One-Punch DxD: NEO

Chapter 101: Belly of The Beast

Chapter 101: Belly of The Beast

Hidden in the outskirts of Kuoh lies a shining silver palace glittering amongst the nature of Japan.

A shining jewel surrounded by silver-gray brick stone walls, a silver gate, and many silver statues of a muscular adonis with a long antenna growing from his head, lines of statues standing beside the road leading from the entrance of the silver gate to his mansion's doorsteps.

Despite the lavishness of the estate, not a single soul was seen around the fence or behind it, the mansion pristine yet desolate, abandoned at first glance.

It surprised Issei and the other children when they first arrived at this place, though they did expect such a level of gaudiness from someone as eccentric as the Jojo-fanatic. The interior reflected Silver's pride and ego, most of the interior was made from silver with even more statues of Silver posing ridiculous poses while flexing his muscular abs.

It was hard for the Devil children to navigate through the silver mansion without suffering side effects.

On the other hand, it granted a significant boost to Angels for some reason…

The mansion was not only home to Silver's accomplishments and his famous weapon collection.

It was also his personal training ground, his temple, and his temple was open to guests.

Exclusive guests - such as two archangels and their aces.

"Huhuhuhuhuhu, dance for me, little pigeon." Silver taunted the angel fighting him.

Not fighting, more like trying to hit him.

The reincarnated angel, the ace of Uriel, threw his fists from every angle at this silver macho, flying around this larger male. But no matter what he tried, the silver adonis shifted his mass at the slightest movement, bending his body far enough to move his mass out of his fist's reach. It looked like Silver was stylistically dancing in one spot with flamboyant exaggeration of movement.

"This time, the power of my Sacred Fist shall breach your indomitable ego!"

The reincarnated angel shouted as he slammed his fist against Silver's abs.

A loud crack resounded on impact.

Silver stood unfazed, his arms crossed while looking down on his challenger's attempt with a wry, condescending smirk.

"...Ow. OW! OW OW OW OW OW OW!" the young angel hissed in pain as he shook his throbbing fist.

"Congratulations. You managed to tickle my magnificent self." Silver remarked with a tilt of his head.

In return, the young angel only took a deep breath and grinned; his fists were clenched and letting out a golden glow, "I barely even started!"

"I see." Silver appeared before the young angel almost as if instantly teleporting. The young angel flinched when Silver raised his fist as a familiar, yet purer power channeled into the larger male's knuckles.

"Dodge." Silver punched.

The young man with golden spiky hair in a priest outfit could see it, time slowing as if his life flashed before his eyes, but he could see it - the purest, most refined and destructive version of the Holy Fist, a purifying force that seemed to transcend the limits of the Holy Light of Heaven so strong that a single graze could purify his existence as if it was a stain of evil.

That was his impression.

However, the purifying force that defies the limits of Heaven did not meet its mark as another carried the young man away, the shockwave of purifying light erupting like a cannon, a beam that burned through the wall of the training room with such intensity it looked like it could burn even one of the Four Great Satans to nothingness.

Silver turned and saw the young angel in the arms of a young woman with a voluptuous figure clad in a black sister outfit, her angelic wings spread out behind her.

"That was close…. Are you alright, Nero?" the young woman asked as she settled the young man on the ground.

"Thanks for the save, Mirana. This guy…. Is stronger than the story told to us!" Nero could not help but grin nervously.

"Ahem…"

From the side, Gabriel coughed into her hand. Uriel also accompanied her.

"Mister Silver, is it possible to… reduce the output of your power a little? I am afraid that is a bit too much for young Nero." Gabriel smiled.

"I did tell him to dodge." Silver explained. "And I thought it proper to show what it means to throw a proper punch."

"The Sacred Fist… You used a more refined variant of the power because it is not the light of heaven. What is the source of your light, should I ask?" Uriel, the other seraph, asked Silver.

Entering the room with a silver cart of treats on silver trays and a silver teapot, Cattleya Leviathan, donned in a fetishized maid uniform, rolled the cart with soft clicks of her plimsolls towards Uriel and Gabriel.

"Thank you." Gabriel smiled as Cattleya poured her a cup of tea; while Uriel accepted with a brief nod - the Flame of God held back a sigh at Silver's choice of attire for his maid-servant.

"What is seen as a reflection of my perfection." Silver posed a T-Pose. "You, angel boy. You lack vision and intent. Your punch feels weak because it lacks the intent to kill. In short, your fist is too naive."

"Intent to kill…." Nero stared at his fist with a conflicted look on his face, "While I agree with the notion of not to hold anything back in a real battle, I must disagree with the notion of killing itself! I believe, with proper training and practice, I can become strong enough to suppress casualties."

"You will go nowhere with such a naive philosophy." Silver retorted. "You may not realize it, but you implied that there will be casualties when a battle breaks out. You can preach all you like about your idealism where nobody has to die…. But in the end, there is gonna be a moment where you have to make a choice - you, your comrades, or…. them?"

When Silver uttered the last word, his attention was directed at the front gate, or to be precise, what was standing beyond the gate.

"...Well, this is a surprise." Silver said.

"Is something wrong?" Uriel asked.

Silver could see it through his hive-mind link with the Blacks.

A large hyperspace gate, a ring cutting through space and time opened, spitting out a regiment of creatures, many varied forms and shapes emerged, followed by robed magicians following them into the fray.

"...I did not expect to receive unwanted guests. Well, it is a good opportunity to test Grigori's security features. Cattleya, go to the security room."

In a faraway land, Genos received a signal from one of the Grigori's defense systems. He was looking at the situation from one of the cameras installed in Silver's mansion.

Leading the vanguard was a silver-haired man with handsome features that reminded Black so much of Vali and that Rizevim character, only there was… a malicious regality to his appearance, cloaked in crimson red with eyes overflowing with pride, the kind that tends to look down on everything in existence from Silver's experience with his past 'associates'.

A bounded field was summoned around Silver's mansion, a barrier blocking the invaders.

Drones flew from the secret compartments of the mansion, aerial turrets armed with the latest Grigori technology hovering in the air as the windows of the mansion opened, Blacks manning high-tech laser weapons poking through the window pane.

"...Such pretension," The leading vanguard sneered at the decor and the ego of the mansion design, the arrogance to have so many statues of the owner on display.

The front door of the mansion opened, and the owner of the mansion walked out with heavy steps, followed by the angels and a small army of blacks setting up mounting laser turrets around the mansion.

"I hope you have an invite or a reasonable excuse for bringing so many unwanted guests. My chauffeur did not mention a bunch of lesser beings arriving at my gate." Silver pointed out.

Gabriel and Uriel, on the other hand, stared at the silver-haired man behind the gates with shock.

"Impossible….." Gabriel uttered with disbelief in her face.

"Hm?" Silver turned his head. "Do you know him?"

"...Lucifer?" Uriel could not believe his eyes either.

The Fallen One - the man who ruined the future of Humanity, and the Demons, the man who cursed the Devils for so many years.

"The Morning Star?" Silver turned back to the man leading the army of monsters and magicians. "...I don't believe it."

The man who arrived was Lucifer, the original Lucifer.

The progenitor of the Devil race ran his hand across his hair, stroking it back as he smiled at them.

"Uriel, Gabriel. I didn't expect to see you again. It has been such a long time. I apologize for not visiting earlier, I have been busy. Sampling the fresh air and fine wine I haven't tasted for eons in that pit your Father made to dump all of his… undesirables away. You should try it. Putting your sanity back together after so many years in Purgatory... It is good for the mind."

His voice had an eerie siren charm, beautiful, yet there was a hidden venom behind that melody.

"...Mirana, take Nero and return to the mansion, and inform Michael. Now." Gabriel demanded, her tone was out-of-characteristically high strung.

