Naruto, Rias, Koneko, and the rest of the Gremory Peerage, appeared back inside of the room that they had been in originally before the Rating Game started. The white walls, carpeted floor, and lavish decorations presented such a stark contrast to the towering monoliths and dirt of the dimension they had just left that Naruto needed a second to regain his bearings. He shook his head. Then he looked at everyone else.
Issei stretched his arms above his head, groaning. "That was some battle, huh? It was pretty tough, but we won in the end, and we didn't lose anybody. That's pretty awesome."
"It shows how far we've come as individuals and as a team," Kiba agreed.
"I-I thought it was scaaarry!" Gasper, holding a hand to his chest, appeared to have been on the verge of tears.
Koneko slapped him in the back, sending the poor devil/vampire stumbling forward. "Don't sweat the small stuff, Gaspie. You'll remain a whimp the rest of your life if you keep whining about everything."
"B-but Konekoooooo!" Gasper complained to no avail. Koneko wasn't really listening.
"You all did an amazing job," Rias agreed, placing a hand against her chest as she presented them with her brightest smile. "Thank you for working so hard. I'm very blessed to have such great people in my peerage."
"What are you talking about, Buchou?" asked Akeno, hiding a smile behind her hand. "We're family."
"Yes." Rias gave Naruto a smile that was somehow familiar to him. He could have sworn he'd seen it before. In a mirror. "You're right, Akeno. We are a family. You, me, Asia, and Ise."
"Hhhgggkkk!" A strange, strangled sound emerged from Akeno's throat. Rias's smile had gained an extra level of vibrancy. Asia and Issei looked their way, but Rias had spoken too softly for them to hear what was said.
"Family…" Koneko muttered. Naruto looked down as something warm and soft slid into his grip, a hand. Koneko's hand. She tilted her head to look up at him, her cat ears twitching and her tail swaying. "Naruto, Rias-buchou, and Yakitori are my family." She paused. "Irina, too… maybe."
Naruto wanted to smile. Even when Ravel wasn't present, Koneko still called her by that nickname. He didn't know why, but that somehow amused him.
Since they were no longer required to be there, the group exited the room and made it back into the large waiting room where all of the other participants were. There reception was the same as before. Most people avoided them. However, both Angelus and Sairaorg greeted them upon their return.
"Nice job!" Sairaorg slapped Naruto on the back several times, the strength of his blows enough to make Naruto stumble. "You really are strong! Ha ha! I can't wait to fight you!"
"You'll have to win your match against Lix first," Naruto reminded.
"Don't worry about that," Sairaorg spoke with the utmost confidence. "I'm confident in myself and my peerage. Nothing can stop us."
"Is that so?" Naruto muttered.
"I'm glad everyone is okay," Angelus said, clasping her hands together, angel wings fluttering slightly. A single feather drifted off the shaking wings. Naruto wondered if she was shedding. The thought almost made him smile.
An angel shedding… that would be funny.
"You find amusement in the most inane things," Kurama said from inside of Naruto.
"Were you worried about us?" asked Rias.
Angelus's cheeks turned a light pink. "W-well… yes. You might be a devil and I an angel, but you… you have been very kind to me, so I thought we could become friends… um…"
"I thought we were already on our way to becoming friends," Rias said, and at those words, Angelus's entire face lit up like fireworks at a festival. Naruto didn't know that shade of red existed.
"R-really?" she asked.
"Of course."
As everyone chatted, Naruto looked around. Four people were missing from their little group, Ophis, Ravel, Irina, and Raynare, the only people who weren't part of Rias's peerage. He didn't know where Raynare was. She could've just wandered off for all he knew. Ophis also had a bad habit of disappearing whenever it suited her. However, Ravel should be with her family somewhere in the stands, and Irina was probably with Michael, seeing how she was a member of his Brave Saints.
"Rias," Naruto whispered in her ear. "I'm going to find Ravel, okay?"
Rias stopped speaking with Angelus long enough to answer him. "All right. Ravel is probably with her parents. They'll be in the booth reserved for nobility. Do you need a guide?"
"Nah." He shook his head. "I've got it." He leaned in further and kissed Rias on the cheek. "I'll be back soon."
"Okay."
Waving goodbye to the others, and stroking Koneko's cat ears for good measure, Naruto left the room and wandered the halls. He ascended several stars, which, with their decorative red carpet and numerous decorations, looked far too elaborate and gaudy for a colosseum. Eventually making it to the top, Naruto checked the various booths until, finally, he found the one that belonged to Ravel and her parents.
It was a spacious room. Naruto judged it to be about half the size of the one he and the others were using, though perhaps it looked bigger because there weren't as many people. He counted several devil families lounging in chairs and drinking. There were also a few fallen angels. No angels were around, which made him pause, but then, he shouldn't have been surprised. Just because there was an alliance now, it didn't mean these factions would get along. Even the fallen and devil factions inside of this room refused to speak with each other.
Several eyes turned toward him as he walked into the room, but he ignored them, searching for the familiar head of blonde drills.
He found Ravel near the front. She was watching the large display screen, which currently showed a new terrain, an ancient city of some sort. That meant the battle between Diodora Astaroth and Sona Sitri was already underway.
"Ravel!" Naruto greeted.
Squawking as she nearly fell out of her seat, Ravel turned her head. Eyes widening as she saw him, her face burst into color as she said, "N-Naruto-sama?! What are, uh, what are you doing here?"
"Shouldn't that be obvious?" Naruto asked. "I came here to see you."
The amount of color that burst onto Ravel's face made him wonder if her head might catch fire like it always did.
"O-oh," Ravel mumbled, squirming in place. "T-then, uh, would you like to si-sit with me?"
"I'd love to."
With a skip in his step and a grin, Naruto sat next to Ravel. He frowned for a moment when he noticed that there was an armrest in the way. It would be impossible to pull Ravel to him with that. For a moment, just a moment, he considered breaking off the armrest, but he quickly decided not to. This was an important political function. He needed to behave.
"Where are your parents?" asked Naruto.
"They went out for a moment," Ravel said. She hesitated. "I think they were contacted by someone. I haven't told you this yet, but nii-sama went missing awhile ago."
By "nii-sama" Naruto assumed she was talking about Rizer. So, he had gone missing sometime between now and after Ravel had gone to live in the human world. Had he run away? From what Ravel had said when she first arrived in the human world, Rizer Phenex had secluded himself in his room and refused to meet with anyone, even his peerage. Speaking off…
"What about his peerage?" asked Naruto. "Are they with him."
A shake of her head was followed by an elucidation. "They're still at the estate, but all of them are pretty depressed." Ravel stared intently at the screen. "It seems Rizer went missing about a week before we showed up. My parents have been searching for him, though they haven't found anything. Anyway, it looks like the Rating Game is about to start. Let's shelve this discussion for another time."
As Ravel focused more fully on the screen, Naruto looked down at her hands, which were clenched into fists and trembling. Even though they were somewhat estranged, he knew that Ravel loved her older brother. She wouldn't have protected him from Naruto if that wasn't the case.
Reaching out, he placed a hand over hers. The shaking stopped. Ravel didn't look at him as she turned her hand over, enclosing her fingers around his in a tight grip.
Together, in silence, they watched as the battle between Sona Sitri and Diodora Astaroth began.
~Devil Ninja~
Rias hoped Naruto hadn't gotten lost. While she was confident that he would be fine, he had a bad habit of not watching where he was going. She'd once caught him wandering downtown Kuoh. He'd apparently been walking for hours and had been unable to find his way back home. That wasn't the only incident either. He'd also gotten lost when returning home after being kidnapped by Ophis, which was half the reason it had taken him so long to return. That was also why, whenever he went out, she always made sure someone was with him.
"What do you think Sona's chances are against Diodora?" asked Issei.
As he stood next to Issei and Asia, Kiba cupped a hand to his chin, frowning with a narrowed-eyed expression. "It's hard to say. I know that Sona is strong, and her peerage are fairly well-trained, though I don't think they're as strong as we are." After a moment's pause, he shrugged. "The problem is that I don't know anything about Diodora or his peerage."
