somewhat weird. Like… why was the embrace this comfy, why her shampoo was this delightful and… why was his heart beating so madly.

Was he still scared? Was that why he felt like he wanted to be in that hug forever?

His mind felt burning at the idea of that moment lasting permanently but, much to his dismay and quick relief, her arms unwrapped around him as she turned to the other masked figure approaching them.

His mouth opened, ready to greet the familiar figure from Grigori but-

"Niichan!" The female called out loudly, shocking the boy as he connected the dots quickly.

This was the imouto of Hekishoku-nii? That means that they were related?

Leaving the confused Gremory behind, the girl rushed in front of the sighing young man and accepted some head-patting. The happy sounds leaving her mouth were enough to draw Millicas out of his musing, the boy approaching as he nodded at the man and… he frowned as he got his full attention on himself.

"Millicas, were you hurt? Why is your face red?"

...Uh…

"Uh..."

"I think it's because he was warmed up after being at the cold for so long." The masked girl said innocently, much to the boy's chagrin. "He was scared and shivering so I hugged him."

"Oh? Is that so, Kogane-tan?" The member of Grigori stated with a curious tone and getting a nod from her.

So that is her name? Kogane...-tan? His mind registered that name for later and-

"So that explains a lot. Millicas, I hope you truly are uninjured as we need to move you out now before things get-"

"I'm sorry, Hekishoku, but I can't let you do that."

T-That voice! The boy remembered the smiling young man, the one that led the attack on the house. B-But where was his voice coming from.

"I admit I wasn't expecting Grigori to spare some of their good men for this situation but… I guess I should enjoy this pleasant surprise the best way possible."

"What do you want, Astaroth? You lost your hostage now and your words are empty." There was a 'tsk' and the noise of someone being pulled closer.

"But that is the thing, Hekishoku, that little Millicas isn't my only hostage. You see, I came here expecting for his mother to be with his father and- Oh my, Grayfia-san, it's good to see you too today and… aren't you as dazzling as usual?"

"You shall suffer for- Gah!"

"M-Mom!" The boy exclaimed, causing the cruel man's voice to laugh at his visible distress.

"Is the little child afraid of losing his mommy? Well, there is a small chance of her surviving this ordeal but… it will be an interesting price."

"What do you want?!" Hekishoku yelled finally, causing the man on the other side to sigh annoyed.

There was a pause, then he spoke again. "I think the best way to properly solve this little issue is… if we spared some chat privately, Hekishoku. I want you to come here and join us all for some good, old mingling. Face to face. No one else but us good friends."

The masked figure snarled but… bowed his head. "Fine then, I hope you have prepared your grave because I am sending you to your Maker."

"So much hatred from a scumbag like you, I wonder how Asia would- Oh, are you angry, aren't you?" The man chuckled loudly, drawing another snarl from the member of Grigori as the young man turned towards the entrance of the large room.

"Remember to remove your silly mask and cloak before going upstairs. This isn't a masked ball after all."

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"I am going to deal with that bastard." I stated loudly, proceeding to walk towards the main door.

"Brat, don't you dare-" I stopped and turned, causing Baraqiel to stop with his order.

"Sir, I either go and follow his instructions or he will cause another War. There is no other way around it."

The bulku man frowned, closed his eyes and finally sighed. "Just… be careful. And take the tears with you."

I nodded and started to slowly make my way towards the section of the underground with the staircase that led to the upper floor.

Surprisingly enough, I saw nor dealt with any possible traps lying around, managing to make my way safely to the white staircase. Before making my first step up, I followed the orders and pulled off my mask and cloak, putting them on the ground as I slowly started to make my way up and-

My body tensed quickly as I saw the cloaked figures jump from their hiding spots, the color of their clothes different from any of the other magicians and, the fact they were all rushing towards me with only a single one waiting at the end of the stairs, I knew whom I was dealing with.

"By the way, have fun with my peerage, Hoitsu Sakakibara!"

Keeping quiet, I dropped in my Senjutsu form and engaged against the first group of women before me, ready to pave my steps in red to deal with this bastard.

The final act of this terrible situation has just began!

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AN

A wittle chapter for the next one. What I can promise right now? Two battles back-to-back in the same chapter. How is Diodora calling him and why did he ask the MC to drop his disguise? The Khaos Brigade has a terrible plans in store for him, something Ophis ignores about.

Little emotional moment with Kuroka and quick explanation why there is a drastic difference between her and Akeno in their scenes: While the MC has spent more time with the Himejima, she is incredibly bad in this kind of situations and both share very little in common right now; Kuroka is a big sister that went to make some extreme gesture to protect Shirone-tan, getting branded as a 'Stray' just to avoid his Master to experiment on her and her sister. Also they did have an abusive father in Canon and that is why I will work on developing her relationship with MC starting from a something he can provide and she seriously needs, kind affection.

Also some overview over Sirzechs and the others, the fact that Rias and Sona are now in their headquarters but only his sister is being interrogated and… serious Serafall? We are talking about someone that deals with Diplomatic affairs in Canon, I think we can all see why she would be the more level-headed to deal with the situations while trying to be helpful where she can. Impartiality yes, but cruelty is a big no-no.

Alas a quick reminder that Rias didn't actually 'offer Asia' to Raiser, but rather she let him take her to join Diodora's peerage. Add to the fact she was unaware of Asia being affiliated to Grigori, that the contract Raiser showed her looked genuine and that she 'gave her blessing', she didn't gave her up.

Was it still wrong? Yes. But do Devils pull this kind of crap once in a while? Yes to that one too.

Strangely enough, I think Koneko and Akeno are examples of that since they were both brought to Rias and then made part of her peerage.

Lastly for someone that didn't read/watch Diodora's section of the series properly: The man himself states that when he is fighting Issei, his power had been boosted by a fraction of Ophis' own energy. So if the fight with him sounds a little… weaker than the one he has with Issei in canon, it's because he is… nerfed.

Future milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites.

Future milestone 2: 696 Followers and Favorites.
 
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The End of the Beginning
Chapter 24: The End of the Beginning

You are holding back.

I grunted while blocking a kick and a punch from two different directions and countering with a dual uppercut, jumping back as soon as I did that to avoid an explosive spell to land on me.

The Queen and the Bishops of Diodora's peerage had long taken the role of snipers in the brawl, carefully taking aim with their magical barrages, ignoring whatever friendly fire as some of the pawns were dismissed by their indirect interventions.

There was no sign of betrayed looks on those who were hurt or rendered unconscious, there was no reaction whatsoever to the battle itself. I was fighting women with doll-like mindsets and that was starting to annoy me a little.

As much as I was overwhelming all of them despite the numerical advantage, I was still dealing with some issues presented by their constant assaulting. The Rooks and the Knights were the worst, keeping a safe distance and striking only when the moment was good enough to allow them to retreat afterwards.

Snarling, I let a rapier stab near my face, only managing to make a small cut on my face and allowing some blood to be spilled.

Stop holding back, goddammit!

I can't kill them.

What? We are talking about the very people that are responsible for the massacre that has occurred. WE ARE NOT SPARING MURDERERS-

AND I'M NOT GOING TO SPARE THEM. They will be put in jail and judged fairly.

By the very faulty judicial system of Hell? Are you sure that isn't an unfair and wrong kind of thing to do to broken dolls?

I am talking about Grigori's. And whatever abuse happened to them, they still shouldn't be unable to feel pain. What could be-

I ducked to avoid two kicks and rolled away as a Knight tried to capitalize on my complicated position, but my eyes widened as I started to realize what was going on with Diodora's peerage. In Canon the bastard did say that he had used a spell to remove the feeling of embarrassment from them and… what if this could be extended beyond a sole emotion?

'It is possible. Those women don't seem like they had achieved such inner peace with meditation and a spell could cause this, yes.'

If that was the case, then I could try to work on that. Spells can be broken fairly easily and I knew how to do it.

Just as the new wave of attacks from the Pawns, Rooks and Knights started, I began to dodge swiftly their physical hits, slamming my open palms on their ribs and pushing bits of my energy through their magical systems.

They had a surprised look moments later, some shaking terribly and falling on the ground as tears started to fall. Some even fainted the moment the spell was broken and soon I had removed the remaining Pawns and decimated parts of the other classes.

Whatever had happened to them prior to this event or even during this situation was resurfacing brutally and beating whatever empty determination within their minds.

Only the Bishops and the Queen remained untouched and looked fairly unconcerned by this since they were distant from my reach. Sadly I soon discovered that this predicament wasn't going to last long enough to make this fight a quick one.

"Y-You can't do that! You can't take them away from me, they re mine! MINE!" Diodora's voice whined angrily and I blinked with a small smile cracking on my face.

"Beggars ain't choosers, bastard."

"YOU CUR! Kill him, show him no mercy!"

The command quickly switched the current pattern the Queen and the Bishops had assumed until now, the long-haired woman took the lead and rushed towards me as the other two connected their magic to hers and boosted her overall stats.

I noticed early in the ensuing close-fighting that I was incredibly out-matched by the overpowered female, quickly pushed in a defensive stance as I tried and failed to get a chance to apply the anti-spell technique.

Differently from the others, the woman had a smile plastered on her face as she started to intensively bring the heat on me. I had to change strategy soon, my palms were hurting after trying to block the punches and the kicks of this stronger opponent and… I decided to pull a Krillin.

A blinding light erupted from the white orb forming in my hands, hindering the Queen and giving me an opening to rush at the distracted Bishops.

The first one 'eeped', not expecting me to rush for her and soon I had the anti-spell on her. Her body crumbled, tired mentally and magically after dealing with such difficult day but the moment I turned to reach for the remaining Bishop I was intercepted by a fist crashing on my cheek.

Eyes widening in surprise and skull vibrating at the monstrous strength coming forth with the punch, I was sent slamming on the nearby wall. Dizzy and confused, I could only turn as a kick pushed deep in my stomach, forcing my lungs to expel the air stored within them.

Groaning, I rolled away as the Queen engaged in a feral pursuit, finally speaking after so much silence.

"To think that you worried my Master. You are utter trash and your hopes are futile." I deflected another punch and ducked away from the following kick. "His love is what make us great and you will fail against him."

"E-Eh? L-Love?" I smiled, a little trail of blood falling off the corner of my lips. "I-I think you m-meant the s-sad r-retardation he is a-afflicted."

A furious roar at the jab at her King but this was all part of the plan as I dodged the kick and slammed my leg on her standing one. She tripped, slamming her head first on the floor and focusing on getting up so she could continue the fight but…

I was already rushing at the other girl, hands ready as I grasped her shoulder and had her magical core cleansed at once. Her hood feel, dark-blue eyes widening as the young woman fell on her knees with her mind unrestrained, reducing the number of my opponents to just-

"GYAAAAAAAAH!" "Ugh!"

-One.

The Queen tried to tackle me down, but the sudden deprivation of her boost made her strength more manageable and made it possible for me to hold her stuck in a forced hug. "Y-You will not win, my Master-" She stilled, the anti-spell fully curing her of the mind-control. "M-My Master- I-Is."

For a moment, she said nothing, her eyes going wide open, her brain recollecting all of what had happened today, yesterday and even much before. Her hold slowly tightened and few instants later she was clinging on me as if her life depended on it.

"M-My Ma-No, I do- C-Can't believe that-"

"Shhh." I had one of my hands run through her hair. "It wasn't your fault."

She tensed at the touch, but soon she craved for more relief away from that terrible waterfall of guilt and suppressed emotions. "D-Don't le-let go." She sobbed madly on my shoulder and I was slowly feeling my torso creaking, my ribs a little bruised by the previous fight and… it wasn't over yet.

"I don't want to let go, but I have to stop your Master from hurting others." Her hold tightened even more and I sighed. "What is your name?"

She twitched and seemed still troubled by the fact her current emotional crutch had to go now of all times.

"I-I am not going to let anyone hurt you, but I can't even have you get hurt by that bastard." I motivated once more. "What's your name."

She blinked twice. "E-Elea. My n-name is Elea."

"Ok, Elea..." I started, noticing that for some reason my backpack was… wet. "I know that you are scared and I can assure you that nothing will happen to you, but I need you to help the other girls to reach the underground section. Th-There my group will help you and-"

She sniffled. "A-Are you lying? I hurt people a-and you still want to help me?"

I blinked at that interruption. "Do you want to hurt people now that you are free from that spell."

Another sniffle. "I… I don't want to."

A small smile was now in my face. "Then you are good in my book. You all are and… you should seek some safe place, so I entrust you with their safety while I deal with Diodora." She flinched at the name but she trembled a little less now. "Can you do it for them?"

Grey eyes glanced around, her hands still grasping at my shirt and then… she let go and nodded slowly. "I-I will help them."

I smiled widely. "Good, I hope you all will recover soon then, Elea." I turned and started to finally rise through the stairs.

"B-Be careful…

H-Hoitsu-sama!"
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Rias Gremory was mesmerized by the monitor from which everyone within the Maous' headquarters were staring at.

After experiencing a lengthy interrogation with a dead-serious Serafall, the heiress had expected things to be uncertain until the proclamation of her punishment which was to be delayed until the crisis was averted.

Saddened by the fact even her brother wasn't deigning her of a reaction at what had happened, the redhead was ready to spend this time to think what kind of punishment she would have to endure after this predicament, knowing full well from Serafall's own mouth that leniency was mostly off the diplomatic table with Grigori.

Azazel might not be calling for her execution, but he wouldn't never let her go free and without getting some proper justice passing through. It was unnerving, to know that the situation was going to end up getting worse even now that she felt bad about what was happening around her.

Sona had picked a chair and was sitting few meters behind her but her reaction to the broadcast they were all looking at was enough to make it clear she wasn't the only one finding this development incredibly unexpected.

While she had been quick to pick up that Hoitsu was stronger than she had initially thought, it was a shocking matter the whole idea that he was Hekishoku all along. The very masked individual that had been there during one of the Gremory's lunches was the very individual she found herself at odds in Kuoh Academy.

It wasn't that she was angry at this, merely surprised that he had been this close to her family and that he knew of her real situation. It was surreal at first, then Azazel decided to deign them with some background about how he had found him and why he considered him an important asset within Grigori.

"He is responsible for dealing with a rather rogue cadre within Kuoh Town and I think his baptism of fire was fighting the very leader that sought to betray me, the Fallen Angel responsible for your Pawn's first death."

Now that was something that gave her much more insight when and why he got approached by Grigori, but it was still absurd to think a mere human was capable of reaching this level. There are individuals that have some major powers that makes them capable of fighting evenly with Devils and other supernatural beings, but those were special cases that were either blessed by Sacred Gears or by Heaven's gifts.

Hoitsu had neither the first nor the latter, yet managed to stand strong against a strong peerage like Diodora's and beat them without shedding any blood.

A feat that was as praise-worthy as confusing, the teen having no reason at all to spare the group of women that followed the traitorous heir of Astaroth.

Yet as the fight unfolded and the conclusion was revealed, Sirzechs spoke up, bringing up a possible theory with a disgusted tone. "Diodora's peerage looked unaffected by pain while sustaining attacks, then as Hekishoku went close and personal they seemed to freak out or fall unconscious one at the time."

"You mean Diodora used a spell that denied them the freedom to feel?" Serafall added up. "That means that Hoitsu-tan used the Anti-Spell to forcibly remove such foul mind-control."

Rias felt some anger rising at the idea that someone would do something to their peerages. Hers and those of her own kin's were all family to the Gremory clan and… yet the fury stirring within her chest was attenuated by the knowledge she had almost condemned Asia to that fate.

More guilt drowned her anger, as she stared away from the screen for a while, noticing at that point some footsteps approaching. A glance back, behind Sona, gave her insight to whom was approaching and her eyes widened in realization and surprise.

"R-Ruval-san, Sairaorg-san."

The tallest of the two gave her a kind but shaky smile while the Phenex heir gave a formal nod at her.

"I see that sir Hoitsu is the one that Diodora seek to fight now." The blond man stated with a little grimace. "A pity that you didn't have the chance of joining him then, Sairaorg."

The Bael shrugged and continued to stare at the monitor.

"P-Phenex-san, you mean that you know Hoitsu-san too?" Sona looked surprised, but she was dealing with this numerous developments much better than Rias was, managing to formulate questions that the redhead was having trouble to create out of her shock.

"I've meet him two days ago while I was trying to search for the Heiress Gremory to discuss about the awkward stance the marriage contract was turning into. I ended up chatting with him once I learned that the Heiress had left the school early from her usual time there."

Her cheeks were now sporting a blush, her mind bringing up the events of that specific day and reminding her how humiliating it had been. Trying to get Issei's attention and try to befriend him a little more by using her relative capacity to deal with intimate situations, she only ended up at odds with the very blonde she had allowed to go with the younger Phenex brother, her advances towards Issei called out as forceful and embarrassing.

A sore memory that was now revealing to be quite compromising of her current role in the predicament. It wouldn't be far-fetched to believe that her Pawn was now connecting dots between that brief and insignificant strife with the actions of the following day.

"And that form, is that what you were mentioning back when we were chatting in the car, Bael?"

The Strongest Youth hummed, eyes narrowing in analysis but the powerful Devil shook his head negatively. "While the appearance is the same… he seems to be in control and that smoke… it's negativity itself." His eyes widened in shock. "T-That his pure Senjutsu, somehow he is purging out the negativity that comes with the absorption of natural energy."

Azazel sighed. "That is something that only the brat can do. Sadly, it is unique to him and I can't explain how exactly he is doing that."

"I don't mind, Governor-General." Sairaorg replied with a nod. "It just gives me the thrill to understanding him when we will be sparring."

Rias was fairly sure she wasn't the only one sensing the certainty in her cousin's voice and the presence of 'when' and not of an 'if' to describe such spar.

"You and your spars, you moron." The Phenex sighed while shaking his head in disappointment. "Anyway, I think we were talking about our chat." He nodded to himself.

"Well, as I was saying, the man was kind enough to give an outlook of the situation and was good in bringing up some interesting and glaring flaws of the contract that not even father was aware of and, after a quick investigation, we confirmed that something was off about it." Ruval explained, ending with a sigh. "This caused for some inquiries about some of the rumors about Raiser's current peerage and we confirmed that part of those revealed to be true. While he hasn't forced any of the women to join his peerage and their poly-amorous relationship is genuine, the fact he made his peerage his very harem with the exclusion of our youngest sister is enough to warrant some personal interrogation to verify his standing as a proud member of the Phenex clan."

"H-He put his young sister in his peerage?" Sirzechs' eyes were wide open, a little pale at the idea that someone would do something with their peerage and then cast her own younger sibling inside such a travesty.

"Something I was unaware of, Lord Lucifer. It is why once I learned of this heinous activity that I swiftly went along the procedures of our family to bring up this shameful behavior to my father and mother, Lord and Lady Phenex."

"And how they did react to this?" Serafall butted in, causing Ruval to sigh tiredly.

"They said that the circumstances were odd, but Ravel had mentioned the reasoning behind such action."

He hummed before continuing. "Raiser wanted to make sure that Ravel had some minor experience for her future peerage, thus he made sure to make use of temporary pieces to make her part of his group. Since he wasn't much of a planner for any of the Rating Games, it was mostly my sister that laid off the schemes to use during the fights and… the results were interesting."

"Since last year, Raiser started to win more matches than before." Sona remarked, remembering studying his RG style. "But to think that the very reason of this phenomenon was Ravel-san..."

"It's an impressive detail that I had some time to study and, if her role is devoid of major implications to this crisis, I wished to make her my apprentice until she is old enough to have her own peerage." Ruval gave a small smile and Sirzechs.

"That sounds… unorthodox, but I guess that would be a good way to prepare her for the harshness of the games early on." The Lucifer confirmed and…

"The brat is opening the doors, let's see what kind of situation we are dealing with." Azazel called out loudly as indeed the boy was pushing the tall doors open.

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Why are those doors this big and heavy? Why not do some normal doors.

Maybe it was cool hundreds year ago, like some form of hellish mecenatism.

'Mecenatism? What is that?'

There was a period where instead of going at war for some dick-measuring contest, various nobles would 'fight' against each other by commissioning important artists and getting some paintings or building to prove they were rich and strong.

'That sounds incredibly dumb.'

Like the pyramids one would say…

'That is… fine, that is a good point you made. Okay?!'

Both of you please some silence, this situation is already dreadful as it is.

Before I reached for that massive door, I had the opportunity to glance inside the backpack and see why there was liquid dripping from it.

When I was slammed on the wall by Elea, the bag took the brunt of the hit and most of the small bottles containing the Tears of Phoenix were destroyed in the process, two now remained after I had used one to refill my energy and magic before the final fight with Diodora.

As I finished pushing the doors open, I walked inside the large living room, my sight attracted to several elements, the first of those being the amount of shredded bodies littering most of the other entrance to the room, causing me to flinch at the stench and the sight of so many dead people.

Then I turned to the table where I saw Asia looking… fine. She looked particularly shaken by whatever had happened there but she had been left untouched and on her lap was…

She was smiling and a shiver went down my spine.

Trying to ignore the terrifying expression in the Infinity Dragon's face, I noticed Raiser looking at me warily, his peerage seemingly positioned to defend him rather than prepared to attack me, something strange since he was part of the terrorists in this situation.

And finally I saw Diodora.

