4,833New Devil of The Gremory House
Life 69: Magicians
Devil
"Euclid Lucifuge."
"Is he Grayfia's brother?" Akeno and Sona nodded stoically after Naruto had passed the information he'd gotten from Koneko onto them. When he saw their dour expressions he couldn't help but worry, "How bad is this guy?"
"He and Grayfia-San were two of the most outstanding members of the Old Maou faction of a civil war fought centuries ago. Grayfia-San was a prodigy and made a name for herself with her ruthlessness, cunning, and ability. And not far behind in those same merits were her brother, Euclid." Akeno glowered, "But while Grayfia-San turned to the New Maou faction and married Lucifer-sama, Euclid vanished from the public eye and no one has been able to find him in years - including Grayfia-San."
"So we have an exceptionally skilled and powerful Devil at large who we know has grievances with not only the Maou we support but the older brother to our [King]?" As Akeno and Sona tersely nodded, Naruto grit his teeth, "Would he do anything to the others now that he's captured them?"
"If Koneko hasn't been hurt yet then I don't think he'll bother but we won't risk it."
"That's right." Sona nodded, "Now was she able to tell you anything? Could she glean a location or any kind of landmark we could use to find them?"
"Not yet," Naruto narrowed his eyes, "But give me enough time to enter Sage Mode and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to locate them. After that, we'll-"
"Kaichou!" Sona's [Bishop, Reya Kusaka, barged into the room after being on standby outside the meeting helping correlate the stories with other students and teachers in the know. The second-year stepped in and caught her breath before holding up a black card, "Ma'am, this just arrived!"
"What is it?"
"A message…from the Magicians that attacked us." The people gathered looked shocked as Reya tossed the card across the table until it stopped in the middle for everyone to see.
A projection of a handsome man with braided grey hair appeared in the center of the card. No one recognized him, but the tone of his hair in a braid was familiar enough that those who knew Grayfia personally could see the resemblance. The man in the projection cleared his throat, ("If I'm right I should be addressing Sona Sitri, heiress to the Sitri household, her peerage, as well as Rias Gremory's peerage and some of the miscellaneous strays. I am Euclid Lucifuge, and I am the leader of the Magicians that raided your school. I'm sure you're trying to determine a myriad of different factors like why we're here, how we got through the barrier your families erected, and what we're after. I don't care to answer, and I know what you want. So let's make this simple.")
He held up his hand and the image of a map appeared over it. Sona's people immediately started to pinpoint where it could be in town as Euclid continued, ("I would like you to come to this location within the next hour. The only people allowed to come are the members of the Gremory peerage, the Sitri peerage, and Michael's [Ace]. Do not warn anyone of higher standing in the Underworld, Grigori, Heaven, or any other connections you might have that this meeting is occurring. Should anyone other than the people I listed come here, I cannot guarantee the safety of these children in our care. Be mindful, and I'll see you soon.")
The message ended abruptly, and the people present were left to dwell in their righteous fury at the Devil's blasé attitude to killing their kidnapped friends.
"I'm gonna fucking hate this guy."
Devil
Just a few minutes before the time limit was up, the ORC and StuCo were making their way towards the designated location. It turned out to be the train station - more specifically the lower levels of the train station where they regularly traveled from the human realm to the Underworld. That even a secure position like that had been compromised by their enemy was an unsettling prospect that Sona was going to have to look into after this matter was settled.
They hadn't contacted anyone to let them know that this enemy was here or taunting them. There was too much risk in warning higher-ups or other people and the Magicians took that as a signal to hurt their captives. Naruto had tried to contact Kuroka for help concerning Koneko but both she and Le Fay had disappeared from the hotel while they had been at school. Something about Vali and his team having to deal with a crisis that required their help.
So it was just them dealing with the bastards responsible for the attack on the school.
"We don't know the condition of the station; whether it's been broken into, taken over, or if these invaders have a place they can use from the Underworld. And should it get too damaged we'll be cut off from traveling to the Underworld until it can be fixed." Sona spoke while looking back at everyone, "So to be safe I ask that you avoid as much collateral damage as possible. Swift strikes. Techniques that aren't too flashy. Anything you can do not to damage the station as a whole."