"Oh. Are they your proteges? Hmmm…" Lucifer turned his sight to the pair of reincarnated angels, "...Lacking. I could've chosen better. The boy looks too ripe, like a sour, terrible apple destined to be eaten by worms. By Gaia, your father has terrible tastes in choosing the worthy, and it seems genetic."

Nero was about to retort at the insult when Uriel's voice became louder.

"NERO!" Uriel could not afford to have his Ace to be riled up by Lucifer's taunting, "Go inside the mansion with Mirana and call for reinforcement, now!"

"But Lord Uriel-!"

Nero's protest was interrupted by Uriel's stern glare that demanded no argument. Additionally, Silver placed his hand on his shoulder.

"There are times when you must listen to your elders." Silver spoke without leaving his eyes off the intruder, "The opponent is the Devil himself... And he has returned from whatever shithole he was trapped in. Go." He sent a quick glance at both Nero and Mirana.

Nero and Mirana sent a wary glance at Lucifer, who merely smiled at them in return, before they exchanged small nods.

They withdrew and turned towards the mansion, passing the two Seraphs who still had their eyes at the Devil himself.

"Yes, fly away, little birds." Lucifer waved to the angels running back to the mansion. "But it is futile. Your magical communications will not work, I've seen to it. The true GOD is watching over me, now."

Lucifer spread his arms wide, his smile even wider.

"GOD….?" Silver replied with a narrowed look.

"What are you talking about?" Uriel asked with a confused look.

In response, Lucifer spread his wings.

Wings of the same cosmic night spread from his back, no defined shape, not bat or angel, just vague outlines of something beyond the understanding and concepts of mortals, the same theme Silver saw shrouding Garou when he was touched by GOD.

"The true GOD has graced me with his touch… Tell me. How does it feel? To have our positions reversed? My GOD is alive… while yours is dead?" Lucifer asked the archangels.

"Lucifer…. What have you done?" Gabriel asked with horror on her face.

"I found a father worth devoting my entire being to. And I am here to spread his light." Lucifer held his chest with his left hand. "And the owner of this mansion has something that belongs to me. I need it to further his work."

"Oh?" Silver quirked a brow. "And you think I would give it to you?"

"It would please him if you do. Now, please open the path. We can discuss more about this like civilized-"

Zap!

Uriel and Gabriel stared at Lucifer's silver statue.

They stared at the statue… they could not even see it. The seraphs had difficulties processing the existence of a silver Lucifer before they turned to Silver.

"...How do you think a Silver Statue of the original Lucifer would sell?" Silver asked, rubbing his chin with a mischievous grin towards the pair of Seraphs, looking away from the statue.

Before either could answer, the silver sheen faded, melted away.

For the first time, Silver's smirk fell, and he saw Lucifer back to his previous form. For the first time, someone undid his signature move.

"Ah, did you have to do that to me?" Lucifer rolled his neck. "You made my muscles stiff… but it is not a bad move. But unfortunately, in Purgatory where no evil soul can die, I developed petrification spells to defeat my enemies, as well as ways to undo all forms of petrification. I am surprised that it works on metal, however. No matter, the time for talking is over."

Lucifer reached out.

In his hand, a spear appeared in his grip, a gnarled spear of warped fusion of contorted metal and organic matter, the spear tip twisted - three sharp prongs literally turned into a single sharp point.

"Who would like to go first? I would rather not deal with the fodder that surrounds you." Lucifer gestured to the Blacks manning the laser turrets and the aerial attack drones in the skies. "Morgan, I leave the others to you."

Another person stepped out from the darkness - a seductive-looking woman with black hair reminiscing a night sky, clad in spider-like gown, sharp and pointy tendrils of legs clasped to her body with membrane of silk in between.

The surface of her clothes bore a similar organic appearance to that of a certain GOD Silver knew.

"I wonder…" The woman's voice sounded sweet yet lethal, like a hidden caressing knife.

She aimed her hand at them.

"Divine Power?" One of the Blacks uttered with fear.

For a moment, Silver saw the shadow of the Homeless Emperor overlapping with the woman when he saw the countless spheres of energy coalescing around her, the spheres condensing into magical circles.

"Everyone, take cover!" Silver shouted as he braced himself for the incoming barrage.

All of the Blacks immediately abandoned their station, those within the building ran deeper inside while those outside tried to return inside the building as she unleashed her power.

Gabriel and Uriel immediately raised their magical barriers, but Silver appeared before them just in time for the devastation, as the entire complex went up in brilliant light, the light beyond the light of heaven.

Rias was restless as she was pacing around in her assigned room, her mind was full with the revelation she received earlier.

The news about Roygun Belphegor and Bedeze Abaddon being charged for treason, Mordax Bael hired mercenaries to capture her and Sona, as well as the technology that these mercenaries have in their arsenals.

Rias was still missing the crucial pieces of the puzzle; for the time being she had to focus on how to escape this building she was in and return to her family.

But what could she do?

They were armed and she was disarmed.

"Ahhh… if only Issei was still here…" Rias slumped on her bed and hugged her knees.

Everything would have been alright if he was still here.

He would have arrived to save the day, punching all of her captors in the face, and carry her off to the sunset…

A tear flowed down her eye when something spectral rose up from the bed.

"...It's still too soon for you to despair, young lady."

Rias gasped as she jumped out of the bed, turning her head to see Muramasa floating before her.

"Muramasa…" Rias blinked in disbelief, "Why are you- How did you…?"

"I had my master throw me to the enemy flying machine after I sensed magic engraved into it. They do not know about my true nature, so I am being kept in a strange room with many unknown tools. There are two guards with my main body at the moment."

Rias blinked a couple more times, digesting Murama's information, "So… The you here….?"

"An astral projection; it's been long since the last time I performed this technique. I'm glad I still got this." Muramasa smiled smugly as she remained floating in the air.

"Right…" Rias sighed in relief, she wanted to hug Muramasa, but she remembered that the yokai was intangible at the moment. "Okay, okay, I'm glad that you are here, Muramasa. Now I think we may have a chance to get out of here. But first, can you contact Yuuto? How is everyone faring?"

"We are communicating as we speak. They are formulating a plan to res-eek?!" Muramasa flinched and shuddered.

Rias nearly jumped at her sudden reaction, "What's wrong?

"...They are… the soldiers are touching me…" Muramasa whispered.

Rias blinked in return, "...Come again?"

OxO

"...The commander is going to eat your ass for touching that magic sword." The guard laughed at Timothy holding the magical katana.

"Oh come on, don't be jealous." Timothy unsheathed the katana, slowly inch by inch, until the metal was free from the scabbard, the holy runes glittering on the magical metal.

The soldiers were in awe by the craftsmanship and mystical allure of the weapon.

Timothy slowly swung the weapon a few times. He looked at a metal box containing their spare ammunition.

"Tim, Tim, look at me." The other guard urged Timothy to look at his face, "Seriously, man… Don't." The other guard warned.

Timothy stared at his colleague for a few seconds before he swung the katana at the crate, cleaving it into two, ammo clips spilling out like water as they stared at the aftermath.

"Holy shit…." Timothy admired his handiwork, "Did you see how clean this baby can cut? I hardly applied any pressure!"

"Yeah…. That's wicked sharp, alright." the other guard replied while staring at the cleanly cut crate.

"...Do you think the commander will let me keep it?" Timothy asked, swinging the sword a little. "I feel like a Jedi with this thing in my hands."

"Go ask him yourself, but what happens afterwards is all on you." the other guard replied with a resigned tone.

"Man, it sucks that they won't let us touch magic swords like this on the mission. It feels awesome if we can use these babies."

"Come on, we gotta look the part before triggering the civil war."

"Fine…" Timothy grunted as he sheathed and put the sword back into one of the available boxes.

OxO

"...Are you okay now?" Rias asked as Muramasa took another deep breath.

"...I feel… a little violated." Muramasa inhaled and exhaled.

"Alright… Back on track, can you contact Yuuto and others? Can you tell them that I'm okay?"