Smiling emptily, the heir to the Astaroth family had a green sword poised right near the throat of a kneeling Grayfia. The maid looked incredibly angry, but she was doing a fine job in showing just a minor scowl through her usual poker face.

Behind them I could see a bubble-like barrier of light-violet and the parents of Rias held within them.

"You are finally here, you filthy scumbag." The Devil said loudly, his left brow twitching in possible annoyance. "Good to know that your troubling self shall be dealt with today by a proper noble before you can cause more issues to this proud society."

I tilted my head in confusion. "You are a fucking terrorist, you twat."

Asia's eyes went wide-open and her hands went to cover Ophis' elf-like ears much to the goth girl's confusion. It was a sign that the former nun was utterly unaware of what being was currently enjoying being coddled by her.

My crass comment seemed to make his smile fall a little. "And also foul other than disgusting. A filthy human trying to fit in a place where only pure-blooded, strong Devils are meant to exist. You are proof that Hell is in need of renovation, a restoration to a better time where a Devil was a Devil, not some carefree fool that besmirch the noble name of the 72 Pillars."

"I'm fairly sure you are allied with descendants from heroes and most of them are humans." I rebuffed with a sigh. "Seriously, is there even a point to try to build up a patriotic facade if you can't even keep it up-"

"BE QUIET, YOU MONGREL!" A snarl finally appeared on the Astaroth's face, the Devil bringing the sword to draw a shallow cut on the woman's neck. "I am the one in control, I am the one the one with the hostage, I AM THE DEVIL HERE-"

"You are that kind of guy which mother called special but she meant particularly retarded." I taunted back, his eyes widening. "You are the little boy which gets rejected by other girls because he is all smoke and no real deal."

"Y-You-"

"You are an utter disappointment to the very ideal Devil you flaunt to be, you are incapable of doing things this magnitude on your own and I bet you even begged Ophis for her power before doing all of this."

"I-"

"He did." The dark-haired girl stated flatly. "He was rather pathetic."

"W-Why!?" Diodora looked ready to explode any moments now, the furious build-up ready to climax in a brain-fart. "WHY DID YOU TELL HIM THAT-"

She shrugged. "You are weak and… I think you aren't that useful anymore."

Damn!

'To think someone as blunt like her exists...'

The Infinity Dragon's words were what shattered the last restraints within the Devil's rabid anger, a loud yell preceded a sudden rush towards me, his sword now ready to reap my head off my body and… I jumped.

The sword missed and in that blink of an eye Diodora finally realized that he had just fallen to such stupid trick. He had lost his hostage, he was no longer able to assert any demands and… he was in my range.

I kicked down, pushing my knee on his unprotected face and sweeping him away. Without losing a moment to let him rest, I had some Silver Linings slamming him onto the roof and then back on floor.

A green barrier formed around him and before it could cover him fully, I turned part of the spell still wrapped around his chest to become a Light Mine. The explosion tore him off the barrier and sent some blood flying from his mouth. But no major damage yet, I blamed Devil's sturdy bodies and… wait, why the Light Spell weren't doing much on him?

'He is constantly coating himself in magic, the damage of magical attacks is mostly nullified.'

That means you go there and kick his ass the classic way.

Understood!

As he tried to stand up from the ground, another Lining wrapped around his torso and pulled him towards me as I rushed forward with my fist cocked and ready. The impact was loud and I could feel something break in his face, the sound a satisfying crunch.

He crashed on the floor again, blood spurting out of his nose but he managed to make some distance by madly creating new magical swords that swung madly and blindly around him.

"W-Whay ar you dis strong?!" He screamed while holding his broken face.

"Because I actually earned my strength." I mused loudly before rushing through the openings of that dumb pattern of attacks. "Yours was never refined, your raw potential stagnating into this and… you are going to lose."

"N-NO!" He had a sword prepared in his hand, ready to take a quick hit on me but… I had my Light-Saber in my own hand already. I dodged his hit and took a swing with my white blade.

His eyes widened, his arm flying away just like the hopes of winning this fight and actually surviving today.

He fell on the floor, his free arm dragging him away from me as he tried to reach for Raiser and his peerage, the pain and the bad odds on him starting to shatter the bravado that he previously had all around himself.

"H-Help me!" He begged, squirming like a worm having seen a large shoe ready to step on him. "I-S-ave me- I beg you."

The brother might have looked fairly unwilling to help such a desperate bastard, but I saw an uneasy glint in Ravel's glancing and I sighed. "Right now your situation wouldn't warrant any terrible punishment. If you step in right now to help a confirmed terrorist you will face prison time and possibly the death penalty on the spot. I don't want to be your executioner, don't make me yours."

The blonde tensed a little, eyes glancing my way and then looking to the ground her face tinted in red in embarrassment at having to be 'scolded' in such way but… she sighed and kept quiet.

Diodora's last hope was lost and thus, without wasting any time in letting such individual escape, I stabbed down on his chest, right where his heart was. He froze and tensed at the sudden attack but soon… he slumped on the floor, lifeless as the final lights of his soul vanished.

Sighing I turned towards Grayfia and approached her, helping her out of the magical ropes keeping her tied up. "Everything's alright, Grayfia-neechan?"

She blinked at the usage of the nickname which was permitted to only one individual and she smiled a little. "So you are my otouto."

I blushed a little as she reached out for my hair. "you do have the same hair color and… the same softness."

P-Please no.

Aww, is someone embarrassed by their Neechan?

"W-We should help Lord Zeoticus and Lady Venelana and- Asia." As I finished to speak, I turned to look at the human girl and- I found myself staring at two dark orbs with reptile-like irises, two soft hands pressing on my cheeks.

"I will free them… only if you join me."

W-What?

"I-I told you that-"

"I don't care." She stated blankly. "I want you to join. I want you to be mine."

...What is going on?

Something mixed between adorable and 'Oh my Gosh, we dying a Clegane Death'. But don't worry, I have a plan.

What is he talking about?

'Something we have yet to test but… now I'm curious'.

I frowned inwardly and as the features on Ophis' face hardened at the lack of a response, I saw a familiar white-gloved hand softly pat her head.

Her eyes widened immediately at the sudden head-patting but soon she became confused at the fact it wasn't me doing such thing. I felt someone moving from behind me and then the girl let my cheeks off, so I could see… a smiling Shiranai-

"W-What?" I whispered, completely lost now as the dark side continued to softly pat the girl on her head.

"Ophis-chan, can you not hurt my King?" He asked kindly. "I know that you want to have a friend around because you are lonely but… that is the wrong way to do that."

The goth girl frowned. "Uh, wrong? Who are you?" Her voice was surprisingly lighter than usual and Shiranai hummed happily.

"My name is Shiranai… but if you want to know what I am, then you might call me… the opposite to the Infinity."

The Nullity. I wanted to reply at that but I decided to see where things were going with this new development.

"My opposite?" The girl continued to speak with a wonder-filled voice. "So you are my enemy?"

"No, no. Quite the contrary, I want to be your friend." He replied with a happy tone. "But the reason we can't join is because that would hurt you and us."

She blinked. "Why?"

"Well, there are people that wouldn't like to have us around within your group and if you ordered them to accept us, they would rebel against you. That is why we don't join, because we know that you still want to have your 'silence' back."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Is that so?"

"Indeed." The formal-dressed man stated. "Tell you what. Can I pick you up?"

There was a moment of silence and I continued to stare at this scene in utter fascination. What the hell was going on?

Finally Ophis nodded, her arms lifting and waiting for the curiously kind man to pick her up and-

"Hop-Hop-Hopla." The girl smiled a little at the strange but oddly funny sound and she was quick to seek the warmth coming from the man's chest, snuggling and nuzzling her way closer to him. "We will be going to free Mr. and Mrs. Gremory and apologize for what happened."

She frowned and gave a confused look. "Why do I need to apologize?"

"As the Infinity Dragon you certainly have a vast amount of power, but with said power you have to have some responsibilities for your own actions. You can't certainly cause some ruckus and expect to go unpunished about it." Shiranai answered kindly. "That is why I was thinking of doing something that is actually going to be fun for you."

At the mention of the word 'fun', the girl had her full attention on him. "What is it about? What is the 'fun'?"

He chuckled. "Oh, someone is excited alright. Hmm, I was thinking of helping with repairing this damage." He explained quietly. "You see, have you ever played playing constructions with boxes and Legos?"

The girl blinked and slowly nodded. "Well, helping in repairing you will do something that isn't going to be scolded after and then you will find a pretty place at the end. Did you see how beautiful this once looked before it was ruined?"

The little child nodded. "It was super-pretty."

I'm feeling some déjà vu…

"Well, do you want to help in making it pretty once more?" She nodded. "Then we will ask to the owners of this house if you can help around in repairing, what about it?"

A small smile adorned once more her face. "Yes."

"Then let's go!" Shiranai proclaimed eccentrically, causing a small giggle from… Ophis.

I blinked once, then twice and finally decided to let my brain reboot at what had just happened.

"I will follow this… individual. I can only assume he is your friend." Grayfia said calmly and I nodded. "Then I will take my leave and… you may go for the young girl."

My eyes widened at that remainder, my attention snapping back at Asia as the blonde continued to wait patiently by her chair. I walked to greet her and she jumped onto me. "Senpai!"

Thud

Ugh.

"A-Asia-chan-" I tried to console the happy girl as she continued with her tackling.

"It was so terrible, even with little Ophis keeping me safe, D-Diodora was doing so many cruel things and-"

"I know, sweetheart. So you are not hurt, you don't need any medical assistance?" I asked with a little bit of worry to which the girl reply with a negative shake of head.

"I'm fine. Just scared and… I'm happy that you are here, Senpai." She said, sighing in relief as we both got up from the floor.

"I sure am happy to see you safe and sound, piccolina." (Little One, Sweetie)

She blushed. "G-Grazie, fratellone." (T-Thanks, big brother.)

Just as we hugged once more, I saw a familiar brunet blitz from the door I had come through and rush towards us.

"ASIA-CHAN!"

The former nun blinked in surprise as she saw a teary-eyed Issei pull her in a close embrace, her face showing a full-blush at the intimacy but… she smiled and returned the hug.

"I-Ise-kun." She greeted back, slowly pulling out of the hug much to the boy's confusion before going forward and steal his lips with hers.

Issei's eyes widened in surprise and then… he closed them, enjoying the first kiss with his romantic interest. The blonde started to cry a little, possibly tears of joy as I stared at the scene silently, smiling as my this wholesome pairing was finally getting to a proper romantic relationship.

Soon the others from Baraqiel's and Vali's groups arrived to the Living Room with Millicas and-

"This is a sign!" Kuroka exclaimed happily, citing the kissing couple near where I was. "I knew that you actually want it-"

"Nope!" I turned around started to sprint, my Senjutsu from sadly unavailable in that specific moments.

"You can't run from my love!" The Dark-haired Nekoshou proclaimed fiercely.

"WATCH ME!" I replied with equal determination.

"Niichan!" "Hoitsu-nii!"

Both Koneko and Kunou exclaimed, joining the chase too much to my distress.

Why has this become a thing now!?

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AN

Volume 2 is now passed and concluded! Only the aftermath and the first steps for 'my' Volume 3 remains to be announced and-

Quick premise for next chapter (it's necessary because it's truth time): While this story is a 'Regular kind of Fanfic', I've been thinking of giving some serious 'minor' X-overs to further bolster the current originality of the plot. What I am talking about? With the Khaos Brigade now unofficially announced to the Three Factions of Christianity, it's time for everyone to step up their game and… Azazel decides it's time to broaden Grigori with a new sister-organization with unusual members and new contracts.

Quick reminder for those who have just started to read my stories: While many stories fail at this crucial step and screw up the entire plot in some convoluted mess, I've established some good planning to make sure that, the 'Stories' I wish to bring within the DxD one can fit in its Lore and can work with the overall plot. No, I'm not clueless about what to do now, I've actually decided to step up my own writing game and create a story only my ambitious mind can like and only my creativity can pull through. So yeah, it's some AU time.
Future milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites.

Future milestone 2: 696 Followers and Favorites.
 
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With disgust.
Sadly, it is unique to him and I can't explain how exactly he is doing that."
I thought it was the dragon Apophis that was making his senjutsu get rid of the negativity?
WHY YOU TOLD HIM THAT-"
Why did you tell him that
My crass comment seemed to make his smile fall a little. "And also foul other than disgusting. A filthy human trying to fit in a place where only pure-blooded, strong Devils are meant to exist. You are proof that Hell is in need of renovation, a restoration to a better time where a Devil was a Devil, not some carefree fool that besmirch the noble name of the 72 Pillars."
This particular sentence confuse me since he's tried to avoid devil Society except for official gregori meetings or at school functions as a student council member in fact this would make more sense if he was talking to issei since he said he is reincarnated devil trying to find his place in the devil World whereas this magician is not.
he was now longer able to assert any demands and
No longer
green barrier former
Formed
why the Light Spell weren't doing much on him?
Why isn't the Light spell doing much to him?
He is constantly coaxing himself in magic, the
Coating
my own hold already. I
My own hand

they would rebel you.
Rebel against
 
"Since last year, Raiser started to win more matches than before." Sona remarked, remembering studying his RG style. "But to think that the very reason of this phenomenon was Ravel-san..."
AU element? In canon, he had only lost two matches, and they were both to family allies (heavily implied he threw them).

Oh my Gosh, we dying a Clegane Death'
Do you mean his death, or his suffering and transformation into a fantasy Nemesis?

I'm feeling some déjà vu…
Completely confused on what is being referenced.

zazel decides it's time to broaden Grigori with a new sister-organization with unusual members and new contracts.
You have my interest :cool:
 
I saw a familiar white-gloved hand softly pat her head.

Her eyes widened immediately at the sudden head-patting but soon she became confused at the fact it wasn't me doing such thing. I felt someone moving from behind me and then the girl let my cheeks off, so I could see… a smiling Shiranai-

"W-What?" I whispered, completely lost now as the dark side continued to softly pat the girl on her head.
Soo much headpats I'm overwhelmed :D
 
Politicking and the Next Step
Chapter 25: Politicking and the Next Step

One would think that after dealing with the first attack of Khaos Brigade some celebrations would have been a must for a society like the one in Hell.

We were all rallying by the courtyard in front of the main entrance of the humongous house, my eyes widening a little at seeing Sairaorg and Ruval there too, the strongest of the two giving me a challenging smile as if promising some 'sparring' in the near future.

He is a man of action after all.

This very sentiment of calling the day off seemed to be pretty much what everyone wanted to do, especially to stop thinking at the issues relative to the reconstruction of the damaged mansion and at the proper trials for those that were captured, but soon the situation changed completely when a small group of four red knights appeared via a gold-like seals glowing from the ground.

Two were leading while wielding halberds while the others where wielding shields and swords.

"Hoitsu Sakakibara, your presence is required by Lord Bael at once." One of the four spoke, a masculine voice that showed no hints of emotions nor hesitation.

Everyone looked confused, some more than others, while a small part made by the Satans, the leaders of Grigori and the older Devils seemed to be wary of what was going on.

The Bael Clan wasn't certainly someone that invited people randomly, especially with such event just ending now and with me being… undesirable for being a human.

I think the big question is if they are referring to Zekram Bael or his son in this occasion?

Possibly the 'actual' Lord by orders of his father. I don't think someone like Sairaorg's father would actually grace me with that kind of 'privilege'.

Glancing back to try and find Azazel, the man actually preceded me by taking hold of my left shoulder and appearing by my side. "Sadly this young fellow is not under Hell's jurisdiction and your Lord can't advance any invitation without passing by me."

The cool refusal caused two of the knights to look doubtful for a moment, glancing at each other before one of them spoke once more, his tone now grave and deadly serious.

"Lord Zekram wishes to speak with the young man. It's a matter of utter importance and he has suggested that said importance is beyond any possible wars."

There was a sudden spike of tensions as the chief of the Fallen Angels was stumped first and foremost by the last words. I couldn't exactly blame anyone looking shocked by that phrasing, as Zekram was the one making sure a second War wouldn't ensue.

He was the one that killed Cleria Belial for discovering the true function of the King Piece, of the manipulation attempt from the Old Devils to control Hell forever. So it was either I was going to be killed out in his own house or I was going to be possibly bought by him to join his clique.

Both terrible predicaments with the latter outcome being far worse than the former one.

But I could recognize a dead-end when I saw one and thus, letting out a long sigh, I turned my attention to a confused/concerned Kunou.

"N-Niichan, where are you going?" Okay, her voice was just- I should run and- Another sigh, I patted her head and brought her close enough to plant a kiss on her forehead after removing her mask. "Ku-chan, I need you to stay with Ise and Asia while I deal with some old geezers. I will be home before dinner."

The blonde looked unsure about believing or not to that promise but… she nodded, looking quite uncertain herself. "J-Just be careful?"

I chuckled. "I will be super-careful."

A small smile. "Okay then." I ruffled her hair just for a few moments before turning back to the four knights and-

"What about me, darling?" Kuroka latched at my arm much to my chagrin. "Are you going to give me a kiss too? If so, in the lips and with some tongue, pretty please-nyah~!"

I flickered her in the forehead, causing her to mewl in annoyance as I gave her a deadpanned glance. "You have stuff to do, like fixing what you want to fix."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "O-Oh, right?" She nodded but didn't budge yet. "Still, not even a treat to console me while you are away?"

"It sounds like an intriguing offer." I mused loudly, causing her to frown at the sudden change of mood and, as she was about to call BS, I quickly delivered by 'killing blow'. "[But I refuse!]"

Her eyes widened, the Nekoshou gawked quietly at that unexpected Jojolity, but she detached her arms from mine and pouted angrily. "Don't expect to find a bed once you get home."

I started to walk towards the knights, confused at that odd threat as she hardly knew where I lived-

Could she be-

Oh my, that would be… exhilarating.

"W-Wait, I didn't invite you and-"

But the moment my feet touched the seal, I found myself whisked away from the courtyard and… some places' indoors.

Of course my face had to be the first thing that came in contact with the floor of said location, but after experiencing this for a long time now I was quick to return up and standing. My eyes were swift in scanning the large room, the highly decorated tall windows, the various paintings put in the walls and the big throne at the end of the room.

Two men, the youngest sitting on the 'royal chair' while the oldest, giving me a fierce and analytical stare was standing by his… kin's side?

I knew that the two were Zekram and his son, the Lord Bael and Sairaorg's father, but the anime nor the manga had ever shown the two and… I have to say that now I knew the main details of their family.

While the current leader of the clan had cyan eyes and the former one had orange ones, they were both brunets… just like Venelana and Sairaorg himself.

The guards that had 'escorted' me knelt in front of the throne and, seeing the Lord gesture them to leave, they complied instantly and… there were only the three of us there.

I glanced around and indeed the room lacked any other individual guarding the Lord's safety and I was quick to point that to the idea the clan was mostly too prideful to accept 'help' of that sort.

The Castle was filled with Elite Guards, but those were mostly garrisoning the walls in case the 50 or more magical barriers defending this unbeaten fortress came crashing down, which was highly unlikely and nigh-impossible with today's strongest magicians.

I returned to stare at the two 'heads of state', my eyes widening a little bit as I saw Zekram now standing in front of me, a strange smile on his face.

"You are Hoitsu Sakakibara." The old man stated. "The human from Kuoh Town that managed to… become this."

I frowned at the second part, but kept quiet as he sighed and glanced at me with a curious look. "Your curious form, the one that you defined 'Senjutsu', can you show it here… now?"

...Why am I feeling tense from that request?

Because for some reason some pragmatic old bastard is trying to understand something, maybe 'try' something to determinate something out of you.

'This man is powerful, his eyes are sharp and attentive, but I can't get anything that should get us worried. Still caution is always advised in these situations."

I gulped nervously and nodded, soon smoke rose from my body and my eyes turned from dark brown to red.

There was a silent pause, Zekram's eyes widening in awe while the younger Bael looked intrigued while continuing to look blankly at me.

"This… this is just like I had thought." A single gleeful smile, then he turned to his son. "Do you remember the tales of him? Of his infamous stance, his unique energy pattern and… that deadly stare."

I tilted my head on the side in confusion at that description.

Him?

I think he is comparing us to… someone that is dead. And my current guesses are one worse than the other.

He snapped back around, advancing two more steps and then… he frowned. "But something… is missing." The Elder Devil mused loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "Something that- Yes, that would work."

W-What would wo-UGH!

My everything was covered in red, a sudden blast of heat, of pure and harsh pressure was applied on my skin, on my bones and on my core.

The pain was immense, but my throat was dry, my eyes were in pain as my tear-ducts were forcefully dried out and I felt my entirety burn horribly.

There was a white noise aching within my ears, devouring at my sanity and only my heart-beat remained as something that fought against it.

It was rising to a quick pace, my heart drumming painfully within my chest and soon I started to feel it.

The red soon disappeared as pitch-black darkness replaced it… yet I was still awake, I could still see my own body in that strange place and… I blinked once more to prove that this wasn't a dream.

But this wasn't a new room, I was still back to the Bael's throne room, the red light was still here but was now clashing against the dark mist rushing out of… me.

Another blink, I felt my entire body going light with pure and raw power and then… the clash ceased and I found myself staring at a surprised but amazed Zekram and at a less-than-happy and panicking Lord Bael.