No one said anything as some ORC members stepped forward and urged Naruto, Xenovia, and Issei to take a step back, "What are you doing?"
"You heard her - avoid collateral damage. That means we need subtlety and non-extreme measures."
"You should stay back, Issei-kun." Rossweisse said responsibly, "Your armor and power are too great for confined spaces like this. We don't know what a Dragon Shot could do to the entire station."
Issei looked disappointed and hung his head, "Yeah, probably for the best."
"You too, Xenovia." Irina said sternly to her partner, "Your attacks are too devastating and powerful! You'd probably destroy everything with a single swing!"
The blue-haired [Knight] simply blinked, "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"And me?" Naruto said incredulously, looking at Akeno with a peeved glare, "You can't tell me I'm not swift and reserved."
The [Queen] just stared at him…blinking…and then tilting her head, "Are you being sarcastic?"
"Of course not!"
"You must be." She started counting off her fingers, "The orb that blows everything away. The orb with blades destroys everything. Let's not forget when you add elements to the orb. Or you wear the elements and go crazy. Oh, and last but not least how about when you turn into a nightlight and channel a giant fox with your energy to break everything."
"Those are just special cases!" Naruto said indignantly, "You remember I'm a ninja, right?!"
…
Akeno covered her mouth as she gasped and looked at him in concern, "You…don't still believe that delusion, do you?"
"YOU LITTLE-"
"N-Naruto-San!" Before the whiskered blond could fly off the handle and berate the dark-haired [Queen] hiding her giggle behind her hand, Asia stepped up, "Please, not so loud. We don't know if the Magicians have some kind of security posted to detect us when we approach."
{"We checked. You're all good."}
A new voice appeared from out of nowhere, making the people already on edge a little more antsy. A magic circle appeared by Sona's feet as the bespectacled Devil looked down completely unfazed. From the magical circle, a hand slowly emerged, reaching up before taking hold of the circle and pulling itself up. The first thing to emerge was a twisted scythe, followed by a hood with a skull face inside it.
The ORC members stepped back in preparation for an attack while the StuCo remained calm. While the short Grim Reaper came into view, a giant shadow flew overhead and then descended towards them. Just like the Grim Reaper, a tall bulky man landed with remarkable ease in front of Sona before standing up to his full height.
The grey-haired hulk of a man wearing a bandana and the tiny Grim Reaper by his side stood before Sona. She fixed her glasses before looking between them, "Any sentries or security systems we need to look out for?"
"No," The large man responded, "Barebones security throughout."
{"Seems they're just itching to invite you inside."} The short Grim Reaper grabbed her skull and moved it up, revealing it was a mask to hide a young but rather gloomy girl with an eerie smile, {"I'd be extra cautious going ahead. If there's nothing out here then you can bet they have something waiting inside."}
"Sona, who are they?"
"Oh, sorry, I haven't introduced you yet." Sona turned to everyone and motioned to her left, "This man is my new Werewolf [Rook, Loup Garou." She then motioned to her right, "And this is my new Grim Reaper [Knight, Bennia Orcus. They recently joined my peerage and I asked them to scout ahead for us."
"A Werewolf?" Some of the other members looked up at the tall [Rook] who seemed unfazed by their attention, "I've never met a Werewolf before."
"You're very tall."
"Are you a high schooler?"
"No. I'm in college."
"Cool~."
The little Grim Realer walked past Loup and the Church Trio admiring him to approach Issei and the others. She reached behind her and pulled out a small autograph book, {"Excuse me, Oppai Dragon, can I have your autograph?"}
"Huh?" Issei blinked and pointed to himself as Bennia eagerly nodded, "I didn't think any Grim Reapers were fans of mine." He took the offered book and pen, "Will you get in trouble joining the Devils like this?"
{"Probably. My dad is a big name Grim Reaper, Orcus. But I don't like his or Hades-sama's way of doing things so I quit and came here instead."} Bennia held up a peace sign, {"I like Oppai Dragon a lot because he's so cool so I'd prefer fighting with you guys instead."}
Issei looked back to Naruto and Saji as the two men shrugged in response. Looks like he wasn't the only one surprised to hear that Oppai Dragon had even started to reach zones that weren't allied with the three factions. Issei quickly signed his signature and Bennia let out a gleeful squeal as she cherished her hero's autograph.