It was a mystery, Diodora's peerage. No one knew anything about them outside of the fact that all of them were maidens and nuns. Nobody knew their strengths, weaknesses, or even what their personalities were like. Saying that, Rias remembered the desolate expressions on their faces, the hopelessness in their eyes. She didn't know anything about them, but she didn't need to. Those girls had clearly been taken by him against their will.
There was nothing that Rias could do for those girls. Even if she wanted to, what Diodora had done was not illegal, and there were many men and women in devil society who found nothing wrong with taking people as peerage members against their will.
She looked at Sona and her peerage as they moved off.
Be careful Sona.
~Devil Ninja~
The dimension that Sona and her peerage were in looked like ancient ruins. Towering buildings loomed over them, aging structures made of flying buttresses and massive spires. All of the structures looked like they had once been colorful and majestic, but age had dulled them. Time had caused the buildings to wither away. Broken walls. Crumbled columns. A once ostentatious city in ruins.
"This place is… Lilith, right?" asked Tsubaki.
"Yes, it is." Sona adjusted her glasses as she studied the buildings. "It looks like we're in the ruined remains of Lilith, former capital of the old devil faction before they were overthrown by the current regime."
Before it was destroyed, Lilith had been a floating city that was powered by numerous devil slaves. It had been brought down during the great war between the three factions. However, it had continued to operate for nearly a thousand years, until the rebellion had destroyed it.
Without knowing her opponents' abilities, skills, or power, Sona decided to play things safe. The first thing they would need was information. No war could be won without information, and make no mistake, a Rating Game was very much a substitute for war. At the very least, it was similar to a small scale battle.
"Tsubasa," she began, "I want you and Saji to scout the area. Head to the west. Nimura and Meguri, I'd like you to head east and search the area. Don't lay any traps yet. I'd rather know the location of our enemies."
"What should we do if the enemy finds us?" asked Tsubasa.
Sona needed a moment before responding, "if you run into the enemy, try to escape. If you can't escape, engage them until you can. Momo and Reya will be tailing after your groups in the event that something happens. Get the enemy to follow you and they'll help you fight them off in an ambush."
"Don't worry, Sona," Saji said, confidence brimming from him like lust brimmed from Issei. "We'll take care of any enemies that come our way." Sona stared at Saji, who, after several seconds, looked away. "Kaichou."
"Get going," Sona said, "and be careful."
The two groups moved out, Saji and Tsubasa going one way, Nimura and Meguri going the other. Seconds after they left, Momo and Reya took off. They followed close behind the two groups.
Left alone with her queen, Tsubaki Shinra, Sona could only watch as her peerage went off. She hoped they would be okay.
~Devil Ninja~
Saji moved alongside Tsubasa, who was about two heads taller than him. The junior at Kouh Aczdemy turned her head to look at the area around them, her blue hair swaying as she walked. She was wearing her Khou academy uniform, which looked really out of place within the ruined city. Not that he could say anything. He was also wearing an academy uniform as well.
There didn't seem to be anyone around aside from them. Well, technically, he could also include Momo, who was following them from a distance. Outside of her, however, there was no one.
"Do you have any idea where we are?" asked Saji.
Tsubasa's lips twisted, head turning, surveying the area. Saji also looked around, but he couldn't see anything interesting. All of the buildings looked the same. Old and rundown.
"It looks like we're close to the ministration building," she said at last. "That's in the western district of the city, though it's still several kilometers from the border."
"I have no clue where that is," he said.
Tsubasa rolled her eyes.
Saji looked around some more, and though he couldn't see the enemy, he knew they were somewhere around here. The issue was that he didn't know-
"Get down!"
Tsubasa shoved Saji to the ground as, seconds later, a massive explosion slammed into them both. Heat washed over them. Saji bit his tongue as he screamed. His skin blistered and cracked, sweat burst on his skin and evaporated, and his mind clouded over. Above him, Tsubasa gritted her teeth. He couldn't imagine how bad she must have been having it.
The explosion died down. Tsubasa pushed off him and Saji stood up, trying not to wince as his nerves flared. His companion's legs were shaking like she might collapse at any second. He had no right to complain.
"That didn't kill you two?" a voice asked. "You're more resilient than I thought."
Saji turned around and gazed at the person who walked out from between two buildings, her nun's habit swishing around her feet. She wasn't alone. There was another one with her. While one of them, the one who had first walked out, had blonde hair, the other had hair like ravens feathers. Both were quite pretty, with unblemished skin and voluptuous figures. Both had dead eyes that radiated hopeless despair.
They're broken.
He clenched his fists. Sona had told him that there were devils who did this, resurrected people, broke them, and turned them into slaves. He hadn't expected to see examples of that from someone his age.
"Saji," Tsubasa said.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I don't think we're going to be able to escape."
"Why is that?"
Even as Saji asked this, several other nuns and maidens came out of the woodworks. All of them wore the standard black habit with white crucifix on their chest. While each of them looked different, with some being tall, short, or having different styled hair, the dead eyes were all identical. As he stared at the nuns surrounding them, Saji realized something.
"We're not gonna be able to escape," he said.
"I just said that," Tsubasa replied.
~Devil Ninja~
Naruto was still sitting as he watched the fight between Saji, Tsubasa, and the maids unfold. Momo had seen what was happening. She was on the way to aid them, but until she arrived, it was just Saji and Tsubasa against six maids. From the way they were circling the two, not attacking, he determined that they were pawns.
"Saji and Tsubasa seem to be in trouble," Ravel murmured, biting her thumb. "I don't know how this is going to turn out. It looks like that blonde girl is adept at fire magic, but I don't know what the others can do. What do you think?"
Naruto watched as Saji activated his Sacred Gear, Vitra, the Prison Dragon. It looked like a black gauntlet with a dragon's head that had an open mouth.
He smiled.
"I wouldn't worry about them," Naruto said. "While I don't know how strong Diodora's peerage is, I can tell you that Saji isn't someone you can afford to underestimate."
~Devil Ninja~
Saji knew that he didn't have more than maybe a second to act. He also knew that if he didn't act now, then Tsubasa wouldn't be able to act. This was his time, his moment. He was going to prove that Sona's decision to make him a devil wasn't wrong.
It was all to prove himself. Yes, it wasn't because he had a sexual interest in Sona as a man. Not at all.
"Absorption Line!"
Thrusting out his gauntlet covered hand, several long strings glowed a bright purple as they shot from it. Five in total. One of them snaked over to Tsubasa and latched onto her. The other four went after the nuns, who were adaptable enough to move out of the way, rushing from the lines quickly enough that they appeared almost like blurs. They were fast, no doubt about that.
But it doesn't matter.
Energy flowed through him. He forced it into Vitra. The lines moved faster. The nuns tried to dodge it, but he moved it over and over, forcing the lines to follow them like cobras springing toward a mouse. Even if they were fast, his line was infinite. He moved it in patterns, slowly hemming them in.
Tsubasa was fighting the remaining two opponents by herself, using hand to hand combat, her only option right then because she couldn't use her Sacred Gear, Twinkle Aegis. She did have Reverse. However, she couldn't use that in the current circumstances. They weren't using magic.
One of the nuns rushed at him, attacking him with a pair of knives. Saji jerked his hand. One of the lines moved in front of him and blocked the woman. The nun tried to stop, but another jerk of his hand made it wrap around her. Three more jerks and the other three lines strung up the remaining nuns.
"Get ready, Tsubasa!" Saji shouted. "Here it comes! Absorption line!"
The Absorption Line, the only current ability of his, could absorb the energy from someone and give it to someone else. Saji absorbed all the energy from the four nuns and gave it to Tsubasa, who had the last line connected to her.
A thick, bright red aura appeared around her body. With the strength of four reincarnated nuns as fuel, Tsubasa, a rook, gained four times the strength she used to have. The first nun swung at her with a metal pole. Tsubasa ducked. The air flowed above her, rustling her hair, and then she moved. She shot up, thrusting out an open palm that slammed into the nun under the chin. Blood flew as the nun's mouth as her teeth clacked together, breaking and flying from her mouth.
For a second, time seemed to stand still. It was only for a second. Then the nun crashed into the ground and didn't get up. Her body disappeared.
