Chapter 16 - ch 15 - blackened heart

Akihabara had often been called "Otaku Central" by the people of Japan. Now that he'd seen it for himself, Naruto could understand why they referred to it as such.

His eyes scanned the large buildings lined with posters of anime, video games and manga of every type, illuminated by many colorful lights. In front of shops were large displays of fictional characters, some he recognized and some he didn't. Walking along the street, he passed girls dressed as maids, cat-girls and cat-girl maids, all of them handing out flyers to passersby. He accepted one with a polite smile when it was offered, even though he had no intention of actually visiting. Sitting on his shoulder, gripping his hair, Ophis wore a look of bland annoyance.

"Why are we here?" she asked as Naruto meandered down the road, taking in the sights and sounds.

"Because Rias will no doubt be mad at me when I return home," Naruto answered as if it was obvious. "I need to buy a gift to appease her, and Akihabara is the best place to buy it."

His girlfriend was a major Japanophile. Ever since he'd learned of it and told her how cute he thought it was, she'd made it a point to enlighten him about her passion. They watched anime almost every night before going to bed. She had him play several of her visual novels, and even bought them a new game system to play the latest anime-based video games. Her favorite at the moment was a Gundam Warriors game that had come out recently.

"Are you sure it's not just because you got lost and ended up here?"

Naruto almost stumbled, but caught himself at the last moment.

"U-guh, you don't have to put it like that, do you, Ophis-chan?" he whined.

"I don't like it here," Ophis said, her voice bored, but containing a hint of annoyance. "It's too loud."

"You think so?" Naruto's head swiveled around to take in the sights and sounds. Rias would love it here. "I kinda like it. It's lively and full of vigor."

"I would prefer just going back to my silence."

"Do you really enjoy silence that much?"

"Yes."

Naruto frowned, but decided to withhold any comments he had until he got all of his shopping done. He checked several stores, looking for that perfect item to buy Rias. He was sure there would be something she'd like within one of the many shops.

The problem with shopping in a place like Akihabara, Naruto soon realized, was that there were just too many options. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of stores lined the street, all of them selling hundreds of thousands of different types of Otaku related paraphernalia. There were so many options that Naruto simply couldn't figure out what to buy. It didn't help that he knew very little about Otaku culture. He might like some of the anime that his girlfriend had introduced him to, but that didn't make him an expert by any stretch of the imagination.

It took him awhile, but Naruto eventually found a visual novel that he knew Rias didn't have. Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, a game she'd spoken of wanting to get after she completed the other visual novels in her collection. After buying the game and leaving one of the many stores, Naruto decided to find a quiet place where he and Ophis could talk some more.

Sakura trees lined the walkway that cut through the park. He observed the many people surrounding them. Some walked down the paved walkway, while others lounged on the grass, a blanket spread underneath them. Couples cuddled together and children played games of tag, running through the trees as they chased each other to and fro. Naruto found a small vendor stand selling crepes and bought two of them before finding a place to sit.

"Here you go." He handed Ophis a crepe filled with cream cheese and strawberries. She took the crepe and eyed it curiously, sniffing it several times, as if she'd never seen this type of food before.

"What is this?"

I guess she hasn't had one before.

"Something tasty." Naruto took a bite out of his crepe, moaning in delight as the sugary sweetness hit his mouth. He blamed Koneko for his new love of sweets. "You should try it."

Ophis stared at her food some more before, ever so slowly, nibbling on the end. She paused after the first nibble, her eyes widening just a bit, before she took a larger bite out of it.

Naruto chuckled.

"I'm glad to see you like it."

Ophis did not answer him at first, and Naruto was able to finish his entire crepe before she spoke.

"It's strangely addictive," she confided before taking another bite. "I want to eat more, though I do not know why. As the Ouroboros Dragon, I do not require human sustenance to exist. I have no need for things like food and water." Another bite. "Yet for some reason, the more I eat this, the more I want to continue eating."

After tossing his paper in a trash can, Naruto placed a hand on Ophis' head and rubbed it.

"Because it tastes good. You might be some kind of Dragon God or whatever, but you still have all the things a regular human has in that form. You have taste buds and nerves, you can feel and see and smell. You might not be human, but that doesn't mean you can't do the things that humans do."

"I guess…" Ophis finished off her crepe, and Naruto took the wrapper from her and threw it away.

"You know," Naruto leaned back on the bench, "if you kicked out Great Red and returned to the void, you wouldn't be able to do stuff like this; travel to new places and try new foods, or spend time with others and have fun."

"I do not need to spend time with others."

"Are you saying you don't like spending time with me?"

Ophis hesitated.

"I would not say that spending time with you is unpleasant, but the majority of people in this world annoy me. There is too much noise, too much humanity, for me to feel comfortable."

"Is that so," Naruto caressed one of Ophis' ears with his index finger, making the immortal dragon lean into his touch, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Not for the first time since meeting her, Naruto wondered why Ophis cared so much for the solitude that only the void could offer. Whatever it was, he had a feeling that not even Ophis herself knew the answer.

~Devil Ninja~

The battle had taken a turn for the worst.

Rias had been so sure of their victory. With Kiba's new sword and determination, two exorcists wielding holy swords, Koneko's strength, Ravel's fire, Akeno's power, Asia's healing, the Boosted Gear and her own prodigious abilities, she had been certain they would attain victory.

She was beginning to learn that in battle, true battle, victory was never a certainty, and that there was always a chance that it would be snatched from her grasp.

They had started off with a spearhead formation. Kiba had led the charge, ploughing sword first into the horde of soulbound armor. His blade sliced through not armor, but the chains keeping the soul attached to the armor. Every time his blade cut into an opponent, the armor would collapse into pieces, its form losing cohesiveness, scattering along the floor, as the soul enslaved to it was released.

Irina and Xenovia had followed up, cutting into what Kiba missed, keeping the other enemies off Rias' Knight. Holy swords flashed and sliced their foes apart, splitting the armor and rendering them useless. Xenovia's Durandal was power incarnate, and when it struck something, whatever that something was would be destroyed, obliterated. Irina proved to be her diametric opposite, striking with precision and using her Excalibur Mimic's holy power to cut through the weak points in the armor, the chinks that all armor possessed. Her precision was made even more deadly when her Excalibur would change forms, shifting from a sword into a whip and from a whip into a spear. It added an unpredictable quality to her fighting style that Rias felt Naruto would have appreciated.

Koneko and Akeno had come in after, using their respective abilities to deal heavy damage by launching attacks through the gaps left in the armored warriors' formation. Lances of lightning had sliced through armor like a searing hot knife through soft ice cream, tearing apart armor like Gae Bolg piercing wet paper. Fists and feet had battered steel plating, each attack sending enemies flying into the others, their armor dented and, in some cases, blown apart by the force with which they were hit.

Issei had proven to be the biggest surprise of all. He used the Boosted Gear's abilities to its full potential, enhancing his physical prowess to incredible levels. He had already promoted himself to queen, and so every time he boosted, his abilities and magical power skyrocketed. Issei's eyes had gleamed with the ferocity of a dragon as he stood by Asia, protecting her as she healed their wounds. He tore armor apart with his bare hands. Obliterated opponent's with miniature dragon shot bullets at point blank. He had been like a whirlwind of mass destruction, a force of nature that few could compare to. A dragon.

She had brought up the back. With her Powers of Destruction, she had sent attacks none of her peerage knew she possessed. Beams of darkness obliterated swaths of armored figures. Blades of pure destruction ripped through blessed steel with impunity. Tornadoes had formed around her hands, swirling masses of devastating demonic matter that, when released, destroyed more than just her foes. By this point, the church bore many holes in its structure and several walls had crumbled, unable to withstand the might of her attacks.

Standing by her side, Ravel didn't do much. She, unlike the others, had never fought in a real life or death battle, and Riser had never used her in his Rating Games, treating her more like a mascot than a soldier. However, that didn't mean she didn't help where she could. Fire had appeared on her hands, deadly flames that she threw at the armored beings that Rias missed. It didn't do much, for the blessed armor protected the souls cast in steel from lesser attacks, but every little bit helped.

They had been beating back their opponent. Their skill and powers combined had destroyed entire swathes of enemies like they were paperdolls sitting on a rich girl's shelf. She had thought it would be enough.

I should have known better than to get my hopes up like that.

"Rias!" Akeno shouted over the din of battle. "More archers incoming!"

Rias gritted her teeth as she looked up. Standing on rafters that she had not noticed before were several more armored figures, souls trapped by a madman's cruelty. They wielded crossbows, each one blessed, each one capable of inflicting great damage on her peerage.

"Koneko! Kiba! Issei! Protect Akeno and I while we deal with the archers!"