"Loup, Bennia," Sona spoke up and immediately gained the duo's attention, "I need you two to stay on guard out here. You're part of my peerage but I'm not sure if the Magicians know that, and if you walk in with us they might flinch and decide to do something stupid. Well…stupider. So stay out here and have our backs."
"Yes ma'am."
"On it."
As Sona ordered her newest servants she turned back to the gathered people and nodded, "Alright, everyone, are you ready to head in?"
"Yes!"
Devil
Once the combined forces of the ORC and StuCo made their way down into the station proper they were greeted with a line of cloaked, hooded people just like the ones that attacked them at school. More Magicians coming to impede their progress.
"Hoho, so you've finally arrived, Devils!" One of the Magicians stepped forward, a mocking cackle echoing through the halls, "We can use this opportunity to settle a great dispute that has plagued us for years; Demonic Power vs magical power! You see ever since magic was first used-"
"He's practiced this monologue." Sona groaned as she and the others tuned out the loudmouth and his speech, "Do you think this is just about settling if magic is better than Demonic Power?"
"Who gives a fuck?" Naruto snarled as he looked around, "I don't see Koneko or the others around here."
"Then they're probably being held further inside."
"So we need to get past these guys!" Issei said while preparing to summon his Sacred Gear.
"Hold on, Hyoudou-kun, don't be reckless." Sona warned the agitated [Pawn] as the Magician kept talking. While this was going on Akeno broke rank and stepped forward, "Akeno! Wait!"
The confident [Queen] kept stepping forward but gave her friends a lopsided smile, "It's alright. I'll take care of these guys real quick."
"But we don't know what tricks they might have!"
"I know what I have up my sleeve."
"W-What is she doing?" The Magician who was monologuing paused when he noticed Akeno step towards them unflinchingly. He grits his teeth before turning to his comrades, "Strike her down!"
They weaved magic and created circles to devastate the hybrid woman where she stood.
But her eyes glinted, static caused her bangs to stand up like horns, and sparks of electricity channeled between her fingers before she suddenly made a move.
Yellow blurs rushed forward around her and slammed into the Magicians, "What?!" The leader looked around in confusion as more and more blurs knocked his people out of line around him, "What did you - A-AGAHHHHH!" The yellow blur slammed into him and suddenly he felt his whole body go numb, "W-What is this?"
The Magicians weren't killed or obliterated. They may have been struck by the blurs of yellow light but they were now being lifted and cradled within long yellow tentacles of concentrated lightning. And within the grasp of those tentacles, the Magicians weren't killed but softly electrocuted and rendered immobile.
"I haven't killed you…but you might wish you were dead in a moment." Akeno stopped in place, the dozen electric tentacles sprouting behind her and holding the whole line of Magicians in the air over her as her eyes sparkled with dark promise, "Although there's a chance you'll come to enjoy what I'm going to do next." She took in a shuddering breath and caressed her cheek, "I know I will."
"Y-You fiend!"
"Well, you did come to our school, kidnap our cute little juniors, and endanger the lives of civilians to get our attention." She started moving her fingers and the tentacles writhed in tandem to squeeze and shock the captured Magicians even harder, "You don't get to complain if I torment you just a little bit~."
"Let's go." Naruto and Sona urged the rest of their friends along as they stood aghast, blushing, and in Xenovia's case intrigued to study and watch what happened next, "We've got stuff to do."
"She'll catch up later. Let's pick up the pace."
Devil
Leaving Akeno behind with her horde of captured and whimpering Magicians the rest of them continued making their way forward. More and more Magicians popped up to surround and attack the people from Kuoh. And their fighters sprung into action to answer them in kind.
"It looks like we'll be able to make quick work of these auxiliary forces at this rate," Sona noted while fixing her glasses. The Sitri stepped forward through the battlefield without hesitation with any stray magical attacks sent her way bouncing aside harmlessly. With Asia at her side and channeling Saiken's power the two walked forward protected by a green bubble that would let them pass unharmed through the battlefield, "I've always known Rias' peerage was strong, but for the longest time I was worried about her lack of proper tactics and strategies in battle. Now I feel like that was a waste of concern."