"Katrina Phal. Pawn. Retired."
While the other nun was distracted, Tsubasa spun around, extended her leg, and then slammed it into the woman's solar plexus. There was an audible snap. The only thing louder than the sound of ribs breaking was the nun's scream, which echoed across the cityscape. The nun soared backwards at speeds that could match Japan's famous bullet trains, struck the wall, and went straight through it, kicking up a cloud of dust as the wall exploded.
"Monica Ritterfield. Pawn. Retired."
Since there was no longer any need for Tsubasa to be powered up, Saji removed the line from around her waist, absorbed the rest of the energy from the four nuns, and then let them go. All four nuns collapsed to the ground. They vanished in a haze of blue light.
"Four nuns have retired."
~Devil Ninja~
"See that?" Naruto said, grinning at the girl next to him. "What did I tell you? Sona's peerage is not to be underestimated."
Ravel shook her head. "I never doubted that they would win."
"Ah… that's right. Sorry. I guess I got a little excited."
Ravel's lips moved, curving into one of her beautiful smiles. "You get excited a lot."
"Ah-hahaha, I guess…"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grinned, trying not to let Ravel know how embarrassed he felt at being called out on how he got over excited about, well, everything. It had been a bad habit of his in his old life. He had tried to change after coming to this new world, but that change appeared to be a long way off.
"Oh, my," a female voice said behind them. "Is that Naruto-san?"
Naruto and Ravel turned at the same time. Standing behind them were two people who they both recognized. One of them was like an exact replica of Ravel, or what Ravel would look like when she turned twenty. The other had blond hair that spiked in the back. It was hard not to know who they were. After all, they were the reason Ravel had been born into this world.
"Ah!" Ravel squeaked as she stood up. "Mom! Dad! L-let me introduce you. I believe you know Naruto-sama?"
"We have already met before, in case you forget," Lord Phenex said.
Ravel's face burned. "O-oh. That's right."
"It is good to see you again, Naruto-san," Lady Phenex said. "I'm glad to see that you are doing well. Please allow me to thank you for taking care of my daughter."
"Not at all." Naruto remembered his politics. Standing up, he offered the two a polite bow. "Your daughter is a wonderful young woman. I'm really glad that she's living with me."
"Is that so?" Lady Phenex smiled. "I'm happy to hear that."
As the two moved gracefully into a pair of seats on the other side of their daughter, Lord phenex, who sat closest to them, turned to gaze at Naruto. "We watched your fight against the angels. You made an excellent show of strength. It's easy to see that you've grown even stronger now than you were when you fought Rizer."
"Thank you, Lord Phenex," Naruto said, unwilling to disclose the fact that he was actually weaker now than he used to be before coming to this world.
"Would you permit an old man to satisfy his curiosity?" Lord Phenex continued before Naruto or Ravel could answer. "How has Ravel been adjusting? Is she getting on well with everyone?"
"F-father!" Ravel squeaked.
"Ravel has been adjusting very well." Naruto smiled at the father of his girlfriend. "She's done an excellent job of bonding with everyone in her classroom, and she's become an invaluable member of my family."
"Speaking of family," Lady Phenex began, "I was hoping that we could invite you to our family manor. There are many things we would like to discuss, including your relationship with our daughter."
For just a moment, Naruto wondered if they knew that he and Ravel were dating, though the moment didn't last. Ravel had been sending letters to them every week since she started living with him. However, she never mentioned anything about their relationship. He'd asked her about it and she said that she wanted to tell them about their relationship in person. Naruto thought she was just too embarrassed.
"M-mom…" Ravel let out a piteous moan. Her cheeks were quite pink as she tried to hide in her shirt.
"I would love to," Naruto said. "Actually, Ravel asked me if I would be willing to come over as well, and I wanted to speak with you both at some point, so I think this would work out well."
"Then it's settled." Lady Phenex clapped her hands together. "After the Rating Games end, you'll come over and have dinner with us."
Naruto would have to let Rias know about this, but he also knew that she would be on board with it. Ravel was his girlfriend. What's more, she wanted to be a part of his peerage, and the one who now held Ravel's peerage piece was Lady Phenex, who'd traded an unused mutated piece for her.
"Dinner sounds nice," another voice said. While Ravel and Lady Phenex squeaked, Naruto looked down on his lap to find a familiar dragon god sitting there.
"Ophis?" Naruto blinked. "Where have you been?"
"I was bored, so I traveled around." Ophis shrugged.
It was only after she had spoken, but Naruto finally realized that Ophis had several different kinds of food with her, including takoyaki and hot dogs. What an odd combination.
"Uh huh…" He mumbled.
"Anyway, this dinner sounds interesting, so I'll be joining you," Ophis told him.
Naruto shrugged. "Suit yourself. Far be it for me to stop the Infinite Dragon God from doing what she wants." He placed a hand on her head and began petting her. It was only after he had spoken that he noticed the paralysed gazes of Ravel's parents. He looked at the two, his expression slowly deadpanning. "What?"
Lord and Lady Phenex didn't answer him.
~Devil Ninja~
Saji and Tsubasa returned with Momo shortly after the announcement that all of Diodora's pawns had been defeated. In most other circumstances, Sona would have scolded them for fighting on their own, but after hearing about what happened from Momo, she decided not to. What they had done was the only thing they could have done. Besides, she had learned something from all this.
"It sounds like Diodora's peerage isn't that strong," Tsubaki said, agreeing with what Sona had been thinking.
She nodded. "Those had been my thoughts as well. It looks like Diodora didn't choose these women because they were strong, but merely because they were nuns."
It was disgusting. What sort of person reincarnated someone as a devil simply because of what they were? Diodora hadn't thought of tactics, or strengths and weaknesses, or even of what kind of benefits these people had in battle. All he had wanted was a harem of holy maidens.
"Since it's become clear that Diodora's peerage isn't that strong, let's wait for Nimura, Megumi, and Reya to return and then create a plan to ambush the rest of his peerage," she decided out loud. There was no need for subtle tactics. She would confront Diodora head on and-
"Nimura. Pawn. Retired."
"Megumi. Rook. Retired."
As if to mock her words, the announcement that echoed over the ruined cityscape shook Sona to her core. Nimura and Megumi had been defeated? That shouldn't have been possible, unless there was a strong disparity between the pawns and the rest of Diodora's peerage, but even though evil pieces above the pawns were stronger, there shouldn't have been such a large difference that two of her pieces should have been defeated so easily.
"Sona-kaichou," Saji said suddenly. "Give me permission to head in the direction that Nimura and Megumi had gone in."
"I can't do that, Saji," Sona said.
"But Reya might be-"
"I can't do that because Tsubaki is going to look for Reya." Sona turned to her queen. "We don't know what's happened to her, whether she's currently in combat or injured. Please find Reya and bring her back."
"At once, Kaichou!" Tsubaki said before spreading her wings and taking to the air.
~Devil Ninja~
Naruto bit his index finger as he stared at where Nimura and Megumi had been retired. Visible within the screen were the two people, identical twins. Both had bleached blonde hair, pale sickly skin, and eyes that reminded him of a dead fish. Like all the others, they were wearing the habits of a nun.
There's something wrong with those two.
"W-what just happened?" asked Ravel, still beside him, her eyes bulging as though they might fall out of their sockets. The look of surprise on her face mirrored the shock he felt. However, Naruto kept up a poker face as he stared hard at the screen.
"It looks like they used some kind of synchronization technique," Naruto said. "But I can't figure out anything else."
Everything had happened too fast. The first thing that had happened was the twins appearing before Nimura and Megumi on the roof of a building, hands clasped together as though praying with each other, and then there was a flash of light. Nimura and Megumi had been retired. Just like that. It had happened in an instant.
"It's called Demonic Synergy," Lord Phenex told him and Ravel. "When twins synchronize their power, they can unleash an attack many times stronger than someone using the same spell by themselves. However, it requires a bond that transcends even those of standard twins."
Naruto looked back at the screen. Wings had shot from Tsubaki's back and she was taking off. He guessed she was going to find the bishop, who even now was under attack by the twin nuns. With a furrowed brow, he continued watching the Rating Game.