Her Rook and her Knight said nothing, but they acknowledged her words by moving to protect her. Kiba's sword was like a whirlwind, flashing in and out of existence, a blurring force that sliced through several foes in just as many seconds. By his side was Koneko. What she lacked in speed, she more than made up for with raw power. Her fists crashed against her enemies like the fists of a titan. Any enemy that came to close was sent flying directly into the path of an attack aimed at one of them, effectively acting as a shield.

Akeno darted into the air, her wings spread. Lightning lanced from her hands, bolts of powerful yellow energy that slammed into one of the archers, and then leapt to the next one and the next one and the next one. Very soon, several archer's were lit up like celebration lights strung from a house, their steel plates smoking, sizzlings, and ultimately, melting down into their base components when it was no longer capable of withstanding the power her queen had put into her attack.

Rias held out a single hand, palm facing the ceiling, fingers curled. Along the tips of her fingers, five spheres of dark energy appeared, crackling as tendrils of arcane magics, as if the power wanted to escape from the tight balls it had been compressed into. With a swipe of her hand, those spheres turned into tiny beams of energy that impaled the archers, and then detonated inside of them, disintegrating their bodies so that not even ashes remained.

"More are coming from the left!"

Rias snarled as she twisted her head to see more enemies appearing, and not just archers this time. Figures clad in steel poured out of hidden passages that had been raised from the floor. They came in wielding axes and spears, halberds and glaives, tightly clutched in segmented gauntlets that clacked together, metal on metal. Their ironwrought helms gleamed with flashes of lightning, and the sparks of clashing blades reflected off the polished surface.

She did what she could, launching more attacks into the rank of archers, but it mattered little, as the numbers were soon replaced. It seemed that, for every one enemy she killed, three more were there to replace it. Rias was beginning to regret coming here to confront the so-called "Genocide Archbishop" face to face. There should have been a better way of doing this.

A glance around revealed that they were all in dire straights. Xenovia and Irina had been separated from the group and were locked in combat with none other than Freed, the disgusting priest. He wasn't as skilled as they were, but he didn't need to be. He taunted them, mocked them, goaded them into attacking him, and whenever it seemed like he would be defeated, one of the armor-bound souls would step in, taking the hit meant for him so that he could continue playing his game.

Xenovia and Irina were already suffering from a number of wounds. Blood leaked down their bare arms and legs. Irina's outfit was ripped and lacerations could be seen along her torso. Xenovia appeared to be in better shape, but not by much, and Rias could see how tired the blue-haired warrior was becoming. Wielding Durandal was taking its toll.

Kiba and Koneko fought side by side, but they were no longer with her or Akeno, which left them to fend for themselves. The pair fought back to back, but it was a losing battle. They were being encircled, enemies closing in from all sides, trapping them. Kiba's greatest asset, his vaunted speed, meant little if he had no room to maneuver around his opponents. Koneko, being a rook, fared better than the knight, but even she could not fully block blessed weapons meant to damage devils, and it showed in the numerous cuts and burns littering her lithe body.

Akeno, Asia and Issei had managed to stick together, and perhaps because of that, they looked the best out of her entire group, especially with Asia healing the other two whenever they were wounded. Akeno would blast enemies apart at range while Issei took them to town from close up. He slipped around his opponents in ways that were eerily reminiscent to Naruto. His movements were deceptive; what appeared to be a slide tackle might actually be him lining up for a dragon shot at point-blank; a punch aimed at what seemed to be one of his foes was actually aimed at the ground, which split apart and caused his enemies to lose their balance, allowing him to tear them apart with his Boosted Gear. It was easy to see that Naruto's training had done wonders for the boy.

I wish Naruto was here. This wouldn't be nearly as hard if he was.

But he wasn't. Naruto was gone, doing whatever it was he felt needed to be done. She didn't necessarily know why Naruto had decided to let those three capture him, though she knew there must have been a reason.

That didn't mean they wouldn't be having words when he came back home.

Having been separated from everyone else, Rias was forced to fend for herself. A spear set to pierce her through the chest sliced the air with a shrill whistle, but she destroyed it by creating a quarter-dome shield of destructive energy. Spear met dome and melted as her power overloaded the blessings that gave the weapon its holy power. The dome then transformed into a spear of its own. Blackish red and crackling with demonic energy, it flew forward with startling suddenness and impaled the one who'd tried attacking her.

Wings of darkness appeared behind her. Not actual wings, but pinions composed of energy. Two armored entities that attempted to attack her from behind were annihilated when her wings slammed into them in a very un-wing-like fashion. They were blasted back, their armor burning as her powers ran rampant on their holy protections, destroying them, erasing them. When the blessings affording them safety against her powers wore out, the armor keeping the souls bound was annihilated as if they had never existed.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Rias saw Ravel surrounded and beset upon from all sides, screaming and flailing as several blessed spears sliced into her flesh, the wounds refusing to heal. The young blond girl was having it worse than all the others. It wasn't just that she was less experienced than the rest of them. She was also afraid. Rias could see it in every jerky movement, every shaky motion. In the tears staining the girl's eyes. The young Phenex heiress wasn't a fighter. She didn't have that killer instinct.

"Koneko!"

The white-haired nekousho nodded at her and acted quickly. Her fist pounded against an armored figure, sending it crashing into its fellows. Slowly, very slowly, Koneko made her way over to Ravel, who screamed as one of the warriors tried impaling her through the head. It never reached the girl. Rias sent a wave of her Power of Destruction at it, overloading the spears blessing and melting the metal weapon into molten slag. Before the armor-clad soul had a chance to recover, she sent a single beam of condensed energy at it, and like a precision laser the energy sliced through its chest plate, carving it in half.

Rias divided her attention between the opponents all around her and the ones surrounding the blond heiress. She sent several waves of energy into the horde of armored slaves blocking Koneko's path. Most died outright when their blessings failed, unable to withstand the might of her Power of Destruction. Koneko used the distraction Rias provided and moved to Ravel's side, grabbing the girl by the back of her shirt and hauling her over to Kiba, where she and Rias' Knight could better protect the heiress.

More armored figures charged and more armored figures perished. Rias did not have Kiba's speed or Koneko's strength, but that did not mean she knew nothing of hand-to-hand combat. Naruto had informed her that relying solely on her power was a mistake, and he had taken her to task much the same way he'd done with Issei. While she would never be a front-line fighter, she knew enough to get by, and when combined with her formidable Powers of Destruction, armored souls forced to do someone else's bidding were no match for her.

Yet even thralls could defeat a superior foe if they had enough numbers, just like a tidal wave could wipe out a coastal city if it was large enough. And much like any tidal wave, the horde of armored slaves fell upon them, pushing Rias and the others back with nothing more than sheer numbers. Kiba was sporting bruises from armored fists. Koneko bleed from numerous wounds that burned her body with holy powers. Issei had bruises, cuts, contusions and a multitude of other injuries from having to protect Asia. Akeno, having taken to the sky, had fared a bit better, but still suffered several wounds, her left arm bleeding from where it had been pierced with an arrow. Even Rias had a large gash across her left shoulder from a spear that had found its mark.

A little ways off, Irina and Xenovia continued to battle Freed, and they were losing—badly.

"What's the matter, little exorcists?" Freed taunted as he darted and wove between his own forces, using them to force the two into expending more energy than they could afford. "Has working with the devils made you weak? Perhaps God has abandoned you now that you've decided to throw your lot in with them!"

"We haven't thrown our lot in with anyone!" Xenovia snarled as Durandal made to slice Freed in half. It probably would have, too, had the psychotic exile not darted out of the way like a deranged monkey. Durandal crashed into the ground, splitting the floor apart with its power. Several suits of armor were destroyed, but the gap created was quickly filled by more armor.

"Haven't thrown your lot in with anyone?" Freed's laugh was reminiscent of some of the worst psychopaths in history. "You're working with devils, my dear. Shitty ass mother fucking devils! Are they not God's enemies? Are they not the ones God desires to smite more than any other? What do you call working with them if not throwing in your lot with the enemies of God?"

"Shut up!"

Xenovia's attacks became increasingly reckless. Her swings, while still powerful, lacked the control they'd had before. They were more akin to vicious hacking than elegant swinging.

Freed just laughed as he dodged around the attacks. "Is that your best comeback? Shut up? You Church types are so fucking lame, you cum dribbling cock suckers. It's no wonder you're the weakest of the three factions. I bet the exorcists spend so much time sucking God's dick that they barely have any time to train."

Xenovia's angry shout sounded more like the bestial roaring of an animal. Freed's psychotic laughter played a contrasting symphony as he dodged her initial attack and tried to strike her when she overextended herself. Only the timely arrival of Irina, who'd kept her head during the battle and ignored the taunting, saved Xenovia from being cut in twines. Freed snarled as his well-executed attack was foiled. Irina, her face grim and determined, unleashed a flurry of lightning fast swings that forced the insane exiled exorcist to backpedal.