Muramasa nodded, "They are informed. Manpower and supplies are being organized. Please be patient until we reach you."

Rias nodded, "Just be careful, though…" Her eyes then widened at one information she learned prior, "Muramasa, you need to tell the others that these people are going after Sona as well! And they are holding Gragg Forneus prisoner too!"

Muramasa grimaced a little at the unfamiliar name, "...Who? But Sona… She's that old friend of yours, is it? That doesn't surprise me much, but very well, I will let them know. Anything else you need of me, young lady?"

Rias contemplated for a second before answering, "...I'm sorry if I'm asking too much, Muramasa; but I'd like you to look through this building. I need you to learn about this building's layout, how many people are in here, and if you can, we need to know the environment around this building. Can you do that?"

Muramasa smiled apologetically, "I am afraid that I must rest. Astral Projection is not a skill I practice often, and it drains me to maintain."

"Of course, don't push yourself, Muramasa. All of us are going home together." Rias replied with a smile.

With that final nod, Muramasa vanished as she phased through the wall, leaving Rias with hope. Despite the current situation, Rias went to bed to get as much rest as possible; she needed herself to be in tip-top shape if she had to punch her way out.

She undressed her robe and hung the clothes on a nearby hanger, tucking herself into bed before closing her eyes. A few minutes later, however, she got up with a sigh. Her current bed was not as comfortable as the one she usually slept on.

In addition - thanks to the revelations she learned today, and the hope inspired in her after talking with Muramasa, Rias found her body still a bit high on adrenaline. She needed to rest, but her body was still restless. There was no television to alleviate her boredom; when she rummaged through drawers and cupboards for reading material, she only found a Qur'an which she could not read without harming herself. She did not feel like turning to her captors after what she had learned about them so far.

She sighed, pondering - what to do?

…What would Ise do?

Her hand reached to her neck, her fingers brushed against the metal collar. She glanced at her naked reflection in the nearby mirror - upon longer look, the collar could be passed off as an eccentric-looking choker. She then took a glance at her body, then her hands, clenching and unclenching her fists.

A thought occurred - her magic might not be accessible, but she did not feel any changes regarding her physical body. She could still move like usual.

Again - what would Ise do in this situation?

She was restless, and sitting idle would not help herself, much less anyone else. She glanced at her only clothes - the tunic robe hanging on the wall, then around her room which was quite spacious due to the minimum amount of furniture.

Rias pursed her lips for a second before she came with an idea, turning her lips into a smirk as she glanced at the reinforced door.

With a goal set in mind, she began to stretch her limbs and body, as if she was warming herself up with a few deep breaths. She then let her body topple itself forward to the floor, before her arms stopped her fall and she immediately went into push-ups.

Might as well do something productive.

Simon sighed as he covered the glaring rays of the desert sun on his way to his usual meeting place.

The white shining jewel in the hot deserts of Central Asia, a city glowing in white under the sun, a metropolitan accomplishment of Turkmenistan.

That was Ashgabat, also very costly to live in due to inflation and imports.

Honestly, he wished that command could let them live somewhere else more hospitable, the heat was radiating from every white stone and gray asphalt as if they were turned into solar radiators without an off switch.

And the white colors reflected the glaring sun too well, it was hard to see on some days.

He found his haunt, a local cafe which also served as a tavern at night - Sunlight Respite, and quickly ran across the street under a red light when there was no traffic in sight.

He pushed the door - causing the attached bell to ring, and exhaled at the feeling of air conditioned cold seeping into his skin.

"As-salam'ualaikum, Simon."

The bartender - Jake waved at him, wearing a short sleeve T-shirt and baggy shorts in this hot weather.

"Wa'alaikum-salam, Jake. Order the usual for me." Simon requested as he sat on the bar stool.

Jake only smiled before he opened the freezer, retrieving an ice tray filled with dark brown ice cubes. He took four cubes into a tall glass before filling the glass with cold fresh milk.

"Cube coffee latte from yours truly." Jake served the drink to his regular.

Simon received the drink with a grateful nod before downing half the glass before sighing in bliss.

"That hits the spot…." Simon said as he slumped against the table.

"Rough day at the hotel?" Jake asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Simon replied, "…We got ourselves some VIP, apparently."

"Oh? Tell me… or is this confidential?" Jake asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Nothing too confidential, if you ask me… But I can tell you that this VIP is a real beauty." Simon could not help but grin at the memory of the gorgeous redhead walking through the hallway.

"That hot?" Jake asked with an intrigued tone.

"Solid nine out of ten." Simon raised his glass before taking another sip, "Sadly she is inbound back to our client. Though… Until the client gives us another holer, there are talks about sending her to the workshop first."

Jake stared at Simon for a few seconds before he glanced around and leaned forward, "The workshop? Are you sure that's wise? Because-"

However, before their conversation could have gone further, the door-bell rang - prompting Jake and Simon to pause and turn to the newcomer.

Newcomers, to be precise - three girls. Simon could not help but to notice that not only were those three attractive, they were clearly not from around.

Three caucasians - one with short blue hair with a green streak covered in a white sports hat; she was clad in a sky-blue t-shirt with matching jeans that reached her knees, as well as white sneakers.

Another one with chest-nut colored hair tied in twintails, with a pair of sunglasses resting on top of her forehead. She was wearing a yellow crop top and beige shorts, walking on sandal shoes and a bag on her back. Simon also noticed a small silver cross hanging on the necklace around her neck.

Lastly, one girl shorter from the other two with shoulder-length platinum blonde hair. Her skin was pale and she was clad in a white sundress, carrying a matching tote bag around her shoulder, white sandals and a yellow wide-brimmed hat with floral patterns, and a pair of shades over her eyes.

The trio then sat around a table with the one with twintails waving her hand at Jake, prompting him to come towards them with menus in hand.

"Welcome to Sunlight Respite, ladies. What can I get you today?" Jake greeted with his best customer-service smile.

"Um, I'll take what he's having." The chestnut-haired girl pointed at Simon with a smile.

"An iced black coffee for me." The blue-haired girl said.

"Ummmm, may I have a strawberry drink?" The platinum blonde asked.

"Of course." Jake nodded before he went to work behind the bar.

Simon quirked a brow at the girls.

"Say, where are you young ladies from? Are you on vacation or something?" Simon decided to strike up a conversation. There was something about them that seemed off… he could not put his finger on it.

"Indeed! We are from Japan." the girl with twintails replied.

"Japan?" Simon blinked, those girls were not Asian-descent whatsoever, "No offense, ladies, but you don't look like you're from Japan."

"We are exchange students currently living in Japan, actually. And for your information, while my mother is British, my father is Japanese and I was born there." the twintails replied with her smile remaining on her face.

"Ah, I see. My apologies." Simon nodded his head before he extended his arm, "Name's Simon, by the way."

The girl shook his hand gingerly, "Irina Shidou! This is Xenovia and the little one is Gasper."

The other two girls nodded in greeting, albeit the shorter one seemed nervous for some reason.

"Good to meet you. Still, Turkmenistan is not exactly a vacation hotspot for ladies like you. What brings you here?"

"Well…" Irina leaned back on her seat as she played with the end of her twintail with her finger, "We want to visit Darvaza's Gas Pit."

"The Door to Hell? I see you girls have a peculiar taste to want to see the fiery gates. How long are you planning to stay here?"

"A few days, a week tops. We just arrived last night." Irina replied with a small shrug.

"Oh, so you girls have found a place to stay?" Simon asked.

"Airbnb; we found this nice flat not too far from here. Though… I'm kind of curious about that tall building in the middle of the city. Is that supposed to be a hotel? We never heard about it before."

"Ah… Well, I don't know much about it." Simon evaded the question on instinct. "All I know is that the place is expensive and quite high-end. No offense, ladies - but you don't look like your budget is enough to cover a single night there."

Irina pursed her lips briefly before she smiled again, "Oh, well - it was worth a shot. Thanks for the info, Mr. Simon!"