I wonder how this battle will play out…
~Devil Ninja~
It didn't take Tsubaki long to find Reya. Sona's bishop was doing her best to avoid being scorched to death with liberal use of her artificial Sacred Gear, Scouting Persona, which allowed her to create masks. She was using them to shield herself from the attacks of the twins. Fortunately, no matter how powerful the spell they used was, it didn't matter because Reya only used the masks as a distraction. She blocked the attacks with the mask and dodged before their combined firepower overwhelmed it.
She was doing an excellent job, but she wouldn't last. The twins were sending all kinds of spells at her. Lightning lanced forward like a spear. Fire blasted across the roads like a cyclone. Ice froze everything around them. Reya was alive, but she would run out of magic soon.
Tsubaki summoned her naginata and flew down, rushing toward them, landing on the ground hard and running the rest of the way. The two nuns didn't have time to even notice her before they were cut down. Tsubaki swung her naginata in graceful arcs that sliced the air and cut through the two as though they were made of butter. The nuns screamed as they crumbled to the ground, then disappeared in a blaze of light.
Twirling her naginata above her head, she then slammed the butt end into the ground. Gasping beside her, hands on her knees as she tried to suck in a breath, sweat drenching her face and body, caking her clothes to her skin, was Reya, tired but not retired.
"How are you feeling?" Tsubaki asked.
"Exahsuted," Reya breathed, "but I'll live."
"I am glad to hear it," Tsubaki said, dispelling her naginata and wrapping an arm around Reya's waist to help her up. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
Flapping her wings, Tsubaki took off into the air and headed back toward Sona. She didn't move above the buildings. Instead Tsubaki chose to fly between the buildings. While that would cost more in the way of time, there was no telling if Diodora had something else up his sleeve. He might have a nun that could use incredibly destructive long range magic. She didn't want to take any chances.
It was her decision to fly low that saved their lives.
The building on her right detonated with concussive force, releasing a great shock wave that slammed into her and Reya. Tsubaki screamed. The world around them tumbled as a wave of heat washed over her. Skin blistered and cracked. She could actually hear the popping in her ears, which further accentuated the agony ripping through her body as the blazing heat, impossibly overwhelming, seared her nervous system with vengeance.
Tsubaki gnashed her teeth together to keep from screaming. Her wings had burned off. With Reya still in her arms, the two of them crashed into the wall of a building.
She must have lost consciousness. Blackness surrounded her for a time, and when she opened her eyes, her vision was blurry. Tsubaki blinked several times as something moved in front of her. It was a gray mass. Cement? There was a heavy weight on chest, which moaned in the familiar voice of Reya as she shifted. She blinked several more times. The image in front of her sharpened.
It was a giant wolf with ash gray fur and sharp teeth, snarling at her like she was a tasty morsel about to be eaten.
~Devil Ninja~
"What is Fenrir doing here?!" Rias asked as shock made her entire body shudder. It traveled from the crown of her head, down her spine, and became grounded at her feet, a shiver that made her entire body break out into a cold sweat. She stared at the screen, which showed Tsubaki and Reya lying inside of a building, a giant wolf sticking its muzzle inside and glaring at them.
Fenrir was the first son of Loki, the trickster god of Norse mythology. Rumors said that Fenrir had enough power to rival the two heavenly dragons, which was how he got the nickname God Eating Wolf.
The camera closed in on Fenrir as it snarled at the still downed Tsubaki and Reya. Thick gray furred covered it's lithe, muscular body. Paws half the size of a full-grown man had massive claws jutting from it, scraping the ground and peeling away the cement as though it was made of cheese. Its fangs were sharp. Saliva dripped from them as it hunched down, the muscles in its back bunching.
"Kiba! Koneko! Ise! Akeno! Asia! Gasper!" Rias shouted. "Follow me! We're going in there to help them!"
"I'm joining you," Sairaorg said. "Fenrir isn't the only enemy there. It looks like there are two other wolves attacking Sona and her group."
Rias looked at the screen again to see that, indeed, there were two other wolves inside of the rating game dimension. They were attacking Sona and her group. While Sona was keeping one of them at bay with her water-based magic, and Saji and the others were fending off the other one, Rias knew it was only a matter of time before they lost, especially since she was fairly certain of who those two wolves were.
"Those are Fenrir's children," Rias said. "We'll definitely need your help. However, I'd like to stay back and let us have the first attack. My peerage works great as a group, but adding a person we've never worked with could throw our teamwork out of balance."
Sairaorg nodded. "Makes sense. I'll stay back and only attack if I'm needed."
"Um," Angelus suddenly interrupted them. "I would like to help you as well. I can transport all of you without having to break through the dimension with force."
Rias didn't know she could feel such relief. It would have taken them longer to get in because they had to forcibly break through the barrier surrounding the dimension. Having someone transport them inside by bypassing that barrier was a God send.
"Thank you," she said.
Angelus smiled as she held out her hands. "Everyone, grab onto my robes. I'll transport you all now."
Everyone reached out and grabbed a part of her robes. Angelus closed her eyes. She spread her wings, whiter than snow, mumbled a chant that none of them understood, and then, with a brilliant flash of light, she and the others disappeared.
~Devil Ninja~
Naruto and Ravel had rushed out of the suite booth when they saw the Sona peerage being attacked by Fenrir and his two sons. Naruto was carrying Ophis in his arms. The Infinite Dragon God was, apparently, too lazy to run herself. What's more, she didn't care about what happened to Sona or her peerage, and she had told them as much. They were on their way to help-when a massive series of detonations shook the entire colosseum.
"Kya!" Ravel screamed in surprise. She stumbled and would have probably fallen to the ground if Naruto hadn't caught her. Ophis looked annoyed at their close proximity. "T-thank you."
"You're welcome." Naruto waited until Ravel had steadied before letting go. He looked around and frowned as multiple signatures appeared in his perception. "It looks like Sona and her group aren't the only ones in trouble."
As if his words had prophetic powers, several people rushed into the hallway, their silver and gold armor clacking together as they ran. Helmets with sloping horns on either side of their heads curved behind them. Each one was bearing a weapon of some kind, a sword, a mace, a halberd… one of them even wielded a spiked flail.
The group of armor-clad warriors saw him and Ravel, and then charged at them.
"Leave this to me, Naruto-sama!" Ravel held out her hand and sent a massive blaze of fire toward the group of warriors.
One of the warriors swung their claymore, releasing a massive blast of wind, which snuffed out the flames with ease. While Ravel's eyes widened, Naruto used that second of distraction to his advantage. He put Ophis down and created two clones. The clones each created a wind release rasengan that they slammed into the closest warriors.
Loud shrieking emitted from the armor as the rasengan, spinning spheres of highly compressed chakra, ground away at the metallic chest plates. The armor was devastated. It might as well have been made of glass. Cracks appeared, spreading along the chest plates before, seconds later, the armor shattered, and the two warriors were sent flying. They slammed into a wall. The wall crumbled, burying the two in a pile of rubble.
The claymore wielder swung her blade. It was a horizontal swing. The two clones were demolished, bursting into smoke as they were sliced in half. Naruto winced as the air in front of them blasted him in the face.
"Ophis," he said.
"I've got this," Ophis began to say, but Naruto stopped her.
"Actually, I was going to say to let Ravel and I handle this, please."
"Okay."
Ophis must not have wanted to do anything to begin with; she wouldn't have conceded so easily otherwise. Then again, she never really cared for fighting. Every fight she entered, she ended in a single move with an air of impatience.
"Ravel, launch another fire attack," Naruto commanded.
"Yes, Naruto-sama!"
Ravel's wings flared from her back. They were not the normal devil wings. Bright flames erupted from her back, a torrent of pure red. Ravel held her arms in front of her, conjuring a tiny ball of flame, which glowed brighter and brighter until it illuminated the entire hallway. With a scream, Ravel unleashed her attack.
"Fuuton: Mugen Daitoppa!"
Naruto's stomach swelled like a balloon before, slamming a fist into his stomach, a ball of compressed wind shot from his mouth and slammed into Ravel's fireball. The fireball ignited into a sphere of brilliant white. It grew to nearly twice its original size. Then it slammed into the woman wielding the claymore.