Rias had no more time to focus on the problems of others when two armored figures charged her. One tried impaling her with its spear. The other attempted to bash her skull in. She allowed neither weapon to touch her. The first was outright destroyed by her power and the second she avoided entirely. Her hands then flashed out, fingernails covered in dark energy shaped like claws. They tore through the armor and continued on when she released the pent up energy as a massive wave of dark crimson flames, decimating several more opponents behind the two.

"Rias!" Akeno descended from her perch and Rias saw the lacerations marring her skin, blood dripping down her arms and legs. "We're being overwhelmed. We need to retreat."

Akeno was right. Rias knew she was right. They could not hope to defeat so many enemies, especially since it seemed as if this horde was endless. Already her peerage was exhausted and her allies on their last legs. If something wasn't done soon, they would die here.

But what can we do?

Rias' eyes scanned their surroundings. They were hemmed in. Trapped. There was no way for them to escape at this point. They were also divided. Separated. Which meant they could be picked off one by one, and only the merits of their individual strengths had kept them from being exterminated.

Individual strengths…

Rias' eyes flew wide open as a plan formed within her mind. It was a stupid plan. Insane and asinine in every way possible. It was also stupid, insane and asinine enough to work, or so she hoped.

Naruto would love it.

"Ise!" The young man who'd so valiantly fought to protect Asia looked up. "I'm going to give you my power! I want you to boost it and launch it into the ground!"

It was a testament to his character that he didn't question her, merely responding with a, "hai! Buchou!"

Rias gathered as much of her Power of Destruction as she dared and hurled it at Issei, who raised his gauntlet and caught the power, trapping it within his Boosted Gear.

"Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!"

Issei's gauntlet began to glow with bright fire. They were not real flames, but dark flames generated by her powers as the Boosted Gear enhanced it.

"Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!"

Power erupted from Issei's body as the Boosted Gear continued boosting her Powers of Destruction. The floor he stood on cracked, abrasions spreading out from underneath his feet. His shirt tore as a fierce gale kicked up all around him, the remains flapping about erratically, showing the chiseled chest and stomach he'd gained from Naruto's training.

"Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!"

Rias gritted her teeth as she struggled to remain standing. She'd known of the Boosted Gear's potential, but she never imagined it would be so vast. She could feel the power, her power, roiling off Issei like a typhoon, chaotic and destructive. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

"Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!"

The others weren't faring as well as her. They might have been strong in their own right, but none of them had her power. As a high class devil, she had more power than the others, and thus, an easier time remaining upright. Ravel was also a high-class devil, but she was still young. Even Akeno had placed her hands on her knees to keep from falling as Issei's power skyrocketed.

"Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost! OVER BOOSTER!"

With nothing more than a shout, Issei brought his gauntlet covered fist down upon the floor.

"Everybody into the air!" Rias shouted before unleashing her wings. She quickly grabbed the two exorcists by creating a whip out of her Power of Destruction, pulling them with her as she ascended into the air, her peerage following suit.

Seconds later, the entire world was engulfed in red light.

~Devil Ninja~

Rias had no idea Issei had that much power. Boosted Gear was an incredible Sacred Gear. As one of the Thirteen Longinus, it had the ability to give its wielder enough power to kill even gods. Despite this, Issei had never displayed any significant boosts in power before.

The moment Issei's gauntlet covered fist crashed against the ground, a massive wave of pure destruction spread out from the point of impact. It surged across the floor, splitting cement, large cracks spreading along the ground in an upheaval of mass devestation. It swept through the ranks of armored figures, decimating them. Had living people been inside of that armor, they would not have even had time to scream before their bodies were completely annihilated.

Floating above the chaos and destruction, Rias, Ravel, Irina, Xenovia, and her peerage all watched as the massive pillar of what almost looked like crimson hellfire swept through the ranks. Armored warriors disappeared in the blink of an eye. Worn columns vanished as if they had never existed. The walls were unable to withstand the power smashing into them and blew out, causing the ceiling to collapse.

"Koneko! Akeno!"

"Hai, Buchou!" the two girls shouted in unison as they worked to keep the ceiling from falling on their heads, Akeno blasting chunks apart with lightning while Koneko destroyed them with fists and feet.

By the time Issei's power ran its course, the once massive cathedral was in ruins. The teen who'd caused it all stood in the center of his own destruction, his breathing heavy, his pupils dilated. He looked around for several seconds, eyelids rapidly fluttering, and then collapsed when his legs were no longer capable of bearing his weight.

"Ise-san!"

"Ise-kun!"

Rias descended back to earth, alighting to the ground and allowing Irina and Xenovia to stand on their own two feet. The uneven surface made them stumble a bit, especially as they seemed to be in shock from the power they had just witnessed Issei unleashing.

"I… I had no idea Ise-kun was this strong?" Irina gulped as she surveyed the destruction. Standing by her side, Xenovia had a gaping-mouthed, wide-eyed look.

"This… is this the power of a dragon?"

"More or less," Rias hid her own shock. She had known Issei had potential, but she hadn't realized he'd already progressed this far into his training. Whatever Naruto had done to increase the young pervert's strength was clearly working. "It's only natural that the holder of the Boosted Gear would be capable of something like this."

Rias walked over to Issei as he was being tended to by Asia and Akeno. Kiba landed next to her, wings retracting into his back, disappearing like they'd never existed. A little ways off, Koneko had an arm wrapped around Ravel as the blond girl shook, clearly affected by everything she had just witnessed. Rias would have to speak with her later.

"Are you okay, Ise?"

Issei raised a trembling hand, which he used to give her a thumbs up.

"I'm fine… Buchou. Just a… a little tired."

Rias nodded. Issei had clearly exhausted himself. He wouldn't be able to fight anymore, which meant it would be up to her and the others to finish what they had started.

"Asia, Akeno, please take care of Ise while the rest of us finish this."

"Of course, Buchou," Akeno answered while Asia used her Twilight Healing to heal some of the holy damage Issei had suffered during the battle.

"I… I can still fight…" Issei tried to stand, only to fall flat on his backside.

"No," Rias shook her head, "you're nearly dead on your feet. No more fighting for you. Asia, Akeno, please make sure Ise doesn't try to follow us."

"Of course, Buchou," Akeno's eyes gleamed with sadistic glee as she smiled, "I will make sure that Ise-kun cannot go anywhere."

"Good. Ravel," Rias gave the girl a kind smile, "why don't you stay here with Ise, Asia and Akeno?"

Ravel shook her head and grabbed onto Rias' shirt.

"..."

"What was that?"

"I want to go with you…"

Rias closed her eyes for a second to contemplate the girl. Ravel wasn't a fighter. She never would be, and Rias knew it had been a mistake to take her along, but she'd wanted to go and Rias was loathe to stop her.

"Okay," she said at last, opening her eyes and giving Ravel a stern look, "but you stick by mine and Koneko's side, alright? I don't want you getting separated from me."

Ravel didn't say anything, merely nodded and let go of her shirt.

"All right." Breathing out deeply, Rias eyed her peerage and the two exorcists. "Let's go. I want to get rid of Valper Galilei and return home as soon as possible."

Everyone nodded. She could see they were tired, but like her, they also wanted to end this, to end the man who'd caused everyone here so much trouble and pain. She smiled at them, and together, they journeyed into the underbelly of their enemy's territory.

~Devil Ninja~

No light shone in the darkened corridors they carefully tread through. The small orb of flame that Ravel had conjured barely lit the area three feet in front of them. Yet still they traveled through darkness, their footsteps echoing along the ominous tunnel.

"Did Valper really go down this way?" asked Kiba, warily eying the cracked walls showing their age.

"Yes," Xenovia grunted, "I saw him retreat once the fighting started. This is the only way he could have gone."

"There are only two exits in this place," Irina supplied helpfully. "The front entrance and the emergency escape located underneath the catacombs."

"Catacombs?" Rias glanced at the generally cheerful exorcist.

"Mm hm." Irina nodded, the fused Excalibur swinging back and forth in her left hand. "There are catacombs down here, though they were all cleared out years ago when the cathedral was abandoned. Now it's just a dusty old tomb with no bodies."

"Hmm…"

It didn't take much time before they reached an immense gate, bronze-plated and massive. They converged on it, stopping only long enough for it to open before walking through and entering a large antechamber. It was similar to the first one they had been in, the one above. Ornamented balconies hung along the walls, decrepit and aging. Some lay broken on the ground, nothing but piles of rubble. The light from torches arrayed around the room cast flickering shadows that moved as if they were alive.

"I am surprised you've made it this far. Truly, you devils are a stubborn and annoying bunch."

