One-Punch DxD: NEO

Chapter 105: Answers

Chapter 105: Answers

The world was designated as Firmament Fantasia, a rich world of divinity, resources that the collective could harvest to expand its forces and empower the three supremes even further.

The native divine were small in number, yet powerful. However, still easily oppressed by the superior numbers of the machine empire overwhelming their skies and lands, their defenders unorganized, armed with blades, spears, shields, armor, and technology that could be considered primitive and below the superior advancements of the Evies.

Artistic spires of numinous crystal and stone that defy the pull of gravity, twelve floating islands, each dedicated to a God the natives worship, fell to two, the ten slain by one of the three supremes in his thirst for a mighty foe.

Regalzeva, a mighty supreme ruler, seven meters tall with five eyes in total; two on each side and one on his forehead shining gold, powerfully built tinted in purple and gold, a creature about to finish off the two deities, a married pair that raised this world ripe for harvest, a warrior god and mage goddess on their knees bloodied and their clothes decorated in crimson red.

He did not care for their names.

Their skies were already conquered by the battleships of the Devastator Order, their lands were swarmed by the Keito Tenkai and the machine-flesh swarms, the natives about to be extinguished from the face of this universe in a whimper.

His power claw glowed deathly orange as he was about to finish them off. However, he paused when his instinct suddenly blared out, warning him of something else.

[R-Report! S-Supreme Regal-]

The Fierce God heard an explosion and static through the communications.

That was from the main battleship, his sensors linked to the battleships were cut off, power cores that powered great vessels that could travel across stars… silenced and cold.

The expressions of the two deities shifted from defiance into one of fear.

It was strange, not even he could garner such a reaction, terror carving the faces of dignified gods with mere centuries of history.

Their eyes were not looking at him. They were looking at something beyond him.

Regalzeva looked up… his processors failed to comprehend what he saw.

Never in the centuries did he witness such… a cosmic horror.

It was looking down on him.

A titanic being, a face of nerves, flesh, and corded muscles, no facial features… Its face alone was so big it was overlooking this side of the planet, a face tinted by the blue skies.

All of the battleships in the skies were in ruin, multiple atmospheric entries crashing into this world.

The Machine God of Devastation found himself frozen at the sight of the cosmic being, who watched them like a child looking at an ant-colony beneath its feet.

The sight of this… transcendent existence made the concept of deities and gods… small…

Regalzeva could not believe it when he snapped out of his confoundment.

Did he, one of the three, felt… fear? As if he was beneath this thing?

"No… No. This…"

No, this was the fight he should be looking forward to.

Disregarding the gods at his mercy, Regalzeva launched into the skies, thrusters and anti-gravity modulators in full effect. As their distance grew shorter, the Fierce God prepared all of his weapons and arsenals, ready to unleash them upon this worthy adversary.

"Today… is the day I finally meet an opponent worthy of my full power! Today, I will take down a true GOD!"

He declared in his mechanical voice full of fighting spirit. The being destroyed his warships, so there was no need for conversation, not that he preferred to talk like the others!

[...Amusing.]

He froze upon hearing its voice in its digital mind.

Then something hit him from the side.

The clouds around him parted as if split by a blade…

Regalzeva saw the damage reports in his HUD.

He lost all sensations in his lower half. The surviving native gods saw the lower half of the leader that invaded their world crashing before them, circuits and metal shrapnel jutting from the bisected lower half.

For the first time, the machine God felt… terror.

He screamed. The last thing he saw was the sight of a giant hand enclosed around him, so big it could hold a continent.

Before he knew it, using the emergency escape subroutine, Regalzeva disappeared into the Dimensional Gap and fled for his life, flying in the kaleidoscopic void with all of his power.

He ran.

The Fierce God known for his countless victories and relentless battles against the Etouldes - fled from a fight in fear for his immortal life, his power core thrumming at the tune of his terror.

The two gods watched the primordial existence stare down at them…

They could feel its gaze inspecting them, focused on them.

Their hearts pounded in their chests in fear for their lives, afraid of the entity that wiped out the invading celestial bodies and smited the machine god that dominated their pantheon.

Then the entity was no longer there.

The residents of Firmament x Fantasia would ensure this day goes down in history - a cosmic deity who drove the invaders from Evie x Etoulde, canceling their apocalypse in the process. The only question was, did the Cosmic God repel the Evies out of benevolence, or out of whim, or heavens forbid - out of some ulterior motives?

No matter the case, a festival would be held every year in respect to this entity from that day on - the faceless, absolute GOD.

---

"...Is the divination related to what the Demons are planning?"

In Runeas' bed chamber - the Gremory ancestor divulged everything she revealed to her family and allies, tucked in her bed with a bag of ice resting on top of her head.

"I doubt that. This is less them and more some unspeakable eldritch thing taking notice of some alien machine things out in who knows where! I mean, I don't even know what the fuck those things are, and they're mining worlds! WORLDS! Cracking planets like fucking eggs and slurping the yolk and all that! I don't know what to say other than, it's a big fucking world out there!"

Everyone winced a little at the out-of-characteristic profanities that came out of Runeas' mouth, except Chysis and Zeoticus - mother and son were familiar enough that their ancestor was having a hard time if she swore in her speech.

Runeas sighed to calm herself down as she leaned her nape against the pillow under her, staring at the ceiling.

"Good grief…. What a messed up period I woke myself to." Runeas could not help but lament. "Now it's only a matter of time until either Ordogg or Agiel come for me."

"And you think they would just come into your home unannounced just like that?" Haruka quipped.

"Knowing them, they would burn the mansion down with me in it if they could."

"...And what's their beef with you, though?" Black asked.

"...I did try to please Lucifer at one point when I was born. Didn't know any better… managed to help Lucifer burn a few hidden villages the Demons still had on Earth… helped him with the war effort. Helped him get some artifacts… from the cold dead bodies of scribes and lore-masters. Those that refuse to leave to their new home because they were too stubborn to let go. They are not the kind of people to forget atrocities."

"Is that why you hibernate for years at a time? To dream of an escape from the guilt and horror once you realize what you've done?"

"That's…"

Runeas blinked.

"...Fuck."

She looked down - The environment had shifted and everyone sitting around the table was no longer her family and cohorts.

"Do you really think that we wouldn't pursue your revelation? Ignorant woman still craving for innocence."

The demon lords sat around the table, six of them.

Ermias was staring directly into her eyes with his gleaming orange pupils. The contempt he radiated was pure, undiluted, the hate he had for her leading to the unfair deaths of his people.

Runeas swallowed a little. She looked around, there was only blackness surrounding the table.

"...Release me this instant. I've already apologized and repented all those years ago." Runeas demanded to be freed from the illusion, "The earlier divination has nothing to do with you, I was merely helping my descendants, nothing more."