On cue, Jake returned to the table with the ordered drinks, "Drinks for lovely ladies. Enjoy." The bartender left but he paused to turn to them one more time, "Oh, and welcome to Turkmenistan."

"I'll leave you three for your drinks. Have fun at Hell's Gate." Simon gave a quick wink before returning to his original spot at the bar.

OxO

After waving her goodbyes at the man who talked to them, Irina then returned to face her friends as her smile dropped slightly.

"He's hiding something." Xenovia remarked with a low tone, absent-mindedly stirring the ice cubes in her coffee with her straw.

"I know." Irina replied before fiddling with her smartphone.

"Is he?" Gasper, on the other hand, blinked in confusion and surprise.

"It's only for a brief moment, but the air around him shifted when we asked him about that building. Our mark was spot-on." Irina then put her wireless earphones on her ears, "...Raven, this is Sparrow-1, do you copy? What's the situation on your end? Over." She asked while taking a sip of her drink, finding the taste delectable.

[This military code name roleplay is a bit too silly.]

"We are under cover, remember? How do you know if the enemy might be within an earshot?" Irina argued.

[...Whatever, fledgling. We've spotted several military-grade vehicles and convoys passing this street for the 4th time. Triangulating the pattern pinpoints that hotel as the prime suspect where the Heiress is in. That or the buildings surrounding it, but then again, they're humans. That, and I spotted window bars in that hotel, so it matches pretty boy's description. Better if I investigate with Miltelt.]

"...Should we abduct him?" Xenovia asked while throwing a quick glance at Simon who was nursing his drink while talking with Jake, "We can learn more from him."

[Possible, but hold your horses. This is still in broad daylight with too many eyewitnesses, after all. We'll regroup for the time being to discuss our next step.]

"Got it, for now…" Irina raised her smartphone above their tables, posing for a selfie, "Smile!"

The picture depicted a smiling Irina posing a peace sign, Gasper who was caught off guard, and Xenovia who looked impassive as ever, safe for her slightly-widened eyes at the sudden selfie.

"Irina…" Xenovia looked flatly at her friend.

"We are here on vacation, remember?" Irina retorted with a knowing look, "At least pretend like you are a tourist."

The trio then made some small talk, and it did not take too long until they finished their drinks. When they went to the cashier to pay the bill, Jake - who also worked behind the cashier smiled, "Your tabs have been covered by that gentleman there."

The trio turned to see Simon sitting on the bar counter, smiling at them while raising his drinks.

"Oh, you don't have to be so kind!" Irina said bashfully as she approached the man, "Please, let me pay for your drink in return."

"No need for that, missy." Simon waved off, "Ashgabat doesn't have enough people to our liking, so your three's appearance is pretty much fresh air for us. Consider this our mere attempt to promote hospitality towards tourists." He clapped his hand modestly, "In fact - you mentioned about having a look at the pit, yes? Have you arranged for transportation and a guide, by any chance? If not, I'd be-"

The door opened, two more customers entered.

A muscular man with eyes closed wearing a Hawaiian shirt and short pants, much of his muscles comically exposed to the amazement of the two gentlemen.

The other looked like a casual punk with a roguish presence, appearance-wise as well, dressed in plain white short sleeves and loose jeans.

"Ah, no need. Our friends are here to pick us up!" Irina declined as she bowed to them respectfully.

The gentleman watched the girls leave with their new companions, leaving them alone to their discussion.

"...You can tell something about them is off at first glance." Simon broke off the mask and creased his features.

"Those girls are…. What - seventeen? Nineteen years old tops? The short one is probably even younger. I don't recall any holiday season around this time." Jake put in his two-cents from the counter. "...You think they are one of them?"

"Can't tell for sure, since they felt…. Different, somehow. Anyway, I need to check with the HQ."

Upon returning to their flat - Irina, Xenovia, Gasper, Rugal and Baraqiel were greeted by a pair of women.

One woman was lounging by the couch, reading the local newspaper while listening to the daytime news on the television. She was an attractive woman with long raven black hair and violet purple eyes. Her curvaceous, slender body was clad in a pink camisole and denim shorts that showed most of her legs.

The other woman was working in the kitchen counter - she had blonde hair styled into a messy ponytail, her face looked petite despite her body looking mature, adult, large breasts and long legs with the face of a child.

When the woman on the couch noticed their arrival, she immediately stood up straight and nodded respectfully at Baraqiel.

"Lord Baraqiel."

The woman in the kitchen did the same after turning the stove off.

"At ease." Baraqiel nodded, though his sight lingered on the fallen angel with raven hair, "...Raynare, I must ask about your revealing clothes."

To her credit - fallen angel Raynare gained a small blush on her cheeks as she awkwardly looked to the side, but she stood her ground nonetheless, "My apologies for the… Provocative outfit, Lord Baraqiel. But I believe this outfit is less suspicious in the eyes of the neighbors, considering the weather."

Baraqiel actually hummed at the explanation, then he sighed in acceptance, "...Very well, but at least please cover your legs a bit more. We will hold up a meeting soon."

"Yes, sir." Raynare nodded before she went to her room.

However, she paused on her tracks when she noticed Rugal was staring intently at her, as if trying to solve a big puzzle.

Smirking at the werewolf, Raynare jerked her hips a bit towards him, "What, see something you like?"

Rugal merely squinted his eyes a bit before he grunted and walked towards the dining table, eliciting a snort from Raynare.

"...I think Rugal just cannot make sense out of your presence, Raynare." Irina quipped, "Even now, for some reason I can barely tell that you are…. Here."

They can see her, yet they could not sense her presence. They could not smell her scent, nor could they feel her presence, like she existed despite not feeling… real - a contradiction of being in her case.

"I see you, but you don't feel real. That is our impression." Xenovia summarized.

"You got it, girls." Raynare winked before she disappeared into her room.

Everyone then gathered around the table, with the blonde woman serving food and dishes.

"...Didn't know you could cook, Mittelt." Irina retorted at the assortment of dishes the blonde had prepared

The blonde woman - Mittelt, snorted, "Believe it or not, I was in charge of kitchen duty alongside Donny when we were stationed at Kuoh. Anyway, eat up! We're burning daylight, after all."

There was Shurpa, one of the most popular Turkmen and Central Asian soups, made from mutton broth, added with boiled vegetables are cooked together with fried onions, carrots, flour, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and complete with the addition of potatoes and tomatoes - along with boiled mutton and a dollop of sour cream.

Dogroma Chorba, a red-orange lamb meat soup.

Shashykk, skewered meat roasted over an open fire, and more of Turkmenistan's cuisine scattered around the table.

Everyone began to eat, when Raynare returned to join the table - now had covered her legs with a floral-patterned sarong. Then Loup, who happened to have finished his meal suddenly sensed something.

The werewolf left the table towards the window, standing carefully next to the windowsill to have a peek outside.

"What's the matter, Rugal?" Irina asked as she tapped her lips with a napkin.

"...Unwanted company."

Everyone paused as they expanded their senses.

"Hm… Rugal is right."

"Several people…. Wait, two people."

"They felt human, as far as I can tell."

"They don't seem to be moving, are they just observing us?"

"...P-Peeping tom?!" Gaspered gasped.

It was strange sensing it from the perpendicular rivers of presences moving in all four cardinal directions. With focus, they could sense… two presences more pronounced than the majority, blending amongst the river of presences.

"Their auras aren't passive… I believe our enemy has noticed us." Miltelt hummed in thought.

"They are strange for humans… I don't think they are adept in dealing with the supernatural yet." Baraqiel concluded.

Raynare glanced at the window, pretending not to notice anything as she kept eating, before she turned to Irina and Xenovia, "...Did you two make sure that you're not being followed on your way back?"

Irina and Xenovia exchanged glances before the former replied sheepishly, "We did….?"

Raynare was not amused, "...Is that supposed to be a question?"