I took a breath of air as my 'Senjutsu' form ended, my legs failing as I found myself kneeling, my chest heaving up and down as I tried to make sense to what has just happened and why my whole body was in pain.

I-I don't know how- but you Core- Your magical core is-

'For some reasons you absorbed part of that powerful attack.'

What?!

I was busy purging the negativity, but the sudden outburst of that Power of Destruction spilled in the Core, and it will soon cause issue to our Light-type energy.

What do you mean and- POWER OF DESTRUCTION?!

My stare turned to the recovering elder and I narrowed my eyes at me. "Y-You tried to kill me!"

His smile widened. "Kill you? Of course not. You just… recovered something you are the rightful owner."

What is he talking about!?

The Dark-type energy is stabilizing and… I think it's being assimilated within the Core without issues. It's becoming part of us, but that would turn us in a Devil. I… I think I can do something.

W-What-

This is going to hurt… a lot.

A searing and burning sensation spread through my body, as if lava was being filtered through my veins and I felt something changing within my core.

I was quickly returned to my 'Senjutsu' form and a sudden burst of smoke completely blinded me as I felt my core burning some of my energy away. The process lasted two full minutes of agony and, once it was over, I found myself once more on the ground, this time feeling… oddly better than before.

D-Done.

'Impressive.'

W-What did you do?

'Shiranai just purged some of the excessive amount of Dark energy, placing a remainder of it within an isolated section of your core and… it shouldn't be clashing with your Light-magic anymore.'

T-Thanks then.

Y-You are welcome. Don't use the 'Senjutsu' mode for some time now, I don't… think I can help you with that for a while.

"T-This is even better." My attention snapped back at Zekram, the founder of the Bael Clan looking like a kid receiving two gifts at Christmas by the same individual. "Y-You are like him. You are like Lord Lucifer a-and."

...What in the goddamn fuck?

This- No, this cannot- but-

The Old Devil stood silent for a moment, thinking about this development and then nodding. "This… this makes things even more complicated than I had long thought."

He seemed to snap out of his reverie moments later, smile vanishing too as he bowed my way.

"T-To think I would be graced to find a noble successor, someone that could finally restore a pure dynasty to Hell and-"

"W-Wait a minute, what is going on?!" I finally demanded, the elder pausing once more and nodding at my request.

"You are capable of holding Light, Dark and Human energy without being turned in any other races but your original one. Like Lucifer once could before his fight with the long-dead deity."

"I-I'm not going to rule over Hell!"

The old man frowned. "You should! It's your right and-"

"I don't want to rule. Plus what would happen if Heaven went in a fit at this revelation, what if they decided a new War is worth enough to kill the 'new spawn' of the first traitor?" I rebuked quickly.

"I have to agree with Lord Sakakibara, father." The youngest Bael finally spoke, looking sympathetic to my situation, if only because he wanted to rule Hell alone and in that Status Quo. "While he has the potential to become our greatest ruler, he is far too young and inexperienced to lead us in a Second Great War. If he was crowned so suddenly, not only we would face some social disorder but also deal with a conflict we are not prepared to face."

The elder nodded at that assessment. "I suppose that I was letting my own loyalty blind me once more." He motivated. "But still, we can't just ignore the presence of our Lord's proper heir and we shan't certainly forget to swear fealty to this young man."

Why the fuck I'm dealing with this situation now of all times?!

Damn Diodora and his idea of broadcasting the fight. Now we got this political issue to deal with and some old fanatics to satisfy.

"I-I think I need some time to think? C-Can I go home?"

Zekram frowned but nodded at my request. "If Lord Sakakibara requires some time to think, then I shall not indulge any further with my antics. Please do step on the circle and I shall send you back to Kuoh Town."

A golden circle appeared right between me and him and I walked on it without hesitation, my brain soon to burst like a watermelon if this madness continued to unfold.

Soon a blinding light took me away from Hell and back to Earth, my feet surprisingly not tripping on the ground itself as I found myself staring at one of the fountains back in the park in Kuoh.

----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d--------d-d-d-d----

I yawned tiredly as I closed the door behind me, slowly walking in the main hall as I lazily glanced at the living room. I could hear some noises happening in the upper floor, but my brain had yet to recover to the insane shenanigans I just survived, my main objective being quiet and peace for the rest of the day.

Sadly once more I found myself disappointed by life as I saw Azazel sipping some coffee from a cup he was currently holding. He paused mid-sip, one eye open as he glanced my way in a surprised tone.

The Fallen Angel stood up from his chair and walked towards me. "You are back, brat." His tone was neutral, just some hints of worry right at the edge. "It's been what, two hours since we last saw you?"

I sighed and nodded. "I returned an hour and a half ago, but decided to take a slow walk around to deal with the stuff I just learned about."

"Important stuff if you had to take so much time to think about it." He mused loudly. "But from what I see, you seem ready to fall asleep anytime soon and… I will bother you just with the more essential information about what happened while you were away."

We both reached for the table and I sat in front of him as he took just another sip of his beverage before starting to talk.

"We decided to make some quick trial for Rias." My eyes narrowed at this summarized explanation, but I nodded at him to continue. "Putting forward that she was guilty of being an accessory was the easy bit, it was picking the right punishment that caused it to be a particularly long 'quick trial' and we ended up settling with a detailed compromise."

"You aren't angry and I feel like it isn't certainly prison for her."

"She is too young and her influence as an Heiress makes her quite untouchable in some instances, in this case the punishment was moderated to a full year of house arrests and her peerage will pass until this sentence is completed to Sona Sitri's partial control. While she is the official leader of the Gremory's peerage, they are still free to decide if joining the Anti-Stray Devil raids or not."

"Sounds… incredibly mild." I thought out-loud. "I thought there would have been like two years, maybe three."

The Governor-General of Grigori sighed. "Trust me, there was a solid front about increasing that time but… the Bael Clan was absent from that sitting. Do you know why?"

...Should we tell him?

He covers your ass in the worst of the situations and he cares for us. Maybe? I mean, shouldn't he be that careful to not misjudge a situation at first sight?

'I think you should tell him. It's a fairly big secret and it could destroy your current standing if you don't tell him.'

I sighed gravely and nodded. "Zekram Bael said that my 'Senjutsu' form reminded him of someone else."

The Fallen Angel blinked. "'Reminded him of… someone else'?"

Another nod. "I- He said that I was- I was-"

"Lucifer's successor?" Azazel interrupted quietly.



Did he just-?

I think that it is the case.

My eyes widened. "Y-You knew about it?"

"From the very moment I saw the state your body turned into when you absorbed Light-type energy." The man mused with a sigh. "I thought it was initially a coincidence, but then I saw your determination and… I was reminded of him when I started training you."

I blinked in confusion, but decided to not speak about it.

"It was before… he was truly turned in a Devil. During the Primordial War where he challenged God in a true fight. Before he lost and… become something else." The man said with a quiet tone. "He was scary bastard during the Rebellion, he would fight without any sign of fear or doubt and… and he was incredibly caring for his comrades before fully falling from Heaven."

"So…" My throat was sore, I wanted to sleep about this mess of a revelation. "Heaven will seriously seek to kill me?"

"Michael and Gabriel wouldn't because they knew Lucifer personally before his True Fall and will… have quite the weird reaction at meeting you." Azazel sighed. "But some Angels will not hesitate to hunt you down and end you before you become a threat to them."

"Seriously, why is my life such a mess? Now not only I have to deal with the aftermath with some people in Kuoh Town, but I have to deal with this Devils' affairs too." I closed my eyes and slouched on the chair.

"Mhhh…" Azazel tilted his head on the side, humming thoughtfully. "So you would say no if I had some important mission for you?"

I cranked an eye open and glared at him. "Not this early and-"

"It's a long-term one outside of Kuoh Town. A recruitment campaign of sort."

"There is Kokabiel that-"

"Fuck him, I will have Vali kill him. You need to get out of here for at least a month and… I have thought of forming something to fight back the Khaos Brigade." He groaned tiredly.

"Then why are you telling me to recruit people? Shouldn't you be nagging at the Satans and to Michael about it-"

"I will do that, but this can't wait, especially with the intensity of those attacks. We need a new group, semi-dependent to Grigori that will hunt down the KB before they can strike truly." Azazel interrupted once more. "I want you to lead this group, this Omega Initiative, and counter the plans of those wishing to cause mayhem across the world."

"And I have to ask then, how should I recruits people if I don't know where-" He passed a piece of paper across the table. "-To go- Okay, what is that?"

"A week ago Tokyo was subject of a brief battle between a Yokai-led terrorist group called Fairy Tale and a large coalition of fellow Yokais led by the two former Dark Lords. Yasaka was particularly busy with the aftermath as part of the Yokai world wished to open up to humanity and… that led to some sudden secession of the Yokai world."

You got to be fucking kidding me.

T-This could be a coincidence- I mean, we got a parody of Dragon Ball and a man like Satoshi so-

"Tomorrow morning I will have some more equipment for this first task in the long-term mission, there will be some paperwork to compile later on and some objects you shouldn't touch until you read the manuals- I think I should also add that the place is filled with young Yokais that have little control over their… instincts, thus some might be hostile early on."

He clapped his hands once as I continued to stare silently at how nice the texture of the table was. "I guess I will leave you to your rest. I don't wish to cause any brain damage, especially now that you need to take care of the ladies waiting upstairs."

I continued to contemplate how good this furniture was.

Seriously who would have thought that-

The door finally closed and my mind shifted back on the very real issue.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! Why do I have to deal with the Rosario + Vampire cast now? WHY DO THEY EVEN EXIST IN THIS UNIVERSE?

I mean, it's not that far-fetched that their logic could apply to this world. Plus both are mostly similar Harem-genre series so-

"NIICHAN!" A golden and fluffy Chibi-kitsune-sized bullet blitzed mid-air and slammed onto my waiting arms. "You are back!" I smiled and chuckled at Kunou's excitement but, as I was starting to pet her, I heard more footsteps coming from the stairs.

Wait, didn't Azazel say something about 'Ladies' as in plural-

"Hoitsu-nii!" Cue the silver-haired Nekoshou following her kohai's example and joining in by sitting on my lap, much to my legs suffering.

I sighed but still smiled as I noticed their relieved expressions at my presence, acknowledging that since it was only those two, I could still make it through the day without any issue-

Two soft and curvy orbs pressed on the back of my head and I heard a familiar giggle, causing me to close my eyes in silent defeat.

"Hello there, Darling~"

...And Kuroka was there too.

----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d---------d-d-d-

AN

We reached 626 Follows in FF! Yay! Next stop the legendary 696!

Also I bet nobody expected that little twist for Volume 3! Yes, road to Yokai Gakuen!

Quick timeline explanation: Volume 3 happens just a week after the final fight in Capu 2 (The manga, not the Anime sad adaptation). And the first task? Two individuals seek asylum as they are being currently hunted down by… shady individuals!

As I said before, I don't plan to incorporate full stories within this fanfic but characters will join up this Omega Initiative. It's like Avengers, but Anime Style and… realistically possible.

I will add in every AN the new member of the Initiative, starting with our current members at the formation of such group:

DXD:
-Hoitsu Sakakibara (Human/Leader);
-Kuroka Toujou (Nekoshou/Second in Command);
-Kunou Sakakibara (Yokai Kitsune/Member);
-Koneko (Shirone) Toujou (Nekoshou/Member);


Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.
 
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So it was either I was going to be killed out in his own house or I was going to be possibly bought by him to join his clique.

Both terrible predicaments with the latter outcome being far worse than the former one.
I think he needs help if he thinks joining the Illuminati is worse than living (especially considering suicide would be an option if it was that bad).

t I was letting my own loyalty blind me once more.
FTFY
they personally knew Lucifer
Another alternative would be "they knew Lucifer personally."

Thanks for the chapter!
 
You just… recovered something you are the rightful owner."
Of, rightful owner of
restore a pure dynasty to Hell and-
Okay I'm confused here he's human Lucifer was devil Fallen Angel something in this setting and how could it be a pure Dynasty if he's not appear devil or whatever the heck Lucifer was in this setting?
they are still free to decide if joining the Anti-Stray Devil raids or not."
and this sentence is incomplete and needs to be reworked cuz I have no idea what it's trying to say.
Oh come on! Now he's a descendant of Lucifer? Even though he's human and as far as we know his parents are human as well what's the fact that he is a self insert and knows that that or at the very least that this world is you know fiction in his and the situation is like a self insert it's starting to feel like he's the super special character that everything happens to and logic just does not apply to his situation.
I think I'm done with this.
 
Oh come on! Now he's a descendant of Lucifer? Even though he's human and as far as we know his parents are human as well what's the fact that he is a self insert and knows that that or at the very least that this world is you know fiction in his and the situation is like a self insert it's starting to feel like he's the super special character that everything happens to and logic just does not apply to his situation.

First thing first, he isn't a descendant of Lucifer. I am sorry if you can't just find in yourself the capacity to read the exact words used. I double-checked for anything that could give off that kind of misunderstanding, from relative to descendant and other words that could mean a familial bond. There was none. The kind of character you are describing, the Gary Stu, is literally everything that this MC is NOT. I've tried my hardest to literally keep the MC from getting to that level and at the fakest hint of such thing, you decide that this character (after a full month of training under Azazel, Baraqiel and obtaining abilities along the way) is suddenly way too OP.

I think I'm done with this.
Good for you, have a good day.
 
Reconciliation and Road to the Gakuen
Chapter 26: Reconciliation and Road to the Gakuen

Akeno sighed as she finished placing the umpteenth box filled with important documents in the Student Council's classroom.

With Rias confined back to Hell and with Sona assuming the role of leader with those of the Gremory's peerage that decided to accept the offer of combining forces for any raids against Stray Devils that required more people than the Sitri's peerage had.

But it was the Himejima that had the extremely delicate role to act as the 'Regent' for Kiba, Koneko, Gasper and Issei as the Queen of the Rias-less peerage and that required no little tact with her rusty but available diplomatic side.

Sona was understanding and didn't put too much pressure on her new temporary subordinates, approving the idea of first letting some days pass but she there was also the fact that she valued the Priestess of Thunder less of the Crimson-haired Ruin Princess, considering that Akeno didn't have any major family backing her and because she was also a hybrid of Devil and Fallen Angel.

The young woman's eyes showed tiredness, the strain caused by the several events happening in the last few days denting at her own composure, draining her of the energy to properly deal with the more difficult lifestyle she was going to face for some time.

Akeno was glancing at the remaining boxes, thinking which one she should pick, when her ears caught someone knocking by the door. Violet eyes slowly and quietly turned to the origin of the noise and soon widened at the sight she was bestowed with.

The last time she saw her father was back when her mother died, when he failed to be there to save her from the aggressors bought by the Head of the Himejima Clan. Sadness swelled deep in her heart, her mind pushing her attention back at the papers that needed to be moved away, to try and ignore a reunion she wasn't ready to deal with after so much time has passed.

The girl had long hoped to face her father when she had found happiness in her life, when she would have had enough strength to brave that traumatic scene of her childhood and come out on top victoriously.

Yet this wasn't going to be the case from what the man standing by the door. Baraqiel took just two steps in, pausing the moment Akeno flinched visibly and glanced his way with narrowed eyes.

"W-What do you want?"

The involuntary stuttering messed her plans to appear at least strong outwardly, the reaction she got from him was one of pity and sadness.

Things that she truly wanted to have nothing to do about with this individual and yet the young woman felt hesitation at stating this even in her mind. He didn't make a move for some time, he seemed to wait for something and it was right in that moment the Himejima realized that her breathing had quickened, her eyes had gone wide once more and something wet was now trailing off her cheeks in two distinct lines.

Another step forward from the Fallen Angel, but Akeno didn't move. She couldn't move or- She couldn't bring herself to move as the man finally took the initiative and wrapped his big arms around her, pulling her close in a careful and caring hug.

She stiffened at first, her mind finally spilling some of her troubling thoughts in the form of emotional distress and then she let out a sob on his shirt. That kind of warmth, that kind of loving care and that large hand ruffling her hair softly…

The Himejima sobbed again, this time relaxing upon her father. It was just like when her mother had been alive, the times when her father would be at home to play with her, to be around as he slowly taught her about the nature and its beauty, of the surroundings of the small house they lived in and…

A small fragment, one she hadn't thought important until now, of the very memory that continued to terrify her even now started to clear up, the face of Baraqiel stained in tears while he tried to keep strong as she accused him of being the cause of her mother's death.

She had thought he would have forgotten about her, that he would have gone with his life by respecting her childish wish. Akeno was a fool, a very sorry one as the burly man that was her Papa continued to comfort her in that moment of weakness.

It's been so long since she had let go that little knot forming every time she tried to hold back her frustrations about her everyday and now that Rias wasn't there to give her a hug… she enjoyed one from her only family.

Hoitsu's words struck strangely well with what the young woman was feeling right now, the embrace now a primary necessity as she let go of that humble pride that kept her from being held by someone, to be an innocent bystander once more without the need to worry about being attacked by some assassins sent to eliminate her.

"My little girl..." Baraqiel muttered, playing a little with her hair. "You grew up so strong and beautiful."

His praises made her smile, yet the small line was quick to return thin and neutral as a sigh preceded her reply.

"I- I am not strong." The Himejima mused loudly. "I wasn't strong when Rias decided to accept Raiser's offer."

The Fallen Angel sighed. "That wasn't a matter of strength-"

"I could have advised her to doubt the integrity of- OF THAT BASTARD- Uh?"

The girl frowned as the man ceased the embrace and-

"O-Owie!" His hands were now on her cheeks, pinching those with extra caution to not hurt her too much. The Himejima groaned, the small punishment kind of annoying but whatever protest she had planned to express, her father decided to speak before she could do so.

"I remember how you would be this much thoughtful of past things, evaluating how things could have gone if you had done something or another different from your original choices. Why I remember a certain 'accident' about cold tomato juice being spilled all over Shuri when you thought it was blood." At that embarrassing story from her childhood, Akeno sported now a blush.

"I-I was only a child and Mama said that it was what vampires drank a-and I remember someone bringing mud inside the house-"

"After a certain little pest decided to make mud-cakes and ruin her pretty dress her Mama had bought to her just the day before." Her father rebuked smugly, her blush intensifying at the sight and at the words.

"I-I wasn't that much of a pest!"

"I can disprove that too but then again, I think I will stick to just call you my 'little girl' at this point."

A pout formed in her face. "M-meanie and-" She finally smiled. "Thanks for that, I needed it… dad."

His smile seemed to explode with pure happiness and she felt her heart beating at a relaxing pace.

"Your dad is also at fault for some… things that had happened in the last few years too..." He paused a moment, then he decided to tell everything about what had happened with the Himejima Clan.

Akeno was skeptical at first to learn that the new head, her cousin Suzaku, was now seeking to bring reform and harmony to the family and that she had been trying to find her to apologize about what had happened to her after Shuri's death.

But then Baraqiel pointed out how Hoitsu had promised to filter letters directed at her to start to reconnect with her estranged family. It was news for her that the boy promised such thing to her cousin, but she was the least surprised to know how kind the young man was and…

She frowned as the mental picture of his smile flashed momentarily as he was mentioned by her father. The following question, completely distanced from the actual topic, didn't bring much shock to the Fallen Angel.

"I- Papa, d-do you think Hoitsu-kun would accept an apology at this point?" Her voice was frail as her determination to ask was the lowest possible she could get. "I- I don't think he would accept it but- But I still wish to try and make amend for betraying his trust."

Her father sighed tiredly and looked a little disappointed about… himself? "I thought you wouldn't be giving pursuit to the brat, especially since he was that much unwilling to accept your affections-"

"He's only shy." She nodded, convinced of this idea. "If I had been given some more time before this whole mess… I would have certainly got a boyfriend out of him-"

SLAM

Akeno's eyes widened instantly as Baraqiel punched the nearby wall, almost cracking it open in the process. "T-That brat- I mean, surely there is still some time before you will truly need someone to love you that way."

"I've been thinking about this very seriously and he would make a good husband and father, that is why I wish to make a big family with him and- D-Dad?"

The Himejima now looked a little bit worried about the Fallen Angel's sudden new round of tears, the man recovering a few moments later. "I-It's nothing, A-Akeno-chan. Y-Your papa is just enduring the gnawing of his paternal instinct."

"Oh?" She blinked quite surprised by the response she got. "So that means that you wouldn't… approve of him?"

He sighed gravely and… shook his head. "He might be a brat to me, but he would certainly be genuinely caring. The problem is..." He double-facepalmed. "HE IS TOO GOOD AND I CAN'T FIND A REASON TO HATE HIM!"

Hearing this the hybrid frowned. "So… can I bang him?"

"A-Akeno-chan, you mean 'date' r-right?"

She shook her head and gave a serious look back. "No, I want to make some loving baby-mak-"

"PLEASE STOP! NOT MY BABY GIRL!"

The young woman suddenly let out an amused giggle, seeing her father suffering because of her 'honest' approach regarding the currently missing Sakakibara.

"By the way, dad. Do you know why Hoitsu-kun was absent today? He certainly wasn't there today."

The Fallen Angel sighed, recovering from that dreadful 'torture' and nodded. "Currently the brat is out of Kuoh Town and I don't think you can contact him with the phone because of the place he is currently visiting."