"But you still tried to peer into something you shouldn't have." Valqar, the demonic minotaur of the Baphomet, snorted fire.

Runeas bit her lower lip and wet them before replying, "...Please. I understand why you hate us. I get it, us existing at this point is no different than flaunting everything that is stolen from you. But there is nothing more to punish."

"We beg to differ. Though, we decided to leave you with a warning." Ersi, the pale demon, pointed at her. "Next time, it will end with one of your descendants dying."

Ermias raised his fingers.

"Your recent divination did inspire much contemplation. We might be more merciful if it is useful."

He snapped his fingers.

Runeas gasped as she awoke.

"Whoa, you alright?" Haruka asked.

Runeas looked around and found herself back in her bedroom… with her friends and family. The Gremory sighed in relief, but a part of her mind could not help but wonder how she actually came out alive; something was off, like the demons had something else in their agenda.

"...How long was I out?" Runeas asked.

"What do you mean? You're saying something and suddenly gasping, what's the idea?" Black replied.

"...It's nothing." Runeas sighed and she closed her eyes. "What happened after I got out of that pool?"

"Other than you puking your guts out and coming down with fever? Nothing much." Haruka replied with a shrug.

"...Huh." Runeas wondered how that happened. "Did I tell you all what I saw in my vision yet?" She asked

"You only told us about some eldritch beings and other guys who mined and harvested worlds."

"Ah, them. I have no fucking idea who they are, but they are definitely not friendly… thinking about it, I think they are eyeing our world next. Which is kind of dumb considering the situation we are… oh, fuck." Runeas realized something.

"What?" Haruka asked.

"...I think they caught the attention of our Evil All-Powerful GOD."

Haruka and Black stared at Runeas.

Black's lips creased upward until the corners of his lips hit the absolute ceiling.

"Bahahahahaha! You're telling me that some sci-fi, planet screwing empire triggered GOD?! Oh, wait, wait, wait… They ran away like bitches, didn't they?" Black asked, still cackling.

"Ohhhhhh. How juicy~" Haruka covered her mouth with mild amusement.

Runeas pondered on her visions. The flesh-machines did scream in terror…

"I beg your pardon, but can anyone enlighten me about this GOD? I'm afraid some of us are a bit out of the loop." Magdaran raised his hand.

Sairaorg and Diehauser Belial nodded.

"Oh, right. To make this easy for you, think of him as someone infinitely smarter and more powerful than the Great Red." Black summarized.

The brothers took that in and only found themselves more confused; they knew of the Great Red - the Dragon of Dragons, an untouchable existence who was powerful enough to ignore the threats coming from the likes of Dragon King Tannin.

Someone who was more powerful than the Dragon of Dragons? It would take a while for Sairaorg and Magdaran to fathom such existence.

"Right…." Magdaran nodded slowly, "Then…. Don't you think it's possible that - instead of fighting, GOD and those alien creatures the great lady Gremory saw might join forces?"

"Hmmmmmm…." Runeas tilted her head, "Don't know. I got the feeling that they're a bit arrogant… Well, not sure what to do if that happens. We'll finally put the demons to work if those things do team-up. Besides-"

Runeas then paused again, tilting her head before turning to Haruka, "Actually, what's the story with that baldy? I saw him multiple times in my vision, and he seemed to play some pivotal role for what's to come. He's your husband, no?"

Haruka blinked before she exchanged glances with Black, who shrugged in return. They did not expect this woman to be that out of the loop regarding the strongest man.

The housewife then drew a breath, "...Okay, where to begin?"

---

"...So are you ready to talk now, ladies? Same question as before."

The Chief Warden's gaze shifted between Rias and Sona's restrained bare forms. He ended up staring at them a bit too long when he realized that Rias and Sona had been glaring at him without a word.

Quickly recomposing himself to maintain his professionalism, he cleared his throat before taking out the White Room spell device, noting the prisoners winced at the sight of the pen between his fingers.

The warden sighed in exasperation, "Come on, ladies - you can't keep this up forever. Besides, nobody will raise too much fuss if you are broken mentally or… A little physically." His eyes glanced up and down at their bodies for a second.

Rias rolled her eyes while Sona huffed.

"Do your worst; we prefer to choose death, or per your words - too broken to sell our friends out to scums like you."

The warden's eyes twitched ever so slightly as he turned to Sona, who met his gaze defiantly. He then stepped closer to Sona, leaning forward until they were face to face.

"A lot of brave words, Ms. Sitri - arrogant, haughty, naive. Just like your fellow nobles… they all said the same thing, you know?" The warden mused while rubbing his stubbled chin, "...They either died or broke, but many times they eventually gave in, breaking down in our favor. So, your answer made me wonder… How long did you rehearse those lines just to waste your breath to protect that useless pride of yours?"

Sona spat in his face - to be precise, right beneath his scarred eye. The warden closed his eyes briefly before wiping the spit off his face.

"...Okay, then." The warden straightened himself up and smiled at Sona, before his hand suddenly moved - his fist colliding against Sona's gut.

Sona's eyes widened, her body lurched forward at the rushing pain before coughing out several drops of bile and drool.

"SONA!" Rias yelled as she automatically tugged against her chains at the sudden violence, her anger raised at the sight of her childhood friend coughing and wheezing in agony. "You bas-!"

"Shut up!" However, Rias' own outburst was also cut short as the warden brandished his baton and swung towards her sides, eliciting cries and grunts of pain from the redhead.

Seeing the prisoners' labored breathing and the bruises on their skin, the warden let out a harsh exhale while putting his baton away.

"Fuck…" He cursed and inwardly berated himself for his momentary loss of self-control.

He then took a look at the heiresses who had begun to regain their bearings. Their expressions were still contorted in discomfort, but they were also having smirks on their faces as they returned to defiantly glaring at him.

"I'll be clear… I don't like you. Or your kind." The Warden stated. "And I've definitely given you many reasons to hate me. But if you think you're justified in that, well, I say you're just as dumb as that sack of shit lying in that cell."

The Warden pointed at Oriax, the other prisoner, who glared at his back in return.

"Tell me, since you know our sponsors, I gotta ask how much do you know about them. Come on, tell me. I want to see if you really are that clueless about your existence as they said."

"What are you talking about?" Sona asked.

"Come on, tell me. I want to know if your kind is worth saving." The warden continued.

"We are." Rias stated with resolution.

"And why is it worth saving?" The warden asked.

Rias and Sona contemplated on an answer. They did not receive this kind of question, and finding the answer within was… harder than they expected.

"We are doing everything we can to protect this world." Sona answered.

"Are you?" The warden asked. "From what I heard, only this so-called Strongest Man and his son are needed. Are you sure it is not because you are much stronger than us that it means you automatically have the right to exist?"