A bright light forced Naruto, Ravel, and even Ophis to close their eyes. Loud wailing overpowered the roaring inferno. Having closed his eyes, Naruto couldn't see what had happened, but the heat washing over him and the others let him imagine what his enemies must have been feeling. Sweat broke out on his skin. When the heat died down, and the white disappeared from behind his eyelids, Naruto opened his eyes.
The hallway was gone. Naruto wasn't surprised by the destructive power of his and Ravel's combined technique, though he hadn't quite expected everything within fifteen meters to be gone-not quite everything. Their enemies were still there, alive, surprisingly, but they weren't in any condition to fight. All of them were lying on the floor, moaning and dead to the world.
Naruto walked further into the now non-existent hall. He was mindful of the molten slag dripping along the floor. Most of the ground had melted. The few places that hadn't melted all the way through had steam wafting from the surface.
Kneeling down next to the woman who had been wielding a claymore, Naruto looked at the mostly destroyed armor. He didn't recognize it. The woman moaned, her burnt lips parting as the excruciating sound left it, blood trickling down her mouth. Naruto blinked. There was a collar on her neck. It was a different color than the rest of her outfit, and it made him think the collar was out of place. He looked at the others. They also had the same collars.
"Naruto-sama?" Ravel asked, coming up behind him with Ophis.
Naruto stood up. "We'll leave Sona's peerage to Rias. I'm sure she's already on it. We'll help the non-combatants evacuate from the colosseum."
"Right!" Ravel said.
She, Naruto, and Ophis rushed out of the hall.
~Devil Ninja~
Tsubaki was certain that she and Reya were going to die, crushed by the massive jaws of Fenrir, beast of Norse mythology, a wolf ten meters tall, son of the god Loki. It had stuck its head through the hole in the wall. She stared into the drooling mouth. Sharp teeth gleamed. Each one was big around the size of her head. A single bite from those were easily cleave through steel, nevermind bones.
The mouth came closer. Putrid breath washed over her. Tsubaki didn't want to admit that she was afraid, but her body was shaking. She was still disoriented, so she couldn't move. Worse, Reya was unconscious and lying on top of her. They were trapped, and there was nothing she could think of to get out of this situation.
"Blade Blacksmith!"
Numerous swords jutted from the ground like spears underneath Fenrir, who yelped loudly and leapt back. Most of the swords had shattered against its hard skin, but several had punctured its soft underbelly, though they barely left a scratch. She recognized them. They were the Demonic Holy Swords used by Kiba Yuuto. A combination of black and silver. Engravings ran along it that were both holy and demonic. Sadly, even the Demonic Holy Sword could only poke the ancient Norse beast. There was no blood.
As Tsubaki gaped at the sight of Fenrir jerking away from her, Kiba appeared before her. Gripped in his hand was another Holy Demonic Sword. Long and elegant, it gleamed a combination of silver and black. As he held the blade in his hand, he turned slightly to look back at her.
"Hello, Tsubaki-san, you look lovely as ever, though it appears you could use some help."
Tsubaki tried not to blush, but heat stained her cheeks. She shook her head to ignore it and said, "I could. Thank you for the aid."
"It's not a problem." Kiba looked out of the wall. Fenrir had come back, sticking its face into the hole, snarling at them. "Though it appears this is going to be a tough battle. If you could pick up Reya and start moving, I'll cover your retreat."
"I appreciate that."
Tsubaki picked up Reya and stood to her feet. Her legs wobbled, but she forced them to steady. Taking a deep breath, Tsubaki readied herself to run.
"You ready?" asked Kiba.
"Ready," Tsubaki said.
"Then here. We. Go!"
Kiba rushed at Fenrir, his Knight given speed lending him a swiftness that she couldn't match, allowing him to reach the giant wolf in less than a second. His blade sung as he swung it. Fenrir roared as it slashed against his face. However, it didn't do much damage, leaving only a red scratch and nothing more. What was this thing's skin made of?
Fenrir tried to attack Kiba as he leapt out of the hole and landed on the ground. It raised a pawn and slammed it onto the ground. It was too slow. Kiba rushed around, leapt up, and slashed the Demonic Holy Sword against its belly. Fenrir roared again. Again no real damage was done. It was just a scratch.
Tsubaki used the distraction that Kiba was providing to leave, rushing out of the hole in the wall with Reya in her arms. She spread her wings and leapt into the air. As she flew between several buildings, she realized that Kiba wasn't alone. Issei Hyoudo and Asia Argento appeared flapping their wings alongside her.
"Once we get a safe distance from Fenrir, please set down and I'll heal yours and Reya-san's injuries," Asia said.
Tsubaki nodded but couldn't help voicing her concerns. "Is it really okay to leave Kiba-san to fight that thing alone?"
"Don't worry about Kiba," Issei said, grinning. "He's not alone. He's got the Lightning Queen and the World's Mightiest Vampire with him."
Tsubaki had no idea what he meant by that, but they didn't have time to argue.
In the distance, the clash of battle and roars of a powerful beast rent the air.
~Devil Ninja~
Rias Gremory unleashed her Powers of Destruction upon Hati Hróðvitnisson, a massive wolf that was about five meters or so tall. Its gray fur had streaks of silver running through it. The fur contrasted with the strange black collar around its neck. Bright yellow eyes glared down at her, though they closed when her Powers of Destruction hit it. As its mouth ripped open in an ear-splitting howl, Rias controlled her Powers of Destruction, changing the waves into binds that wrapped around the beast and constricted it.
"Now, Koneko!"
Darting out from behind her, Koneko raced toward Hati Hróðvitnisson. She launched several spheres of compressed nature energy that struck the giant wolf in the face. This forced the creature's eyes closed. Koneko used that moment's distraction to her advantage, closing the distance and slamming into it with a nature energy enhanced fist.
A loud screech emitted from the wolf's mouth. It was a pained yowl that echoed across the cityscape. The flesh around Hati Hróðvitnisson's ribs caved in. Air exploded as Hati Hróðvitnisson left the ground, blasting off like a missile, following a parabolic arc before it slammed into the ground again. During this moment of weakness, Rias Gremory clenched her hands into fists. The Powers of Destruction bindings suddenly further coiled around it, cutting straight through Hati Hróðvitnisson's flesh. The beast howled, jerked, and then went still.
Rias breathed in a deep sigh, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she hunched over. Controlling the Powers of Destruction was like trying to wrestle with an electric eel. It slipped all over the place, wiggling around and shocking her. She understood now why no one in the Bael family could do more than launch bolts and waves. It was simply too hard to control the Powers of Destruction.
She was lucky that Naruto had some experience with uncontrollable powers.
Once she had regained her second wind, Rias looked at where Sona and her peerage were fighting against another wolf. Sköll was, much like Hati Hróðvitnisson, a son of Fenrir. While Hati Hróðvitnisson had gray fur with silver streaks, Sköll had black fur with white spots. It was also quite large, easily standing over five meters in height, and with a powerful body that was packed full of muscles.
It was only Sona, Saji, Tsubasa, and Momo fighting against Sköll. Being a Sirtri, Sona specialized in water magic. Even as Rias watched, a massive dragon composed of water, easily fifteen meters in length, attacked Sköll, clamping down on the wolf with its massive jaws. While Sköll yowled, Saji shot a line from his Sacred Gear. It wrapped around the wolf's neck and constricted. Then the line glowed, absorbing the energy from Sköll and giving it to Sona, who used to extra power to increase the strength of her water dragon.
The dragon, its power enhanced, constricted around the wolf, which howled and struggled to no avail. A loud cracking echoed around them. Rias's ears twitched at the sound. She grimaced as Sköll's back broke, the sickening noise continuing as more bones were destroyed, ground down by the dragon. Sköll twitched several times, and then stopped moving as it toppled over.
"Looks like you took care of your enemy easily enough," Rias said as she and Koneko walked up to Sona.
Adjusting her glasses, which had gone askew, Sona looked at Rias, then at Hati Hróðvitnisson, and then back at Rias. "It seems to me like the one who took care of their opponent with little trouble is you. I'm impressed you could defeat an enemy like that so quickly."