Irina winced before correcting herself, "W-we did! We did!" She glanced at Xenovia who ignored her pleading look.

Raynare then sighed, "Whatever, right now keep acting normal - go watch TV or something. We just need an opening for Mittelt to cover our asses…. Or our friends outside to do their job."

OxO

Looking at the flat a few blocks away from the higher ground, a glint of a telescopic lens reflected the light behind a curtain, a gruff man observing the gathering within a vacant apartment room.

"HQ, this is Simon - got visual confirmation on the subjects." Simon spoke to his radio comm.

He was still in his civilian clothes, but he was armed with the same anti-devil weapons that suppressed the Devils in the Underworld.

[Copy. Commander will have your ass if this 'gut feeling' of yours is a false alarm, just to remind you. Status?]

"Subjects are eating together. Nothing unusual spotted… Yet"

[You have ETA two hours tops to bring back proof. Spend your time wisely, buddy, or I'm taking that beer you saved in the fridge.]

"Arsehole." Simon scoffed with a wry smile, turning the radio off.

"Well, so we're just sitting here for the next two hours?" a female voice prompted Simon to turn to his partner for his current assignment.

A woman with brown skin and black dreadlock hair tied into a messy ponytail - casually dressed in black fitting T-shirt, cargo pants and combat boots - yet armed as Simon, was standing on the balcony of a vacant, small apartment room they were in - peering through the telescope they had set up prior.

"They feel off. Who from Japan would come to a place like this? I can only think of some rich company brats that want to see the Door to Hell, but they don't look like rich brats. And that one guy looks like a professional wrestler," Simon shared.

"For all we know they could be the more humble types despite being rich. The flat they are renting isn't half-bad; signs of life lived well for them."

"But from Japan? That small country in the far east? Not likely." Simon said as he gently pushed Lana aside so he could have a turn on the telescope. "Did you bring everything we need, Lana?"

"Everything we need for a stake-out, yeah." the female operative - Lana shrugged at the small assortment of equipment and gears laid on a cloth spread on the floor.

"Hopefully, we'll get something. That country is riddled with the supernatural after all."

"Home of the Strongest Man as they say?" Lana quipped.

"The sponsors warned that we will die if we cross him - but honestly, they might be exaggerating. No way a stupid egghead could make them so serious." Simon retorted.

The pair then spent nearly the next hour with conversation over meal and drinks, while occasionally taking a peek through the telescope to see if there was any development, only for the time to pass in a relative peace.

Then, just when Simon had finished another check - where the subjects he was observing still did not show any abnormality, someone was knocking on the door.

"...Were we expecting visitors? Door-dash?" Lana asked.

Simon took out his light-bullet pistol and slowly crept towards the door. He peered through the peephole.

"...What?" He holstered his gun and hid it under his shirt as he opened the door to see two teenagers, a boy with sandy-blonde hair and a girl with white hair, a rare hair color.

The boy was clad in a white T-shirt that hugged his lean-muscular frame and jeans, and the girl was wearing a white blouse with a cream-coloured skirt that reached to her knees.

"Oh, hello there." Momo greeted with a smile, before her eyes scrunched up a bit, "...You're not - oh dear, I'm so sorry, looks like we got the wrong door." she bashfully remarked.

Simon blinked, eyeing the teenagers in which the boy was looking awkward as well.

"...Can I help you?" Simon asked.

"Um, again, sorry. We're just… a new couple that just moved into this building. We, we got the wrong door." the girl explained.

Simon quirked a brow.

"...What is your apartment number? And why did you knock when you have the key to your door?"

"Oh, we don't live here, actually." the boy replied this time, "We're visiting a friend."

Simon narrowed his eyes on them.

"...Damn it, Gen-chan. Why did you have to mess it up?" The girl sighed as Simon pulled out his pistol.

However, before Simon could have even said another word, Lana - who still had her attention at the upcoming commotion by the front door, did not notice someone landed by the balcony behind her.

Lana turned around one second too late to intercept a girl with blue hair suddenly tackling her to the floor and pin her down with an absurd amount of strength, eliciting a grunt..

Simon turned around, but when he saw his partner being pinned down, the two children grabbed his arms, and with a surprising display of strength, lifted up his body and slammed his back on the floor, knocking the air out of him.

"Always trust that gut feeling. Devils, huh?" Simon spat at the children as he struggled to break free, but Saji ripped the gun out of his hand and tossed it away.

"Sorry, but we are short on time." Momo apologized before she inched her face closer to Simon, staring intently into his eyes as she activated her hypnosis spell.

"Oh, you're trying that on me, aren't you... bitch?" Simon cussed at Momo as his face strained, sweat starting to leak.

"Where are you keeping Rias Gremory? How do we get to her?" Momo demanded.

Simon's face strained further, as if he was struggling to keep a hold of himself - a feat that caused Saji and Momo to narrow their eyes at his mental resistance.

"Fuck off… Back to your shithole!" Simon then spat at her face in response.

Momo creased her face in mild disgust at the drool staining her face before she wiped it off with the back of her hand.

"That dude is tough." Tsubasa commented while effortlessly keeping Lana in place; the older woman growled and grunted, trying to shake the blunette off her frame.

"Yeah, you think you can pull off the same shit on us every time you bastards fuck up?" Simon responded aggressively as he strained to throw the two off them with more strength than a trained human should possess.

"Whoa, he's pretty strong." Saji tightened his grip. "What in the world are you made of?"

"Blood, flesh and bone like any other human. I didn't sell myself to a bitch like a total simp like you." Simon lashed with words.

Saji scowled, "Look, man. I know we don't have that good reputation, but you should catch up with the program on how we roll lately."

"How you roll? Really? Are you saying you didn't sell your soul because of some pretty girl or some shit?" Simon retorted.

Saji opened his mouth, but closed it because his words struck some parts of him. He did give his life for Sona… mostly because of that.

"We still have our souls, we're more indentured servants!" Momo argued.

"I don't want to hear it from sellouts that gave up their humanity for a bunch of bastards that toyed with us for thousands of years! You're nothing more than glorified janitors! Heh, they are right. You say you care about us, but you don't even recognize our faces, do you?"

"What the hell are you even talking about?" Tsubasa asked.

"Heh, right. They say it must be fair…" Simon chuckled. "That is up to the redhead and her folks. Lana! Release your limiters!"

Lana, who was still struggling to shake Tsubasa off her - stared at Simon, glanced at the current situation and finally, took a deep breath.

"... *Vrylat, Ansteek: Emergency override, ETA, three minutes."

The devils blinked at the words that came out from the woman.

Then, Tsubasa blinked when she saw the body of the woman she was pinning - was glowing. To be precise, her black T-shirt showed some glowing patterns, something like tattoos - glowing underneath.

The same verses were repeated from Simon's lips, the same sigils and patterns radiating through his skin beneath his clothes. A radiant glow of familiar power emanated from the soldiers, power of the supernatural that humans should not have coursing through them.

With a surge of strength Tsubasa did not expect, Lana overpowered Tsubasa's hold and threw her over her shoulder, Tsubasa rolling across the floor and back to her feet to see the woman pulling a baton from a tear through space.

"Spatial inventory?!" Tsubasa was shocked to see that the humans had something not normally accessible.

Lana grinned, the baton extended its silver core, golden runes etched on the shaft glowing to life and crackling with the thrum of holy power as she ran towards her.

Tsubasa braced herself, ready to use her super strength to catch and subdue the incoming woman, only to be caught off guard by a surprising display of speed, as the baton had already collided against her cheek - the force was enough to send her body spinning in the air before dropping to the floor.

Tsubasa groaned before she quickly rolled away to regain her bearings - it was only thanks to the Rook's enhanced durability that she could remain conscious.

"...Seriously?! Even that is made against devils?!" Tsubasa could not help but comment in her outburst - massaging her lower jaw and wiping the blood from her lips.

"Got a problem with it?" Lana quipped.