She frowned. "So you mean that you were going to keep from me the fact he was going to be away from Kuoh for a while, do you have even a little bit of shame?" A sigh left her lips. "At least he will be back tomorrow, just like the usual."

But the Himejima quickly caught on her father's brief guilty face and narrowed her eyes at him.

"He is going to be back tomorrow, right?"

The man started to sweat a little, nervousness plastered in his face as he replied in a half-whisper. "A-A month."

Akeno didn't reply immediately after hearing this, pausing a moment to contemplate about something and then… smiled sweetly.

"Daddy dearest, I have the strong suspicion you just tried to not tell me about this very important detail. May I ask why you did so?"

"I-I thought that this was going to be a d-day for us, s-sweetie. I d-didn't want to worry you and-"

"Oh, but I'm not worried, quite the contrary." Electricity started to dance around them as her smile widened. "Why, after learning about this I was thinking of making this bonding session… really special."

The circle of electricity started to tighten up around Baraqiel, the man gulping and blushing as he was given a final confirmation as the 'thunder' struck.

Her baby girl did really take after his beloved Shuri after all!

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A few hours ago...

Like Azazel had promised some hours ago, the two expected medium-sized boxes arrived early in the morning.

One of those contained all the papers and the documents explaining what the 'Omega Initiative' was meant to be and represent, while also providing more info about what I was supposed to do with the recruitment gig.

A group formed to intercept, dismantle or utterly destroy the forces connected to Khaos Brigade and any other terrorist groups from the supernatural world, formed by the strongest heroes this generation is renowned for while aided by Grigori with resources and commodities.

What truly surprised me was how members were supposed to be 'incorporated' within the group.

The other box contained several paper-thick discs that reminded me of Hockey's pucks because of their relative forms. Continuing to read the documents I was given a clear description of what those were.

Those 'Paradigm Enlists' were a creation from Azazel himself, enchanted pieces that had functions similar to the Rating Game's chess pieces, with the main difference being that those who accepted this object wouldn't be eternally attached to the King piece.

There wasn't a King piece actually as I wasn't supposed to have one of those.

The PEs offered a minor overall boost to the people owning them, draining a small amount of Magic energy once every few minutes as a price for the improvement. It was the first attempt from Grigori to make something based off from Ajuka's best-known invention but the results yielded also some minor flaws within its usage.

The large number of unused PEs that had been sent to me wasn't an unusual circumstance as it was expected for the pieces to break if powerful surges of energy were pushed onto them, weakening the user but also putting them in danger if they don't remove the defective one as quickly as possible. Thankfully, the pieces could be safely removed once these broke and could easily be replaced by new ones.

There was also the difference about the contract used to bind the members to the organization compared to Grigori's common paperwork. While it didn't enforce any loyalty from the members to the leader, the rules forced the member to commit to the cause for at least a full year before being granted the chance of resigning from the role.

While it wasn't something many would worry about as only those that wanted to fight for the cause were going to be accepted, the presence of this rule was surely going to create some friction with the group.

I sighed tiredly as I finished drafting the first list of members for the group, my brain trying to make some sense about Kuroka's decision to join up the group without hesitation. The young woman was incredibly difficult to predict, especially with how her attitude was more accentuated compared to the small appearances in the series.

I had expected her to do something the complete opposite, part of me thinking that Vali would have been incredibly annoyed that someone from 'his team' would suddenly jump ship and get in my group.

But it was the Nekoshou herself that decided to explain why she had decided to go for this gamble, knowing full-well how the white-haired hybrid was going to react at her decision.

"Mou, Vali can be prudish once or twice in a while," Her tone playful as she poked at my nose, while talking, drawing an irritated sigh from my lips. "But he mentioned that he wouldn't mind 'getting rid of me by letting me go with nyah'. He was rather… interested at your reaction at such situation, I do reckon~."

I will fucking find that bastard's phone and spam him with SMSs. I know things that would give him nightmares and- No, let's not get too much angry about it.

It wasn't 'that' bad, nor I expected it to get worse than that.

Ignoring this big concern, my attention was mostly directed at the decision of having both Kunou and Koneko to join up the organization too.

The doubt was mostly led by the worry I had of them having to fight some dangerous enemies and… not being prepared for the encounters. While some people could be beaten with proper preparation and improvement, there were some nasty monsters in this world that certainly wouldn't go down without a reasonable amount of strength already present.

Some people like Rizevim, even Euclid being a powerful individual as a second-in-command. The descendants of the Original Satans aren't certainly people to scoff at without knowing the extent of their full power.

I think I was adamant enough in promising to them that once we were done with this first task, I would have them begin training even more than before with Kuroka going to focus in teaching her sister how to properly tap and use Senjutsu while I focusing on unlocking the blonde's inner potential.

Kunou was born a strong, she had the opportunity to become far stronger than I could ever be given enough attention and care for the training schedule, but right now the little girl was much weaker than me, her physical stats just a little above someone her age.

I yawned as I tried to catch some rest during the bus ride, ignoring the fact that Kuroka had decided to pick my shoulder as a pillow and was now snoring and snuggling against it.

The two younger girls currently sitting in the row in front of the one the dark-haired Nekoushou and I were sitting in, either glancing at the lights of the dimensional tunnel or going for brief naps.

The magical bus and his mysterious driver, Nuranai, had arrived right on time as we punctually presented by the bus stop given by Azazel in the paper he had left to me.

It was odd to know that a world like DxD contained different series at once and, making some serious research about any other possible series there, I ended up finding out that there were… many.

Like tons.

Some were happening in Japan, others in Europe and quite the events in the United States.

The American ones did sure leave me some confusion as… why?

I don't know, I just didn't expect them to be in this world of all people.

I was also half-tempted to contact some of these 'renowned' individuals, to cut the chase before things got messy, but in the end I decided to let this first mission come to an end before starting to plan the recruitment campaign.

There were some mighty warriors of different sizes, age. Great men and women that were going to be essential for the Second War that was now looming around the end of the one month time limit.

"You got yourself a curious group, young man." The ominous voice of the bus driver took me back to reality and I found myself blinking at him with a hint of interest. "I would dare to say that I see some parallels with someone studying at the school we're currently directed at." He mentioned in a nonchalant tone but…

Seriously, was he comparing me to Tsukune of all people? Nobody turned me in a literal chew-toy-

Yet.

It's not going to happen.

It is.

I frowned at the comment and decided to fire back. "I don't have a harem chasing after me, headmaster." My tone was mindful, but I did highlight the 'honorary' title the driver was supposed to be part of.

He shrugged, glowing eyes still staring at the inter-dimensional road. Then he replied.

"And that wasn't what I was referring to, Hoitsu Sakakibara." I flinched at the tone he used for my full name. "But I understand that it is a sore spot to you, for a man to have the attention of so many women at once."

I glanced at Kunou and Koneko, relieved to see both napping right now and giving me the chance of truly speak about this.

"Big harems aren't… a healthy thing in my opinion." I explained cautiously, the man nodding absently as if to gesture me to continue. "I think the more girls are after a single man, the more it's easy for him to unconsciously break one or more hearts in the process of politely picking the 'right one'." I said with the proper honesty.

People were quick to jump the fun-wagons of Harem stories, but just a handful actually minded the possible aftermaths of the story. Harem as a fictional genre, at least if as big and extended like the one in Rosario + Vampire, was to be used mostly for comedic relief rather than a proper push for the story.

In fact, I can easily say that the proper reason why Tsukune decided to go after Moka was… because she was the traction behind the entire plot. It was her family's past, the ambitions of her step-mother and her ancestor's resurrection.

It was the plot, or at least the more serious bits of it.

"That is something Aono-san braved mostly flawlessly, the affection of those girls still persisting even after he picked Akashiya-san." The driver pointed out, something I was more than aware about.

The former human did indeed achieve some peace with the others, while also keeping up that rom-com tone with the entire 'Harem'. But still...

I decided to nod at his point, yet I wasn't fully agreeing to him.

"Success is achieved all by being careful with what you have and being lucky enough to not get killed by heart-broken ladies." I shot back with a polite nod, waiting for a comeback.

And I got one a few moments later.

"Ah, women are passionate beings," The man sighed, his smoke brightening a little before he let out a tiny cloud to the side. "But I see that someone as young as you are know more about them than you let appear." The precise jab made me a little nervous, having hardly faced someone that would actually come and try to use some arcane wisdom against me.

Still, I nodded and ended that conversation here, unwilling to let myself open like a book to someone I had little trust about.

You did have a good relationship.

I did.

Do you remember how feisty she was? Always affectionately trying to get your attention on her.

She was rather lovely…

I sighed as my eyelids dropped, my mind relaxing as I slumbered for a while and let myself wander in my thoughts of the past.

'Care to give more details? Sounds like an interesting story.'

Long story short, I was romantically attracted to a very precious girl that she returned the feelings… but we ended up returning just friends after her father discovered my… less than acceptable views of things.

'I don't think I've ever seen someone causing issues for something like this. Different religions or rival families, sure, but this is quite strange.'

This age is filled by morons that get dictated by the words of a few voices and then realize much later, when they get screwed by those voices, they start to lash out at everything around them.

It's a mad world!

"By the way," The driver's voice dragged me out of my rest once again much to my dismay. "I can only assume that you are aware of the situation at the school. I hope Azazel did tell you about our current… issue." There was some ominous tone around the last word and… I sighed.

"Cloaked figures recently attacked the school." I replied, remembering the scarce info the Governor-General left among the documents I had yet to finish to read.

"Stray Exorcists." The man pointed out with a minor frown. "They were trying to capture the heir of Mikogami and Akashiya-san's first-born." Nuranai commented with some… annoyance? It wasn't normal for the usually-stoic character to show this much negativity over something like these. Tsukune did face far worse than that in the last two years… so why did it matter now?

"There was also a similar attack against Akua and Kahlua Shuzen," He finally revealed with a tight voice. "The girls were being safely escorted by their father back to the Shuzen Manor to protect them from those that remained from Fairy Tale."

"I bet that Issa-san connected the two attacks and is now going at Yokai Gakuen right now."

"That is correct." The driver nodded again. "But the real issue is that the man decided to bring his daughters with him to the school, saying that the barriers at the Manor are still compromised and the one at the Gakuen are better than nothing." And I knew exactly why that is a problem.

As much as the author of the R+V series tried to give him a lighter attitude in the After-Story, the man was still a powerful being with a prideful and pragmatic mind.

But for me, the worst thing was that… Issa Shuzen was currently staying where I was going right now.

Fucking great, now I will have to deal with a high-level Vampire too...

It's still weird that he managed to recover Kahlua. Wasn't she taken by Kuyo at the end of Capu2.

The final chapter does mention that Issa spent the whole month after the final battle trying to bring back the Shuzen family and I wouldn't put above him trying to find what happened to his two missing daughters.

Still, Issa Shuzen will be… quite troublesome to face if he decides to do any funny stuff with us. We could become a pawn for any of the remaining games if he wants us in that situation.

I find it hard for him to strike first but-

"We are almost there," The bus driver announced with a clear tone, then he grinned. "You should wake the ladies up now before you lose too much time there."

What is that even supposed to mean?

Mysterious words from mysterious folks.

Yet I was more than happy to comply to go and wake the three girls up.

Kuroka proved to be the greatest challenge of the trio as she decided to make a staunch stand and not budge out from her newly-acquired comfy 'pillow'.

Two minutes of tugging myself out of her grasp passed and we found ourselves off the bus and staring at the Academy from afar.

The nearby lake was red as blood, there were tombstones placed all around and there was some eerie feeling of dread only a decent horror movie would give to a spectator.

Yep, this was the place we were supposed to be.

Hopefully we aren't going to be road-killed by a silly vampire driving her bike to go to school.

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AN

Little fluff, the OI reaching Yokai Gakuen and… I do feel like this chapter short. You know what this means right?

Next chapter will have some fighting!

P.S. Rosario + Vampire was what made me comeback from my self-exile from Anime in general. I was busy with homework, difficult school years and that funny series managed to get some laughs and 'nose-bleeding' out of me. Then Anime Capu2 happened.

Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.
 
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Crisis and an Awkward Vampire
Chapter 27: Crisis and an Awkward Vampire

The moment I took my first step inside the entrance section of the Yokai Gakuen, I found myself hit by an unexpected wave of nostalgia at the sight of the familiar school's inner style and particular structure.

This place was burned in my memory as this was also one of my favorite series, loving absolutely the plot presented by the Manga.

Differently from Kuoh Academy, this place was built after the average Japanese school and was structured in a less-connected manner. Also, the simplicity and the modern touch of the buildings were a stark contrast with the antiquate but complex design adopted by the Western-inspired institute.

I blinked back to reality as I felt a familiar small and soft hand swiftly taking refuge in mine, Kunou looking quite awed by the sight herself, but at the same time she decided to be a little more reserved about her reaction and keep close to someone trustworthy.

Her fox ears were now in full display, maybe because she caught the scent of so many Yokais all around and, after almost a month living away with humans, I suppose she was getting overwhelmed by it all and wanting to let go of her restraints.

Koneko seemed to be doing fine, yet her eyes were still darting around to look for every single details of the visible rooms, possibly to… map things up? She did ask if she could give a look for any available map of the school, but sadly there was none in the supernatural section of the Internet and thus practical mapping was her way to deal with the new place.

While the youngest of the two Nekoshou continued with her quiet study, her older sibling decided to take this time to… ask questions to me. I had expected Kunou or Koneko to ask, but I was kind of embarrassed to realize that Kuroka wasn't knowing of this part of the world.

One thing led to another and I found myself explaining a little bit why this school existed.

"While Yasaka-san is the titular ruler of the Yokai in Kyoto, her control isn't as complete and basolute as it might sound in paper and at first look." I explained quietly. "While she is rightfully and legitimately leading the yokai as her people's ruler, the arrival of the Three Dark Lords in Japan caused some power struggle just few centuries ago."

Her cat ears perked. "Dark Lords? Like the one that appeared in Europe?"

Blinking, I found myself intrigued by that question itself, but decided to verify a little later.

Yeh're a Wizard, Harry!

Please don't.

"Not 'that' kind of Dark Lords," I corrected her before giving a proper response. "The Three Dark Lords were the leaders of that faction within the Yokai's world that drawn support mostly from Europe. They believed that isolation from mankind was the best solution to avoid conflicts with Humans, especially after having to deal with the bloody aftermath of their war against… Alucard." I concluded with a frown. Now I couldn't help but wonder if R+V's Alucard had some connection with Hellsing's monster since both shared… similar powers.

Her ears twitched again with some interest. "You mean the monster that attacked Tokyo last week?" I nodded at her, still sporting a somewhat surprised look at that guess, and she nodded at that connection. "But how did it exactly re-appear back so recently?" Her question was legitimate, I guess people had yet to learn about the truth behind the Never-Ending Hunger.

"They sealed it the first time around after a costly war that could be considered a World War of vampires with a sprinkle of other monsters," I blinked at her snort but still went forward with my words. "Then someone decided the world needed to die by flesh abomination and unleashed it on Tokyo, I don't think I need to explain what happened to it." She nodded to affirm this conviction, but the young woman had yet to have her curiosity satisfied.

"Is the one responsible for 'that' dead, right?" She sighed as I nodded.

"Super-dead." I confirmed, quite convinced of it myself.

Gyokuro was dead, and Kuyo and Hokuto had to have been hunted down and 'removed' by Issa if Kahlua and Akua were now under his custody.

Still I wonder how things were doing at the moment, being perfectly aware about two very unstable girls presumably in the same room as several overly-protective girls and the boy said girls loved the dearest.

Ain't that a powder-keg scarier than the Balkans in early 20th Century?

At least the 'War' has yet to erupt.

Papa Bismark want to know your location, Aono-san.

I had to bit down an amused snort at that.

'Papa Bismark', seriously?

Grandpa is taken by King Hassan. No need to shake 'that' boat.

Fair enough.

As I started to realize that we had yet to meet up with our supposed guide, someone that had been promised to have us directed to the proper room where the meeting was supposed to be held, I heard quick footsteps approaching and-

"I'M LAAAAAT-UGH!" The feminine voice came to a halt as she went crashing onto me. The force behind that run-up was strong enough to almost make me trip too, but I managed to hold up as she fell on her butt.

"Owie?" She looked up and I found myself staring at a familiar witch. Yukari Sendo had just reached 14 and she still looked quite a child with her child-like mannerism. The little Witch blinked once, twice and then her purple eyes glowed in recognition.

"Oh! You are Koitsu Sakakibara!" I almost flinched at her giddy, fangirly tone, remembering way too well that now my identity as a professional-

Wizard Badass-

'With an outstanding track of being present in some important situations.'

I sighed and nodded at the little witch.

...And that's how I started to regret having my mask and my simpler life.

Can't win them all. At least she isn't jumping at you.

I think that's because of the fact, she is part of Tsukune's Harem.

Not officially. She is still a minor.

Thank the Gods, there is a limit to the genre...

'At least you got some recognition, celebrity can be a double-edged knife and you could try to exploit it when it's the opportune time.'

Hardly usable. Fanatics aren't… the best bunch of people to be dealing with in a normal basis.

"That's my name, yes." I replied dryly, but also politely. "And you are?"

The young girl let out a 'eep' before standing up and bowing my way. "Apologies, I'm Yukari Sendo, Sakakibara-san. I will be your guide a-and-" She stood up and crossed her arms, pouting a little. "W-Why wasn't I told that you were the one I was escorting -desu!"

I let out a brief chuckle. "I can only guess that someone wanted to make it a surprise," I mused quietly back at her. "And I think they managed it pretty well from your reaction there."

She blushed, embarrassment mostly but I think there was also that whole 'Hero-worship' kind of cliché going strong within this girl. Seriously, I don't need fans and I really don't want to deal with a fan club… ever.

"Y-You are right!" Yukari admitted nervously, then she sported a small smile. "A-And I should be doing my job instead o-of losing time there. Apologies once more."

"You are forgiven, Yukari-chan!" Kunou replied and the little brunette found her eyes turning to the blonde by my side that was around her age. Her eyes widened and then she squealed, rushing towards the kitsune.

I think my little imouto was aware of the effect she was causing and thus was ready with her arms spread and waiting as she got pulled up and in an embrace. It was quite odd to see someone just a little taller than her pick her up and then hug her closely.

"You are so adorable~!" What is your name -desu?" The little witch asked to the kitsune.

"Kunou Sakakibara." Kunou's voice was muffled in that hug and the fellow girl sighed heavenly.

"You can call me Senpai if you want, Ku-chan!" The magical user offered but-

It was with those words that I felt some dreadful aura coming towards us. Staring coldly at this 'intruder' and 'usurper', Koneko Toujou was glaring daggers at the fellow young girl, golden eyes burning a new kind of anger to me unknown.






Quite interesting how the silver-haired girl had learned how to use the 'menacing' aura and I think from Kuroka's big smile that she was fairly happy herself at that discovery. But since we were supposed to be there for an important meeting, I decided to poke at the witch's shoulder.

Yukari blinked and turned to look at me with a frown.

"I don't wish to sound pushy but… we do need to get moving now before we turn up late." I finally pointed out.

Her eyes widened and she nodded, Kunou detached from the girl and we all started to follow the magic user around the school. She gave us a brief tour over some of the classrooms and the recent history of the school.

The institution was working only partially, most of the classes having been delayed until the effects of the 'Alucard situation' had been seriously dealt with, while also giving the chance for some of the older students to receive proper support from the teachers for their last exams.

"So the Bus Driver is also the Headmaster now?" Koneko asked out of curiosity. "Shouldn't doing both jobs be quite… troublesome?"

Yukari nodded at her legitimate question, an uneasy smile on her face.

"Nurari-san is actually Headmaster only by name, the job is currently being oversee by Ruby-san, she was something of a secretary to the former Headmaster."

I nodded at the truthful reply, knowing it myself that Ruby was the one that would tackle up the paperwork portion of the work while the Bus Driver intervened only if the situation required his… skills.

The walk was uneventful and soon we were standing in front of a dark-wood door.

Yukari knocked twice and waited for the muffled voice of an older girl which I could guess was Ruby to open the door.

Once she was inside, we followed closely, my eyes quickly scanning around the meeting room that was chosen for the occasion.

There was a large circular table which had several chairs around it. My eyes quickly noticed Tsukune and his harem, their stares directed at us four as we got inside the room.

Moka was the one that actually took a little to move away from, having seen just her changed appearance in the last chapter of Capu2.

Instead of her usual pink hair and inquisitive green orbs, she had now a similar appearance to her 'Inner' self. White hair, a symbol of strong vampires, and strong red eyes. She noticed my stare, her blood-like orbs shying away and I quickly moved away before I could give any wrong assumptions.

Kurumu was giving at us a blank expression as if trying to understand what kind of individuals we were and she hardly seemed different from her past appearances, while her 'closest' rival looked as calm as usual. Mizore's hair had just grown up a little more, not enough to be the same as her first appearance in the show, but still a little more than how I 'had left' her like. All in all, the passionate duo seemed to have changed the least compared to the rest of the cast.

In fact, Kokoa had… a completely different hairstyle. Instead of the two bushy ponytails, she had a small one, suggesting the fact she did have a haircut.

Wait what?

But before I could truly question this anomaly, I found myself staring at Issa and the two girls sitting near him by the ta-






Shit, that is sure a scary expression.