"What do you mean, Kaichou-San?"
"I mean making up tactics seems like such a moot point when you have powerhouses capable of feats like this."
Outside the bubble, the ORC and StuCo worked in tandem to thin the Magicians' numbers. Magic circles and elemental attacks were interrupted and warded off with sharp attacks. Irina rushed through the hooded invaders with Xenovia following behind her and knocking them off their feet with shoulder charges and tackles. Saji shot several lines between multiple Magicians and then connected them to Rossweisse to pump their magical power into her. As she conjured great and powerful attacks, Naruto and Issei swooped in along with the girls of the council to thin out the last of the numbers.
"Um, I'm sure they're grateful for your acknowledgment of their strength, Kaichou-San, but…" Asia meekly laughed, "I-I think Buchou-San would be very upset if she heard you say she never considers any kind of strategy in battle."
Sona huffed, "Then Rias should prove her strategic abilities a little more often if she's so offended. On a side note; I need to push my peerage even harder than normal to get them up to all your levels."
A rhythmic tapping on the bubble drew the two girls' attention to Akeno just outside. The Fallen Angel hybrid waved through the bubble, "You two enjoying the fighting?"
Sona scoffed, "You finally rejoined us. Does that mean those unfortunate idiots are no longer with us?"
"Ah, what kind of girl do you think I am?" Akeno feigned disgust at Sona's insinuation.
"A sadist who torments her foes."
"Oh yeah. Well, your newcomers came in and apprehended the Magicians after I 'incapacitated' them."
"And did you get any information from them?"
"Only one thing of importance." Akeno stepped around to watch the fighting with the bubble at her side, "No matter if they managed to beat us or not a number of us were supposed to be delivered to a space further inside the station. 'The Sitri heiress, Vritra's vessel, all of Rias Gremory's peerage, and Michael's [Ace] must go further in.' That's what they said." Akeno spared Sona a sideways look, "Sounds like they want something from us."
"I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Let's finish up here, everyone! We have to move forward!"
"RIGHT!"
Devil
The groups of Magicians had been thinned out and the underground train station had been mostly cleared. All that was left was to find the man in charge of everything and their missing juniors.
Taking the orders Akeno was able to extract from the captured Magicians, Sona warned her peerage to stay back as she and Saji joined the ORC down to the next level.
There was no one left waiting for them…except an intricate teleportation magic circle on the ground.
"The leader is going to be through there, right?"
"Euclid Lucifuge."
"This is a trap."
Naruto wordlessly stepped forward, unfazed by the intent of the invitation, "But Koneko and the others aren't here, so they might be ahead. That's all that matters."
"He's right." Sona fixed her glasses, "I guess there's nothing left to do but brave forward."
As they stepped forward, Saji grabbed Issei's shoulder, "Dude, Uzumaki-senpai is pretty intense."
"Heh, yeah, you should have seen him during the Beast Riot. Naruto-senpai doesn't stop when his mind is on something."
They all stepped onto the magic circle and disappeared in its intense glow of light. When it disappeared the ORC and StuCo members found themselves within a vast, barren white space.
As they all stepped around and looked at the large white space they found themselves in they couldn't help but marvel, "What is this place?"
"It feels like the arenas the Devils use during the Rating Games. A giant space we can't track-"
"That's an astute deduction, Sona Sitri. This is a factory we constructed inside the Dimensional Gap to avoid detection. In a giant, near infinite space most of the world can't occupy it is an effective storage facility."
The Kuoh residents turned to face the lone arrival of Euclid Lucifuge within the white space.
Without wasting a breath Naruto, Issei, Irina, Xenovia, and Akeno lashed out with projectile attacks to strike him before he could react. And without making any moves the attacks collided and bounced off harmlessly from the barrier Euclid had erected from the magic circle around his feet, "Admirable effort but I wasn't going to face you without some protection."
"Dammit."