The group stopped and looked up. Standing on a balcony and looking down at them in bemused exasperation was Valper Galilei. He wasn't alone, they soon realized. Lining every balcony were more armored warriors, however, these ones were different. They carried not crossbows or spears, but guns.

"Valper Galilei!" Kiba's roar was accompanied by the projection of several dozen swords, all of which erupted from the ground and tried to spear the man before he could blink.

The air shimmered and the swords shattered against what Rias recognized as a barrier. Holy white energy crackled as it withstood the might of several dozen demonic swords bashing into it, attempting to pierce it. Behind the barrier, Valper Galilei nodded to himself, seemingly pleased.

"It is good to see that my barrier works as it should. I had been uncertain if it would work or not, as I've never had a chance to test it before now. I thank you for the opportunity."

Kiba gritted his teeth, eyes narrowed and lips peeled back in a snarl of hatred. Rias actually grew worried that he might forget himself and charge up there to try and slay the man with his bare hands.

"You… I'm going to kill you for what you've done to my friends."

"Are you now?" A bemused smile appeared on Valper's face, as if Kiba was a puzzle he needed to solve. "And what makes you think you can kill me? You, a failed experiment. There is no way you can touch me, much less kill me. Failures such as yourself will never reach the heights that I have attained."

Rias clenched her hands into fists until her knuckles turned white. The insults this man was spewing at her knight were like a personal insult to herself.

"I remember you, you know," Valper's words caused Kiba's eyes to widen. "Oh, yes. Sword Birth. I remember you very well. You were special among my stock. You had potential, so much potential. That was why I planned on using you last. Our procedures were quite crude starting out, so we had to refine and revise the process numerous times. It wouldn't do if our prized material was used first and we ended up wasting all that potential."

"P-potential…" Kiba nearly choked. "You did all that… killed my friends… to experiment on me?"

"We would have experiment on them anyway," Valper said, as if that would reassure the young devil, who looked like something had impaled him through the stomach. "But, yes, I suppose you could say that you are, indeed, the cause for their suffering. Our plan, you see, was to gather all of the material we could, to revise and refine our research until it was nearly flawless, before experimenting on you."

"You're a monster," Irina covered her mouth with a hand, tears pricking at her eyes. "How could anyone who was once a member of the Church be so… so evil?"

Valper looked greatly amused. "Evil? Now that, my dear girl, is a very subjective term. To the people who are hurt by me, the people who are not on my side, I am evil. However, to the people who appreciate my work, who enjoy the benefits to be reaped from what I can do, I am quite good." His lips peeled back into a grin. "You can even go so far as to say that for those people who benefit from what I can do, I am a saint."

"You are no saint," Xenovia all but snarled, "you're a monster!"

"A monster, am I?" Valper shook his head. "You know so little, child. You call me a monster, but you do not truly understand what that word means. Your perceptions are clouded by the vaunted ideals of the Church. You see everything through their tinted windows. I, too, was once like that, so I guess I can understand to some degree or another, but it is rather vexing to be called a monster by a girl who has sided with true monsters."

Rias, Kiba and Koneko gritted their teeths at the pointed insult, while Ravel shook by Rias' side, her eyes wide and her face pale.

"Now then, I suppose we must end this little game, yes?" the man continued, his voice almost conversational, as if he wasn't intent on ending their lives. "I do not particularly enjoy guns. Bullets are simply too small for them to be very effective, and they lack the circumference necessary to properly enchant them with holy power. At the same time, they allow for a much higher firing rate and, if enough bullets penetrate the target, they can even take down a high-class devil such as yourself, Rias Gremory."

Rias studied the room, her eyes flickering back and forth. There had to be something she could do, something that could get them out of this. What was it Naruto told her when they trained together? Something about looking underneath the underneath? No. He had said that, but that wouldn't help in this situation. Where there's a will there's a way? Maybe, but that wasn't quite what she was trying to recall either…

"You need to study your surroundings more carefully, Rias. I beat you this time because you hadn't realized that the tree I behind you was weak and rotting and had several metal wires wrapped around it. Had you noticed that, you may not have been beaten so easily. Remember this, everything can be used as a weapon, not just yourself, but also your surroundings."

Yes, that was it. Everything was a weapon. If she could find a weak point in the structure, maybe cause the roof or something to collapse on Valper, then perhaps she could defeat him.

I need to stall for time.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to let you get away with this?" Rias asked, her eyes narrowed.

Valper spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the entire interior in a hug.

"My dear, I expect nothing. You have already been defeated, or have you not noticed that? You and your forces are exhausted, while I still have plenty of my creations to throw at you. You and the others are injured, while my creations feel no pain. There is nothing you can do. Your defeat at my hands has already been assured."

While Valper spoke, Rias surveyed her surroundings with a critical eye. Many of the balconies were old and didn't seem very stable. More than likely they were on the verge of collapse and would probably go down with one solid hit. The problem was that she didn't know if that barrier extended to everywhere, or if it was just protecting Galilei.

I guess there is only one way to find out.

"Kiba, Koneko," Rias whispered out of the corner of her mouth, "do you two think you can destroy the balconies on your side?"

Koneko and Kiba looked at her, both nodding subtly so as not to tip off their enemy.

"Good. What about you two? Irina, Xenovia? Think you can do the same?"

The two exorcists held a quick conversation through eye contact. Irina then looked at Rias, nodding ever so slightly. Rias sighed in relief, and the looked down at Ravel, who stared up at her expectantly, even as her legs shook.

"Ravel, when I give the signal, I want you to launch your strongest fire attack at the ceiling above Valper's head, okay?"

"R-right."

"It is not a question of whether you will let me do anything," Galilei concluded, and Rias turned her attention back to the man. "The only reason you are alive right now is because I have deigned not to kill you yet."

"Then why haven't you?"

Rias glared when Valper chuckled.

"Call it the eccentricities of an old man. You have all been very amusing. Indeed, I have not been this entertained in a long time. Watching you all struggle so hard against the inevitable has been a great way to pass the time." His smile widened. "But now I feel that time is at an end. As fun as playing with you is, my master needs you gone."

Valper Galilei raised a hand and the armored figures all raised their weapons.

The others tensed as Rias glared up at Valper, worrying herself into a tizzy. What if her plan didn't work? Would she be able to protect her peerage, her family? Who was this master that Valper spoke of? Who could possibly control a man this mad? So many questions, so many worries, all of which she shunted to the side so that she could prepare herself.

Rias counted down in her head, waiting until Galilei's arm began to descend.

"NOW!"

It happened all at once. All of them attacked. A hundred blades shot from the ground, crashing into several balconies on their left-hand side, destroying them and causing the armored figures standing on them to fall. A large chunk of stone was ripped from the ground by Koneko and tossed onto a balcony, crushing the figures within. Xenovia and Irina attacked in unison. Durandal struck the ground to cataclysmic effect, the earth splitting like the parting of the Red Sea, traveling to and up the wall where it destroyed several balconies. At that same time, Excalibur mimic transformed into a razor sharp whip that sliced through six balconies like butter, sending the figures standing upon it crashing to the ground.

"Ravel!"

Rias raised her hand, destruction gathering around her palm at the same time flames burst from behind Ravel's back. Together, the two launched their simultaneous attacks, which combined in front of them to create an inferno of destruction that roared with power.

"That won't work against my barrier!" Galilei started to shout—until he realized that he wasn't their target. "What?!"

The roaring, crackling fire filled with destructive demonic energy slammed into the ceiling above Galilei, detonating with incredible force. Like one of her brother's pawns more potent attacks, the blast was powerful enough that the entire ceiling of that section was wiped out, blasted apart and sent crashing down. Those underneath it could do nothing as the pile of rocks collapsed on top of them.

When the dust settled, all of the armored warriors had been destroyed, crushed beneath several large chunks of rubble. The only one to have survived, oddly enough, was Valper Galilei, who sat on the ground, coughing and hacking as the dust dispersed. Rias assumed he'd leapt off the balcony before the falling ceiling could crush him.

"Kiba," Rias said softly, "if you want your revenge, now is your chance."

Kiba looked at her, his eyes steeled and his expression revealing nothing. He nodded once, and then stalked over to Galilei, who'd just come back to his senses and realized the blond devil was closing in.

"W-wait!" Galilei's voice was high pitched as he scrambled backgrounds. "K-Kiba Yuto, was it? Don't kill me! I… I'll give you anything! Anything you want!"

Kiba stopped in front of the man who had taken so much from him, his eyes betraying nothing, sharper than steel and twice as deadly.

"Can you give me my friends back?"

Valper paled.

"… N-no."

Kiba gave Galilei a cold smile.

"Then why ask."

Rias did not look away when Kiba's sword penetrated Galilei's chest. Crimson fluid sprayed out of the wound like a fountain as the Genocide Archbishop fell onto his back, gasping in agonic pain. Kiba must have cut one of the man's arteries because he bled out quickly. The traitorous man twitched and spasmed for several seconds, carnelian liquid staining his front and creating a puddle underneath him, before going still, his eyes glazing over.