"Strength is a necessity, but it is not the sole factor." Sona argued.

"Yes, but what has the Devil race done for us? Not that I am trying to sound like an ungrateful bastard, but tell me. What did you do other than mindwipe us when things didn't go your way? You fucked with the human race for centuries if I recall, and now you think you have the right to have a change of heart just because?"

"It is not a sin to try and be better." Sona argued.

"Are you?" The Warden sounded skeptical, "You never answer for your kind's crimes. The list is far, far longer than you think, and it doesn't end with the Kthonians. What's the point if you can't compensate for the world after centuries of bullshit and war crimes? What have you ever done, or given us humans?"

"There's knowledge." Everyone turned to see Oriax, "Throughout history, there is evidence that the Devils gave human knowledge on math and science." He explained.

"Which humans then?" The warden asked. "And is it so much that the Demons are integral to the advancement of humans? I don't think we need the Devils to advance to modern society. I don't think Thomas Edison had help from a Devil."

"True, that we have wronged the human race in more ways than one." Rias decided to take the reins again, "Many people deem us as an evil existence, because sins are our nature. Some of us still practice old traditions that can be considered sacrileges in your eyes…. But tell me." Rias then met the warden's eyes with hers, "Can you really claim that your kind are not without faults yourselves? Throughout history, you humans have committed as many, if not more than us devils. For the last few hundred years, we've been focusing more on keeping our society in order rather than picking fights with you."

"Besides, let's say that you achieve your objective in giving your so-called retribution upon us, then what's next?" Sona followed suit, "Other than wiping out one entire race, there is no real reward waiting for you at the end of the line."

The warden actually took in the heiresses' words, "Hmmm. Yeah, we are not faultless. We got Nazis and all of that political bullshit going on, but we at least keep tabs on them. Tell me, have you been keeping tabs on yours?" The warden asked. "The way I heard it, your founder ruined the future of humanity. And your kind is complicit in it…"

"The reign of the original Lucifer ended thousands of years ago." Sona reminded

"Your culture and that bastard over there said otherwise. You're still following the old ways, Lucifer, in some capacity without even knowing it. Not only that, you still treat us like cattle." The Warden reminded.

"Why do you always say that?" Rias asked.

"Why do you always mind wipe us when things go wrong?" He pointed out with the angriest face that Sona and Rias had ever seen on a human.

"Humans are not ready to be aware about the supernatural-"

The warden's punch crossed Sona's face, before she could finish her sentence so hard that a couple of teeth flew out.

"Wrong answer."

Rias took turn this time, "We erase mundane people's memories about our true nature for their own safet-!"

The Warden punched her gut so hard that Rias vomited a mouthful of bile.

"Wrong answer!" He shouted with rage. "You're afraid of facing the consequences of YOUR actions! You are nothing more than fucking cowards! To think that some of them believe that your kind can be redeemed! And this is how you prove yourselves?! You're just admitting that you mindwipe us whenever things are inconvenient for you! You bastards don't even have the guts to look at us in the eyes and say 'you're sorry!'"

Tears were streaming down the warden's eyes with emotions indescribable, pain and sorrow weeping through his every word.

"You think we want to keep lying to them!?" Rias wheezed and gritted through the throbbing pain in her gut as she forced the words out, "Everyone I know at school, they are my juniors, my classmates! My friends! I'd love nothing more than staying friends with them knowing my true-self, but if we let them know who - what we truly are, then it's only a matter of time until they get dragged into our problems! Supernatural world! Problems they have no power to control!"

"Kuhuhuhuhu…" The warden laughed as he wiped the tears from his eyes, in his emotional outburst. "Then why the fuck are you even trying to blend in with us? You have centuries yet you refuse to dip your toes and try and be fucking honest with your so-called friends? Explain to me why you haven't done it, you've been living with us for centuries like parasites. All of this time, WASTED! You think you're different from that bastard over there, rotting in that cell?"

He pointed at Oriax.

"I love them! I love this world! Not only us devils - but gods, angels, the whole supernatural world and natural world are connected, one cannot exist without the other!"

"Yet you still treat us like fucking cattle." He said with rage.

"For the love of-! We don't treat you like cattles!" Sona - sporting a swollen cheek,replied heatedly this time, spitting out a small glob of blood in the process. "If we do treat them like cattles like you're implying, we might as well throw them out like fodders during Kokabiel's invasion!"

He pointed at Oriax again, "You do remember that you talked with that bastard, right?"

"Yes, we do - he's beyond help. But don't you dare lump us together with the likes of him." Rias spat, ignoring the look from Oriax, "We never coerce anyone against their will to become one of us; when they do become one of us, we always make sure they can live fulfilling lives!"

"If you're speaking for the whole damn race, do something about his ilk." the warden pointed at Oriax again, "If you're representing your race, you represent him. All I've learned is that you brats have looked at this world through tinted-naive glasses, living the good life oblivious to the shit your kind left behind for us to clean up after while parroting the bullshit of your elders. And you still haven't gotten the fucking point of this. You're all hopeless."

Having had enough with the heiresses' attitude, the warden growled before he finally put his shades on and held the magic pen device before his prisoners.

"One last chance. Tell me about your friends or go insane in the void."

"Even without your intervention… We are working with everything we have to improve our society." Rias replied without backing off, "But you should know that change doesn't come easily. Changing thousands of years worth of culture will require as much time to be better. Not to mention that our kind is still on the verge of extinction, thanks to the Great War and Civil War slaughtering over half of our numbers. With our original leaders gone, we are also potential easy prey for invasion of other pantheons."

"Lies. You're only defending the image you have of your kind. To me, you've failed the test. This time, don't go insane too fast."

A flash of light later, the heiresses slacked under their chains, their expressions blank as their minds were trapped in the White World. The Warden stared at them, contemplating whether he should take advantage of their vulnerable position just to vent.

Eventually, the Warden inhaled sharply a few seconds later, "...Stupid girls."

"...Are you alright, Chester?" One of the guards placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Those fuckers don't even understand the point of that conversation. And I thought they're supposed to be the brightest of the newest generation. Fuck it, let's go. I need a drink."

The warden - Chester turned and left, the guards following him out of the room.

Once the guards have left - Zagan Oriax, who had been keeping to himself during the entire session, shifted his sitting position into a more comfortable position in order to relax himself. A part of him was enjoying the sight of two naked beauties dangling in the cell just across his. But more part of him was more curious of the said beauties' unfolding scheme, considering the prior conversation they had with the resident ghost lady.

OxO

Before the next interrogation took place…..

Muramasa stared at Sona. It took the former some time to exchange the messages between Rias, Sona and Yuuto - and in extension, the rest of their comrades. Currently, Sona just shared her next scheme to escape their current arrangement.

Rias and Oriax - the latter was listening from his own cell, were also staring at Sona as if the latter had grown another head.