"I've had some practice fighting big, powerful opponents," Rias said with a shrug.
As they were talking, the two wolves twitched. Koneko was the first to notice the movement. She turned as an ugly aura engulfed the two wolves. Purple miasma wafted from them, and a feeling of intense, undying, and unfathomably strong hatred emanated from them. It was as if all the world's hatred had gathered inside of them and was leaking out from between the cracks of their broken souls.
The two wolves, Hati Hróðvitnisson and Sköll, stood up. They moved. Muscles flexed. Limbs twitched. They moved. Even though they should have been dead, they moved, standing up as their bodies bulked up. Visible beneath their thick fur, their muscles became dense and hard, more solid than a rock. Crimson bled into their eyes, staining their sclera, and their drooling mouths somehow appeared more vicious than they had before.
Rias had barely a moment to realize the danger they were in before Hati Hróðvitnisson and Sköll attacked them.
"Everyone move!"
Sköll bounded up to Sona, who had realized the danger seconds after Rias shouted at them. She didn't have time to move. Sköll was already on her. She barely had time to raise a shield before a giant paw slammed into her from above, and since the shield had been raised so hastily, it didn't have the power to protect her, especially not when Sköll seemed to have received a power boost from somewhere.
The shield creaked, groaned, cracked, and then shattered. Rias could do nothing as the paw came down on top of Sona, smashing her flat.
"Sona!" Rias screamed at the same time that Saji, Momo, and Tsubasa cried, "Sona-Kaichou!"
Saji screamed in rage and anguish. He thrust out his hand and a line shot out, wrapping around Sköll and trying to drain it of all its energy.
"Wait!" Koneko shouted at Saji. "That's not a good idea! Don't try to drain his energy right now! That wolf is-"
Her warning came too late, however. The line took some of the energy inside Sköll, and Saji's agonized shriek filled the atmosphere. His body jerked, his muscles contracted, his limbs spasmed, and his eyes rolled up into the back of his head. The line soon slackened. As it released Sköll, Saji, unable to remain upright, fell onto his back and did not get up.
"Saji!" Tsubasa screamed, which attracted Sköll's attention.
The giant wolf slammed its paw against her-tried to. Tsubasa wasn't a Rook for no reason. She used her incredible strength to block the attack. Even so, the paw sent her skidding across the ground, and a massive bruise appeared on her arms. They were clearly broken. Rias could only wonder at the kind of strength it would take to break a Rook's arms in one hit.
Not that she had time to worry about anyone else, for Hati Hróðvitnisson had charged at her the same time Sköll had rushed Sona.
Thanks to her constant training with Naruto, Rias had been able to keep ahead of the giant wolf, firing off crescent-shaped attacks whenever it got too close. Her Powers of Destruction didn't seem to do any damage. She hit it in the face and nothing happened. She sent an attack at its throat and not even Hati Hróðvitnisson's fur got singed. Rias believed that part of the reason was because she didn't have time to charge an attack, but a larger reason was because Hati Hróðvitnisson was just. That. Strong.
Koneko tried to rush at Hati Hróðvitnisson. She leapt into the air and drilled it with a nature chakra enhanced drop kick to the head. While this did cause Hati Hróðvitnisson's to jerk downward from the blow's force, it didn't appear to do much more than that. The giant wolf, a snarl on its face, threw Koneko off. As she was soaring through the air in an uncontrolled spin, it reached up, jaws open wide, and clamped down on Koneko's left leg.
"KONEKO!"
Desperation and fear intermingled inside Rias as Hati Hróðvitnisson shook the wailing Koneko back and forth, its jaws crushing her leg. Charging as much Powers of Destruction into her fists as she dared, Rias threw herself at the wolf. She thrust out her hand. Her fist slammed into its jaw, shattering its fangs. Rias didn't cry out as her knuckles broke from the attack. She charged more Powers of Destruction into her fist and, once more, rammed it into Hati Hróðvitnisson's teeth, breaking them.
Koneko fell from the wolf's mouth. Rias darted toward her Rook, catching the girl before she could his the ground. As Hati Hróðvitnisson howled and thrashed behind her, Rias landed on the ground and held Koneko against her chest.
The damage was bad, worse than anything Rias had seen. Koneko's entire leg from the thigh down had been mangled. It looked less like a leg and more like a piece of beef that had been sliced up and hung in the front window of a butcher's shop. Her leg was barely even attached to her, hanging as it was by a few muscles fibers.
"K-Koneko… stay… stay strong," Rias said, though whether the words were for Koneko or herself, not even she knew.
"It hurts…" Koneko whimpered as she placed her hands on her leg, right above where the damage had been done. "It really hurts."
Koneko needed a healer. She wished Asia was with them, but she had sent Asia with Issei to help Tsubaki and Reya, since they had been injured. Rias didn't want to say she regretted her decision, but she couldn't deny that she wished she hadn't made that choice, that she had decided on a different path, where Asia was here to heal her beloved Rook. Now Koneko was suffering from a serious injury, losing blood fast, and she had no idea what she could do to help.
A water user could help, but Sona is…
There was no helping it. If she wanted to save Koneko, she would have to retreat. However, if she retreated, then Sona and her peerage would surely die.
Where is Sairaorg.
She had asked Sairaorg to give her team the first attack. She was already regretting that decision as well. Her hubris had gotten the better of her.
"B-Buchou…" Koneko whimpered.
"Shh." Rias shushed Koneko as she lifted the girl in her arms. She ignored the blood drenching her left side as it ran freely from the mangled leg. "I'm going to get you out of here. We'll get you healed, and then rescue everyone else."
Koneko shook her head. Rias at first thought she was telling her not to worry, but that only lasted until Koneko spoke her next words.
"B-Behind… you…"
Rias looked behind her.
She only had a second to widen her eyes before a massive paw fell on top of her.
~Devil Ninja~
Kiba darted forward, swiftly running between Fenrir's legs and slicing at them with his blade, the Demonic Holy Sword otherwise known as the Sword of Betrayal. His hands shook as his sword slammed into the great wolf's legs. The vibration nearly made him drop his weapon. He grimaced and darted away as Fenrir howled and tried smashing him flat with a paw.
My sword isn't strong enough to even break through this things skin.
He'd been able to damage it a little, but it required him to produce more force than a simple swing could achieve. If he wanted to injure this thing, then he would have to-
Kiba's eyes bulged as a paw suddenly appeared in front of his face. It was moving too fast for him to dodge! He wouldn't be able to change direction in time!
The paw stopped just before reaching him. Kiba blinked.
"K-Kiba-san!" a voice shouted. "Hu-hurry up and move! I can't keep this up!"
It was Gasper Vladi, the NEET vampire. Hidden behind a wall, Gasper used Forbidden Balor View to stop the time centered around the paw. The rest of Fenrir was moving, however. Gasper still didn't have enough control or power to do more than stop time localized around one specific area.
Kiba leapt away a second before Gasper's control slipped. The paw swiped but hit nothing. Fenrir howled in frustration.
"Ufufu." Akeno, hanging above the battlefield, conjured lightning into her hands. She'd been up there since the battle started, amassing power, enough power to actually injure this great beast if not kill it. Hopefully. "It's time. Move out of the way if you don't want to be killed."
Knowing that Akeno might actually attack while he was still there, Kiba darted off before the woman could unleash her spell. With a frightening laugh, Akeno swung her hand down in a mighty slash, as though signaling a great army that it was time to attack. From above her, a massive bolt of lightning rained from the sky, striking Fenrir down.
Shutting his eyes as the entire area was covered in an expanding white light and a cloud of smoke, Kiba could only wait for it to settle, wondering, praying, hoping that this attack had defeated their foe.
It was a vain hope.
The smoke cleared. Standing in the center of a massive crater, completely unharmed, was Fenrir. It stood on a pillar that jutted from the crater's center. Kiba could only hypothesize that it had created a shield to protect itself. The pillar was a perfect circle.
Fenrir howled as it charged out of the crater, rushing toward Kiba, who readied himself. At the very last second, the wolf swerved away from him. It took Kiba a second to realize what was happening. It took him another second to realize Fenrir's true target. By then it was too late for him to do anything.