Kiba remained where he was, looking down at the cooling corpse. Rias walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, almost startling the poor boy.

"Are you okay, Kiba?"

He looked up at her, his eyes staring blankly into hers like a lost puppy.

"I…" He paused, shook his head, then started over. "I'm not sure. I thought I would feel different after I killed him." He looked down at the corpse, and then back to Rias. "But I don't feel any different. I just feel… empty."

Rias offered her Knight her most compassionate look.

"That is because you have lost the purpose that held you for so long. Ever since I have known you, your mind has been focused on revenge, and though I like to think that myself and the others have given you something else to live for, the idea of avenging your comrades was never far from your mind. Without that focus, that goal driving you forward, you feel as if you've lost something important."

Without warning, Rias pulled a startled Kiba into a hug, running her hand over his hair much like a big sister would.

"Fortunately, you are not alone. You have never been alone since becoming a member of my peerage. You have myself, Akeno, Issei, Koneko and Naruto. We are and always will be your family. You already have a purpose, you just need to realize it."

"Yes," Kiba whispered, and Rias felt the first few tears stain her shirt. "Yes, I you're right. I know you're right. I am sorry for the trouble I've caused."

"It's okay," Rias let her cheek rest on Kiba's head, "everything is okay now."

~Devil Ninja~

They all traversed back to Rias' house, leaving the ruins of what had once been a magnificent cathedral behind them.

There was a lot that still needed to be done. Xenovia and Irina needed to deliver the fused Excalibur back to the Church, and also explain how the Excalibur came to be fused in the first place. However, above and beyond that, they needed to discuss their next course of action.

"During our confrontation, Valper Galilei kept referring to his master, which leads me to believe that he was nothing more than a pawn on someone else's chess board."

Rias, Ravel, Koneko, Irina and Xenovia were bathing in Rias' personal hot springs. Everyone else had gone to their respective houses; Issei with Asia and Akeno, and Kiba to his own apartment complex. That left her and the two exorcists to continue speaking.

"We originally came here suspecting that would be the case," Irina admitted, appearing worried, and with good reason.

"You mentioned during our first meeting that you suspected Kokabiel to have been the one who stole the Excaliburs," Rias leaned back, idly stroking Koneko's hair as the nekousho sat on her lap. She could see why Naruto enjoyed the act so much. There was something therapeutic about the simplistic act of pampering the fifteen year old neko/devil hybrid. "If that is the case, and Kokabiel really is the one behind all this, why has he not shown himself? What is he hoping to accomplish?"

"We believe that Kokabiel means to renew hostilities between the three factions," Irina told Rias, who felt as if someone had just jabbed her in the gut by the revelation. "We're almost positive that's why he stole the Excaliburs, to invoke the Church's wrath and maybe start fighting against the devils again. It's why the Church only sent the two of us to retrieve them. No one wants to re-start the war, and we knew that sending in an army of exorcists would have been taken as a sign of aggression."

Rias nodded her understanding.

"That makes sense. My brother once told me that Kokabiel is a very bloodthirsty fallen angel. He said that during the war, Kokabiel was one of those fallen angels who disagreed with the cease fire and wanted to continue fighting. These centuries of peace must have been grating on him. It only makes sense that he would try to renew hostilities."

The more Rias thought about it, the more it made sense.

"It also means he has likely selected Kuoh as his battleground." Her eyes narrowed. "With Sona and I here, two sisters of the Maou are present, and if something were to happen to us, then it's almost a guarantee that war would erupt again."

"That's what we were thinking, too," Xenovia said at last. "The death of you or Leviathan's sister at the hands of Excalibur would have restarted the war, and we would have played right into his hands."

Rias scowled at the thought of Kokabiel and his plan. There were a few warmongers in the underworld on the devils' side as well, people who hadn't sided with the Old Satan Faction but still believed they shouldn't have given up so easily. They gave her brother numerous headaches, and she detested those people for wanting to restart something that would cause all sides to spill more blood.

"I'll speak with Sona tomorrow," Rias determined. "I highly doubt Kokabiel is just going to quietly go underground now that his plan has failed, not after he put so much effort into stealing the Excaliburs." She looked at the two exorcists. "What do you two plan on doing now?"

Irina and Xenovia looked at each other, sharing in a silent conversation.

"We need to get the Excaliburs back to the Church," Irina told Rias, "but Xenovia and I agree that we can't leave just yet, knowing that the person responsible for all this is still out there. Some of our friends were guarding those Excaliburs when they were stolen, and to let their killer go unpunished is something we can't accept."

"We also need to find Freed," Xenovia added. "We couldn't do anything because of the Sekiryuutei's attack, but he managed to escape by using those armored souls as cover."

Rias looked at the two hopefully.

"Does this mean you're willing to help us out?"

While Xenovia crossed her arms and tried to look nonchalant, Irina smiled.

"Yes, for now at least, you can count on us to help deal with this problem."

"Thank you." Rias felt herself relax. It wasn't much, but their help would at least give her a little more leeway in which to plan for Kokabiel's eventual assault.

~Devil Ninja~

Rias knocked on the door to Ravel's room.

"Come in," a soft voice called from behind the door.

Rias entered the room to find Ravel sitting on her bed, knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped around them. The blond Phenex heiress' eyes stared blankly at the wall, but she could see the barely contained emotions within them.

She walked further into the room, noting the girlish touches that had not been present before. Ravel's bedroom was predominantly pink. The walls, floor and ceiling were all a light pink. So too were the furnishing. The bed and dresser. The nightstand. Even the desk sitting by the window was pink, though a darker shade than the walls.

"Rias-sama," Ravel's tone was polite but masked. Yet even masked as it was, Rias could hear the tremor in it.

Smiling gently, Rias sat herself down on the bed.

"Ravel, I was wondering if you wanted to talk about what happened tonight?"

Ravel was quiet for a moment. Rias waited patiently, knowing better than to interrupt.

"I always used to think myself powerful," her voice was still soft. "I used to think that I knew what battle was, that I understood combat. Yet tonight, that battle in the cathedral, it was so different than the Rating Games I am used to. It was fast-paced and furious, with spells flying everywhere and people actually trying to kill us. And it hurt."

Ravel finally looked Rias in the eye, tears gathering.

"It really, really hurt. Those weapons they used were so painful. I know that we're weak against holy powers, but I never realized it would hurt so much. And they wouldn't heal. No matter how much I tried to make them heal they wouldn't, and I was so frightened, so scared. I thought I was going to die!"

Rias drew Ravel into a hug as the girl began to sob. She soothed the young heiress' by tenderly running fingers through her hair.

"I'm sorry you went through that," Rias whispered in melancholy. "You're a great strategist, but you're not really a front-line fighter. I shouldn't have allowed you to come with us."

"No," Ravel croaked. "I wanted to go with you. I don't want to be useless. I want to prove that I'm capable, that I can be strong."

"So you can prove yourself to Naruto?" Ravel stiffened in her arms, causing Rias to chuckle. "You want to show me that you can be useful to Naruto so that when he begins searching for peerage members of his own, you can join him as his bishop."

"N-no. Th-that isn't—"

"There's no need to try and hide it," Rias admonished. "I know the real reason you came to the human world, and I know that it wasn't so you could learn from me. You want to be with Naruto."

Ravel was quiet for a moment.

"I don't plan on taking him away from you," she whispered softly. "I know how much he means to you, and I know how much you mean to him." Rias was silent. Ravel lifted her head. "I don't mind being his mistress. I don't even mind if he just sees me as his bishop. I just… want to be close to him. Please don't send me away. That's all I ask for."

Were Rias anyone else, she would have probably done just that, send this girl as far from Naruto as she could, rid herself of someone who wanted her boyfriend's affection. But was not how Rias did things. She wasn't cold-hearted and never had been. The idea of sending this girl away for such a petty reason repulsed her.

"I will not send you away for something like this." Ravel's relief was palpable. "However," the girl stiffened in her arms, "if you plan on being with Naruto, then you need to tell him how you feel. You also need to know who is in charge."

Ravel flushed, but nodded.

"Don't worry. I know that you're his King, and that his loyalty to you comes first."

"Just so long as you're aware." Rias stood up. "Now then, you should probably get some rest. You've had a long night."

"Right." Ravel soon crawled under the covers as Rias walked toward the door. "Thank you, Rias."

Before exiting the room, Rias cast one last smile at Ravel. "You're welcome."

~Devil Ninja~

Naruto walked through the downtrodden streets of a city, passing by stores and restaurants.

They were no longer in Akihabara. The signs and shops that sold nothing but anime, video games and manga had disappeared, replaced by regular buildings. However, just because they were no longer in Akihabara didn't mean he knew where here was.