'This individual is rather strong. Do you know if we can truly trust him?'

Only if I am careful enough to not make foul comments or hurt his daughters.

Kahlua was smiling while she continued to look at her hands, her eyes looking in our direction only momentarily before deciding to not give us much of her attention and focus on… nothing in particular.

It was Akua that scared me a little more than the other two.

While Issa was the strongest and Kahlua was the most insanely powerful, the first child of the Shuzen Family was a masterful assassin and a keen strategist that perfectly knew how to fight in different situations.

Her Hougestsu Jigen-Tou only made her even worse to fight in a direct brawl, her capacity to turn intangible and use an attack that is impossible to block was quite the worst thing to face against with my current abilities.

She looked calm for the moment, her poker face quite perfected while her red eyes were carefully trained on us before settling on me. Her lips were developed in a thin line while her posture was mostly normal if not for the bare tension I could perceive from her at our presence.

We were a group of strangers, a very powerful group that was now in the same room as her sisters. A faux pas and we were going to have a dangerous enemy without even having the chance of getting some deal achieved.

Ruby nodded at us, standing on the farther corner of the table. She stood up and gave a quick nod our way. "My name is Ruby Tojo and I will be the one directing this meeting between the Shuzen Family, the Yokai Gakuen's representatives and the Omega Initiative-"

"W-Wait, Ruby-san. I thought we were supposed to meet with Grigori, not with-" Kurumu started to question but was then interrupted by the goth girl.

"The Omega Initiative is part of Grigori," The young woman pointed out with a small smile. "It's a recently-created sister-organization within Grigori." Her words were accepted by the succubus with a nod. "But I think it's best they introduce themselves rather I describe them by the reports Azazel-san sent to me." She indicated right at me.

I blinked and nodded, partly surprised by the advanced knowledge. Still I began introducing myself.

"My name is Hoitsu Sakakibara, I'm human an-"

"Psst- Yeah, right." The feminine voice interrupted me and I glanced at the origin of that comment, only to find myself staring at one Kokoa Shuzen. The youngest child of Issa looked skeptical about my claim and I frowned back at her.

"I am a human being." I said once more, pressing more onto the claim and her eyes returned this with a confused look and then-

"He is a human." Ruby agreed to my words and cutting short the brief exchange. "His energy pattern is a human one." The older witch presented as a proof and… what is going on?

Why would they think otherwise?

We still are human. We didn't change.

'And I can vouch that too myself.'

"But his scent is-" Moka glared at her and Kokoa shut down her little comeback because of it.

What was that?

It could be that our scent is masked by Kuroka's and Koneko's. It hasn't to do with anything wrong with us.

I nodded, conceding to that possibility and resumed with my presentation. "And I'm the leader of Omega Initiative."

I felt Kuroka latching once more at my arm and smile happily. "I'm Kuroka Toujou, a Nekoshou, and I'm Hoi-kun's second-in-command, nyah~." She squeezed her cleavage harder on my arm to emphasize her point, causing some blushes within Tsukune's group.

There are times I ask myself why bothering getting up from bed and deal with this shit.

Because deep down you find being set in this predicament rather amusing and somewhat refreshing once in a while.

I didn't need to hear that.

Are you sure about that?

Ye- Actually. I will not reply to that.

Mhh, is that so~?

I settled down with a long sigh but to the girl's widening smile.

Kunou huffed while glancing annoyed at the dark-haired neko. "I'm Kunou Sakakibara, I'm a Kitsune Yokai and I'm Niichan's surrogate imouto."

Some of the girls melted at the cute blonde's serious introduction, while Yukari smiled widely and nodded her way.

It was the turn of the younger cat-girl and Koneko looked quite… furious for some reason.

"I'm Koneko Toujou, a Nekoshou and Baka-nee shouldn't grope Hoitsu-nii."

Kuroka froze up and then let me go as she took a seat and looked incredibly depressed all so suddenly. "Shirone-tan called me a Baka."

Truly a saddening sight, but I 'managed to survive' through it.

The group surprisingly didn't react that much to the declaration, which I could only think was caused by the fact the harem had seen worse shenanigans that the one just unfolding now.

As we were now all sitting, Ruby once more took the lead and explained what was going on.

"Two days ago two groups attacked simultaneously both the Yokai Gakuen and the Shuzen Mansion, their intention was to capture Tsukune-san, Moka-san, Akua-san and Kahlua-san but they were stopped before being able to do so." The brunette started, then sighed and adopted a more grim appearance. "The reason why this should also a concern of Grigori, is because of the type of the allegiance this group has." She admitted with some certainty in her voice.

I knew that the culprits were Stray Exorcists, but still… that didn't make it 'Grigori's business' or at least it wasn't something that mattered to us in general. Many exorcists worked in Japan but not all of them were worth of Azazel's sending men to see what was going on there.

So why was this group in particular this important to even act against?

"The man that is leading the Stray groups is someone that was banished from the Church years ago, the reasons unknown from the official reports." She continued without hesitation.

"His name is Valper Galilei and we was once part of Grigori and-"

"Hold just a second, Ruby-san." I interrupted quickly, my mind exploding with info as I was given a 'big clue' over the situation given that the implications of the man responsible for the Holy Sword Project being responsible for those attacks weren't negligible. "I know that those attacks have been confirmed by Grigori, but I have to ask if you are 100% sure that this man is really responsible for those attacks." I pressed her, hoping that maybe this wasn't truly the case.

I hadn't thought that Kokabiel would have parted with the man so, knowing how important he is in the series and for his plan but… why now he sent him off?

It was- It didn't make any sense.

"I did a thorough check of the men I had disposed. Their main connection being this former member of the Church." Issa replied cooly, his eyes fixed on my face. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think your confusion is directed at the presence of the man, rather something else about the matter." He guessed rightfully.

I nodded. "Valper shouldn't have a reason to be hunting down vampires, his expertise being… the reconstruction of Excalibur by uniting the seven swords that are available to the world." I admitted quickly and without a doubt.

While the knowledge of someone trying to reform the blade was dangerous given so eagerly, I was also aware of a major detail. Nobody with a dark-energy core was going to be able to even come nearby one of the existing swords that once were part of the legendary weapon.

"Excalibur?" Tsukune asked a little surprised. "The sword of King Arthur?"

"The same, yes." I replied quickly and calmly. "The sword was one of the major Holy Swords that were created with the knowledge from the Territory of God, and it was born to become the strongest blade for Christianity." I paused a moment and then nodded. "Sadly, the original one was broken centuries ago and only seven blades bearing the same name exists nowadays, each having a small attribute from the greater sword."

"Valper desire to bring all of the Excaliburs together and have a powerful user for it to be held." I continued to explain.

"Now I find myself intrigued at this description and I wish to inquire if possible about this obsession being one of the causes that led to his banishment or not." Ruby asked out of curiosity and I blinked, feeling like that info wasn't going to be harming to Grigori if let out.

"Valper was responsible for the 'Holy Sword Project', an attempt to create the proper users of the various Excaliburs and possibly prepare the user of the real sword if breakthroughs regarding its rebuilt yielded positive results." I said with a little disgusted tone, pausing just a brief instant to contemplate how to properly word my following explanation. "The specimens were all children and the project was closed when the man allowed the elimination of those unfit for the task and proceeded to enforce energy transfusions of those that remained to a single candidate."

"Any survivors? Did they all die?" Moka asked, her tone frail and her pale skin even paler than before, Tsukune noticed and wrapped an arm around her to keep her close.

"Only a boy survived. He is currently well but… he got quite the hatred for Excalibur swords for good reasons." I replied and the girl sighed in minor relief while I shifted back to my explanation.

"Still I think it's odd Valper would seek out this four individuals, none of them having something that could work even remotely with this obsession-"

"Not with the sword… but I think there is something useful that Shinso Vampires are known for." Ruby interjected, smiling as she seemed to have got quite the good idea of the situation. "Shinso Vampires are known for many different abilities than normal ones don't have, but the one that is feared the most is their ability to absorb a human's or a monster's lifeforce, knowledge and energy. He is trying to recreate this process but within the user of Excalibur."

"And knowing how bad his obsession is, I would expect him to attack them until he manages to get them."

Everyone shared a grim nod at my affirmation.

Issa hummed and then nodded to himself. "The reason why I requested Azazel's help is also related to the situation about my daughters'… infamous reputations."

Oh?

Oh heck no!

"After what has happened in Tokyo…" The man's eyes closed in silence, few seconds passing as he dropped the metaphorical axe upon my back. I've been having trouble in keeping an eye on them while also dealing with the attempts to attack our family's name." His stare intensified just a little and I felt nervous of keeping eye-contact with him.

Seriously, this is Issa Shuzen. I could hardly keep up with him right now if he attacked me!

"That is why I decided it was for the best to have them recruited within your group. Your objective, the contract to join and the promising rewards are more than acceptable for us and… I will be grateful for the acceptance to this request of mine."

We could-

No, we are not recruiting those two.

I know that-

If you know stuff, then you should be the one saying no to him. We are talking about two insane women with dangerous powers.

"Sakakibara-sama." A feminine voice I was unfamiliar with spoke, my attention brought to Akua as the young woman was now standing up and looking fiercely at me. "While I know that my terrible past might be a deterrent, I beg you to at least take in my sister Kahlua." She bowed slightly. "While I can manage with my aggressors, I know my younger sister isn't ready to face our attackers and-"

She sighed, starting to unbutton her upper dress. "I-I will allow you to make use of my body."



I stood up and lifted my open palm up at her as a gesture to stop. "PLEASE STOP WITH THAT!"

Akua stopped, looking quite confused for a moment, just two buttons moved as I sighed loudly. "T-There is no need to do that…" She unbuttoned another one. "I mean it! Stop!"

Her hands moved away from her buttons and she looked incredibly… dumbfounded at my reaction. "A-Am I perhaps ugly?" The young woman stuttered nervously.

"What- No!" I replied quickly, then I sighed tiredly. "I was already thinking about taking you both in, what you were trying to do was incredibly i-indecent and-"

"But I noticed how Aono would be subjected to this kind of attention from the girls and I thought that this was the best way to get a man's acceptance to a proposal." She seemed rather innocent with her explanation and… I blinked.





Oh no, she is so clueless about the context of such action!

And while I tried to understand what was going on, Tsukune had his head forcefully planted on the surface of the table, trying to avoid the glances from the girls at remembering and the glare Issa was throwing at him.

The eldest daughter looked even more confused at this development while Kahlua glanced around with a smile and let out a giggle.

"This is funny." She muttered while relaxing on her chair, enjoying the chaos around her.

Few moments later, Akua managed to recover and nodded. "Still, I don't think it would be right for my new contractor to hire me without I proved to him my skills and… I wish to spar with you, Sakakibara-sama."

"...Eh?" I replied intelligently but the girl nodded again before she turned towards Ruby and asked. "Could it be possible to use a small place indoors to fight? I wish to avoid dealing with 'interruptions' from the outside."

The Witch blinked once before nodding slowly. "I-It could be done but-"

"Good." The female vampire returned to glance back at me, giving me a smile. "I hope you are as strong as you are considered, Sakakibara-sama. I don't wish to disappoint nor I wish to be disappointed neither."

There was some attempt of protest from the 'harem' but it was Issa that stood up and turned to look at his first child, eyes piercing as he glanced right on her red orbs. "Why do you wish to fight Sakakibara-san if he accepted you to the group, Akua?"

The ravenette blinked and then nodded, the ominous smile still there.

"He interests me."

---------d-d-d-----------d-d-d---------d--d-d-----------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d--

AN

"You promised blood, you promised skulls! Ya traitor!"

Why there isn't a fight in this chapter? Today I wounded up with a mind-splitting headache and some fever.

To make you understand how big this is, I started to write at 6AM and finished now at 2PM. 8 Hours spent trying to focus on the chapter and giving a very poor length to it.

I am sorry it's short and lacks a fight, tomorrow morning I will have 6k ready for you all to enjoy.

But not today…

Now let us move to something about the content of the chapter. Akua's personality was difficult to capture in words as I had to re-read some of the chapters she was in, read bits from the Wikia and I ended up with some ideas about her overall personality: Akua Shuzen is brutal and cruel in a fight as this is how fights work in her psyche, yet when she is out of the battlefield and with her family her whole attitude change to one akin to a supportive older sibling to her sisters. Akua was born in poverty, her childhood was cut short by the death of her first and best friend and the lack of affection and love created a very awkward individual. Someone that understands the basic of love, but is very keen to go overboard with her caring to the point of becoming an obsession, one that easily can kill people between her and her object of affection.

The fight will have a dual function and hopefully I will nail the deeper part of it.

And after this?

Cheers!

Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.
 
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Understanding and the Prelude of Madness
Chapter 28: Understanding and the Prelude of Madness

The dojo-like room that was picked as the place for the planned spar was fairly large and something that reminded me of the training room back home. It was styled after a normal Karate Dojo, with tatami mattresses covering the floor and small runes erected to keep up the situation under-control.

The spar rules were simple:

1) No Magic was allowed from my part but Akua was limited in making use of her physical advantage as a Vampire;

2) No special moves like Senjutsu or the Jigen-Tou were to be used. We had to keep things to a proper pace;

3) No killing blows, only disabling and knocking the opponent out.

Simple rules that still left me in quite the uneasy situation as I was going to fight someone with a precise fighting style that stemmed from pure assassination techniques, cultivated by practice and discipline. She had more or less two decades of raw experience on the field and the girl's speed was still be an issue to deal with even with the limits imposed.

Just as Ruby took the stand on the middle section of the side, dividing the two groups of spectator for the fight, I saw her lift her hand up as she prepared to begin the spa and-

"Begin!"

Even through my brain and body felt ready, the word felt so sudden and unexpected as we both rushed to action. My eyes readjusting, fixed at Akua's stance as the vampire assumed an oddly familiar guard, but I didn't make further advances my way as I was unwilling of clashing with someone this strong without some more hints of her style.

Blinking, I finally went for a probing attack, hoping to try and see what was going on with that guard of hers and… soon I found myself forced back at the angry set of punches and quick kicks that retaliated right before I could even get close enough to her.

I dodged, ducked, deflected and then tried to counter the sudden bout of aggressiveness but the effort behind it proved to be as taxing as difficult.

Her face was calm, collected in a peaceful but tense expression, and her movements were perfectly crafted within her active position, highlighted by her shocking edge in putting me already on a defensive mindset.

Yet young woman's eyes were unfocused as this happened, seemingly distracted in the fight and looking as if... thinking of something about the situation.

I found out about her reason to appear so absent-like the harsh way. Or 'via hard kick in the ribs'.

I grunted at the pain and I realized fairly quickly that her defense was looking to be way too strong and problematic to deal in a normal situation.

Two minutes of mere attention at not getting hit passed, my patience was thinning quite quickly as I felt like there was a clue about what was going on and yet I was missing it so dumbly. And while I was the one recovering from some damage, the fierce engagement was a stalemate as her attacking force sacrificed to grant to her body a nigh-unbreakable guard.

With my brain too attentive to the 'present' rather than analyzing what was the real problem in this early stage of the brawl, I knew from past experience with the spars with Azazel and Baraqiel that hesitation wasn't acceptable, and so I decided to get some distance between us, away from what felt like an ugly attrition war.

The moment I took two steps backward, the dark-haired former assassin seemed to spring into action and adopt a more-aggressive pacing, as if predicting what I was planning all along. Her arms and legs tensed as she rushed quickly forcing me to deal with a renewed flurry of punches and kicks, this time I did felt some noticeable damage.

Groaning inwardly, I felt my attention shattered while I continued to think how I was supposed to deal against her, and for a moment I thought I was going to lose this fight quite quickly because of the flexible and punitive style of my opponent.

It was in the middle of the painful reckoning of possible defeat that I was reminded that there was another 'individual' within my head that wasn't affected by the pressure and nervousness.

She is using Wing Chun.

So… you mean to tell me that-

You could have asked that, yes. You just weren't thinking straight. That's fighting nervousness is.

My eyes widened in realization, the Chinese martial arts style was one of the few I could recognize, especially since it was portrayed and showed multiple times in the films depicting Yip Man's life.

The renowned fighting style that the master of Bruce Lee was known for his expert grasp, was something of an annoyance to face as it relied on the capacity of the user to counter-attack quickly and sternly.

It was mostly defensive, but some users were also known for developing an aggressive 'baiting' to get the first attacks on them going. It looked like Akua had learned from this little group, her insane speed and reaction time giving me quite the trouble but now I knew what I was supposed to do.

While the Wing Chun was a fearsome technique, it had some glaring weaknesses and opening that I knew how to exploit and the only price was… getting hit once or twice while going in an offensive.

So I did rush forward, ready to bask in some aching retribution as I let one of the kick slam in one of my elbows but I finallymanaged to swiftly land a punch on her face.

The surprise painted in Akua's face was inspiring and, combined with the little hesitation at the sudden breach in her previously strong defense, I was already capitalizing over her shock by getting another punch through one of the exposed openings, this one reaching her left-side and bruising some of her ribs, before throwing a kick onto her stomach, causing her lungs to forcefully expel the air held within them.

She finally snapped back to reality from the momentary confusion, pushing herself away from my reach and recoiling from the punishment of being this careless with her pacing. The young woman blinked and nodded.

"I suppose you noticed." She stated quietly, a little grimace plastered in her face at the fact her initial attempt had failed.

That wasn't her best performance, I was sure of that. The wasn't using her best fighting style because this had been her attempt to study me.

I should have realized sooner that she wasn't truly fighting at her peak performance, but playing around against me for a while, using a fighting style she was less experienced with while also gauging my capacity to 'escape' her initial probing.

That was her initial probing, a warm-up to what was going to happen relatively soon now.

"That you were holding back?" I guessed loudly for the spectators to hear and she nodded.

"The info I've on you says that you are particularly keen in the use of magic, but there is very little about your prowess in close-fighting." She replied with blunt honesty. "For someone that surfaced only recently in the 'underworld', your speed and strength are… admirable."

I bowed a little. "Kind words-"

"Honest words." Akua interjected almost petulantly, her lips twitching with mild-annoyance. "I don't praise people that aren't worth of such judgment." She conluded with a sigh.

"I understand." I nodded her way as I took my stance, ready to resume the spar. "And I genuinely apologized for having accused you, Shuzen-san."

An accepting nod, then she rushed forward and I was proved right by the fact her pacing increased.

I mustered my defense up, forcefully denying the precise hits coming mostly from Akua's hands.

Sighing and noticing that I was starting to get winded, I knew it was now time to brave the real aspect of this difficult spar and see how far I've gone with my training. Diodora had been but a mere proof that I was on a high-level, but this battle was going to give me a proper study of the results yielded by Baraqiel's regiment.

I began returning hit with hit, the female vampire quite flexible in dodging the incoming strikes while also keeping up with the several attacks thrown at me.

My arms and legs were starting to burn a little at the fatigue accumulated after almost ten minutes spent against the former Assassin. I was starting to suffer through this spar and I knew that she was aware of that too.

This woman… to get me this winded after just some minutes in this spar-

I ducked to avoid a quick punch and I rushed to slam my knee up on her chest, forcing her to take some steps back before returning to the close exchange. Leg meets leg, fist meets fist, the danse macabre was starting to rear its ugly rear as I knew that I was once more on the losing side of this encounter.

She was just too durable because of her Vampiric body, which couldn't be limited by normal rules and I could genuinely feel my body starting to demand some quick reprieve just to recover from the stress I was gaining the more I continued the engagement.

"You are slowing down." Akua commented calmly, almost teasingly in a dry manner. "Is this your limit?" She asked quietly, yet I could feel a different edge to it.

I knew it wasn't some mocking coming from her mouth, but my mind was far too much in the fight to be taking under consideration the fact she was just being polite. The small pride I had over my strength starting to boil angrily in my head as it craved some retribution of sort.

I was tired and anger was only a consequence of being this inadequate of fighting on this tier.

Burning within my soul, achingly so, I felt the strains once pulling my body down disappear as a sudden chilling sensation started to spread through my entire body. I blinked just once, I was back at attacking the young woman and displaying the same if not a better presentation of my form in my attack and defense.

The vampire raised a surprised brow as she found her arms swatted away quite suddenly, one punch slamming harshly on her stomach, the strength behind it forcing her to crash down on the floor, eyes looking up wide and in perplexity.

Surprise turned in to confusion as she swiftly stood up and returned to her stance, eyes narrowing on me.

"And now your speed is higher than before." The Shuzen remarked with genuine interest. "You are still holding back." She condemned with a frown.

I didn't reply, my attention completely taken by her next actions but… she didn't move just yet.

"I must admit that you are fairly strong for a human." Her voice leaked some of her surprise. "But I do find it quite interesting that I can't truly see what drove you to gain this much power."

I blinked. "What?"

"Humans are greedy people," She replied coldly. "They always seek to obtain something, to steal from others. Yours, what was your desire?"

Admittedly, her claim wasn't wrong, but it was still an overshot. Her childhood was proving to have influenced her more than any other memory in her lifetime.

I tilted my head to the side. "You are quite racist." My comeback was unexpected, especially by how she looked at hearing it.

She blinked, quite shocked by my statement. "Racist?" The young woman parroted back, only for me to shrug.