"...You are mad." the spirit of Tsukumogami remarked, "From what I understand, the spell is meant to erode your will to remain sane through illusions tampering with your sense of time. Do you know the consequences if you fail?"

"I do, but considering our situation, we have no luxuries to play things safe anymore." Sona replied, "From what I gathered - no matter how advanced, illusion is still illusion in the end. A dream will end if the dreamer wakes up, and it's only a matter of how."

"And did you succeed in finding the 'how' with the time you have under that spell?" Muramasa asked with a raised brow.

"No, however…" Sona then eyed Muramasa, "What if we have someone waking us up outside?"

Muramasa blinked, catching Sona's intention, "...I suppose I can. But with my current form, my method of waking you up will not be gentle."

"That's fine. In fact, a rude awakening might be the only way." Sona nodded before she turned to her fellow heiress, "What do you think, Rias?"

Rias pursed her lips before nodding, "Not like I have anything better. We'll go with your plan, Sona."

OxO

Sona sighed.

Back into the white, endless void… the mere sight of it sickened her to the core already. She looked down to see herself being clothed in her usual Kuoh Academy uniform. She nursed the spot where the warden hit her, it was no longer swollen or hurt, so there were those.

Even so, she was prepared, needing the time. She got this idea from remembering that one dragon ball episode - courtesy of Rias inviting her for a girl's night binge-watching one of the anime series she bought, involving a similar white void.

"Alright…" Sona exhaled.

Now she could think… How should she get out? But honestly, what was with that guard and that conversation? What test?

His mask fell during mid conversation, emotions she did not expect the guard to show in his rage.

All of that talk and questioning on her kind's morals and motives, whether they deserve to be redeemed…

Sona started to connect the dots as she tried to relax, sitting on the white void's floor, cross-legged.

A militia of humans with a grudge against Devils.

The members of the militia accusing the Devils of crimes Sona was unaware of…

And that debate on whether her kind was worth redeeming, something only the Demons would ask.

Who were those humans? Were they wronged by the Devils? After learning of the existence of Zagan Oriax, Sona could understand why they hate her and her kind, but the warden spoke as his vendetta was more… personal.

But Sona could not picture so many humans that barely got involved in the supernatural to have so much hate for the Devils from what she gathered from the warden. The other soldiers seemed to share the warden's mindset since the guards accompanying him did not speak up or lash out against his sudden violence.

As far as she knew, such humans had their memories altered…

Sona's eyes widened as her mind caught on something. The whole talk about them erasing memories of witnesses and mundane people - the only ones who are aware, other than their superiors, were the humans who were connected to such cases in one way or another.

"...Oh no…" Sona had a horrifying realization.

If the warden said that this was a test… then…

Sona and Rias argued with a victim of a terrible incident that involved their memories being altered, a victim with their memories restored.

A victim that was enraged at the Devils for their crimes against them.

"...Fuck." Sona did not even bother to suppress her frustration considering where she was, as she ran her hand up her face to her locks.

"The Demons… They're using those humans… Damn it all." Sona messed up.

If this was a test, then Sona realized that she had blundered.

The demons were using humans, victims of every terrible case that involved the blunders of her kind, memories restored and their anger incited, gathered and militarized in one raging inferno against them.

If the demons were using them to test them… That means that Ermias and his faction had the consent of Eisteth and her faction, the ones supporting the devils…

They were testing if the Devils do genuinely care about the humans… that if they deserve to be redeemed. And Sona failed, not understanding and defending their actions against a victim of a major incident that wanted answers.

…Most likely justice… and closure. And if they could not have it, revenge.

And the human said that she had failed in his eyes…

Sona inhaled again, "They got us…"

The man was right, she gave out all of the wrong answers to a victim.

"...I have to move on."

What was done was done. She needed to focus on using the time provided to train herself.

Sona then proceeded to test out her magic. A few bursts of demonic power, water and other spells - she confirmed that even in this illusory world, her magic still worked like it did in reality.

But since she was in her own mind… Can she break, or bend the rules? How far can she do that?

She then tried to come up with something she could do, or she should do, combing back the memories of her past battles; her short-comings, in particular. What did she lack? What was she supposed to improve?

Her clan's trait specialized in water magic; her older sister managed to evolve her water magic into a variant of powerful ice magic.

Sona mused as she conjured a swirling water on her palm - the Sitri clan's water magic was nowhere nearly as powerful as Bael's Power of Destruction, Agares' Space and Time magic, Phenex's power of the legendary Phoenix, and several others.

But one thing that Sona's tutors, along with her family, hammered into her, that water could be as powerful as it was versatile. Water was everywhere, and it had many applications whether it be benevolent or malevolent.

Her question now - what would be the most destructive and efficient application of water?

When one was asked how people usually died from water, most people would answer by drowning, like if they were exposed to a large body of water such as waves or tsunamis.

Sona dismissed that idea soon enough, conjuring water with enough amount to drown a person was too much time-consuming.

Perhaps in a more direct manner? How could water be lethal to someone if drowning was no go?

Sona then recalled her lesson about water physics in the past. Water had mass, and she remembered how she hurt herself during her first time jumping into a swimming pool when she was little.

Water could inflict damage with enough pressure and momentum. She then recalled several documentaries on how water could be used for industrial purposes…

Her lips grew into a smirk as she came up with an idea. Pointing her palm at random direction, Sona channeled her demonic power as her clan's sigil appeared in front of her palm, and fired a stream of water.

A few seconds later, Sona ceased her magic, adjusting her power into maximum output, and repeated the same spell again, resulting in a bigger stream of water being expelled. However, she narrowed her eyes as the display of water stream shooting out from her was unsatisfactory. The torrent water was large in volume, but the best it could do was to engulf her imaginary opponent and knock them back to some distance.

Sona then adjusted her formula; imagining higher pressure and more narrowed output point. The result was a jet stream of high-pressure water that went even beyond the previous distance.

Soon enough, Sona ceased her spell and exhaled. She frowned at the still unsatisfactory result - adding equations and adjustments in her magic still took more magic power than she liked; was there any way for her to reduce the mana cost?

[...Greetings, is anyone here?]

However, before she could have pondered some more, a sudden foreign, feminine voice caused Sona to blink and frantically look around. For a second, Sona thought it was Muramasa's voice, but soon she quickly concluded that it was not Muramasa's voice that she heard.

[It seems you can hear me…. Good.]

Sona began to pray that she had not gone crazy yet, "Hello? Who's there?!"

[Don't bother finding me, dear. Technically speaking, I am not in the same vicinity as you.]

Sona blinked, albeit she stopped looking around and decided to ask at the unknown voice instead, "Who are you?"

[This is our first encounter, as unorthodox as it may be. I am….]