"We're lost, aren't we?" Ophis asked from her place in his shoulders.

Naruto scowled.

"Of course not. We're just… temporarily misplaced."

Ophis cocked her head to the side, which he had come to understand was the look she gave when she was contemplating something.

"Isn't that just a fancier way of saying we're lost?"

"What—no! It just means that I don't have my bearings enough to tell where, exactly, we currently are."

"In other words, we're lost."

"We are not lost!"

With a huff, Naruto continued on, grumbling about the girl on his shoulder. None of this would have happened if she hadn't sent her jabronis to kidnap him. Had she just spoke to him herself, all of this could have been avoided. But no, Ophis had to send others to do her dirty work, and because he didn't know where Ophis' hideout was, he couldn't determine which direction they needed to travel to get home. Even finding Akihabara had been more a stroke of luck than him intentionally trying to find that city.

"Maybe we should look for a map."

"We don't need a map. I can find out where we're going without one."

"No, I'm pretty sure you need a map. Your sense of direction is awful."

"You know, you're not nearly as adorable now as you usually are."

Ophis shrugged and Naruto mumbled some more.

As they walked, Naruto's nose picked up a familiar scent, and his stomach suddenly rumbled, reminding him that he'd not had breakfast yet. Following the scent of food brought him to a small stand that looked eerily similar to another place that he used to eat at so long ago. The sight brought a nostalgic smile to his face, as he opened the flap and sat both himself and Ophis on seats in front of the bar-style stand.

"Welcome to Inari's Ramen. What'll ya be having?" asked an old man with graying sideburns and a large grin.

Naruto salivated as he ordered.

"I'll take two deluxe-sized bowls of pork ramen, six chicken ramen, seven miso ramen, thirteen seafood ramen and four vegetable ramen."

The old man seemed nonplussed.

"U-um, are you sure you want to order all that?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have ordered it if I wasn't sure." Naruto ignored the old man and turned to Ophis. "What would you like?"

Ophis stared at him with a bland expression, her head tilting some more as she turned back to study the menu.

"I do not know. I have never had this food before. What would suggest?"

"Why don't we start you off with something simple. We'll get you a miso ramen, and if you're still hungry, we'll order something else."

Ophis contemplated this for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well."

Grinning, Naruto turned back to the old man.

"You heard the little lady."

Although the man seemed ready to have a heart attack, he snapped out of his stupor and addressed them quickly.

"Ah, um, right! I'll get started on your order right away!"

As the old man began preparing their ramen, Ophis regarded Naruto curiously. In return, he gazed at her with steady eyes and a smile.

"Something on your mind?"

"Why are you so intent on dissuading me from kicking Great Red out of my home?"

Naruto hummed curiously as he regarded the powerful entity disguised as a loli.

"It's because of your eyes."

Ophis raised a single hand to her face, fingers gently touching her cheek underneath her left eye.

"My eyes?"

"Hmm," Naruto turned back to the bar as the old man served up his first bowl of ramen. "It's often been said that when you look into a person's eyes, you can see what kind of person they are. Are they a happy person or a sad person? Did they have a hard life or were they born to a life of privilege? While I don't claim to be an expert on this stuff, I like to think I'm pretty good at determining what kind of person someone is by looking into their eyes."

"I see." Ophis paused when her own bowl of food came up. After taking a bite, her eyes widened slightly and she began eating at a quicker pace. She finished eating the entire bowl in less than a minute, then looked up at Naruto who interpreted the look and, with a grin, turned to the old man behind the counter.

"Hey, old man! Get a second bowl for my friend here. Make it chicken this time."

"Comin' right up!"

As the old man started cooking again, Ophis turned and restarted her conversation with Naruto.

"What do you see when you look into my eyes?"

Naruto frowned at her.

"Nothing, nothing at all, and that's the problem. When I look into your eyes, all I see is emptiness, a void in which nothing exists. It's like you're just existing, a mere object going through life without actually being alive. I don't like it. I don't like how dead your eyes look. I don't like how it feels as if you've never once experienced joy, never once known what it means to have friends, to find love, to know what it means to have a family."

Naruto paused to wipe some mysterious liquid that threatened to fall from his eyes. It must have been the fumes from the ramen.

"That's why I've decided that I'm going to give you those things." He gave her a determined look. "The reason you want to return to the void is because you've never experienced what it means to be alive, so I'm gonna make sure you do. I'll make sure you experience all that life has to offer, and I guarantee that by the time you and I face Great Red, you won't want to return to the void."

"Those are some awfully bold words. What makes you think you can change my mind?"

Naruto grinned at her and rubbed Ophis' hair, the Infinite Dragon God leaning into his hand without even realizing she was doing it.

"Because I have faith in the bond I'm planning to make with you," Naruto answered mysteriously before going back to his meal.

~Devil Ninja~

Rias had barely been able to wait until morning to contact Sona. All night she had tossed and turned, and it had taken Koneko slipping into bed and snuggling with her to make her calm down. Koneko had also dragged Ravel with her, much to the young Phenex's consternation. When morning finally came, Rias was tired and grumpy, but still managed to contact her friend-slash-rival and convince the other girl to meet with her.

When Sona arrived at her home that morning, it was with the ever faithful Tsubaki at her side. Because of how large the mansion was, Rias escorted the pair into one of the many unused office spaces before using her familiar to summon Irina and Xenovia, who she felt deserved to be a part of this conversation.

While waiting for the two exorcists to arrive, Ravel served Sona and Rias some tea, which she thanked the girl for with a smile and gestured for her to sit on the sofa with her.

"You look like you've had a busy night," Sona observed cooly after several seconds of silence.

Rias sighed.

"You can say that again."

"I take it things did not go quite as planned?"

"No," Rias rubbed her face, as if doing so would somehow smooth out the wrinkles she was sure had appeared. "No, they did not. We ran into an ambush and barely managed to survive. They were prepared for us."

"I see."

Rias launched into a quick yet detailed explanation of what happened last night. Sona listened while sipping her tea, not making any comments or asking any questions, waiting patiently until her friend finished. Sometime during her explanation, Irina and Xenovia arrived, the two exorcists moving to sit on one of the other couches.

"That does sound like a problem," the raven-haired female admitted. "Do you suspect Kokabiel will try something more drastic?"

"I'm positive he will," to her credit, Rias, despite being exhausted from only getting two hours of sleep, remained alert as she spoke with Sona. "Kokabiel went through a lot of trouble to steal the Excaliburs and bring them here. He also must have done a lot of planning and preparation. Valper Galilei had an entire army of with him, which must have taken a lot of time and souls to create. This leads me to believe his plan to restart the Three Factions War has been in the making for years, maybe even decades. Now that Galilei has failed, he has no choice but to attack Kuoh himself."

Sona leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. She observed Rias with her cool gaze, eyes like chips of ice studying her friend and rival carefully.

"You would not be telling me this if you did not have a plan."

Rias smiled.

"I do have something of a plan." Rias did not wait for Sona to speak before launching into her plan. "The first thing we need to do is close down Kuoh Academy. We have no clue when Kokabiel will attack, and I don't want to involve innocent bystanders in a fight between devils and fallen angels."

"You mean to use us as bait," Sona determined.

"Not really," Rias' uncaring shrug revealed her thoughts on the subject, "we already are his targets, so it's not like we need to make ourselves into enticing bait. I just don't want to involve humans in this." Sona nodded and Rias soon continued. "I also plan on contacting my brother and letting him know about what's happening."

Sona raised an eyebrow.

"This has to be a first. You've never contacted your brother for help before."

"Things change."

"So it would seem. The Rias I knew would never contact her brother for anything."

Rias closed her eyes.

"I can't afford to let my pride get the better of me. Kokabiel isn't an enemy we can afford to mess around with. He's powerful, maybe even more powerful than yours and my peerages combined. I don't want my pride to be the death of everyone I hold dear."

Sona studied her friend for several silent seconds before breaking out into a small smile.

"It seems you've done some growing up. I guess that Naruto really has been a good influence on you."

"Yes," Rias said softly, her heart going out to Naruto, wherever he was. "I suppose he has."

~Devil Ninja~

Issei slept for nearly an entire day after the battle within the cathedral. He had used up more power during that single fight than he ever had before and the act had left him beyond exhausted. He'd passed out before Akeno and Asia had even managed to get him home.

The morning after waking up, he had been informed by Akeno that Rias had asked them to head over to the school. According to her, a plan was being concocted on how to deal with the current situation. After an amazing breakfast cooked by his two girlfriends, they had all headed out toward Kuoh Academy.