It was like a burst of shockwave penetrating through every fiber of her being, ignoring every defense she had.

"I swear, you people are more radical than the Templars and Crusaders." Tsubasa then stood back up and prepared herself for another round.

Witnessing such defiance, Lana then grinned in return, "...Good."

Tsubasa blocked another blow, but the impact of the weapon rippled through her forearm, hurting her muscles and bones, the damage was reduced because of the Ki shrouding the bluenette.

On Simon's side, he stabbed Momo's shoulder and cut Saji's forearm with a small silver knife, forcing the two to back off from the sting of silver.

"Fuck! Momo, you okay?!" Saji cursed before he moved to cover the Bishop.

"I'll manage… What's with these people?! My hypnosis spell not working is already complicated, where's this sudden burst of power coming from?!" Momo remarked.

Saji grimaced when the man turned his attention to him, rushing with his knife gripped in reverse, swift silver swipes scraping against his gauntlet before Simon's knee struck his solar plexus and a right hook punched his midriff and upper-cutted Saji's jaw in his stupor.

Saji was about to collapse, but the unforgiving training from Black allowed him to stand his ground, albeit dazed. Simon did not expect the boy before him was conscious enough to reach and grab on his shirt collar, before pulling him to bash against some nasty headbutt.

Simon blinked as he felt warm liquid trickling down his nose. He touched the moist spot - seeing red on his fingers, rubbing his blood between his fingers as he wiped the red from his nose.

Saji rubbed his jaw as he and Simon locked eyes.

The older man smirked at Saji, tossing his knife up and down, the sharp blade spinning before its handle landed in his hand each time.

Saji squinted at the man's taunt. His King prepared him for this occasion as he glanced at Momo, Momo nodding at Saji.

"Promotion: Rook!"

Momo aimed her palms at Simon the moment Saji promoted himself.

But as Simon threw his knife at Momo, the blade pierced her right dominant hand, through the magic circle.

And dragged her across the hall until it speared the wall at the end, Momo's back hitting the wall as she coughed.

"Hoh, more kick than I wanted, but I'll take it." Simon seemed impressed by his strength as he watched Momo clutching the knife, her hand burning upon contact with the silver.

"You bastard!" Saji chased after Simon, seeing the man pulling two knives from his storage and threw them at him..

The blades flew like twin whirling helicopters. To Simon's surprise, his thrown knives sliced gashes across Saji's shoulders despite his newfound strength, confusing Simon why the blades did not pierce through like they did the girl, only leaving scratches and small cuts instead.

He jumped back as Saji slammed his fist into his prior position, collapsing the floor into a hole leading to the one below.

The two landed on the floor below, and they would not have stopped if it were not for the unfamiliar shriek that came from the other occupants of their current floor.

Simon had already aimed his gun at Saji, but paused the trigger when he caught two people staring at them from the corner of his eye.

Saji also abruptly paused on his tracks as he and Simon saw the residents below, a couple in the bed, under the white sheets… Their bare shoulders peeking out the sheets were enough to tell them what they were doing before the two unceremoniously crashed on their floor.

Seeing the faint kiss marks and disheveled state, combined with the musky scent in the air, caused Saji's face to warm up as he found the entire situation to be awkward all of sudden.

Leaving Saji open to Simon's tackling him all the way into another wall to the next room, the bowie knife digging into Saji's chest while light bullets repeatedly blasted into his gut.

Saji growled as he was snapped back into the moment and used his legs to push Simon back until he slammed against the wall at the end of the room, Simon continuing to unload his gun into Saji's abdomen.

Saji roared as black flames erupted, forcing Simon back as Saji collapsed to a knee, the boy glaring at him while holding his gut.

Simon clicked his tongue.

"You should've been swiss-cheese."

He fired into the boy's gut multiple times at point blank, yet all it gave him was a severe bruise, and his silver bowie knife did not sink past the rib bones.

His past kills and hunts never lasted against that.

"Yeah, I'm built differently, I guess." Saji replied with a defiant grin.

Simon then growled, and two combatants charged at one another.

OxO

They had been separated.

Simon fell to the lower floor through the hole, that was Lana's assessment when she glanced at the environmental damage.

These devils were more resilient than the monsters they hunted, she should finish this before her time ran out.

The devil tackled her, but she missed and tripped on her swinging baton, falling on her face with disgrace.

Tsubasa rolled on her back and blocked the falling baton, the shockwave of force and holy energy burning through her arms as the ground cracked under her spine, but failed to block the woman's soccer kick to her jaw, kicking her out of the door and into the wall, Tsubasa coughing on impact as Lana rushed with her baton thrusted towards her throat.

Yet it struck something hard, her baton crammed up to her confusion.

She swung down and struck the same hardness, her confusion growing as she looked around, seeing the white-haired girl aiming her palm at her.

"You..." Lana rushed towards her, one hand digging into her spatial pocket.

Momo panicked when she saw another strange silver-chrome gun, thicker with a longer barrel than the light pistol pulled out. When Lana aimed and pulled the trigger, Momo summoned her Applause Wall in time, seeing a wall of bright light splashing against her barrier.

She could feel the shockwave flying through her shield as Lana emerged from the splashing bullets, circling around her barrier with her baton swung at her.

However, something ricocheted between the walls and struck Lana's back, launching her past Momo as she rolled to her feet, grunting in pain as she looked up to see the cause bouncing back to her hand.

"Never thought I would use that sniper's trick." Tsubasa muttered as she held her artificial sacred gear.

Twinkle Aegis - Shield of Spirit and Glory.

She did not think her panic throw would actually hit her.

Lana then turned her sight to Tsubasa, who was wielding a round shield made of hard-light construct.

Momo unfurled her wings and flew back, joining Tsubasa as Lana grit her teeth at them.

"Thanks for the save."

"She's tough. I think that's a shotgun in her hand." Tsubasa responded, surprised to see such a modern firearm.

"Wait, a shotgun? Really?!" Momo asked in disbelief.

"Wonder how much kick that thing has…"

The devils wondered why the Church never diversified their firearms, now that they think about it.

Lana slowly took furtive steps, raising her sawed-off light shotgun. Her gaze looked like they would burn them like the light ammunition she fired, but more intense.

Tsubasa and Momo exchanged glances and nods, then Tsubasa charged towards Lana.

Lana immediately fired her shotgun towards the incoming blunette, but the same invisible wall took the brunt of her shot, allowing Tsubasa to keep running towards her, forcing Lana to respond by slamming her baton - which Tsubasa received with her shield.

A loud bang resonated across the room as soon as Lana's baton made contact with the hard-light surface, the force of the impact caused the surrounding air to shake a little as Tsubasa grimaced a little at the power behind the human's blow. She did not know what kind of spell that allowed a human like this one to be on par with a Rook like her in terms of brute strength, but that did not mean Tsubasa would just back down.

However, Lana ducked and pressed the weapon vertically against Tsubasa's solar plexus and pulled the trigger.

The wave of holy light smashed Tsubasa against the ceiling, every pore of her body was burning under the holy light.

When Tsubasa bounced back down, the same spread knocked her back to the ceiling.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Momo dropped her jaw at the sight of the woman catching Tsubasa into a one-sided brutal combo, continuously shooting her to the ceiling with little resistance.

However, the nth shot was blocked - Tsubasa shielding herself while being knocked back to the ceiling, prompting Momo to intervene.

Lana caught several projectiles fired her way, forcing her to break away and run towards Momo, firing buckshots of light at her as Tsubasa landed.

However, the barrier was much closer than she expected, so close that the splash bounced back to her face and knocked her back a few steps towards Tsubasa's charging shield.

"Aha!" Momo exclaimed at her timing.

"Fuc-!"

Tsubasa smashed her shield against her nape, forcing her to the floor. She did not stop and kicked the shotgun out of her hands towards Momo just in time to block the woman's tenacious baton.