OxO

"What the fuck, man? You're really moving up in the world."

Issei commented as he pointed at the collection.

He and his friends - Rias and her peerage, and Sona and her Peerage, visited Silver's gaudy mansion decorated with many muscular silver statues of himself at his behest. Vali and his team joined out of curiosity, the White Dragon Emperor being curious about the Big Bad's collection of rare magical goods.

Grand display cases of enchanted glass containing numerous artifacts, silver wall racks holding rows of items that should've belonged in a museum, the children surrounded by priceless, timeless things ranging from swords of ancient times to books, spears, orbs, and other miscellaneous objects ranging from talismans to ancient stone tablets.

Silver Sperm stood with his arms crossed, the macho grinning with levels of smugness higher than average.

"Yes, yes. Do please feel envious of my hard work. You may grovel before my feet in thanks for this privilege to be in my treasure vault."

Issei blanched at his smug, gloating smarm. The others were getting used to Silver's amusing ego, smiling at his usual cockiness.

"So, how did you get these things? How many did you buy or 'find'?" Issei added emphasis.

"Oh, some were traded. Others were 'persuaded' to let me… handle their items for them."

Issei rolled his eyes, "Of course they were."

"I have been collecting these historical artifacts for quite a while. All of them numinous treasures that have witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, or stood buried, forgotten by the world. You may browse and take only one item from this collection with you."

Silver stood aside and gestured the children to his collection with his hand.

"Know that you will never receive this opportunity to have an awesome magical item ever again. Ask one of my little mes if you have questions. Oh, and Asia, you are free to take another of my collection if you will. Asclepius was a gift, after all."

"...Does that mean…"

"Take more than one, and I will personally force you to slave under one hundred trillion of my little selves for a week." Silver warned Saji.

"Yes, sir!" Saji squealed before he ran off to browse, with Momo and Ruruko following him with amused expressions on their faces.

Rias and the others immediately scattered like bees that found the richest flower fields, buzzing over the collection with interest, Rias eyeing the Japanese armaments collection in particular.

Akeno - who went towards the middle-eastern section, was eyeing an ornate staff with interest, Koneko and Ravel eyeing a ruby, Gasper looking at a helmet, Yuuto browsing Japanese swords with Rias, Millicas wandering around, Lint looking around for anything related to Christianity.

Irina, Xenovia, and Asia scattered, browsing for items that might be of interest, mostly from the other Pantheons. Irina hoped to get something like Asia's Rod of Asclepius, something that compliments her greatly. Xenovia wanted something that could bolster her fighting prowess.

As everyone else began to split up to look around the selection, Sona went off by herself as she wandered towards the section where most items were charms, trinkets, etc.

She walked by glass boxes displaying various kinds of jewels and precious stones; when she arrived at another display, her eyes caught the sight of a beautifully crafted jewel in deep azure color. The jewel was roughly a bit smaller than her palm, yet Sona could not leave her eyes off it, the faceted reflections, the immaculate carvings and the refractions of light almost beckoning her hypnotically.

"Something caught your eye?"

Sona nearly jumped at the voice next to her ear. She turned, seeing Black smiling at her.

"That is the Tide Jewel. Belongs to Japan's eastern dragon that lives under the sea. It's from a certain folklore involving farmers and fishing hooks - but the main point is, depending on the jewel it can control the 'ebb' or 'flow' of the sea. This one controls the 'flow'. Couldn't get the other one from that stingy dragon. But I gotta say, you have a good eye. Like attracts like, am I right?"

"I… somehow can feel a magical signature from it… What is happening?" Sona replied as she narrowed her eyes at the jewel.

"Everything here is magical, sweetheart. Either some string of fate is beckoning you to take it or… I don't know. From what I heard, each Tide Jewel contains a powerful water spirit, the immaterial kind, not like those ugly Undines from the Underworld. I can confirm that a minor Water Deity is sealed in that one, though."

"I see…" Sona nodded while keeping her eyes on that jewel.

After looking at the Sitri heiress watching the jewel for a couple of seconds later, Black quipped, "...Y'know, why don't you just take that one? You can ogle that thing a lot longer."

Sona blinked before she cleared her throat to keep her embarrassment from showing up, "...I think I'd like that, thank you."

Taking out a golden key, Black waddled towards and proceeded to unlock the glass casing, opening it and allowing Sona to reach out towards the Tide Jewel.

However, before Sona's fingers could have made contact, the jewel suddenly let out a soft glow before it floated. Black took a step back to watch the sudden phenomenon, while Sona merely watched, as if mesmerized as the jewel slowly made its way towards her and phased through her bosom.

When Sona finally realized what just happened, she unbuttoned her uniform enough to reveal her small cleavage, where the jewel disappeared. Her fingers trailed across the unblemished skin before she turned to regard Black, who was just as confused as her.

"...Okay, didn't see that one coming." Black pointed out, "You okay? Feelin' anything off?"

"I… Should I be worried?" Sona asked.

"Err….. I suggest looking for a witch doctor or something for that answer." Black advised.

"I… will do that, yes."

OxO

[I am the spirit residing inside the Tide Jewel, my dear. It is a pleasure to finally meet my current host.]

Sona took in the introduction as she recalled the day she found the jewel in the first place. Upon receiving the Tide Jewel inside her, she asked Black to keep things discreet to prevent panic, and quickly contacted her personal doctors and healers to examine her.

Long story short - the doctors could not find any foreign substance within her body, safe for her increased reserves of demonic power for some reason.

Back to present - Sona recovered herself as she placed a hand over her heart, "My name is Sona Sitri, the heiress of Sitri House of the 72 Pillars. It is my pleasure to finally meet you, um… What should I call you?"

[I know, you're a Devil. I have been listening to your thoughts and experiencing the world through your eyes and ears since the day I chose you. As for what you should call me, hmm… You may call me Tamatori-hime.]

Sona nodded, learning that the name was a reference to the folklore of Tide Jewel she researched on.

"May I ask how you found me in… This place, wherever this is?"

[I have always been with you. To tell you the truth, I sensed your distress, followed by your burst of demonic power despite the seals preventing them from materializing in the material world. Imagine my surprise - upon investigating the source of your magical burst, I ended up looking at some kind of white sphere where I can hear your voice from. You have my interest when you decide to use this illusionary realm to better yourself, using the opponent's weapons against them like this is very clever. So I decided to see if you are worthy enough of my power.]

Sona took in Tamatori's explanation before her eyes lit up with hope, "Thank you for coming, Lady Tamatori. Is it possible for you to break the sphere from where you are? And what is this about the seals you speak of?"

[The shackle the humans placed upon you - it contains several combinations of magic and mysteries to keep your power, including my own, here. While I do not mind lending you a hand, I'm afraid I cannot do much as long as the seals remain. You have to do something to remove this shackle, or neutralize its mysteries somehow.]