Girlfriends. He had two girlfriends. Issei still had trouble believing it sometimes. Even though he always said that he wanted to become a harem king, he knew that, realistically speaking, the chances of him actually getting a harem were depressingly small. He just wasn't what most girls looked for in a guy—which basically meant to say they looked for guys who weren't perverted.

It seriously made him wonder about what these two saw in him. He never asked, though, mainly because he was afraid of the answer.

"Ara, ara, Ise-kun, you seem a little distracted," Akeno said.

Yeah, well, if you had two girls pressing their jiggly parts against you, I'm sure you would be distracted, too.

Both Asia and Akeno had taken one of his arms and were pressing each appendage against them. The arm Akeno held had actually sunk into her massive cleavage, which just went to show him how big her oppai really were. While Asia's were nowhere close to being Akeno's size, the soft feel of her small bust was more than enough to make Issei feel like he was touching heaven. Issei was actually surprised he was even capable of thinking with these two beauties pressing into him like this.

"Ah-hahaha, I was just thinking about some stuff," Issei tried not to blush as Akeno's oppai rubbed against his arm. He was also struggling against a nosebleed. "Nothing to worry about."

"What is Ise-san thinking about?" inquired Asia.

"Just… um, stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Ah, like, um," Issei was grasping at straws as he struggled to think properly, "life, I guess. I'm also wondering what Rias-buchou wants."

"Knowing Buchou, she has probably come up with a plan to deal with Kokabiel and wants us there to help out."

"Um, I guess."

When they entered the school, Issei was surprised to see the entire academy was empty. There wasn't a soul in sight. He, Asia and Akeno walked down silent halls and empty corridors, slowly meandering their way to the student council office, which was where they were told to meet up with everyone else.

"Enter!" a voice called from within after Issei knocked on the door. The trio slowly opened it and walked into the room. Sona's peerage and the other members of Rias' peerage were already inside, with the redhead herself standing next to Sona.

"Ara, ara, it seems we're late," Akeno smiled at everyone as she unwound her arms from Issei and strode over to Rias' side. "My apologies."

"It's fine," Rias waved the apology off, "you're not that late. We haven't even started yet."

Issei slowly moved further into the room with Asia. Kiba nodded to him from his position near the far wall. The Knight of Rias Gremory had his arms crossed and looked to be in deep thought. Issei thought it best not to bother him. Over by one of the couch's, Irina spared him a smile while Xenovia merely eyed him with a curious gleam. Koneko didn't even look up from the couch she and Ravel were sitting on.

A small dose of killing intent caught Issei's attention, and the young man turned to find a teen his age with short blond hair, gray eyes, and a feral scowl glaring daggers into his back.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Issei asked the young man, Saji, one of the newest members of the student council and a pawn in Sona's peerage.

"Who the hell do you think you are, Hyoudo?!"

Issei blinked when Saji pointed an angry, quivering finger at him.

"Um, is that a trick question?"

"I don't know how you managed to fool Asia-san and Akeno-san into being your love slaves, but I refuse to allow it for even another second! I will rescue them from whatever spell you've placed them under, perverted trash!"

It took Issei approximately two seconds and twice as many blinks to properly compute Saji's words. Slowly, like darkening storm clouds brewing on the horizon, Issei's face darkened.

"You think I'm manipulating Asia and Akeno into dating me?" the very thought of doing something like that made Issei sick. "I might be a pervert, and I might be obsessed with oppai, but I'd never force someone as kind and sweet as Asia into dating me!"

"I noticed you didn't say anything about Akeno-san!"

"That's because Akeno is the last person who would ever allow herself to be manipulated," Issei scowled at the blond-haired teen. Who did this jerk think he was, insulting Akeno! "She's one of the strongest people I know, and I know that if anyone ever tried forcing her to do something she didn't want to, she'd fry them before they had a chance to regret it!"

"Oh my," Akeno held a hand to her smiling lips, her cheeks a soft shade of pink, "Ise-kun, you know me too well."

Saji's face turned into a flaming bonfire of anger.

"Don't you can fool me, Hyoudo! I know you're tricking those two! And I won't stand for it! I'm going to—YEOWCH!"

Saji's tirade was promptly cut off when Sona grabbed him by the ear and yanked, hard.

The young woman scowled at her pawn.

"Saji, I believe I told you to keep a lid on your jealousy," the words were spoken calmly, but everyone present shivered at the iciness in her tone. Saji paled. "It seems I am going to have to punish you after this meeting. Now do me a favor and keep quiet until our business is concluded."

"Y-yes, Kaichou…"

Sona let go of Saji's ear and bowed before Rias.

"I apologize for my pawn's behavior. Ever since he learned of Hyoudo Issei's… relationship with Argent Asia and Himejima Akeno, he has been most jealous."

"Not jealous…"

Sona cast Saji a glare, causing the boy's mouth to snap shut with a loud clack.

Leaning against the large student president desk, Rias crossed her arms and looked at the group. Unlike some of the previous times since Naruto disappeared, this time the redhead's eyes were sharp and calculating.

"There is a lot that we need to discuss," Rias started, "Sona already knows that my peerage and I have taken to aiding Irina and Xenovia in the recovery of the stolen Excaliburs. We have done that. The Excaliburs have been recovered. However, the one who stole them is still at large, and he will be coming for us."

"Their first plan to stir up trouble failed," Sona added, seemingly in agreement. "So we expect their next attempt at renewing the war between the three factions to be even more extreme and twice as vicious."

"I've contacted my brother and informed him of what's happened, and he's agreed to alert the underworld's forces and have our armies prepped in case the worst scenario happens. Unfortunately, due to a number of factors, he and his forces will be unable to enter the human world except in the event of an emergency."

"Why is that?" asked Issei. "If there's trouble, isn't it the job of a Maou and a brother to protect you?"

"It is precisely because my brother is a Maou that he cannot afford to be seen moving recklessly," Rias informed her pawn, who only cast her a confused glance. "My brother is a powerful entity in his own right. If he came to the human world, it could be seen as an act of aggression by the forces of heaven and the grigori, which might be the spark to start the war. That is something we want to avoid."

Rias paused long enough to grimace.

"There is also the fact that I am his little sister. We have no real evidence that the stolen Excaliburs isn't an isolated incident that's already been resolved. If he were to move on my word alone, other nobles who dislike my brother's reign would see it as a sign of favoritism, and use it to weaken his position."

Xenovia scoffed distastefully.

"Politics have no place in a crises."

"No, they do not," Rias' tight smile showed her agreement, "but that is how things work. Have you informed the Church of what's happened?"

"We have," Irina stepped forward, "and they said they want us to return." Her smile, normally so cheerful, looked just a tad bitter. "We told them about what's happening here, but it seems they don't want us getting involved in a conflict they have nothing to do with, ignoring the fact that we became involved the moment the Excaliburs were stolen from us."

"Sounds like you've got your own political troubles," Rias seemed somehow both amused and resigned. "I guess no matter what your affiliation is, political dealings and the problems associated with them will always rear their ugly heads."

"So, the Church is having some internal struggles," Sona commented.

"You are correct. The Church is a lot more divided on most matters than they would like everyone else to believe," Xenovia sighed, shoulders slumping. "There are a number of factions within the Church, and each one will more often than not have their own agenda that doesn't align with those of the other factions. That is the unfortunate nature of all organizations. Politics mirred in faith are even more ruthless than the kind found in governments around the world."

"I don't think it's as bad as Xenovia says," Irina tried to remain upbeat. "There are a lot of good people within the Church, who want to do good things. The faction she's talking about are the extremist groups, such as the Knights Templar and the Order of Saint John. However, they are a very small group and do not have much power in the grand scheme of things. They can't force compliance of their design, especially since the more moderate factions have the backing of God and the archangels."

"So what is your plan, then?" Rias gazed upon the two, her expression polite but guarded. "Will you be returning to the church?"

Irina shook her head.

"Xenovia and I have talked this over and decided that, until the one responsible for all this is defeated, we won't return. Kokabiel is a threat to all of us, and if we don't deal with him now, then there is a strong possibility that he will attempt to do something like this again."

"I'm glad to hear that." Rias shifted, the tenseness in her shoulders relaxing, as if a great weight had been lifted from them. "We're going to need all the help we can get."

Xenovia said nothing, merely nodding while Irina offered a smile.

"Now then, Sona and I have discussed this at length, and have decided that the best way to avoid being caught with our figurative pants down, is to maintain a significant portion of our forces within the academy, where we expect Kokabiel will attack. However, we also know that keeping our forces strictly within the academy will limit our ability to spot the enemy should they approach. To compensate for this, we'll be sending out hourly patrols. Your job during these patrols will be to scan the city and surrounding forests for signs of fallen angel activity. Be sure to have your familiars expand your search radius. Does anyone have any questions?"

Issei looked at everyone to see them all shaking their head. He looked back at Rias and raised his hand.