Momo grabbed the weapon on instinct, but hissed and dropped it when it burned her hand. Of course, they made it so that it would burn devils on contact, something she should have expected at the moment.

Lana bashed against Tsubasa's shield as her hand slipped into her dimensional pocket.

"Momo!" Tsubasa shouted.

Momo fired bullets of demonic power at her, only for Lana to block them with her baton while backhanding Tsubasa's jaw with something she did not expect, something hard and made of something that hates devils.

When Tsubasa regained her bearings, she saw Lana had brandished another weapon - a set of silver knuckle-duster covering her fist.

Tsubasa rubbed her jaw in disbelief at the sight. In return, Lana smirked as she taunting Tsubasa with her fingers to come at her.

Feeling her pride at stake, Tsubasa dismissed her Twinkle Aegis before she spat at her palm, rubbing her hands together and balled her fists, ready to rumble.

Momo watched the two brawled, the woman and Tsubasa exchanging blows of fists.

Tsubasa was about to block her baton, but the woman actually dropped it and sucker punched her gut, before uppercutting her jaw with the silver knuckle duster, sending Tsubasa crashing into the ceiling before falling back down into a strong right hook, punching her in the same jaw.

Momo gulped when Tsubasa ragdolled towards her, prompting her to receive the Rook in her arms, struggling to maintain her footing to keep themselves from falling to the floor. Tsubasa quickly regained her bearings as she moved the Bishop aside, away from the brawl as Lana approached.

"Sorry, ladies. I don't have much time."

They frowned when she pulled out…

"...Is that a machine gun?" Momo asked with trepidation.

"SMG model."

Lana then opened fire at the two, prompting Momo and Tsubasa to pull out their respective Sacred Gears to defend them from the hail of bullets. The woman rushed towards them, the hail of light bullets pelleting their shields refusing to cease, the two retreating to cover more ground.

They realized that was a mistake when Lana retrieved the shotgun model and doubled her firing rate at them, splashing buckshots and hail of light bullets barraging their shields without mercy.

OxO

[Black Dragon's Basket Shield!]

Saji formed a volute shield composed of Vritra's tentacles weaved together like a basket.

Simon fired at the shield, annoyed that it was nullifying his light bullets as he ran across the rooms, avoiding the whipping tentacles cracking the walls and furniture in their misses.

Using his head, Saji ignited one tentacle and spun it a full revolution, touching the walls of the room, setting the surroundings on black fire and stopping Simon in his tracks.

"You're gonna burn everyone in this building, son." Simon warned.

"Just need them long enough to box you in." Saji smirked as he charged towards the soldier.

Simon growled as he discarded his pistol and took out two light swords, silver hilts with arcane runes engraved in the metal as red light blades ignited as he ran towards Saji.

[Shadow Prison!]

It was time for Saji to end this as he slammed his fist on the ground, a wave of black flames encroaching the man.

The man jumped and threw one of his light swords at Saji.

[Delete Field!]

The sword stuttered and the red light blade died, deactivated to the man's shock.

"Gotcha!"

[Black Dragon's Hydra Snare!]

Saji unleashed a blossom of tentacles at the man, wrapping around his torso as he reeled him in for a devastating straight punch to the torso, Simon coughing blood as his ribs fractured from the blow.

However, Simon held something before Saji's eyes. It was a silver grenade as he smirked and closed his eyes.

Saji's entire world turned into a blinding white, prompting him to lose his bearings, his hold on Simon faltering.

A sharp pain burrowed into his chest, a searing, agonizing pain Saji had never felt so severely before.

When his vision cleared, he saw Simon with his blade plunged into his chest, the red light sword violently eating him inside out.

"Tell the guy in black… If there's an afterlife for a devil like you." Simon smirked at the sight of Saji choking in his own blood.

However, his smirk faded when Saji's lips slowly curled into a bloody grin.

"Yeah… How about… NO?!"

[Delete Field!]

Saji suppressed the light sword within his chest, deactivating it as the pain died down.

[Black Dragon's Buster Punch!]

With clenched fist, Saji struck Simon dead center in the face, using prime examples of the best punchers he knew.

Simon crashed through a wall and the front door until his body was barely stopped by the metal railings of the hallway, preventing his body from falling down from the ninth-floor. He hacked out blood as he wheezed and struggled to get back to his feet. He could see the boy struggling to stand, and broken ribs would not stop him from finishing the job.

Simon took out a magnum pistol from his dimensional storage and pulled himself from the hell-bent railings.

Saji grimaced as he prepared the shadow prison as he held his chest, wheezing from his punctured chest. The bastard got his lung, but the light sword cauterized the wound before the blood filled it.

"Dammit, that was a close call… But seriously, what the fuck is this guy made of?" Saji growled through gritted teeth.

Simon aimed his gun and was about to pull the trigger, when something pulsed in his body.

Suddenly, Saji watched the soldier lurched and vomited blood while his eyes and nose began to bleed. Holding down his body from convulsing in pain, Simon growled, "What the fuck…?!"

Saji had no idea of what was going on, but he would be a fool not to capitalize the opening. Using the remains of his strength, Saji charged towards Simon with a roar, and tackled his body until both of them fell off the ninth floor, all the way towards the parking lot below.

Saji heard the gun firing, a sharper, more piercing frequency as Simon unloaded his firearm in a panic before they both crashed atop a car. Unfortunately, Simon's body was positioned right beneath Saji's frame - taking the brunt of the impact upon landing, as well as cushioning Saji's own fall in the process.

Saji groaned in pain, mentally thankful to the Rook's durability that allowed him to survive the fall. However, when his clarity returned, he blinked at the sight of Simon choking on his own blood, his body flattened between his frame and the car roof. The soldier coughed out blood one last time before passing out.

"...Shit." Saji could not help but curse when he vaguely remembered that he was meant to bring the guy in alive.

OxO

Lana stopped firing - not only that her SMG requires recharging, she found herself hearing the sound of a crash outside the apartment, followed by a blaring car alarm.

"Simon…." Lana needed to check on her partner as the bluenette rushed towards her shield held front.

Lana fired her shotgun, but the only sound was a disappointing buzz from her weapon.

"Shit!"

Tsubasa rammed her shield, pushing her and forcing her back until they crashed through another wall, before they tumbled down to the floor.

Her guns were scattered, left behind the crash.

Lana spat out a tooth as she took out another gun, firing an especially loud laser that bounced off Tsubasa's raised shield.

The impact knocked her shield vertically facing the ceiling while launching Tsubasa back, crashing against the wall to her shock. Tsubasa blinked as she looked at what just hit her.

It was a long, two-handed rifle, quite futuristic and glowing in rune-inscribed chrome.

The laser gun, however, had a downside - while it packed a lot of firepower, Lana had to wait for at least an hour for her laser gun to cool down.

"Fuck me, that should've broken through!" Lana cursed as she opened up her spatial pocket again.

Before the soldier could have procured another weapon, Tsubasa willed her shield to crackle in electricity before she threw the shield forward.

The spinning disc of lightning struck her side, shocked her, and knocked her off her feet. The soldier dropped to the floor, spasming from the electricity coursing through her bruise, her eyes locked onto Tsubasa charging at her.

Lana quickly rolled back and hopped back on her feet, ready to intercept Tsubasa who was already within an arm's length.

Tsubasa pulled her fist back as the bluenette inhaled and coursed her ki through her heart again.

[Exploding Heart Release Fist!]

Lana crossed her arms to receive the incoming fist aimed at her abdomen, but when Tsubasa's fist connected, the shockwave pierced through her defense, spreading throughout her system in the process. She coughed up a mouthful of blood as her body was launched through several apartment units.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOO! I pulled it off!" Tsubasa raised her fist in celebration.

She could not wait to rub this against Koneko's face!

"Tsubasa, you there?!" Momo's voice snapped Tsubasa out of her momentary glory.

"Momo!" The Rook saw the Bishop walking through what remained of the walls.