"I am working on that, Lady Tamatori. I am grateful for your input, but regarding your help-"

The spirit interrupted.

[Ah-ah; I never said it will be for free, did I?]

Sona stared at the water deity, "...Is this an extortion?"

[Dear me, no. This is more akin to your kind's bread and butter, I believe - a deal.]

The water spirit giggled.

[The terms are simple. I lend you my wisdom and power, and in exchange… I want…]

Sona waited with small anxiety as she heard the spirit humming.

[...I'd like to borrow your body for one day.]

"...I beg your pardon?"

[You heard me. But I shall explain - I want to experience the world not only through your eyes and ears, my dear. I want to experience all of them in full - the warmth of the sun, seasonal winds and rain tickling your skin, the food you consume, the air you breathe, and all sorts of feelings and sensation you feel with your body. One day of all of those is all I want from you, in exchange for my power that can help you to escape this wretched place.]

Sona pondered for a moment before answering, "Would you like to share the rest of my senses for a day, then? You've shared my sight and hearing, after all."

[Trying to bargain, I see. Not bad - but that simply will not do. While sharing your five senses is a good offer, I still cannot get the experience I am looking for, because you will still have the ultimate control of your body. I want to borrow your body for the entire day, Ms. Sitri. I want to experience the life of a mortal, no matter how fleeting, and I shall accept nothing less.]

Sona suppressed a grimace from showing up - lending her body to an entity she barely knew was just as risky as an adolescent child accepting invitations from a stranger.

As if sensing Sona's contemplation, Tamatori-hime followed up.

[Perhaps I can offer some leeway. You may give me some conditions of your own - things that I must not do while occupying your body, for example; and I will see them to the letter.]

Sona blinked at the offer; that was actually rather generous of Tamatori-hime. However….

"May I have some time to think things through? As generous as your offer sounds, lending my body to someone I barely know is a matter I cannot take lightly."

[Hm, you may. This illusory space can give us all the time we need to come to an agreement, after all. I shall wait for your reply.]

Once Sona felt that the voice of Tamatori-hime would not be heard anytime soon, she returned to her previous endeavors - conjuring several more sigils of her water magic.

---

As the day grew darker, the city of Ashgabat was illuminated by artificial lights from the street and buildings. The Hotel in the middle of the town in particular, looked like the brightest building in the town.

Under the building's light, men and women patrolled the streets, secretly armed and in civilian clothes.

The night air cooled the city of the sun's excessive warmth, but the gradual shift in temperature did not deter the people's focus on looking out for certain things.

Subtle moves in the dark of nearby alleys, shadows that shifted and moved behind the clouds - the members of the Zygotes had been warned about the creatures of darkness who usually became more active and powerful as the night came down on them.

In the top of the building, within the room carrying the totem of the Demiurge, two individuals chatted under the artificial ceiling lights, the dull blue hue of the sculpted, warped totem humming silently in the chatter.

"I don't know how long I can keep this going, John. I cannot cover up a battlefield, keeping you here is already breaking several national laws." Rahym Gandymov, the Mayor of Ashgabat, argued.

His skin was tanned, his body slightly obese, donned in a gray, vertically striped suit with leather shoes and cool silk gray pants. His cheeks were chubby, eyes slanted outward as his brown eyes gazed at the old, military veteran standing across him.

"We are already compensating you for lending us this land. The terms of our bargain with your President are clear." John reminded Gandymov of the deal their nation's leader made with the Demons.

"But… But…"

"I know what you're going to say." John interrupted, "Monsters appeared in the middle of your street, foreign soldiers fighting against strange flying humans. It's all over social media in less than 24 hours." John said. "Just state that the mayor hired mercenaries and foreign soldiers to deter a monster invasion or something as a cover up."

"The 'monster' part is already questionable, John. People will lose their respect and trust to us if we just blurt things out recklessly. This whole debacle sounds more like something that came out from children or young adult's fantasy stories!" the mayor pressed.

"Go with terrorists, then; radicals or invaders. Swindling trust from the unaware is a politician's job, no?" John replied.

"I wouldn't go so far as 'swindle.' I admit, I am not used to this. All of this… chaos and change. I do not think I am ready to turn my backs to the Devils…" The mayor said.

"You already have the moment you agreed to the terms." John reminded him. "The Blood Oath cannot be broken even by the Demons. They will help defend Turkmenistan from the upcoming apocalypse along with the benefits of supernatural aid as promised. What happened is the process of 'getting used to it.'"

The mayor silently pursed his lips. His eyes blinked, his pupils moved down before his gaze looked back at John.

"...You will not rewrite our memories like the Devils?" The mayor asked with hesitation, as if afraid of retaliation for asking that question.

"We are all victims of that. No, if we're going to face the music, we'll look them in the eyes as we do." The commander swore.

"Hmmmm…"

While waiting for the mayor's reply, John felt the phone in his pocket buzz.

"One moment. I have to take this." He took out his phone and placed it on his ear.

"What is it? Yes… yes… What? Come again?"

OxO

The Warden returned.

The high tech sliding doors of enchanted glass slid open as they entered, the sound of their heavy steps breaking the silence as Oriax perked.

The male devil did not make a sound as they faced towards the cells of the naked devil girls.

"...What the hell?" The Warden was surprised.

The girls were still in their trance - bruises were still on the spot where he struck them. They were gone for around half an hour or so - they did not count, meaning that they were in that white world for like years - if not decades, in their head.

He was expecting them to be awake and trembling in fear at this point.

"What is happening?" The Warden turned to Oriax, "You. Speak. Now."

"What do you think? They have been like that since you left." Oriax simply replied.

"They shouldn't be, that's the point. Now, talk." The Warden warned Oriax.

"I believe that I have nothing more to say." Oriax answered.

"I doubt that. If you don't talk, I'm writing you up for the experimental table. Do you know we are getting closer to turning you freaks into the monsters you are? Chimera?"

Oriax actually shook in fear at the threat. However, he clenched his jaws tight before replying, "I'm afraid that - even if you go through with that threat, it will not change the fact that those ladies have been staying that way ever since you left their cells."

The Warden narrowed his eyes at Rias and Sona, finding the whole situation to be suspicious.

"I'm waking them up." the Warden then gestured with his fingers to his escorts.

His companions nodded, their hands on the pistols in their holsters as he opened the cell door.

He took out the 'pen,' and pressed the button twice in rapid succession.

The 'pen' shrieked a high frequency shrill, the girls suddenly jolted awake from their trance with sharp inhales.

Eyes blinking rapidly to take in their surroundings - Rias and Sona settled at the warden standing before them.

"...Oh, you're back." Sona remarked with an almost-bored tone.

"And I was just starting to get used to my lonesome." Rias followed with a disappointed look.