"Gasper! Look out!" he shouted.
The great wolf slammed a paw against the building that Gasper was hiding behind, utterly destroying it. As the building collapsed, the wall near Gasper crumbled, and the young vampire screamed as he was buried underneath several tons of rubble.
Kiba didn't have time to remain worried about Gasper. Fenrir attacked him next, rushing forward far faster than before. A paw slammed into the ground where he had been standing, but Kiba leapt back, avoiding it by the skin of his teeth. He couldn't dodge the shockwave that followed. His hair slapped against his face, his knees trembled as the Earth shook, threatening to send him sprawling.
That distraction was all Fenrir needed, for a second later, Kiba felt an intense, overwhelming pain in his abdomen. He looked down. A claw had impaled him through the stomach. Before he even had a chance to scream, Kiba was lifted into the air and tossed away like a broken toy. The last thing he saw was a wall closing in on him.
~Devil Ninja~
Issei stood guard over Asia as she finished healing Tsubaki and Reya. It didn't take very long, and quite soon, the two girls were healed and standing.
"T-there," Asia said, sighing in relief. "Are you two feeling okay?"
"Yes, thanks to you," Tsubaki said. "Thank you."
"Not at all." Asia smiled. "I'm glad you're all right."
Their first objective was complete; rescue and heal Tsubaki and Reya. Now it was time for him and Asia to rejoin Kiba in his attempt to defeat Fenrir. Asia would be providing long-range healing support. Issei opened his mouth to ask Tsubaki and Reya if they would be willing to join them in their battle against Fenrir-
"Oh, my," a voice said suddenly. "This won't do at all. You shouldn't be using that power to heal anyone but me."
Issei turned around, as did Tsubaki, Reya, and Asia. Several meters away, a man stood. He had a princely air about him. It would have reminded Issei of Kiba, except where Kiba had an air of gentleness, this man radiated arrogance and bloodlust. It was Diodora Astaroth. With him was another person, a blonde woman wearing a habit, his queen.
"Asia Argento," Diodora said. "I have come to take you away."
The words spurred Issei and the others into action. He, Tsubaki, and Reya moved in front of Asia, who wasn't a combatant.
"I knew you were no good," Issei said. "There's no way I'm gonna let a douchenozzle like you even touch Asia!"
A look of utter disgust crossed Diodora's face, an expression that made him appear as though he'd stepped in shit. The loathing in that expression might have sent Issei reeling. However, he didn't want to show weakness in front of Asia.
"I planned on going through you anyway," Diodora said. "Get ready to die, you disgusting filthy dragon."
Diodora conjured several blades, which he hurled at Issei, though they didn't do anything. Using the Boosted Gear, Issei punched each conjured blade that came at him. Meanwhile, Tsubaki and Reya defended Asia from any stray attacks that he missed.
The blades that Diodora conjured lacked power. They weren't strong enough to even make Issei flinch. He wondered if that meant Diodora was holding back, or if this really was the extent of this man's power. Could a high class devil really be this weak?
"BOOST!"
As Issei's power doubled, the blades appeared to grow even weaker. Of course, Issei understood that Diodora wasn't growing weaker. He was just getting stronger. With every ten seconds that passed, his power would double.
"BOOST!"
Issei marched forward. Diodora shot more blades at him, over and over, constantly, but it didn't do anything. With his power doubled again, his speed was greater than before, and his strength was far superior to what it had been at the beginning. He didn't even feel the blades as he smacked them away.
"BOOST!"
"How are you so strong?!" asked Diodora, shrieking as he stumbled backwards. He continued trying to hit Issei with conjured swords of demonic energy. That appeared to be the only power he had. Issei didn't know why, but he found himself disappointed.
"Because I have a really harsh sensei who beats the crap out of me every chance he gets and tortures me by transforming into a big-breasted woman!" Issei responded, nearly crying as he thought of all the times Naruto had tricked him into training. That damn sensei was a cruel man, but Issei couldn't deny the effectiveness of Naruto's training.
"BOOST!"
A sweat born of desperation and fear ran down Diodora's face in streaks. Issei decided to end this. He rushed forward. Diodora screamed and launched more blades, but all of them were blocked, swatted aside like flies. The nun tried to block Issei's path. Energy swelled around her, surging like stormclouds on the horizon, but Issei put a hand on her and, with a snap of his fingers, destroyed her clothes.
"KYAAA!"
As the maid screamed and tried to cover herself, Issei slipped past her and punched Diodora with a good deal of strength. The man went flying. He flew, and then he hit the ground, and then he rolled along the ground before coming to an abrupt halt. Issei strode up to him while the devil was disoriented. He slammed his gauntlet covered hand into the ground by the devil's head. Diodora shrieked like a little girl.
"Are you the reason these monsters are attacking us?" Issei asked. "Did you bring them here? Answer me or I'll pound that pretty boy face into sashimi!"
"Eek!" Diodora squealed. "I didn't! I didn't bring them here! I don't even know what these creatures are doing here! I'm just here because I saw an opportunity to steal Asia away!"
"That's not a very good answer," Issei said, smashing his fist into the devil's face. An obnoxiously loud crunch! echoed all around them as Issei's fist broke Diodora's jaw. The no-longer princely devil went limper than a dick with an erectile dysfunction. Issei dropped his useless opponent to the ground.
He stood up and turned around.
He never noticed the blade of light until it was too late.
~Devil Ninja~
"Everyone remain calm and follow the tunnel!" Ravel shouted, her voice amplified by a spell unique to those who bore the name Phenex. It used heat to shake the molecules in the atmosphere. It wasn't normally used for this purpose, but Ravel, since coming to live with Naruto, had learned to think outside of the box.
As her boyfriend, Naruto was quite proud of her.
He stood beside her, a silent guard protecting her and the others, surveying the entire area alongside a horde of clones. Ophis was next to them, but she wasn't even paying attention to anything. All of the non-combatants, devils, fallen, and angels, were being escorted out of the colosseum via an underground tunnel that lead into the city. Naruto and his clones were covering the entire distance. Their job was to make sure no one could ambush the fleeing civilians in the tunnel.
He, Ophis, and Ravel were at the entrance that everyone was using. While he was quiet, Ravel directed everyone.
"Keep going! Do not push anyone else! Remain calm, follow the tunnel, and we'll be out of here in no time!"
Ravel, Naruto had noticed, was quite good at managing people. Despite how most of the people rushing to escape the chaos didn't know her, she still managed to keep everyone from trampling each other. Whether it was her words, her presence, or merely the calm manner in which she told them what to do, everyone followed her instruction, ensuring that the non-combatants calmly left the colosseum.
Of course, this peaceful retreat could never last.
It started with explosions coming from down the hall, followed by several civilians in the back rushing forward, screaming. The explosions grew louder. The screaming civilians increased. As a threnody of terrified voices rebounded across the hall, blasting loudly in Naruto's ears, he toward where the explosions were coming from.
A woman was coming from that direction. Her straight silver hair was long, flowing freely around her as it descended down her back all the way to her ankles. Ice blue eyes gazed emotionlessly at everyone, set upon a pale face of porcelain beauty. She was wearing armor. A black suit reminiscent to a one-piece bathing suit was covered in silver armor, a breastplate that was outlined in gold, and hip protectors that jutted from her sides like a blossoming flower. Silver gauntlets. Boots of the same gleaming color. A pair of wing-like headpieces sat against her temples.
That device on her neck is the same as the other ones… why do I feel nature chakra coming from it?
Floating over her palms were a pair of magic circles. They changed every few seconds, spewing fire, lightning, ice, and every element he could conceivably think of. The ground froze. The air exploded. A blazing conflagration spread through the hallway. Civilians were sent flying as they tried to flee.
"Keep helping everyone here, Ravel," Naruto said. "Ophis, you stay with her. I'll take care of this woman."
"Be careful, Naruto-sama," Ravel said back.
Naruto synched with Kurama, a golden cloak of chakra covering his body. With the speed granted to him through it, he disappeared, then reappeared directly in front of the woman. He didn't know who she was. However, he recognized what she was from conversations he'd had with Rias. Valkyrie. A war maiden of Norse mythology.