"You beat her? How's she doing now?" Momo stared at the direction where the soldier was launched.

The girls then quickly ran towards the crash, where they could see Lana groaning, futilely trying to stand up before coughing out more drops of blood and passing out.

"...Is she dead?" Tsubasa could not help but ask.

"Let's hope not, we need her - or at least the other guy alive. I hope Gen-chan is okay." Momo quickly went to check over the woman's vitals.

On cue, Tsubasa noticed another arrival and looked up to see Raynare suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Raynare? How long have you been here?" Tsubasa asked while out of breath.

"Just now, quite a clusterfuck you got yourselves into, eh?" Raynare quipped as she glanced out, allowing Tsubasa to notice that Irina and Xenovia hovering above the apartment, having arrived as well.

"Let's get out of here for now, we need debrefing. Bring the humans along too." Raynare ordered.

"W-what about the building, and the other tenants?" Momo asked, glancing back at the havoc around her.

"I'll figure something out, though we don't have much time before the authorities arrive, now chop-chop!"

During her usual rounds in the Hotel, Natalie had noticed that many of the male soldiers had been visiting the CCTV surveillance room a lot ever since their VIP joined the building.

Natalie pursed her lips, confused by their strange behavior.

Was there anything she missed? Aside from Simon's report on 'suspicious individuals', she did not recall any potential compromise to their security.

When a gathering of males congregated in the camera room again, Natalie decided to see what they were up to.

"...Are you all shitting me?" Natalie cussed when she found out why.

When she opened the door to the surveillance room, the men were startled at her sudden arrival, some of them even scrambled to cover the multi-screens to no avail.

All of their eyes were on the young devil heiress on the camera screen like horny teenagers.

It was decided that a hidden surveillance camera would be installed in Rias Gremory's room, and the heiress herself was not informed in order to provide her a false sense of privacy and to give them access to monitor her every move.

While there was no audio, the conjoined screens gave a clear visual of Rias Gremory on the floor, performing a bicycle sit-up…. In her birthday suit. Her breasts would subtly shake with every motion of her creamy legs covered in light sheen of sweat.

"Are your dicks so hungry for ass that you're ogling a fucking teenager!? Hah!?" Natalie chastised the men in the room with the fiercest scowl she could muster.

The men knew better than making up excuses in front of Natalie, and quickly changed the screens into different areas within the building. Growling under her breath, the female soldier then reached to her comms.

"Kate, go check our prisoner and tell her to wear some damned clothes! Just do it!" Natalie then watched the sole screen that was still displaying Rias' room, where Rias was in the middle of performing a perfect split on the floor when her comrade went inside, questioning the heiress about her state of undress.

Natalie then turned to the men who were still glancing at the single screen, "Get out! OUT!"

Natalie then received a reply on her radio and watched the screen again while the men were filling out the room in a hurry - thankfully their prisoner was already in the middle of putting her tunic back on.

Natalie then switched the channel of her radio comm, "...Commander? We have a small situation."

OxO

"So I've been informed of what happened by the guard on duty."

Back in Rias' 'room' - the heiress was sitting on her bed, with John sitting on a chair a few steps away with Natalie standing next to him. The older man had a mixture of curiosity and bemusement on his face, while the woman was scowling.

Keeping the part about the hidden surveillance camera omitted, John then continued, "...While what you do in your spare time is your own discretion, I'd like to ask you not to cause a scene that can gravely distract my men. A young woman like you should be more aware of modesty."

Rias on the other hand, was unfazed.

"With all due respect, Mr. John - you didn't really provide enough leeway for me to spend my time in this cell. What else should I do? Drive myself crazy by having nothing to do? Also, I don't know about you people, but the only clothes you gave me aren't exactly for exercise, are they?"

"You could have asked for different clothes." John retorted.

"Well, I didn't know that. I thought I was a prisoner." Rias retorted back.

"...Is being naked whenever you can a custom for you noble devil types or something?" Natalie interjected.

Rias raised an eyebrow at Natalie, "Do you bathe with your clothes on?"

"That's irrelevant! The stunt you pulled earlier can disrupt the entire squad's morale and discipline! You're lucky the men aren't given guard-duty in your cell!"

"For that, I am thankful; my body and heart have already been spoken for, after all. Besides, if they could somehow watch what I'm doing here, let them watch - I have nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to my body." Rias replied dismissively.

Natalie was tempted to tell Rias about the hidden camera just to rattle her, but a look from John shut her up - the last thing they needed was the heiress to throw a temper-tantrum about her privacy being invaded, good reason or not.

They could not force Rias to stop her nonsense without sounding petty and harming their own image; and depending on how disciplining his troops would go - male and female soldiers' divisions might need to be rearranged.

John then heaved a sigh, "...Anyway, we'll provide you additional clothes should you wish to keep yourself in shape and preoccupied. And since you're bored… I believe we happened to have prepared an itinerary for you today."

"Itinerary?" Rias blinked with a small intrigue.

"You will know more once you are bathed." John glanced at the door in the room, which Rias recalled to be the bathroom. "I'll be waiting outside."

The older man then stood up and walked out of the room, with Natalie remaining on stand-by, jerking her head in silent order for Rias to get moving. Rias stared for a couple of seconds before she complied.

As Rias removed her clothes, Natalie suddenly understood a little bit why the men were all enamored by her figure. She could not help but wonder if all females in the supernatural world possessed this otherworldly beauty.

Rias gave a quick look-around at the bathroom - the shower, toilet and wash-basin were installed in one compact room, complete with amenities. She turned on the shower and tested the water - the temperature was alright. Come to think of it - she did not remember about having a shower ever since she arrived in this place.

However, just when Rias thought she could enjoy a small time for herself, Natalie's voice was heard.

"You have five minutes. Any longer and we'll take you to the communal shower and wash you along with other prisoners."

Rias froze for a moment at the idea of going into a communal shower - clicking her tongue disdainfully, she gave a heavy sigh before she immediately went under the running water.

Rias broke the record shower time compared to her usual 15-20 minutes shower back home, as she walked out of her room - clean and tidy despite the short notice.

John nodded in approval and snapped his fingers. On cue, another female soldier came up - the same one who barged in when Rias was in the middle of cooling down after a good work-out. Rias could not help but to be on guard when the new soldier procured a black cloth with runes written on, while Natalie had her handcuffs ready.

Rias immediately could tell what they planned to do with her, and John would not stop them this time.

"...So you are going to treat me more like a prisoner now?" Rias asked, allowing Natalie to cuff both of her wrists in front of her.

"My apologies for the treatment, missy. Considering where we are planning to take you to, we cannot afford to compromise on protocols."

John replied as the other soldier stepped in and wrapped the runed black cloth over Rias' eyes - blindfolding her while rendering her devil night vision useless. The female soldiers then grabbed her shoulders, prompting her to walk.

"Just walk like you usually do. As long as you don't plan any funny business, we'll ensure that you won't trip and fall."

Knowing better than to fight back, Rias recomposed herself with a soft breath before beginning to walk. The female soldiers kept their respective hand on her shoulders, ensuring that she walked in the right direction at her own pace.

Rias could recall that she would walk down a hallway and enter an elevator, but she could only imagine beyond that. But from the feedback of her other senses, she thought she was walked through some kind of common area - a place with more people, judging by the noise, and considerably warmer as well.

A basement or some kind?

Rias speculated from the sudden change in temperature on her skin. Her ears also picked up the sound of engines and machinery, along with the faint smell of gasoline

A garage?

She was then abruptly pushed into a van and the door sliding closed behind her. Still blindfolded - Rias then heard John's voice next to her.

"...Take a seat, Ms. Gremory." the older man jerked his head towards an empty seat across from him. "Make yourself comfortable as well, this trip will take some time."

Rias could not help but have a sense of foreboding as the armored vehicle drove away.

To be Continued…

*Release, Ignite.

For those who want to see the illustration reference for Lucifer, check out the story in my AO3!