"...What the fuck?" The Warden was shaken.

He never faced anyone that could withstand the solitude of that duration. They were not babbling or anywhere close to being mind broken by the silence and isolation.

"Is something wrong?" Sona asked with raised eyebrows.

"See something you don't like? You look like you're disappointed at the sight of helpless damsels under your mercy such as us." Rias added with a sultry smile on her face; and with the limited movement from her chains, she straightened herself up as if wanting to show her body off.

"You little…" The corners of his lips twitched with barely contained anger. "How the fuck are you two still sane?"

"Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe I've gotten used to all of that solitude?" Sona remarked.

"So you're saying you're already dead on the inside? Don't tell me you girls finally entered the emo-teenager phase?" The Warden remarked skeptically.

"'Emo-teenager phase', he said." Rias scoffed, "Like you know anything about them - have you met my Knight? Now that's emo-teenager." She reminisced about Yuuto's vengeful period.

"Enough playing around. How did you resist the spell?" The Warden was no expert on magic, only having a brief summary of how magic works from the superiors.

He could only guess that they somehow resisted the spell as all magic could be resisted and countered.

Rias and Sona merely pursed their lips and shook their heads, "You know we couldn't resist that spell… Well, we did have to cope and resist a bit, but… It's not as hard as you imagine."

"I doubt that." He took out his stun baton. "I will only ask one last time."

The girls glanced at the weapon before exchanging glances with each other, as if silently debating what they should do next.

Sona then looked at the man,"...Have you ever watched Dragonball?"

The Warden quirked a brow.

"...A rich lady like you is into Japanese entertainment?" He could only scoff on reflex.

"Is that so strange? I am considered a Japanophile myself." Rias retorted.

"I thought your kind wouldn't bother. I heard that this one's sister is obsessed with magical girls though. I didn't believe it," The Warden pointed at Sona. "...Until I saw one episode. Is that really your elder sister, who is also in charge of your kind's foreign relations?"

Sona actually winced at the mention of her sister, "Yes, she is, believe it or not; but back to topic - so are you familiar with the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in that series?"

"Grew up with it, very iconic… Wait, wait." The Warden blinked.

"The fuck…?" One of the escorts cussed, catching what Sona was implying.

The men were perturbed by the insinuation.

"What the actual fuck? How… How does one train in an illusion? Don't tell me you can power up…" The warden asked.

"Well, not really." Rias shrugged, "It might be an illusion, but our minds are still ultimately our own. Even if we didn't really power up, the images and everything we experienced still count for something."

"So to put things more simply, we trained our minds." Sona continued. "We don't actually have to hide it from you, though. We're just very… miffed about our situation still, so pardon the exchange earlier."

The Warden and his escorts exchanged glances.

"That is… Alright, I'll give you that one." The Warden withdrew his baton. He clapped with genuine reverence three times, "You got me, I will admit it. I'm even taking back some of the things I said about your kind from this. But I'm not letting you go."

"You have our answer." Sona responded. "We will never sell them out even if you do find a way to break us."

The Warden narrowed his eyes on Sona.

"Well, since it's come to this…" The Warden took out his stun baton again. "Too bad I gotta do this the old fashioned way."

Rias and Sona immediately steeled themselves, ready to face their soon-to-be torturers on.

Before the warden could raise his weapon, the jails trembled, walls and ceiling rumbling as if an earthquake arrived at their doorstep, followed by the sound of blaring alarm.

"The hell was that?!" The warden shouted before going to his radio, "Control room, what the hell was that earthquake, over?!"

[The Hotel is under attack! We detected multiple sig- bzzt….! We are deploying counter- ssschk…!]

"Control, come in, over!" The Warden yelled at his comms, "I said come in! Does anybody copy, over!?"

When statics were all the Warden heard from the other end, he exhaled harshly, "...Fuck!"

The Warden then glanced at the prisoners before he recomposed himself, "...Well, perhaps we don't have to guess who's attacking this place, do we?"

Rias and Sona simply returned the Warden's gaze with their own glares, unwilling to humor him any further.

The warden then addressed his two escorts, "We're moving out. Get them down and restrain them, we'll see if those bastards have the stones to continue after seeing knives pressed to their throats."

The guards immediately went to work - one on Rias while the other one worked on the chains holding Sona.

When Sona got off her chains first, she tried to resist when the guard tried to place her hands behind her back; while the other guard worked on the shackles on Rias' limbs, starting from her wrists; then the guard intended to restraint Rias' hands behind her back before moving to her legs.

However, when the guard was about to place a cuff Rias' wrist, and the other guard could have placed another handcuff on Sona's wrist…..

"Hurghk-!?" The Warden suddenly let out a choking sound, followed by his body spasming uncontrollably.

The guards who were on Rias and Sona stopped their handiwork to look at their chief going through some agonizing experience. His eyes were rolled back, his muscles strained, and he seemed to have difficulty breathing.

"Chester?!" The guard shouted in confusion, but Rias and Sona immediately moved.

Sona jabbed her elbow against the side of the guard behind her. When the guard buckled at the sharp strike against his ribs, Sona seized the moment to throw her head back, colliding against the guard's face, knocking him back a few steps to nurse his bruised nose..

Rias also twisted in place swung her elbow around, striking the lower jaw of the guard behind her. The impact across the jaw disoriented the guard, enough for Rias to snatch the keys away from his hand and remove the shackles from her legs. Before the guard could have regained his clarity - the redhead turned, grabbed the other guard next to her by his shoulders before driving her knee up to his groin.

"Ugh!"

"Argh-!?"

Meanwhile, the Warden's body was suddenly thrown against the wall - and instead of falling to the floor, his body somehow slid up and as if being suspended by some invisible force.

"W-w-what the fuck….!?"

The warden choked out, then the next word that came out of his mouth was somewhat distorted.

"Stop resisting….!"

His head frantically spasmed and turned around.

"Get… out! Of my head!" The Warden, Chester, roared back, sweat pouring out of his face as he held his head, fighting a private war for his mind.

Back to the heiresses - thanks to her initial attacking the guard's sensitive spot, Rias managed to seize the stun-baton strapped on his hip and stomp-kicked his gut, knocking him back and wrenching his baton.

The guard hit the wall, scowling at Rias before he slammed his fist against the wall, launching himself with additional momentum and tackled Rias, slamming her into the opposite wall, knocking the air out of her.

Gritting through the pain on her back, Rias kept holding the stun-baton she stole from her opponent as she raised both of her feet and pressed them against the guard's pelvis, pushing him back and creating some space between them, enough for Rias to swing the electric tip towards the guard.

The guard quickly took another step back to avoid the electricity-laced tip from touching him. Rias gave chase as she kept swinging the stun-baton, aiming to incapacitate him.