"Give me time," Rossweisse stepped forward, eyes lowering to the intricate circle at Euclid's feet, "If I could find the base to this circle then I can rewrite and cancel it. Leave it open for us to reach him." She looked up and noticed Euclid's gaze falling on her. The unnerving focus in his eyes landing on her left her feeling cold, "W-What are you looking at?"
"Sorry. Lost in thought." He held up his hand, "There's no need to waste your effort to get to me. If you want your friends back then here they are."
"Senpai?"
Looking away from Euclid, the ORC was surprised to see their missing members appearing behind them. Once they saw their young friends again Naruto, Issei, and Akeno broke from the rest to race over to them. Naruto dropped down to hug Koneko while Issei quickly held Ravel's shoulders to check she was okay and Akeno lifted Gasper's head to get a better look at the bruises on his face.
"Ravel, are you okay?"
"I-Issei-sama," The young Devil with drillets looked up at the [Pawn] with teary eyes before they suddenly broke through, running down her cheeks as she hiccupped and hugged Issei tightly, "I-I'm so sorry. T-This is all because of me."
"Shh, don't say that." Issei hugged the frightened girl tightly and felt her shiver in his embrace, "None of this is your fault."
Akeno looked at the bruises on Gasper's face and his swollen eye, "What happened?"
"T-They," Gasper sniffled, trying to keep his composure as much as possible despite the pain he was in, "They wanted to stress Ravel-San out and make her cry, s-so they started working us over."
"Gya-kun took the worst of it." Koneko quietly said as Asia rushed over and bathed both her and the young Dhampir in a healing green light, "He said as a man he shouldn't let me get hurt. Pfft, so stupid." Koneko gently muttered, but when her cheek was cupped she slowly raised her head to look up at Naruto. When her cheek stung from where she had been hit and felt Naruto gently run his finger over it her eyes watered slightly, "Thanks for coming so fast."
"Of course we did." Naruto leaned down and gave a small kiss to her forehead, feeling a swell of relief having his young lover back in safe hands. But that joy was dwarfed by the boiling fury and clawing need to take Euclid and bury him down to his neck, "You!" The blond pointed to the grey-haired man, "You're gonna pay for this! I don't care why you did this but if you hurt my friends-"
"Please," Euclid held out his hand and shook his head, "I truly can't bring myself to care about whatever you're saying." Naruto bared his teeth angrily, "But if you're interested in why I brought you all here then the reason is twofold. One reason is I wanted to see just how vast the difference in potency was between a true Phenex Tear and the ones we make in our factory. Unfortunately, that didn't quite work out with how reluctant the young Phenex was to cry. But more importantly, I wanted you all here so that you could meet my compatriot."
Euclid snapped his fingers and a gigantic magic circle formed between him and the Kuoh residents. The Devils and Angel looked down at the circle in surprise, "W-What is that?"
"Wait, I've seen this before." Issei said when he looked down and felt some familiarity with the magic circle, "It's a Dragon King gate, isn't it?"
[Yes, a circle used for the summoning and travel of a dragon. But…]
"What is it?"
[This color. It can't be possible.]
They looked down at the deep green color of the magic circle. All the other circles that summoned dragons were of a particular color and shade, but no one recognized this one, "Why isn't it possible, Ddraig?"
[Because that dragon is dead.]
From that large magic circle, an even larger form appeared before them. A giant creature with scales as dark as night. Its limbs were thick and bulging, armed with claws, talons, and fangs as sharp as any sword. Wings large enough to cast them in shadows stretched from its back and a long, huge tail swung down to crack and indent itself into the ground behind it.
The giant beast let out a smoky breath as its dark, twisted eyes looked down on its gathered opposition. A heavy chuckle echoed out, "What? Is this it?! I thought I had finally woken up to some actual fighters! This is just a bunch of women and kids!"
[Grendel, the Crime Force Dragon.]
"What was that? Was that Ddraig's voice I just heard?" The giant dragon known as Grendel bent down and leaned in to look over the gathered crowd. Once his eyes landed on Issei and drifted down to the gauntlet on his arm he let out a mighty bellow, "AHAHAHA! Oh no, Ddraig, are you still stuck in that silly little trinket?! That's such a shameful state for the Red Dragon Emperor to be left in!"