"I don't think your thought over humanity is as legitimate and objective as you make it." I continued without hesitation. "There are people that do important stuff without seeking anything selfish onto them."

"Humanity is cursed by being led by selfish desires." Akua retorted sternly, her slits flaring a darker red. "And I bet you are the same as them-"

"Don't you dare paint me in such light!" I returned furiously, my face turning red in anger. "I know that you were hurt by morons, but to even think I would be one of the bastards that hurt her-"

I stopped, my mouth closing rapidly as her eyes widened at the reference I almost relayed.

Her stance softened just a brief moment, before her eyes narrowed on me and she rushed once more against me.

"You don't know anything!" She almost yelled for the first time breaking her composure as her fist partly unfolded and her hands started to glow a familiar light-blue.

She was using the Jigen-Tou, her eyes sending a new pure sense of hatred directed at me.

I ducked, dodging the first hit and suddenly turning in my Senjutsu mode. Her keen vampiric senses were quick to perceive the immediate shift in power and the young woman proceeded to adopt a more cautious but aggressive attack pattern, but still refused to back away from that encounter.

I was unaware of what the group witnessing this was doing, especially now that the rules were off so suddenly and without notice, but I was once more rushing at her with the same passion.

"I know that you fault yourself over that." I returned with some strength, my punch hitting her chin with a uppercut. "That you could have saved her and-"

I turned away from another strike of Jigen-Tou, a small cut forming on my cheek as my reaction time was almost near as hers at full power, but not quick enough to dodge her attack perfectly.

"She could have lived happily," Akua interjected harshly. "She could have survived against those foul people living in that village." A snarl present in her face, I knew I had pressed her berserk button, but I was completely caught unaware by the destructive power it was giving her.

I landed two powerful punches on her torso, but she seemed to shrug them off as she went to take a swing at my chest with her 'Dimensional Cutter'. The only victim was my shirt as it now sported a large opening because of the devastating attack.

"She trusted them and they betrayed her trust. They killed her and-"

"You could have stopped her. Yet you didn't." I sternly interrupted, kicking her leg away and slamming a furious kick on her ribs.

She jumped away and paused at my quick interruption. "I tried to-" Her explanation was cut down by a grunt from me.

"But you still decided to let her go and try nonetheless." I pressed on, unwilling to let the fight continue at this pace. "Because you believed that there was hope too!" I was starting to feel too much strained, her swift and precise hits having dealt some damage to my muscles.

"She was begging me to let her go!" Akua rebuked, her breathing growing erratic. "She wanted to make friends with the humans, to break away from that loneliness and-"

"You didn't want to break her heart." I finished for the woman. "You didn't want to deny her and your own hopes of finding more happiness in the future." I almost whispered to the wide-eyed vampire. "You didn't want to lose that purity that she had and that you found so endearing and awe-striking."

There was no response, her stance lessened as there was a minor pause.

"I can't say that you are the best person possible, Akua Shuzen, I know you did some terrible things because you thought them part of the right way." I sighed tiredly and softened my guard myself. "But I know for a fact that you are still a good person deep down, one that never gave up to try and get some peace from this."

"Y-You are wrong-" She tried to rebuke, stopping as if expecting me to interrupt once again and… I didn't.

I didn't need to. The girl knew it too that her stance over humanity had already been broken years ago.

It wasn't me, it wasn't Akashiya- no, it was Moka.

Like Dante with Beatrice, Akua found clarity and confirmation that a way of peace existed… she just didn't feel worthy enough to walk with her sisters.

And now that her resilience was crippled by the truth itself, I decided it was time to throw my own penny in.

Before coming to the Gakuen, I did make some research for eventually-important info to have over some of the people and… I found the dark-haired vampire's dossier.

Many crimes, many deaths but also… some unknown situations that were never explained. Or at least, to those that didn't know what was going on with her morality.

"I checked on your career," She tensed up at the sudden shift of topic, but I was still continued before she could protest. "And most of your missions were about taking down known-criminals, hardly going for those who had done anything terrible." I paused a moment, her newfound tension starting to simmer down at my words. "You also smuggled kidnapped children if there were any while on your missions." I reminded her, her eyes half-closing at that much info about her being given out to the public but she sighed.

"I seek death through battle, I seek an end to my pain." She admitted harshly, eyes hardening but her target… not me. "I am not a good person." Her conclusion was as saddening as legitimate.

But I didn't believe in any of that crap.

I blinked. "Nope, that just makes you a good person that is also a moron."

People do horrible things, everyone is a sinner for their own reason… but for someone like Akua? I could honestly say that I could see why she was this much deep in the darkest bits of society, finding solace in decadence and hoping for a quick end.

The mind of someone that didn't care anymore and that couldn't do.

I can't just accept it.

"B-Beg your pardon?" Her tone was frail and I continued.

"Being a good person doesn't exactly mean being happy, Akua. Your happiness is partial, your joy is dependent to the ones of those part of your family and… I think you shouldn't give up to that. At least, not yet."

Her eyes darted momentarily at the spectators and I saw her look at Moka specifically. Everyone looked quite nervous at what had just happened, even Kunou looked ready to jump in the arena, but they were all avoiding to interrupt this.

Akua's eyes closed, her breathing turning calm as peaceful time passed.

"T-Then what should I do?" She asked, failing to grasp at my attempt and thus… I went all in.

"You are Akua Shuzen," I said with a small smile. "The newest member of the Omega Initiative, a woman in seek of redemption and a dummy for trying to just giving up so easily." I stated with the most serious of tones. "You passed the spar and hopefully I will have a loyal ally from now on?"

I stretched my hand towards her, waiting for the girl to either accept the offer or not.

The vampire blinked, red eyes darting to the stretched open palm and then back at me, her lips twitching as she took a step, then two. Finally, she ended up right in front of me, my eyes widening in surprise at the sudden closeness and then she moved forward… her lips landing on my neck.

I felt teeth.

Capu-chu~!

In that exact moment, several things happened all at once.

Moka and Tsukune both blushed madly while receiving the annoyed and accusing stares from the rest of the harem. Kuroka's jaws hit the floor at that sudden intimate action, her mind starting to formulate how to not lose to this possible new rival.

Meanwhile Kunou's and Koneko's faces were now shadowed while an aura of unholy fury coated them in outrage at this blatant claim of possession this woman was marking on their mutual older sibling.

SHE IS BITING MY NECK!

Fuck, this is sure going to become a running gag!

She pulled back quite quickly, her tongue licking off some of the blood remaining in her lips, a smile present in her face. "You got a highly-nutrient blood, friend."

T-That was painful and- Friend?!

"Uh… Akua-san?" She hummed at her name being called as I went for the question. "C-Can I ask you what do you know about biting people and sucking their blood."

The dark-haired girl blinked confused.

"It's what new friends do, Hoitsu-san." She replied. "Or at least that was what I could garner from the way Moka-chan bites her best friend, Aono, so much."

...Oh no, this is not happening.

"T-That is not what it actually means- Uh?"

But before I could explain, I felt a large amount of Killing Intent washing over me as two pale hands grasped painfully at my shoulders, I glanced back and my eyes widened in dread at seeing Issa, the man giving me a terrible wide-eyed glare.

"So you are saying that now you want to be more than friends with my daughter."

He is seriously trying to fake some misunderstanding there! It's just like in the After-Story!

Just as I hoped that the escalation could be defused somehow with some proper verbal intervention, someone decided to join in with the madness still growing in that particular spot of the school.

"Papa! Can I become Hoitsu-san's friend too?" Kahlua butted in, the tanned vampire giggling, her eyes locking onto the untouched side of my neck and causing me to shiver at the hungry glance she was giving me. "Do I have to bite him or-"

"He will accept you without requesting such thing." The patriarch of the family interrupted quickly, squeezing harder as to emphasize his point. "Am I right, young man?"

"I-Indeed!" I replied quickly, the blonde girl pouting at my quick answer but then nodded once more.

"Then, I want to do something about it." She hummed and then, without asking for permission nor giving any notice, she swiftly went for a hug. "There! It's just like with Momo-chan and Kokoa-tan and- Oh my, it's super nice!"

The naive insane girl pressed herself more onto me, urging her parent to further squeeze my poor shoulders in return.

I'm going to die. I'm going to die and then get killed.

Shirou Emiya would be proud of you…

SHUT UP!

At least I wasn't getting any issue from Akua, the dark-haired vampire deciding to not join in, but to stare at the situation from afar while smiling a little at the happiness exuding from Kahlua.

Today sure is a memorable day.

---------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d---------d-d-d-d---------d-d-d-d-------

Several hours later, Tokyo.

If there is something that irritated him the most about his morning routine, it was the late hour he was forced to abide to when going to visit his girlfriend.

Glancing in front of him while keeping a relaxed pace and posture, Baki Hanma yawned as he went calmly through the last tasks of his usual everyday.

It's been almost a full year since he had fought equally against his father, Yujiro Hanma deciding to go for a world-wide trip that had yet to conclude after said match. It was an odd reaction from the Ogre, but the 'Strongest Man' didn't care a single bit about the suddenness and the peace he was left to deal with at Yujiro's departure.

He was given the chance of enjoying his life without having to deal with his revenge, to nurture the relationship he had with Kozue and possibly settle down, away from the dangerous life he had lived until now.

Another yawn, his lazy stare followed up to the cloudless sky. The stars were glowing just a little, proving their existence as the moon was the main lead of the delightful sight he would receive while walking to Kozue's home.

He was about to yawn for a third time when he felt something. Pausing instantly, the boy glanced around and soon he felt footsteps rapidly approaching from behind.

Rushing around, he barely dodged the strange tentacle-like tendril trying to back-stab him, the sharp object cutting part of his shirt's side. His eyes narrowed as he found himself staring at two red-cloaked individuals with familiar masks.

Ghouls had lived in Tokyo for a long time now, but to see them wandering in the Chūō ward? It would seem like someone was either ballsy or suicidal.

"Son of Yujiro Hanma, your death shall be granted by Aogiri Tree and-!!"

But before he could finish, the brunet was already charging forward. The second Ghoul had his Ukaku unfolding, pellets made by RC cells trying to intercept the swift brawler, but the boy was already upon them by the time he tried to take aim.

The first punch crushed the Ukaku's mask, shattering his nose too while the untouched one tried to help out his comrade. Baki, wasn't unfamiliar with Ghouls, but after facing some logic-defying individuals in the last few years, he felt particularly confident of his skills to deal with monsters of this caliber.

With a calm smirk, he proceeded to lift with two fingers the approaching punch and kick mightily the attacking Ghoul's chest. His leg slammed angrily on the ribs of the flesh-eating figure, blood spurting out of the being's mouth as he fell lifeless on the ground.

The Hanma's attention shifted back to the still-recoiling Ukaku and the boy sighed. "Look, I'm going to let you go if you tell me who really sent you and why." Quick and curt, the Ghoul actually paused with some minor interest, but then something like a broken chuckle leaving through the holes of his mask at that ultimatum.

"I-If you think th-that we will be t-terrified by- GAH!" Another punch impacted on the Ghoul's face, the hit being fatal as the monster fell backward, quickly to turn lifeless as his skull fractured at that second hit.

The brunet sighed at the bloody results of his self-defense, thinking if he should have now called the CCG or not to deal with those pests. Just as he was about to pick up his phone, he paused at the sounds of… wings?

Body tensing at another intruder, Baki turned around to see where this sound was coming from and… he was graced by the sight of a strange and unfamiliar man wearing normal clothes and no mask.

Standing just a little bit above him, this individual had brown hair with the frontal bit being blond. He was smiling, while glancing at the aftermath of the recent fighting.

"Seems like you did manage to fend off against your first attackers." The stranger muttered loudly, still smiling. "That proves that you truly are powerful, Hanma-san." His smile widened.

The young man blinked and took a guarded stance towards the man.

"Who are you?" He asked sternly, getting a sigh in return at first.

"Forgive me, young man, but I tend to focus more on the present sometime and…" He stretched his hand towards the human. "I'm Azazel and I wish to share some words with you in a private setting, if possible."

Baki's eyes narrowed at that request and the name, ignoring the attempt for a handshake.

Azazel? It sounded familiar, from Christianity if he had to take an educated guess, but the boy had hardly focused on religion ever since his mother's funeral and the… training.

"How can I trust you, Azazel-san? I can't certainly-"

There was a brief pause, the smile was still there as behind him four dead cloaked figures fell on the empty street, lances piercing their bodies.

"We share a common enemy, Hanma-san," The stranger pointed out with a more serious tone. "And I wish to offer to you a way to deal with the threat before they can try to hurt you precious ones." He

A blink, then two, the brunet considered how trustworthy the man could actually be and if he should truly lead him back to Kozue's home. Should he take the risk, maybe even try to be ready to fight him if the situation escalated?

"How do I know that you aren't with this ghouls? You could have killed your comrades-"

"First thing first, those poor bastards aren't my comrades, brat." Azazel replied annoyingly. "Also, if I wanted to cause harm to you and your family, I would have done it without making this encounter happen. My men have been guarding your girlfriend for a while now and I thought you would have appreciated to have some warnings about what is going on."

The boy's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You- You got men spying on Kozue!?"

How could he? Does it mean that his girlfriend was a hostage?

Maybe it was just like it did happen against Sikorsky!

"'Guarding'." Azazel replied dryly at the outburst. "As in making sure no one attacked her while you were away doing some training." He paused, sighing tiredly and biting down a yawn. "I can't tell more until I'm sure we are safe from unneeded ears and I genuinely wants to help you with what is going on, Baki Hanma." He offered kindly.

The smile had vanished, a serious thin line now present in Azazel's face and the young man blinked at what he was hearing. An endless stream of questions riddled his mind about why Aogiri Tree, an Anti-CCG organization, was targeting him of all people and what did this man wanted to do with him.

He sighed, this situation was turning way too complicated way too quickly and… maybe he should bite the bullet. He couldn't sense maliciousness from Azazel and while he seemed to be different from any individuals he had ever met, Baki felt like he could now trust this man.

It was his guts that said so, the very instinct that helped him during his fights that confirmed such thing was actually viable.

Finally, he sighed and nodded. "You will have to tell me everything, Azazel-san. I don't wish to be kept in the dark after what has happened this evening." The human demanded

The smile was back.

"As you wish, young Hanma."

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AN

End of the Rosario+Vampire X-over with Akua and Kahlua joining the group and… here is the strongest man in the world. For those uncultured about 'Baki the Grappler' or only basing their knowledge off from the old anime and the one in Netflix, this happens after the end of Baki's manga, after he fight and… (Spoiler) against Yujiro.

And yes, Baki lives in Tokyo and so… Tokyo Ghoul. Why the fux I put Ghouls in there too?

While some will be quick to call a contrast with the RV's lore, since Vampiric Ghouls exist, I can say that the name 'Ghoul' to the TG's flesh-eaters is given by humans, while the Vampiric Ghouls are called as such by Yokai. TG's Ghouls are not part of Yokais and they don't have anything barely representing a governing body, thus… yeah they are the odds one in this part of the world.

Also, before anyone says that Baki is too 'weak', by the end of the Manga he is able to use a posture that grants him exceptional strength that helps him not only push Yujiro for several meters but also a small truck behind the Ogre.

P.S. The Tokyo Ghoul bit will actually be an AU happening few days before Jason kidnapped Kaneki that I've long contemplated to make use of. Some characters' status will be… different than canon.

PROPER DATE for this story: Early July, 2011 AD

Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.
 
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Chapter 28: Understanding and the Prelude of Madness

The quite large dojo-like room that was picked as the place for the spar was something that reminded me of the training room back home. It was styled after a normal Karate Dojo and the people around it made the real difference as Akua and I went to the proper positions.

The spar rules were simple:

1) No Magic but limited usage of Vampiric potential;

2) No special moves like Senjutsu or the Jigen-Tou;

3) No killing blows, only disabling and knocking the opponent out.

Simple rules that still left me in a disadvantaged situation as I was going to fight someone with a precise fighting style that stemmed from pure assassination techniques. She had more or less two decades of raw experience on the field and her the girl's speed was going to still be an issue to deal with.

Just as Ruby took the stand on the side, dividing the two groups of spectator for the fight, I saw her lift her hand up as she prepared to begin the spar.

"Begin!" Even through my brain and body felt ready, the word felt so sudden and unexpected. My eyes readjusting fixedly at Akua as the vampire assumed an oddly familiar stance, but didn't make further advances my way.

Blinking I slowly went for a probing attack, to try and see what was going on with that guard and… soon I found myself forced to back away at the angry set of punches and quick kicks that started right as I got close enough for her to attack.

I dodged, ducked, deflected and then tried to counter the sudden bout of aggressiveness. Her face was calm, composed and her movements were perfectly realized as she managed to put me in a difficult spot so early on.

Yet young woman's eyes were unfocused, as if distracted during the fight while she was thinking of something and I found it the hard way, or 'via hard kick in the ribs', that her defense was fairly strong and problematic.

Two minutes of mere focus passed, my patience thinning just few moments as I felt like there was a clue about what was going on and yet I was missing it so dumbly. The fierce engagement was a stalemate, her attacking force sacrificed to grant to her body a nigh-unbreakable guard.

With my brain too attentive of the 'present' rather than analyzing what was the real problem in this early stage of the brawl, I decided to get some distance between us as I felt that this was turning in an ugly attrition war.

The moment I took two steps backward, the dark-haired former assassin seemed to spring into action, as if preceding what I was planning all along. Her arms and legs tensed as she rushed quickly forcing me to deal with a renewed flurry of punches and kicks.

Groaning inwardly, I felt my attention lacking while thinking about what to do against her and for a moment I thought I was going to lose this fight quite quickly.

But then I was reminded that there was another 'individual' within my head and I received help.

She is using Wing Chun.

Eyes widening, the Chinese martial arts style was one of the few I could recognize, especially since it was portrayed and showed multiple times in the films depicting Yip Man's life. The renowned fighting style that the master of Bruce Lee was known for his expert grasp, was something of an annoyance to face as it relied on the capacity of the user to counter-attack quickly and sternly.

It was mostly defensive, but some users were also known for developing an aggressive 'baiting' to get the first attacks on them going. It looked like Akua had learned from this little group, her insane speed and reaction time giving me quite the trouble but now I knew what I was supposed to do.

As much as dangerous Wing Chun was, it had some glaring weaknesses and opening that I knew how to exploit and the only price was… getting hit once or twice while going in an offensive.

So I did rush forward, letting one of the kick slam in one of my elbows as I managed to swiftly land a punch on her face.

The surprise painted in Akua's face, combined with the little hesitation at the sudden breach in her previously strong defense, was capitalized by getting another punch, this one reaching her left-side and bruising some of her ribs, and a kick onto her stomach, causing her lungs to forcefully expel the air held within them.

She finally snapped back to reality, pushing herself away from my reach and recoiling from the punishment at being this careless with her pacing. The young woman blinked and nodded.

"I suppose you noticed." She stated quietly, a little grimace plastered in her face.

That wasn't her best performance. She wasn't using her best fighting style.

I should have realized sooner that she wasn't truly fighting, but playing around for a while, using a fighting style she was less experienced with while also gauging my capacity to 'escape' her initial probing.

That was her initial probing, a warm-up to what was going to happen relatively soon now.

"That you were holding back?" I guessed loudly for the spectators to hear and she nodded.

"The info I've on you says that you are particularly keen in the use of magic, but there is very little about your prowess in close-fighting." She replied. "For someone that surfaced only recently, our speed and strength are… admirable."

I bowed a little. "Kind words-"

"Honest words." She interjected, her lips twitching with mild-annoyance. "I don't praise people that aren't worth of such judgment."

"I understand." I nodded her way. "And I genuinely apologized for having accused you, Shuzen-san."

An accepting nod, then she rushed forward, the pacing increasing as my defense was forcefully mustered up to deny the precise hits coming mostly from Akua's hands.

Sighing, I knew it was now time to brave the real aspect of this difficult spar and I began returning hit with hit, the female vampire quite flexible in dealing with the incoming strikes and keeping up the several attacks thrown at me.

My arms and legs were starting to burn a little at the fatigue accumulated after almost ten minutes spent against the former Assassin.

This woman… to get me this winded after just some minutes in this spar-

I ducked to avoid a quick punch, kneeling up on her chest and forcing her to take some steps back before returning to the close exchange. Leg meets leg, fist meets fist, the danse macabre was starting to rear its ugly rear as I knew that I was on the losing side of this encounter.

She was just too durable because of her Vampiric body and I could genuinely feel my body starting to demand some quick rest to recover from the stress I was gaining the more I continued the engagement.

"You are slowing down." Akua commented calmly. "Is this your limit?"

I knew it wasn't some mocking coming from her mouth, but my mind was far too much in the fight to be taking under consideration the fact she was just being polite. The small pride I had over my strength started to boil angrily in my head.

Burning within my soul, achingly so, I felt the strains disappear to a sudden chilling sensation spreading through my entire body. I blinked just once, I was back at attacking the young woman.

The vampire raised a surprised brow as she found her arms swatted away quite suddenly, one punch slamming harshly on her stomach, the strength behind it forcing her to crash down on the floor.

Surprise turned in to confusion while she swiftly stood up and returned to her stance.

"And now your speed is higher than before." The Shuzen remarked. "You are still holding back a little more."

I didn't reply, my attention completely taken by her next actions but… she didn't move just yet.