"What should we do if we run into Kokabiel during one of our patrols?"

"Run for it and inform us via your communicator," Rias told him seriously. Issei nodded. "Anyone else? No? All right then. Let's begin fortifying the academy. We have a lot of work to do and I don't know how long it will be before Kokabiel comes, so we'd best get everything done quickly."

~Devil Ninja~

Kuoh Academy's school pitch, often used for track and field exercises, was a great place to train. Beyond the circular trail defined by the polyurethane track lay meadows of freshly mowed grass, and even further beyond that stood the forest, a copse of beautiful oak and maple trees.

"Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!"

Issei gritted his teeth as he struggled to contain the power within his gauntlet. The Boosted Gear glowed brightly within the dim morning light. Power wafted from it and him like red miasma.

"Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!"

He took the energy of his Boosted Gear and gave it shape. His gauntlet changed, slowly, morphing and shifting. Purple gems appeared along its length like metal studs on a leather belt. Segmented armor plating, scaley protrusions akin to a dragon's, shot out from either side to give the appearance of a reptilian ridges. From the knuckles, something appeared, jutting out for nearly three feet before ending in a pointed tip. Sharp and deadly, gleaming in the light, yet strangely fluid, easily manipulable, the multi-segmented blade that came forth reminded Issei of a sword he once saw in a video game.

"It looks like you're getting better at using your new power, partner," the gem over Issei's hand flashed as Ddraig spoke up.

"Yeah." Even as Issei continued to watch, his segmented sword returned from whence it came, leaving a normal Boosted Gear. He sighed. "But I can't seem to make it last for more than a few minutes." A prominent frown marred his face. "It's not a matter of power. I'm pretty sure I'm using more than enough power. There's some other problem, some other reason my Dragon's Tail isn't lasting long enough for me to use it."

"It's not a matter of power, partner, but resolve."

"Resolve?"

"Hm. All dragon's are unwavering in their resolve. Whenever we decide on a course of action, we stop at nothing to achieve our goal. The resolve of a dragon is harder than diamonds. Right now, your resolve is lacking. If you don't have the resolve to stay your course no matter what dangers may lie in wait, you won't be able to use a technique of this caliber."

Issei's uncertain frown became more prominent.

"What should I do, then? How can I get the kind of resolve needed to use this?"

"Do you remember your conversation with the blond one? He talked to you about finding a reason to fight beyond your lust and dreams of having a harem."

Scratching his head, Issei could actually feel his face scrunch in confusion.

"So you think I need to find another reason to keep fighting?"

"Yes."

"But I've been trying to do that for weeks now," Issei whined, "and I'm still no closer to finding another reason to fight now than I was when Naruto-sensei talked to me."

"Which means that rather than trying to use this technique, you should be thinking about what kind of reason will give you the resolve to harden yourself and fight. It is just like the blond one said. Lust only provides a temporary boost, which is why you haven't been able to use this technique. You need to find another reason to fight, a more powerful reason, one that will endure any hardship that comes your way."

"I see." Sighing in exhaustion, Issei let himself fall backwards onto the grass so he could stare up at the sky. "How am I supposed to find that reason, though?"

"Don't ask me. I'm just a gauntlet."

"Tch! Some help you are."

~Devil Ninja~

Nearly three days passed without incident. No word of an impending attack came to them. There had been no sightings of Kokabiel or even a single fallen angel. Despite how this should have come as a relief to Rias and the others, it didn't, especially because of the potential political ramifications that could come if it turned out this was a false alarm. Rias knew that her brother would be mocked greatly if he set the underworld's armies on high alert, only for it to have been for nothing.

She also needed to consider the high strung tension that hers and Sona's peerage was under. Being forced into a state of constant alertness and paranoia was putting stress on the minds of those who served them.

To help alleviate this tension, Rias had proposed pitting their peerages against each other with a number of friendly challenges. They didn't play a Rating Game, as they couldn't afford to given the situation. However, Rias had suggested a number of regular games that would, theoretically, help hone some of the skills they would use in a Rating Game. This included having them play games such as chess to help develop strategic thinking, dodgeball to hone their reflexes, races to increase their speed, and even push-up and pull-up contests to increase their strength. The games lasted for an entire day, and while it helped a little bit, the tension soon returned.

"I wonder what Kokabiel is waiting for." Rias frowned as she stared at the chessboard in front of her, waiting for Sona to make her move. "Why has he not attacked yet?"

"He could be waiting for us to drop our guard," Sona suggested as she moved her rook to block Rias' queen. "Or, he could be waiting to make us nervous, tense and agitated. It is a standard tactic to use in this situation. Hold off on attacking until your enemy is ready to go insane with paranoia and irritation, and then attack when they're no longer thinking clearly. Check."

Rias clicked her tongue as she analyzed her options. One of Sona's knights had checked her king. She could move her queen to take out the knight, but that would mean sacrificing one of her rooks. After a moment's thought, she moved her remaining knight and used it to take out Sona's knight.

"If that really is his plan, then I must say it's working. Even I'm beginning to feel irritated with all this waiting, and I know the others are feeling pretty high strung as well. Issei and Saji almost got into a fight the other day."

"Those two, I swear they're cut from the same cloth, no matter what Saji says." Sona sighed as she moved one of her pawns, which Rias quickly took, only for the redhead to realize she'd been led into a trap. Her queen had extended too far into enemy territory and left her king undefended. "Check."

"Tch!"

Rias studied her options. Her queen hadn't been taken yet, but it was surrounded. If possible, she would like to recover it, but doing so may put her in a worse position than before.

What would Naruto do?

Thinking about her boyfriend made Rias grin as she realized exactly what he would do. Chuckling to herself, she moved one of her pawns, causing Sona to raise an eyebrow before she moved a pawn to match Rias' maneuver. Her grin slowly widening, Rias began moving more pieces at random, with seemingly no rhyme or reason that Sona could discern. She had to admit, watching her friend-slash-rival's face become increasingly more confused was fun.

"You are making some highly unorthodox maneuvers, Rias."

Rias smiled sweetly at Sona.

"Am I?"

Sona deadpanned.

"Yes, you are."

The game continued and Rias managed to claim one of Sona's knights, both of her rooks, all of her pawns, and one of her bishops. In return, she lost her queen, four pawns and both of her rooks. Grinning as she saw what her unusual tactics had done, Rias finally made her next move and leaned back, satisfied.

"And that's checkmate."

Sona needed several moments of blank staring to realize that, indeed, Rias had managed to checkmate her. Her king was being harassed by two pawns, one of which had been promoted to a queen and the other a rook. A bishop had her in check and, unfortunately, because of the two promoted pieces. If she moved out of the bishops path, either the queen or the rook would get her.

"It seems I lost." Sona leaned back. "I concede defeat."

Joy sang within Rias' soul as she realized she'd finally beaten her long-time rival at the one game she had never defeated Sona in. The raven-haired sister of Leviathan gazed at her friend, eyes gleaming curiously.

"I must say, I was… impressed by the strategy you used."

Rias blinked.

"Strategy?"

"Yes," Sona nodded, "your tactics at leading me into a trap by making me think you were randomly moving your pieces with no purpose was truly inspired. I've never seen a strategy quite like it."

Rias decided not tell Sona that she had been moving her pieces at random. There was no need to let her friend know that she hadn't planned any of her moves in advance, and had merely been playing like she thought Naruto would.

"Issei and Akeno should be getting back from patrol soon," Rias changed the subject.

Sona nodded.

"In which case, we should—"

Sona never got to finish her sentence.

Because at that moment, a bright light pierced the building like a spear falling from the heavens, and their entire world went white.

~Devil Ninja~

A figure floated above Kuoh Academy. Elaborate robes darker than midnight adorned its frame. Goulden pauldrons contrasted sharply with the darkness of its clothing, as if to symbolize that it had once been a being of light and purity, the last vestige of its former life. Five pairs of feathered wings stretched out of its back, black like the wings of a crow.

It gazed down at the institute that had been devastated by its initial attack. There was a giant hole in the ceiling, the edges burnt and black, smoke rising as if it had been attacked by a dragon's breath.

Its lips stretched into a facsimile of a smile, too wide and too long to resemble a human's smile. Sharp fangs gave its monstrous visage an even more vicious look.

With it were more figures. Dozens. Hundreds. Their faces covered by a frightening helm, jagged steel plates that appeared to have bonded with their skin. Bodysuits of midnight black with bondage-like straps wrapped around their arms, legs and torsos like a straight jacket. Black pinions extended from their backs, mostly in single pairs, though a few had two or three. Gripped in fierce hands were light spears.

Kokabiel breathed in deeply, as if savoring the destruction he'd just caused like it was a fine wine.

"It's a good day," he began, his lips peeling back to reveal a row of sharp, saw-like teeth, "to start a war."