"Bitch, that thing is for devils! Not humans!" The guard reminded her as he hastily pulled out his firearm.

Rias' eyes widened and immediately shifted her swing, aiming towards the gun just in time the guard pointed at her and pulled the trigger. The gun went off, as it was knocked away from the guard's hand.

The guard then immediately improvised and tackled Rias again, preventing her from swinging the baton as he caught her in a shoulder chokehold - and it just happened that Rias' arm that was holding the baton got caught.

Rias gasped as it became a tad harder to breathe. She struggled to break free - her free hand tried to wrench the guard's arm off her neck, with her body shifted trying to get away. However, the guard capitalized the moment to use the space by ramming his knee against Rias' exposed side, eliciting a choked grunt from her. With her footing losing strength, the guard then twisted, throwing Rias down to the floor, sending her to a coughing fit.

The guard then stood over Rias, his eyes trailed to the discarded stun-baton not far from his feet, not paying much attention to how his colleague was doing.

Meanwhile, on Sona's side of things - Sona dashed forward when she saw her opponent reach for his gun. Just when the latter pulled the gun out, Sona was already on him, catching his gun hand in both of hers. Sona then pushed, forcing the gun's direction to change around while the guard desperately fought back and pulled the trigger in the process.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Shots were fired, bullets were flying and ricocheting around the room. One of the stray bullets ended up hitting the guard that was standing over Rias on his shoulder-blade, prompting him to cry in pain as he fell to his knees, trying to nurse his injured shoulder. That moment of vulnerability was seized by Rias, who scrambled to pick up the discarded stun-baton and pressed the tip against the chest of the guard who was too late to react.

The result was another cry of pain as the guard was electrocuted to unconsciousness, allowing Rias to sigh in relief.

Back to Sona - the guard eventually stopped squeezing the trigger, not willing to waste all of his bullets as he kept struggling against Sona for dominance. Knowing that she would soon be overpowered due to her shorter frame, Sona quickly aimed towards his weak spot, sending her knee towards his groin.

However, before her knee could have made contact, the guard's free hand caught on her kneecap and pushed her leg back down. His gun-hand then let go of his pistol in favor of seizing her wrist, while his other hand then slid outside and below Sona's knee before he pulled up, lifting Sona's body before he spun around and slammed her to a nearby wall.

Sona had her air knocked out of her as her back hit the wall. She fell to the floor, gasping and groaning in pain with the guard standing over her.

"Bad move, bitch." the guard remarked before he brandished his own stun baton.

"Sona!" Rias shouted in worry at the sight of her long-time friend at a disadvantage, she was just in the middle of getting back on her feet...

When the guard lifted the stun baton, preparing to electrocute Sona, the guard's body suddenly spasmed uncontrollably, eliciting an agonizing cry before he collapsed unconscious on the floor; revealing the warden - Chester, holding his stun baton which he used to subdue the guard.

"Are you alright, Sona?" the now-possessed man asked as he offered his hand towards the Sitri heiress.

Despite the warden's voice, the tone and the way he spoke was clearly different. Upon closer inspection, the color of his eyes also changed, similar to the eyes of a certain Tsukumogami.

"...Muramasa?" Sona breathed out as she took the hand offered to her.

"In flesh not of my own." Chester - Muramasa answered with a small smile, "Forgive me for taking my time - possessing a fully conscious man was never easy."

"It's fine, your timing was impeccable." Rias replied this time - standing up from the guard she just took down, while nursing her bruises. Once she confirmed that she did not break any bone, she addressed the possessed chief warden, "... Please tell me that you have the key for this collar on you?"

Muramasa blinked before she proceeded to search the pockets and all, tapping 'her' hands on the body for any clues.

"...I'm afraid I don't." Muramasa replied with a regretful tone, prompting Rias to click her tongue and Sona to sigh.

Muramasa then closed her eyes as if concentrating for a few seconds, "...But I've taken a quick look into this host's memory - there are keys placed in the surveillance room, one of them is the key to the collars suppressing your magic."

Rias and Sona nodded, "Very well, that's where we will go…. After we get ourselves some clothes first." The former noted as the heiresses glanced down at their still-naked state.

Sona then remembered the other prisoner next to their cell, "That's right, Lord Oriax. Do you- Oh."

Sona's words were interrupted by a groan of pain from their neighbor. Everyone then saw Zagan Oriax was sitting on the floor, clutching at his bleeding shoulder.

"...By Lucifer, couldn't you have handled that better?!" Oriax asked through gritted teeth.

Sona honestly felt bad, but after learning of his involvement which led to the human's radical views on devils, her guilt was kind of abated at the same time.

"How is your condition?" Sona neutrally asked, as Muramasa opened the cell-doors, leading the heiresses towards Oriax.

"It burns! Ack! The… projectile is burning my bones!" Oriax nearly screamed, but gave in and screamed as his wound sizzled, so much white smoke poured out of his wound that it concerned the girls.

Before they could move, they saw something melt out of Oriax's shoulder.

It clattered on the floor, small, round… It was the bullet that struck him… Or what was left of it.

Rias and Sona quickly made their way and knelt to examine Oriax's condition. The former wrenched the latter's blood-stained clothes open, revealing the bullet-hole that was already in the middle of being infected.

"What on earth…?" Sona furrowed her eyebrows at the sight, no fresh bullet-wound could deteriorate this quickly.

Muramasa picked up the shell's remain from the floor, "I've never seen anything like this before…"

When Rias took a look at the bullet on Murama's palm, her eyes blinked at the silvery color, "Is that Mercury?"

"Is it?" Sona pushed up her glasses and leaned forward, her eyes inspecting the bullet. "...There are traces of Mercury judging by the texture…"

Sona's eyes then widened in disbelief, "It's a silver-mercury bullet alloy."

The history books had never seen anything like this, anti-devil techniques evolving in such a malicious way. The fact that the flesh around the Oriax's wound showed discoloring, meant that at least some of the mercury had entered his system.

"We have to find a way to treat him." Sona concluded, "...We need to get out of this place now."

"Oriax, just focus on regulating your breathing and keeping yourself awake." Rias implored, which Oriax replied with a fervent nod. She then turned to Muramasa, "Forgive me, Muramasa. But I need you to carry him."

"I guess we have no other choice." Muramasa shrugged as she proceeded to throw Oriax's body over her shoulders into the fireman's carry easily enough, thanks to her host's large frame.

"It's only a matter of time until the rest of the humans know what happened here, and we are still too inconspicuous the way we are now. Muramasa, can you lead the way?"

"Of course, from this body's memory, the locker room is not far. Follow me."

To be Continued…

---

The next chapter (106) will be... Well, not quite the finale yet, but still the climax of this whole fiasco before we proceed to the aftermath. You can view them in advance on my pat-reon under the name 'Ahsoei'. Cheers!