"I must admit that you are fairly strong for a human." Her voice leaked some of her surprise. "But I do find it quite interesting that I can't truly see what drove you to gain this much power."

I blinked. "What?"

"Humans are greedy people, they always seek to obtain something, to steal from others. Yours, what was your desire?"

I tilted my head to the side. "You are quite racist."

She blinked, quite shocked by my statement. "Racist?"

"I don't think your thought is as legitimate as you make it." I continued without hesitation. "There are people that do important stuff without seeking anything selfish onto them."

"Humanity is cursed by being led by selfish desires." Akua retorted sternly. "And you are the same as them-"

"Don't you dare paint me in such light!" I returned furiously, my face turning red in anger. "I know that you were hurt, but to even think I would be one of the bastards that hurt he-"

I stopped, my mouth closing rapidly as her eyes widened at the reference I almost relayed.

Her stance softened just a brief moment, before her eyes narrowed on me and she rushed once more against me.

"You don't know anything!" She almost yelled, her fist partly unfolded as her hands glowed a familiar light-blue. She was using the Jigen-Tou, her eyes seething a new pure sense of hatred directed at me.

I ducked, dodging the first hit and suddenly turning in my Senjutsu mode. Her keen vampiric senses were quick to perceive the immediate shift in power and the young woman proceeded to adopt a more cautious but aggressive attack pattern.

"I know that you fault yourself over that." I returned with some strength. "That you could have saved her and-"

I turned away from another strike of Jigen-Tou, a small cut forming on my cheek as my reaction time was almost near as hers at full power, but not quick enough to dodge her attack perfectly.

"She could have lived happily, she could have survived against those foul people living in that village." A snarl present in her face, I knew I had pressed her berserk button, but I was completely caught unaware by the destructive power it was giving her.

I landed two powerful punches on her torso, but she seemed to shrug them off as she went to take a swing at my chest with her 'Dimensional Cutter'. The only victim was my shirt as it now sported a large opening because of the devastating attack.

"She trusted them and they betrayed her trust. They killed her and-"

"You didn't stop her."

She paused at my quick interruption. "I tried to-"

"But decided to let her go nonetheless." I pressed on, unwilling to let the fight continue at this pace. I was starting to feel too much strained, her swift and precise hits having dealt some damage to my muscles.

"She was begging me to let her go!" Akua rebuked, her breathing growing erratic. "She wanted to make friends with the humans, to break away from that loneliness and-"

"You didn't want to break her heart." I finished for the woman. "You didn't want to deny her hopes of finding more happiness in the future. You didn't want to lose that purity that she had and that you found so endearing."

There was no response.

"I can't say that you are the best person possible, Akua Shuzen." I sighed tiredly. "But I know for a fact that you are still a good one deep down."

"You are wrong-"

"I checked on your career and… most of your missions were about taking down known-criminals, hardly going for those who had done anything terrible and… you did smuggle kidnapped children out of a building during one of said missions." I reminded her, her eyes half-closing at that much info about her being given out to the public but she sighed.

"I seek death through battle, I seek an end to my pain. I am not a good person."

I blinked. "Nope, that just makes you a good person that is also a moron."

"B-Beg your pardon?"

A sigh left my lips. "Being a good person doesn't mean being happy, Akua. Your happiness is partial, your joy is dependent to the ones of those part of your family and… I think you shouldn't give up. At least, not yet."

"T-Then what should I do?" She continued, failing to grasp at my attempt and thus… I went all in.

"You are Akua Shuzen, the newest member of the Omega Initiative, a woman in seek of redemption and a dummy for trying to just giving up so easily." I stated with the most serious of tones. "You passed the spar and hopefully I will have a loyal ally from now on?"

I extended my hand, waiting for her to either accept the offer or not. She blinked, red eyes darting to the stretched open palm and then back at me, her lips twitching as she took a step, then two.

She ended up right in front of me, my eyes widening in surprise at the sudden closeness and then she moved forward… her lips landing on my neck.

I felt teeth.

Capu-chu~!

In that exact moment, several things happened all at once.

Moka and Tsukune both blushed madly while receiving the annoyed and accusing stares from the rest of the harem. Kuroka's jaws hit the floor at that sudden intimate action, her mind starting to formulate how to not lose to this possible new rival.

Meanwhile Kunou's and Koneko's faces were now shadowed while an aura of unholy fury coated them in outrage at this blatant claim of possession this woman was marking on their mutual older sibling.

SHE IS BITING MY NECK!

Fuck, this is sure going to become a running gag!

She pulled back quite quickly, her tongue licking off some of the blood remaining in her lips, a smile present in her face. "You got a highly-nutrient blood, friend."

T-That was painful and- Friend?!

"Uh… Akua-san?" She hummed at her name being called. "C-Can I ask you what do you know about biting people and sucking their blood."

She blinked confused. "It's what new friends do, Hoitsu-san." She replied. "Or at least that was what I could garner from the way Moka-chan bites her best friend, Aono, so much."

...Oh no, this is not happening.

"T-That is not what it actually means- Uh?"

But before I could explain, I felt a large amount of Killing Intent washing over me as two pale hands grasped painfully at my shoulders, I glanced back and my eyes widened in dread at seeing Issa, the man giving me a terrible wide-eyed glare.

"So you are saying that now you want to be more than friends with my daughter."

He is seriously trying to fake some misunderstanding there! It's just like in the After-Story!

Just as I hoped that the escalation could be defused somehow with some proper verbal intervention, someone decided to join in with the madness still growing in that particular spot of the school.

"Papa! Can I become Hoitsu-san's friend too?" Kahlua butted in, the tanned vampire giggling, her eyes locking onto the untouched side of my neck and causing me to shiver at the hungry glance she was giving me. "Do I have to bite him or-"

"He will accept you without requesting such thing." The patriarch of the family interrupted quickly, squeezing harder as to emphasize his point. "Am I right, young man?"

"I-Indeed!" I replied quickly, the blonde girl pouting at my quick answer but then nodded once more.

"Then, I want to do something about it." She hummed and then, without asking for permission nor giving any notice, she swiftly went for a hug. "There! It's just like with Momo-chan and Kokoa-tan and- Oh my, it's super nice!"

The naive insane girl pressed herself more onto me, urging her parent to further squeeze my poor shoulders in return.

I'm going to die. I'm going to die and then get killed.

Shirou Emiya would be proud of you…

SHUT UP!

At least I wasn't getting any issue from Akua, the dark-haired vampire deciding to not join in, but to stare at the situation from afar while smiling a little at the happiness exuding from Kahlua.

Today sure is a memorable day.

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Several hours later, Tokyo.

If there is something that irritated him the most about his morning routine, it was the late hour he was forced to abide to when going to visit his girlfriend.

Glancing in front of him while keeping a relaxed pace and posture, Baki Hanma yawned as he went calmly through the last tasks of his usual everyday.

It's been almost a full year since he had fought equally against his father, Yujiro Hanma deciding to go for a world-wide trip that had yet to conclude after said match. It was an odd reaction from the Ogre, but the 'Strongest Man' didn't care a single bit about the suddenness and the peace he was left to deal with at Yujiro's departure.

He was given the chance of enjoying his life without having to deal with his revenge, to nurture the relationship he had with Kozue and possibly settle down, away from the dangerous life he had lived until now.

Another yawn, his lazy stare followed up to the cloudless sky. The stars were glowing just a little, proving their existence as the moon was the main lead of the delightful sight he would receive while walking to Kozue's home.

He was about to yawn for a third time when he felt something. Pausing instantly, the boy glanced around and soon he felt footsteps rapidly approaching from behind.

Rushing around, he barely dodged the strange tentacle-like tendril trying to back-stab him, the sharp object cutting part of his shirt's side. His eyes narrowed as he found himself staring at two red-cloaked individuals with familiar masks.

Ghouls had lived in Tokyo for a long time now, but to see them wandering in the Chūō ward? It would seem like someone was either ballsy or suicidal.

"Son of Yujiro Hanma, your death shall be granted by Aogiri Tree and-!!" But before he could finish, the brunet was already charging forward. The second Ghoul had his Ukaku unfolding, pellets made by RC cells trying to intercept the swift brawler, but the boy was already upon them by the time he tried to take aim.

The first punch crushed the Ukaku's mask, shattering his nose too while the untouched one tried to help out his comrade. Baki, wasn't unfamiliar with Ghouls, but after facing some logic-defying individuals in the last few years, he felt particularly confident of his skills to deal with monsters of this caliber.

With a calm smirk, he proceeded to lift with two fingers the approaching punch and kick mightily the attacking Ghoul's chest. His leg slammed angrily on the ribs of the flesh-eating figure, blood spurting out of the being's mouth as he fell lifeless on the ground.

The Hanma's attention shifted back to the still-recoiling Ukaku and the boy sighed. "Look, I'm going to let you go if you tell me who really sent you and why." Quick and curt, the Ghoul actually paused, something like a broken chuckle leaving through the holes of his mask at that ultimatum.

"I-If you think th-that we will be t-terrified by- GAH!" Another punch impacted on the Ghoul's face, the hit being fatal as the monster fell backward, quickly to turn lifeless as his skull fractured at that second hit.

The brunet sighed at the bloody results of his self-defense, contemplating if he should have now called the CCG or not. Just as he was about to pick up his phone, he paused at the sounds of… wings?

Body tensing, Baki turned to see where this sound was coming from and… he was graced by the sight of a strange and unfamiliar man.

Standing just a little bit above him, this individual had brown hair with the frontal bit being blond. He was smiling, while glancing at the aftermath of the recent fighting.

"Seems like you did manage to fend off against your first attackers." The stranger muttered loudly, still smiling. "That proves that you truly are powerful, Hanma-san."

The young man blinked and took a guarded stance towards the man. "Who are you?" He asked sternly, getting a sigh in return at first.

"Forgive me, young man, but I tend to focus more on the present sometime and…" His smile widened. "I'm Azazel and I wish to share some words with you in a private setting, if possible."

Baki's eyes narrowed at that request and the name. Azazel? It seemed familiar, from Christianity if he had to take an educated guess, but the boy had hardly focused on religion ever since his mother's funeral.

"How can I trust you, Azazel-san?" There was a brief pause, the smile was still there as behind him four dead cloaked figures fell on the empty street, lances piercing their bodies.

"We share a common enemy, Hanma-san, and I wish to offer to you a way to deal with the threat before they can try to hurt you precious ones."

A blink, then two, the brunet considered how trustworthy the man could actually be and if he should truly lead him back to Kozue's home. Should he take the risk, maybe even try to be ready to fight him if the situation escalated?

"How do I know that you aren't with this ghouls? You could have killed your comrades-"

"First thing first, those poor bastards aren't my comrades, brat." Azazel replied annoyingly. "Also, if I wanted to cause harm to you and your family, I would have done it without making this encounter happen. My men have been guarding your girlfriend for a while now and I thought you would have appreciated to have some warnings about what is going on."

The boy's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You- You got men spying on Kozue!?"

"'Guarding'. As in making sure no one attacked her while you were away doing some training." The man stated dryly. "I can't tell more until I'm sure we are safe from unneeded ears and I genuinely wants to help you with what is going on, Baki Hanma."

The smile had vanished a serious thin line now present in Azazel's face and the young man blinked at what he was hearing. An endless stream of questions riddled his mind about why Aogiri Tree, an Anti-CCG organization, was targeting him of all people and what did this man wanted to do with him.

He sighed, this situation was turning way too complicated way too quickly and… maybe he should bite the bullet. He couldn't sense maliciousness from Azazel and while he seemed to be different from any individuals he had ever met, Baki felt like he could now trust this man.

It was his guts, the very instinct that helped him during his fights that confirmed such thing.

Finally, he sighed and nodded. "You will have to tell me everything, Azazel-san. I don't wish to be kept in the dark after what has happened this evening."

The smile was back. "As you wish, young Hanma."

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AN

End of the Rosario+Vampire X-over with Akua and Kahlua joining the group and… here is the strongest man in the world. For those uncultured about 'Baki the Grappler' or only basing their knowledge off from the old anime and the one in Netflix, this happens after the end of Baki's manga, after he fight and… (Spoiler) against Yujiro.

And yes, Baki lives in Tokyo and so… Tokyo Ghoul. Why the fux I put Ghouls in there too?

While some will be quick to call a contrast with the RV's lore, since Vampiric Ghouls exist, I can say that the name 'Ghoul' to the TG's flesh-eaters is given by humans, while the Vampiric Ghouls are called as such by Yokai. TG's Ghouls are not part of Yokais and they don't have anything barely representing a governing body, thus… yeah they are the odds one in this part of the world.

Also, before anyone says that Baki is too 'weak', by the end of the Manga he is able to use a posture that grants him exceptional strength that helps him not only push Yujiro for several meters but also a small truck behind the Ogre.

P.S. The Tokyo Ghoul bit will actually be an AU happening few days before Jason kidnapped Kaneki that I've long contemplated to make use of. Some characters' status will be… different than canon.

PROPER DATE for this story: Early July, 2011 AD

Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.
Actually, if you look back at the manga, Tsukune was only stated to be equivalent to a ghoul, which the monster dictionary describes as: "A person's corpse reanimated by being possessed by a wicked spirit. Human flesh is it's favourite dish and (it) attacks children, and also eats dead flesh by digging up graves. It is believed that they're weak against holy crosses."

As such, RV-universe Ghouls are a form of spirit which converts a human corpse into a 'living' Ghoul flesh-suit. Given how potent RV-universe vampire blood is, and the whole, 'receive a ghouls organs to become one' issue Kaneki has in TG, it's completely possible for TG Ghouls to have come about due to exposure to a RV Ghoul's tainted blood or body-parts, creating a new subspecies.
 
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'receive a ghouls organs to become one' issue Kaneki has in TG
The processes to create artifical hybrids are all based on the unique organ TG Ghouls have, not any of their organs. Only real critique on your excellent analysis. Only other one I can think of is the implication that said evil spirit is one born of a vampire's yoki. That entry is mostly made of RL ghoul mythos, but that doesn't correlate with what happens to Tsukune (and thus eliminates the reason of having a 'ghoul' entry if he wasn't a ghoul or a similar being to a ghoul). I also believe it was implied (if not outright stated) that Moka's blood had killed Tsukune (or more specifically had been killing him up to his transformation), acting sort of like a radioactive cancer, and tying it to the evil spirit in the mythos, but this is somewhat my own headcanon combined with canon. Things are not fully explained nor do we see other ghouls created, so we are left with the Monster Encyclopedia entry that seems copied from wikipedia :)p) or something, that doesn't quite match what happens.

A lot of this might not actually apply if you were using a different source than the manga one (when you say Monster Encyclopedia, I am assuming you are referring to the blurbs attached when new monsters appear).

Edit: who is the Momo Kahlua is referring to?

Forgot to add this
1) No Magic but limited usage of Vampiric potential;

2) No special moves like Senjutsu or the Jigen-Tou;

3) No killing blows, only disabling and knocking the opponent out.

Simple rules that still left me in a disadvantaged situation as I was going to fight someone with a precise fighting style that stemmed from pure assassination techniques
MC is very optimistic if he believes the only disadvantage is there fighting styles. Considering he could not use magic, senjutsu (and thus Super Mode and likely Touki), but she could use basic vampire powers (which would include the most basic of all, power enhancement), I am a still having trouble believing the results of the battle.
 
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The processes to create artifical hybrids are all based on the unique organ TG Ghouls have, not any of their organs. Only real critique on your excellent analysis. Only other one I can think of is the implication that said evil spirit is one born of a vampire's yoki. That entry is mostly made of RL ghoul mythos, but that doesn't correlate with what happens to Tsukune (and thus eliminates the reason of having a 'ghoul' entry if he wasn't a ghoul or a similar being to a ghoul). I also believe it was implied (if not outright stated) that Moka's blood had killed Tsukune (or more specifically had been killing him up to his transformation), acting sort of like a radioactive cancer, and tying it to the evil spirit in the mythos, but this is somewhat my own headcanon combined with canon. Things are not fully explained nor do we see other ghouls created, so we are left with the Monster Encyclopedia entry that seems copied from wikipedia :)p) or something, that doesn't quite match what happens.

A lot of this might not actually apply if you were using a different source than the manga one (when you say Monster Encyclopedia, I am assuming you are referring to the blurbs attached when new monsters appear).
True, but the CCG has already shown to be employing half-ghouls bred by Sunlit Garden, meaning that someone has been deliberately experimenting with Ghoul Physiology. As such, it's entirely possible that someone back in the day figured out how to induce a half-ghoul transformation by shoving said unique organ into a victim/potential super-soldier.

As for Tsukune, he didn't die, he was only mostly dead. It was more that he was being remodelled by the vampiric injections, finally reaching the point where the conversion became self-sustaining, at which point he could have either become a vampire, devolved into a mass of cancerous flesh/puddle of organic ooze, or suffer a mind break as his psyche failed to keep itself intact in the face of his rampaging vampiric instinct. The latter happened, due to pretty much the same reason why putting an inexperienced driver behind a formula-1 vehicle tends to be a bad idea, all of which was further exasperated by Tsukune not having any channels for his Yoki to circulate through, leaving him unable to properly regulate his new power.

The "like a ghoul" explanation was used as a short hand to explain the resulting disposition of the state Tsukune ended up in, rather than the underlying mechanics, since it's a bit hard to fit a full explanation in the middle of a fight, when they were under a time crunch to figure out how to keep Tsukune from going 'kill all the things'.
Also yeah, quoted the chapter's ghoul reference pretty much word for word.
 
CCG has already shown to be employing half-ghouls bred by Sunlit Garden,
Technically, they employed 'half-humans,' but I get your point.

Also yeah, quoted the chapter's ghoul reference pretty much word for word.
The Tsukune bit was just to point out issues with the tab provided compared to what was said by the characters. There were discrepancies mostly because the ghoul bit, in the manga, was effectively copied verbatim from old literature/myths, but wasn't corrected to match his piece of modern literature.
It wasn't an accusation (for lack of a better word) against you.
 
Technically, they employed 'half-humans,' but I get your point.


The Tsukune bit was just to point out issues with the tab provided compared to what was said by the characters. There were discrepancies mostly because the ghoul bit, in the manga, was effectively copied verbatim from old literature/myths, but wasn't corrected to match his piece of modern literature.
It wasn't an accusation (for lack of a better word) against you.
Nah, I get that, just confirming my source since its content is generic enough to be from any number of traditional myths. Saves people the trouble of looking it up.

Personally though, I always figured the discrepancies of the dictionary are a result of the various monsters not wanting to share their specific traits for fear of exposing a weakness, leaving the dictionary reliant on general observation and rather vague on solid content.
 
A Taste of Quirky Normality
Chapter 29: A Taste of Quirky Normality

I was slightly impressed by the size of the building Azazel had assigned to the organization I was supposed to lead.

Bigger than I had initially thought, the place occupied five floors of one of the main skyscrapers sited in the Chiyoda Ward of Tokyo… or better known as the 1st Ward for the locals of the capital.

At the umpteenth discovery of a new series happening within this vast world, I felt that there was a high priority for me to research how many other 'big players' were around in this universe.

Without wasting unnecessary time, I had both Kahlua and Akua sign their contracts and integrate their respective PEs during our ride back to the 'real dimension' as I had planned to directly reach for the newest headquarters sited in the major Japanese city.

I was still sore from the spar with the Black Deva and I realized as we were returning to the real world with both vampires coming with us that there was a curious effect about 'going through dimensions'.

Nuranai had been quick to explain that the reason was that there was something of a jetlag during these kind of trips and the magical senses were somewhat drained during those predicaments.

Annoying but also understandable as the 'dimensional gap' between the 'Human' world and the pocket dimension were the Yokai Gakuen was sited could easily be conditioned by the same rules of the 'birthplace' of Ophis.

The Bus Driver had been kind enough to leave us by one of the least busy entry points of the Japanese Capital as the voyage from Kuoh Town to Tokyo would have taken… way too much. He did also warn us some caution to not wander the city at night in specific, less-developed Wards as the Ghoul's threat was a serious phenomenon even after years of 'purges'.

While the CCG seemed to be doing a good job in quarantining the worst cases away from civilians' everyday lives, there were still some attacks from the recently-active Aogiri Tree with large compounds within the former Edo being raided and turned in atrocious slaughterhouse by the terrorist group.

But it wasn't the talks about Ghouls that dominated my mind in that part of the day as once we reached the large complex of apartments where we were supposed to live for an indefinite amount of time, I found myself staring at two unexpected individuals standing by the front door.

The shortest of the two was a young girl which height was around 160cm, dark-brown hair combed in a simple ponytail. The lady was wearing what looked to be some casual clothes as she donned a simple, orange-and-yellow striped, half-sleeved shirt with dark-blue jeans that ended in a common pair of sport shoes. The normal-looking girl had a surprised look as she noticed so many people walking towards them and she kept a close distance to her… boyfriend.

It took me just glance at the taller companion to discern that the teen was Kozue Matsumoto, because the relatively tall young man, standing 171cm bulky, by her side was far too easy to recognize as he was the protagonist of another series I had watched quite frequently before being whisked away in this universe.

With unruly, brown hair, a pristine half-sleeved white shirt and some simple dark trousers, Baki Hanma, the 'Strongest Man' of the world, was waiting right by the entrance of our new home.