"I don't know who you are," Naruto began, "but I suggest you leave this place before I kick your cute, little ass-eeeeekk!" Naruto leapt aside as a spiral of flames erupted from a magic circle and nearly scorched him. "Wait until I finish talking to attack me, damn it! Can't you see I was monologuing?!"
"I don't think she's gonna listen to you."
"Yeah. No shit. Guess we're doing this without the cool speech, then."
"That speech isn't cool. You're the only one who thinks so."
"… You're no fun."
Naruto took a single step forward, twisted his torso, and launched a straight kick at the woman. It missed. The valkyrie leapt back, avoiding the blow and sending a bolt of lightning at him. Knowing better than to just let it fly past him-there were civilians still trying to escape-he summoned Kurama's power into his hands and punched the lightning bolt. His hand stung something fierce. However, the attack dispersed, though a few stray arcs damaged the walls, floor, and ceiling.
A claw extended from Naruto's back. It curved around him and shot toward the woman. On the tip of the claw, a rasengan formed. The rasengan picked up a bright orange, molten glow.
"Yoton: Rasengan!"
It was a downgraded version of the Tailed Beast: Lava Rasenshuriken, which he couldn't use because doing so would likely destroy the entire colosseum. He needed to keep his attacks from being too powerful. Naruto didn't want to kill anyone who didn't deserve to be killed. Besides…
"Kurama, is it just me, or is that device on her neck emitting nature chakra like a sieve?"
"It's not just you."
Naruto leapt back as several shards of ice attempted to spear him. He created nine chakra claws, each of which had a rasengan on it, and used them to smash the icicles before they could strike the fleeing non-combatants. He blinked when the icicles changed, shattering and melting onto his claws, then trying to crawl up them. Naruto dispelled the claws. The ice fell to the floor.
"There's a lot of nature chakra inside of that device. I'm not sure how someone managed to install nature chakra into something inanimate, but I'd bet you anything it's being used to control this lady's actions. Look at those dead eyes. It's like she's trapped in a genjutsu."
"Is that even possible?"
Naruto spun around, slashing out his hand and creating a powerful vacuum blade that snuffed out the fireballs the valkyrie tried to shoot at him. The vacuum blade continued on. However, his opponent was quite skilled at magic. With one hand she created a shield. As the vacuum blade slammed into the shield, slowly cutting through it, she created an energy sword in the other hand and, with a downward slash, cut straight through his vacuum blade.
"Theoretically, it should be. If someone knew the theories behind the Yamanaka mind control techniques, they could reinforce it with nature chakra. The issue is that it would require them to be in physical contact."
"Maybe it's like Nagato's chakra receivers."
"Very possible. However, theorizing like this isn't going to help us. There's only one thing we can do."
"Right."
The only thing they could do was get that device. In other words, they needed to go on an all-out, full-frontal assault, which was easier said than done.
In a standard battle, this woman's attacks could have been easily avoided. Sadly, this battle was anything but standard. There were still dozens of people behind him, being directed toward the exit by Ravel, and so he couldn't let her attacks pass. That meant taking each one head on, negating it with a straight punch.
Punching magic spells hurt. It hurt a lot.
Ice. Fire. Wind. Lightning. Every element under the sun was launched at him, and he punched each one into oblivion. And it stung. It was like having a thousand bees land on his hand and sting him at the same time. The skin around his knuckles reddened, blackened, and then cracked. Blood ran down his hands, and then evaporated as it was hit by fire. His skin healed, and the process repeated itself.
One step forward. Two steps. Three. Six. Twelve. Twenty-four. Naruto moved inexorably closer with every second that past. He couldn't speed up to her this time. The people behind him would get hit if he did. He needed to take her attacks head on.
In response to his movements, the woman backed away as she continued launching attack after attack. Over and over and over. Naruto was bombarded by complex spells that he had never seen before. He didn't know any of them, but that didn't stop him from admiring how complicated they were. Fey-chan had taught him enough about magic to be impressed.
Speaking of, where are she and the others?
They should be somewhere in the colosseum. He put the thought out of his mind. The valkyrie was cornered now. She couldn't move back anymore, which meant this was his chance. Naruto increased his pace, blocked more attacks, and moved in close. When he was barely half a meter away, the valkyrie realized she no longer had room for spells.
She switched to hand to hand.
Her fist came in, but Naruto slapped it aside, took a step that brought him close, reached out, and grabbed the device attached to her neck. With a swift yank, he pulled it off. The woman jerked as if shocked. Then she began to collapse, but Naruto caught her before she smack her head against something. As he wrapped an arm around the unconscious war maiden's waist, he held the device in his other hand and studied it.
I don't know what this is…
"Neither do I."
"Let's take it with us. We'll be able to study it later. However, you were right. This thing is controlling those people."
"Of course I was right. Now get moving."
Naruto pocketed the device, scooped the valkyrie into his arms, and trotted back toward Ravel and Ophis. He would have her watch over this lady. Then he would begin his offensive once the civilians were out of harm's way.
~Devil Ninja~
Sirzechs stood alongside Michael, Azazel, Metatron, and Barachiel, glaring up at their opponent. Naruto was working with Ravel to evacuate the civilians. Once he was done, he would join up with them, but until then, they would need to somehow keep this man and his creations at bay, while being careful not to accidentally kill the people who had yet to escape. It was a tall order.
After all, they were facing a god.
"How nice of you all to come and greet me," the man floating above them said.
Light blue hair spiked up in all directions, except for his bangs, which hung down either side of his face. Eyes like those of a delinquent gazed upon them with dismissive scorn. It was like he was staring at insects, as though Sirzechs and the others were beneath him. A blue jewel sat on his forehead, yellow earrings dangled from his pale-skinned ears, and his ornate robe billowed in the soft breeze that blew through the colosseum. Loki. Norse god. The man who was said to wish Ragnarok upon the world.
He was not alone. With him were ten serpent-like dragons with ash gray skin that easily spanned two hundred meters in length. Wings sprouted from their heads. A forked tongue flicked out of fang-filled mouths. These monsters looked like Midgardsormr, the Sleeping Dragon, except they were much smaller than Sirzechs had heard. There were also ten of them.
"What are you doing here, Loki?" Michael asked.
The archangel floated beside Sirzechs. Their wings flapping as they hovered behind him, were his Brave Saints. Sirzechs only knew two of them, and one of the two he only knew because she was living with Rias and Naruto. Irina Shidou.
"What am I doing here?" Smiling a condescending smile, Loki spread his arms. "I thought that was obvious. I have come to greet the pathetic insects of Christian mythology as the new King of Asgard."
"What?" Azazel mumbled, shocked. "What do you mean by that? There is no way Odin would give the throne to a brat like you."
Rather than get upset, Loki merely chuckled. "Indeed, that old man had no intention of handing me the throne. That is why I killed him."
The words sent shock rippling through the group, though none seemed more surprised than Azazel, whose body shook from head to toe.
"There's no way," the old fallen angel mumbled. "A brat like you? No way. You couldn't have killed Odin. He might have been an old coot, but his power was undeniable. You don't have the kind of power it would take to do in that old man."
"Didn't," Loki corrected. "I didn't have the power. However, thanks to my new ally, I am plenty capable of taking care of my old man. If you still don't believe me, then take a look at this."
Loki pulled something from a rift between dimensions. A long, golden shaft emerged from the rift. The pommel, shaped like a diamond, held a majesticness that could not be mistaken. It was a spear. Not just any spear. Gungnir, the spear used by Odin when he rode into battle. The once powerful weapon was broken, split in half like a walking cane that had been snapped over someone's knee.
"That's-" Azazel started.
"Gungnir." Loki chuckled. "Since you know what this is, you should know that the old man would never willingly part from it. The only way someone could get ahold of this spear is if…" he trailed off. Sirzechs didn't need him to finish.
"I can't believe you would kill your own father," Sirzechs said.
Loki snorted. "That old man isn't my father. Just a coot whose time had long since come." Tossing the now broken Gungnir aside, a nasty grin, one filled with malice, spread across Loki's face. "Now then, let us dance. The time for me to destroy all of you and your pathetic religion has come."