I blinked, contemplating if I should avoid going for the confrontation right now as this could as well be a trap but-

He could have been sent by Azazel. I would expect him to mess around just to help us out, just like he did with Akua and Kahlua.

So soon? I wouldn't expect him to-

'His posture seems rather pacific, he isn't part of an ambush.'

You heard the big guy, go for some greeting already.

Even in front of so many hints that this wasn't going to end up in a battle, I sighed as I decided to carefully advance, my posture a little tense and guarded, the others taking a step back and letting me take the lead as I went for the encounter.

Only Kunou walked close enough to where I was, but she still preferred to hide behind my frame as she studied the two strangers.

Kuroka approached Koneko, both Nekoshou keeping their cat-ears and tails hidden since we were in the presence of humans.

Finally, Akua kept a fixed look upon the stronger of the two 'strangers', her composure also tense but not daring to even appear challenging as she seemed more ready to defend her sister than attack the threat heads on.

We were all terribly displaying signs of being defensive to one another but we still managed to keep a united and collected appearance in front of the situation.

Kozue blinked and seemed a little tense herself at the group, but a comforting squeeze at her shoulders by Baki's kind and softened hands seemed to remind her that no harm was going to happen to her with him around to keep her protected.

The girl seemed to ease up at the lovely touch but her eyes didn't dare to leave the formation.

"Baki-san." I decided to omit his surname as I didn't wish to give him too much formality. While he wasn't as blunt as his much-hated father, the young man was still terribly annoyed by unneeded shows of politeness.

A simple man with a terrible, natural strength.

The 'boy' blinked, his laid-back personality capable of reducing his reaction to a slightly-infuriating minimum as he seemed to barely react to the greeting, yet there was an understanding glint in his eyes.

The Hanma nodded placidly. "I suppose you are Hoitsu Sakakibara," The brunet commented calmly, his tone soothing but also quite lazy to hear. "You are the leader of this 'Omega Initiative' Azazel-san spoke about." He concluded with a nod.

"That's correct." I replied, my mind heating up at the idea that Azazel had to bring someone like 'Baki the Grappler' into the group I had.

Not that I had some trouble with the powerful human, but I was terribly aware of Yujiro's ever-thirsty need of bathing his hands in blood. The red-haired ogre was a monster I wasn't truly wishing to meet anytime soon.

Yet I was confused by the fact that looked… taller than the last reported by the 'Baki-Dou II' Manga.

Because this is the 'Baki' of the After-story. The one that after defeating Nomi no Sukune II, Musashi Miyamoto and Pickle, the one that had a 'draw' against Yujiro Hanma and… the one that found his way in life away from pure violence.

Not only he seemed to be taller than the end of the known series, but he seemed to be… stronger too.

He never stopped to train-

Possibly under threat. I could see Yujiro promising him that he would come and kill Kozue if he even slacked off for a moment.

"I… can only assume that Azazel wants to get you recruited to the 'Omega Initiative'." I continued quietly and I saw him nod while… Kozue sighed tiredly.

"It's to early to decide that." The girl replied calmly, just a sprinkle of uncertainty showing in her voice as she squeezed the boy's big arm to emphasize her point, drawing a surprised but embarrassed look at being this quick-minded about this decision. "I think it's best to known what kind of contract or duty a member of this… initiative has while working there." She finished with a small smile.

The reason why she was here is… because she didn't want his boyfriend hurled at another dangerous set of events that would see him hurt or worse. I knew about her propensity to act more as a smart and moral-driven decision-picker for Baki… but to see her sport that so confidently truly showed that the teen had grown up from her hesitant self.

"I understand." I admitted with a nod, turning my attention at the door they were both giving their backs at. "We can discuss this in private inside the apartment, I don't with to drag attention on us." My offer was regarded with a little bit of surprise but they didn't seem uneasy at seeing me walk towards it.

They both nodded as I finally took the key the leader of Grigori left in one of the boxes back home and went for the lock. With a simple click, the mechanism unlocked and the door opened.

Soon we were all graced with a small lounge that was connected to the first room of the headquarters, a large living room that had a grand view over the city thanks to a several windows making up most of a wall.

It wasn't as big as the one in the Gregory mansion, yet the difference of size was compensated with the presence of several modern devices, ranging from several HD TVs to various consoles and Custom-built PCs, all set all over the place.

From that room, one could see the large kitchen and the corridor leading to the stairs, possibly to the dorms and the rooms for the members of my group.

Everyone was surprised at the sight, but I was inclined to believe that Akua was the least intrigued as she hardly ever cared for how big or modern her housing situation was in the past.

But let us be honest and say that this is a big improvement and… man, I would kill to get my hands on some good ol' Hearts of Iron IV-

It's 2011.

Oh, right… Darkest Hour it is!

I blinked as everyone pretty much moved on their own to properly get a look over the place and even our guests were impressed by it.

Baki's eyes were wide open, the boy knowing full well the expensive costs of most of the equipment on sight after having lived a rich childhood while his mother was still alive. Kozue seemed floored and awed by the impressive place too, her eyes were almost glowing at the absurd amount of costly objects all around.

"T-This is the headquarters?" The Hanma's girlfriend asked with a wonder-like tone and I nodded slowly, my mind still basking at how this entire place was surprisingly better than the already-high standard I had back in Kuoh Town.

'But is it a reason to be truly awed? Grigori is supposed to have a large foothold in the 'human world' and I wouldn't expect anything less from this.'

Not everyone can live to this level of luxury and… yep, this is huge.

Immense.

"This is the headquarters and-" I blinked, realizing that my brain had to reboot at the unexpected gift from Azazel. This was… insane, but I had business to deal with! "W-We should return to our talk, yes?" I pressed on and I was quickly walking away from that… incredible place of fun.

Let me out, so I can destroy you at some videogame.

You want me, bro?

'While I don't understand what you both are talking about, I feel like I should seriously facepalm at your behavior.'

The two humans blinked at my question, the girl blushing but nodding decisively as we too a seat by one of the small sections of the living room with two comfy couches standing right in front of each other and with a glass table in the middle.

The others were given the freedom to explore their new home as I began addressing this situation.

I took the proper documentation out of my backpack and passed it to them, giving them the time to read and inquire about some of the points written on the paper.

Kozue was quick to ask, her eyes narrowed on specific terms within the text.

"You… you are joking, right?" Her index tapped at the line that caught her attention as the girl questioned about 'that' point.

"'Angels and Devils'? There is no way that this crazy paranormal beings exist-"

"I can assure you that Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels and other supernatural beings all exist in this world." I interjected calmly. It was strange to hear this kind of skepticism, especially with Ghouls being a known condition within Tokyo and other major cities in Japan. "In fact, I will point out that I'm the only human within the Omega Foundation as of now." I dropped the revelation and the two looked incredibly shaken by the news.

There was silence, both thinking about this shocking development and possibly being still skeptical about it, but then Baki nodded slowly much to Kozue's surprise. "So that is why I felt like some of them looked odd." He admitted curtly, causing me to frown.

"Odd?" I bluntly parroted, quite surprised that… he could have felt something different about them.

There are martial artists that can pinpoint some hints from mere behavioral actions. I bet that this is the case.

"Something in their posture, their inner fighting spirits were different than anything I've seen in the past few years." The Hanma explained with a little more emotion, yet his eyes still fixed on the paper. "Speaking of different, might I ask what this 'PE' is?" He changed topic quickly, frowning at the detail itself. "It says that enchant the members of the group, but what exactly is it? Some drug or-" He was tense at the idea of making use of that kind of stuff, mostly because his half-brother almost died by making use of drugs to keep up with their father's strength.

Maybe we should really add some more lines about this as, it could be easily mistaken as such.

Azazel just isn't that good in making proper reports-

Either he didn't give it that much attention or he just wanted to have us deal with this kind of situations.

"It's not a drug and it's not anything with dangerous withdrawals." I replied calmly and carefully, thinking properly how to defuse this little predicament. "It can be removed as easily as it can be integrated and it's not mandatory… but it's heavily advised." I concluded with a sigh.

The human girl nodded with a slower nod from her boyfriend, she then proceeded to point at another section of the paper.

"This here says that you are going to deal with anything remotely connected to this 'Khaos Brigade' and it says there that… there are numerous descendants of famous heroes?" There was some little surprise in her tone.

At those words the young man looked also surprised and… incredibly interested. "Could there be Japanese heroes too? Maybe Chinese also?" He asked with a little more intensity in his tone, making me frown just for a moment.

I nodded. "From my understanding it's a mix of European and Asian people born within important heroes' bloodlines." I paused just for a moment before asking. "Are you hoping to find the spirit of Miyamoto Musashi among the group, or maybe his descendant?"

He looked partially surprised at that, but he decided to merely shrug at my question.

"Perhaps, but I doubt he would accept to fight for ill intentions. He wanted to fight just for the sake of it and… from my understanding this Brigade doesn't care for fairness and honor." There was a brief pause and then he continued. "But yes, I do wonder if he truly has a descendant to prove my worth against."

And Musashi wouldn't digest such disrespect of a fight's conduct. Maybe his descendant, if there is one, could have refused just for this very reason.

"Indeed." I nodded my agreement at his reasoning. "Are there any other questions you wish to have some clarity about?"

"Only one about the mandatory term." Kozue said, some confusion plastered in her face. "I don't understand why it's one year and not less."

"It's still unsure how long this Initiative will last, especially with how many people we will have to deal against," I hummed as I glanced at the specific lines on the paper. "Anyone leaving too early could easily disrupt any future operations if not also bring the full attention of our enemies on themselves and their families."

"I thought that Grigori would keep Kozue-chan and her mother safe." Baki spoke quickly, his tone a little tense.

"There are some strong elements within the Khaos Brigade that can't be fought with mere guards" I pointed out much to his chagrin, "They would easily bypass any defense we could set up to protect them."

He looked dismayed, but I still continued to talk. "That's why we need to deal with those enemies quickly and without hesitation." I pressed on with a calm tone. "The faster we deal with them, the quicker we will be able to end this threat before it can hurt our precious people."

I stood up from my chair and sighed. "Baki-san, I wish that you understand that among the members of the group there are people I care a lot for but there are also people that I've left home that are unprepared for the monster hailing in the group." I blinked, eyelids getting a little heavy. Maybe I should catch some rest after being done with this…

"That is why the organization is a must for me and for others joining us and that is why Azazel wanted you to join us." I concluded with a sigh.

There was something sparking from the young man's eyes, some… sympathy and understanding at my words.

"That sounds about right." He stated quietly, then he turned to his girlfriend, flashing a bright smile. "Would I be able to spend time with Kozue-chan, even within the headquarters?" He asked quietly.

The girl blushed at the smile on the boy's face and I gave a slow nod. "You would be able to do such thing only if she is escorted by either you or someone within the Initiative." I gave the only requirements for such situation. "With you joining our group, you will have to accept the fact you will have a target painted on your back and that they will still try to hurt those precious to you."

He bowed his head. "I understand, Hoitsu-san. Thank you for the offer and..." His big hand stretched open at me for a shake. "I will accept."

The brunette huffed a little, disappointed that her boyfriend was supposed to fight once more for his life but… at least he wasn't going to be alone.

We shook hands and… his hold was stronger than I had thought it to be.

He isn't holding back…

Yep, I think my hand is even sorer than before...

We shared a nod and a smile, then I escorted them by the entrance of the apartment, giving both of them my phone's number to contact me and warn me for any issues with their situation. Baki accepted the piece of paper and said that he would be ready to move in only tomorrow.

I sighed as the door closed and I turned to the strangely silent house. I had expected to at least hear some muffled squeals of happiness from Kunou at her new room but… oddly enough there was nothing.

Confused, I decided to venture towards the stairs and proceeded to check to the upper floor to see what was going on. I could already see some half-closed doors from the beginning of the corridor, my eyes narrowing as I slowly went ahead to check indirectly how things were going.

There were name tags in all of them, some blank ones that weren't assigned and some with the new members names and-

How exactly did Azazel get Akua and Kahlua name tags before we recruited them-

'Didn't that man, Issa, say that he had already talked to Azazel? I guess that it was a sure thing for him and he decided to gamble about your acceptance.'

Doesn't make it any-less creepy to think that someone know how my thinking works in action and… to this precise level.

Sighing again as I felt my bones aching just a little, I paused just a moment at the sound of muffled giggles coming from one of the closed door rooms. It was Kahlua's and, knowing that her sister was inside with her too and knowing that the series they were from had a grand penchant to have people trip in perverted situations, I merely shrugged and continued for my stroll in the corridor.

I paused again, this time at the sounds of things, boxes, being moved around in… Kuroka's room. Yeah, that was another big no-no to check about and thus I went event farther right by the door that led to my own room.

I saw that the door was curiously-enough half-closed and I frowned at this situation as… there could have been only one individual capable of doing such thing.

With a small smile, I peeked inside my new, big room and noticed at first the PC, the medium-sized HD TV, several audio devices and shelves filled with different kind of music pieces and then… someone was sleeping in my bed.

Completely stopping at this last bit, I took a closer look as I walked inside just for a moment and from the covers I could easily see the familiar golden-tinted fox ears that Kunou had and… Koneko's silver-colored cat ears.

I blinked, my ears finally adapting at the soft and almost impossible to hear snoring from the two girls. I glanced at the clock by the bedside and sighed at the fact it was 4AM.

Shiranai. Demands. Napping!

It was odd how time worked in the pocket dimension Yokai Gakuen was set in, thus I guess I hardly perceived that we were there for so long. Feeling tired myself, I yawned and slowly approached the bed, gaining a proper view of the two sleeping girls.

With a nod then I proceeded to slowly and silently pick a small spot of the ground near the wall to sit down and… catch some rest there.

It's been a tiring day, alright and… I needed some rest. Yawning again, I let my back reach the wall, my head tilting a little as I felt sleep easy to conquer and… my consciousness faded.

Unknown to Hoitsu, half an hour after he had fallen asleep, the door of his room creaked a little more open as a pair of golden eyes peeked at the inside of the room. After sparing an enraptured look at the two sleeping cuties on his bed, the yellow orbs locked onto his sleeping form on the floor and the figure decided it was time to move in and get some 'reward' for being a 'good girl'.

With maximum carefulness in her approach, Kuroka sneaked within the quiet room and softly walked up to the sleeping young man, pausing just a moment to glance at the bed and catch the most adorable sight ever once again.

She finally took out the camera she had found back in his new room and the young woman took a picture out of that cute scene, an ear-to-ear smile as she returned the small device back in one of the pockets of her special battle kimono.

Her attention shifted back to the sleeping Hoitsu and she cautiously started to sit on his undefended lap and then she let her head rest on his warm chest.

Kuroka waited for a moment, remembering seeing something happen mid-sleep to little Kunou while she was this close and- Yep, his arms slowly wrapped around her, bringing her closer while cautiously snuggling her more on his chest.

A purr formed in her throat and she managed to reduce its noise in an attempt to not wake him up, yet she was unable to fully contain it from leaving her lips.

His warmth was just… so nice. She would have preferred that this happened on a bed, after some long-deserved love-making and obviously without those pesky clothes but… surprisingly enough this worked too in her mind.

The genuine care and love she could feel, the soft lulling of his heartbeat her ears were listening so attentively and simple setting they were in…

She loved this. It was a nice way to catch some sleep, away from the nightmares.

A soft yawn left the girl's lips as sleep finally made an advance on her tired mind and soon… she surrendered for some long nap.

Tomorrow she was surely going to be reprimanded for this… but this? This was worth the cost.

------------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d---------

And while most of the people of Tokyo enjoyed some silence at that early hour of the morning, in a small establishment of Nerima, the 20th Ward of the city, an old man continued to silently clean some used mugs with a piece of cloth.

Those last few months had been rather unique for Kuzen Yoshimura, starting with the addition of Kaneki Ken as one of the newest waiters at Anteiku. A young man, once a human and now turned in a One-Eyed Ghoul. It sounded absurd for this situation to even occur, and yet the young teen had shown to have quite the unfortunate life.

The sudden switch of diet was a shock, the owner of the cafe knew well enough of humans were not made to eat their own flesh from personal experience, but the young man was starting to improve he noticed.

It was good that he was receiving support from most of the group here, but it was also quite tragic that his unique condition got the attention of some 'unpleasant' individuals. While Shuu Tsukiyama was polite and reserved individual that hardly caused problems within the Ward, but his obsession with the young Kaneki had led to some sourness to develop between the Tsukiyama family and the Anteiku.

The brunet's mind suffered too during this period, straining as he discovered the unfairness of some situations happening only to Ghouls.

Fight for dominance of the Feeding Grounds, the need to have masks when fighting back against attackers and… the cruel hand of the CCG.

Ryouko Fueguchi died while facing Kureo Mado, giving the chance to her daughter to escape from the ambush set up by the Doves.

The infamous Quinque Expert was known for his interest in harvesting Ghouls' Kagunes to create powerful tools to continue his job, his prowess in fights was one of the best an Investigator could offer to powerful Ghouls, but he was also known for the strange compassion he held over some cases.

Many innocent Ghouls facing him that were keen to divulge the info the man required were mostly sent to the Ghoul's prison rather than die by his hand. This very compassion was unknown to many individuals, but Kuzen knew the reasons of the man after having had the chance of offering him, his wife and their daughter the few times they visited the cafe.

Family was a good weakness to have, Mado showing this unique trait recently when he didn't show up to continue the case about the Fueguchi family, possibly ending up 'debunking' the existence of the 'Fueguchi Child' to his superiors out of mercy than anything.

Touka had been particularly hurt by this development, having stayed back home for a full week, letting in her room only her brother and father to bring food and other objects for her needs. Giving her some time to recover proved to be a good decision, the girl returning back to work by the beginning of the new week and focusing on helping the orphaned Hinami.

Kaneki was there, learning how to work while also becoming a brotherly figure to the young Fueguchi, teaching her about letters and words she was still unable to read. It was good to have someone as cultured as the boy around, but it was particularly amusing how such relationship was bringing quite the curious jealous side from one Ayato Kirishima.

Hinami and the young male ghoul had been childhood friends, but the boy was entering that stage of his life when… certain things weren't as 'cool' as before, deciding to distance himself from the young girl. With the 'puny Kaneki' hanging around his childhood friend, Ayato couldn't help in sparing himself from showing that he still genuinely cared for Hinami.

An adorable comedy that happened once or twice everyday.

Arata was also pleased by those scenes too, but sadly his thankfulness directed at the former human was easily taken over by his paternal instincts regarding the 'closeness' the boy had regarding his daughter… or the lack of any.

The two had some chemistry, Yoshimura knew it, but the two were just too young to see it blooming anytime soon. Sadly, the lone father was inexperienced about this kind of situations and thus misunderstandings about the two 'getting too close to each other' happened too within the walls of Anteiku.

Just as the old man placed the properly cleaned mug down, he paused at the sound of the door-bell ringing, eyes moving to see whom could be visiting this early in the morning and… he smiled happily.

A young woman returned the smile with one of her own, eyes half-closed because of tiredness. Her hair were combed in a short, but clean style, she was wearing a baggy shirt and simple gym pants while on her back was an interestingly big backpack with some papers ready to burst out of it.

"Good morning~!" She announced melodiously, still a little too loud at this hour, causing him to shake his head at her. She giggled at his reaction and she approached him.

"A little loud, I know but I still have to finish somethings before-" She started but stopped to look at what he was doing, eyes narrowing and arms closing close to her chest. "Kuzen Yoshimura, what did I tell you about working at unholy hours?"

"I think it was me telling you to not write so late in the night or so early in the morning, young lady." He remarked, the pout twitching as she seemed embarrassed by his words.

"S-Still, I can't let an old man like you work alone. This is why I shall join you in this endeavor-"

"Didn't you have other things to do?" The manager asked out of curiosity.

"Writing can wait. What kind of daughter would I be if I didn't help my tired and old father-"

"Perhaps a writer block?" The guess was super-effective, the girl flinching before giggling nervously… and then she sighed.

"It's not my fault that the pacing is that insane. Shiono-baka just can't ease up with the schedule."

"I can have a talk with him if you want." Kuzen offered but the girl sighed.

"Would do little as he would go on a tirade about 'this job requires extreme attention and capacity to produce new books very quickly as to not get fans to yadda yadda.'" She yawned and nodded. "That is how the situations end into."

"I guess this 'old man' can accept some help from my 'beloved and helpful' daughter." The manager chuckled as his child sighed at her 'kind offer'.

"Fine!" She huffed, starting to walk towards the Storage room. "But I want pizza for dinner!"

Hearing her father snort at that one-sided deal, Eto Yoshimura, a 23-year old Tragedy writer and a natural One-Eyed Ghoul, giggled as she went to change for her old uniform.

Today was going to be another slow day in Tokyo, so what if she just wanted to take it easy?

------------d-d-dd-----------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d---------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d-------d-d-d-d--

AN

Eto will not be in the Harem. I've other plans to her that aren't pairing-related and… I do reckon that a question is now important with how I disposed certain events:

Who is leading Aogiri Tree then?!

Also two new patreons (Jacob Lawter and Jaune Pendragon)!

I'm growing stronker, muhahahahahahaha!

P.S. Considering if I should do a Live Q&A once we reach 696 Follows, which is going to happen soon at this rhythm.

Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.
 
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