[That's rich coming from the dragon that was dead.]
A shadow in the form of a snake started to emerge from Saji's shadow and looked up at the giant, [That's right. Grendel was slain by the first Beowolf and reduced to nothing. There's no way he could still be alive! Was he in hiding or-]
"Does it even matter?" Grendel grinned viciously as he stretched out his claws and looked down at all his enemies, "I'm here to fight and that's all I'm interested in! So who wants to go first?! Ddraig? Vritra? I feel like I should have a good fight to commemorate my exciting return!"
Before Grendel could make a move and was still cackling, Xenovia stepped and drew out Ex-Durandel in a single move. The Exorcist raised the giant blue sword and with a roar brought it down with a fierce swing, sending out a giant slash of aura towards the Evil Dragon while it was distracted.
Grendel raised his arm and blocked the [Knight's] surprise attack with just his muscles and scales. The force between the attack and his guard caused a shockwave around them before Grendel swiped his arm and decimated the sword slash completely.
"Ohohoho," With a laugh Grendel looked down at the scratched and slightly irritated part of his scales that took the brunt of her attack. He lowered his arm and looked down at the others, "One of the humans made the first attack? That's a surprise."
"I'm not human!" Xenovia raised her sword at the Evil Dragon, "I'm a Devil of Rias Gremory's peerage!"
"Human, Devil, Angel, doesn't matter to me. The meat and bones taste almost the same from what I remember." His tongue disgustingly ran over his teeth, "I wanted a fight first but if I have to make do with a meal then I'm fine with that too."
The Devils and Angels prepared for the worst as Grendel spread his wings out and was raring to attack them. But from the group Naruto broke rank, stepping forward as his Sacred Gear appeared on his arm, "Set."
"What are you-"
In a flash of orange, he disappeared. And in an instant he reappeared, his foot lodged into the giant dragon's stomach and knocking him back a few inches with the force of his kick, "What was-"
"10x."
[LOOP!]
The impact of Naruto's kick repeatedly landed in the same spot and forced Grendel back again and again. The strike finally faded and Grendel let out a grunt before looking down, "What the fuck was that?! Felt like I just got hit a bunch even though he only hit me once!"
"That's the effect of his Artificial Sacred Gear, Remote Looper. Its abilities and the extent of his other skills were all collected and analyzed in that dossier we provided you." Euclid said in a bored tone, "Though I'm guessing you didn't bother to read or study any of it, did you?"
"I'm not wasting my rebirth studying and reading! I want a fight!" Grendel snapped back at the Devil before turning back to Naruto, "That was a pretty impressive strike, short stack, but you're gonna need a little more power if you wanna break through my scales! Plus if that multiple hit thing is the best you can do then you're screwed!"
Naruto shrugged, "It was the best I could do for a long time, but some things have changed recently." He looked down at his fist, covered in the familiar orange glow of the chakra cloak he had regained with Kurama's power, "I got this old power back and I feel better than I ever have. Plus I've been training, so now…" He smiled, "Set."
Naruto flashed again and punched up into Grendel's chin before he realized, "11x."
[LOOP!]
As the attacks landed and knocked Grendel's head back the dragon's claws swiped in to grab the ninja. Naruto put his foot on the scaly hand and jumped off it to sail over Grendel's head, "Set!" He created a Rasengan and brought it down on the Evil Dragon's shoulder, "15x!"
[LOOP!]
As the force of the jutsu repeatedly assailed Grendel's shoulder, the hulking brute roared and turned to attack Naruto while he was still in the air.
"Set!" Koneko punched the side of Grendel's knee as Xenovia attacked the other leg in sync, "25x!"
[LOOP!]
The attacks didn't break through Grendel's mighty scales, but the repeated attacks from all sides caused the Evil Dragon to drop to his knees. He weathered the strikes as quickly as they came and growled in anger as his wrath started to bubble up ready for release.
A flash of red light rushed straight towards Grendel's face while he was distracted. Looking up it was just in time as Issei donned his Scale Mail and drew his fist back.
"Set! 50x!"
"HAAAAAAAAA!" Issei's fist buried into Grendel's cheek.
[LOOP!]
The repeated strikes against Grendel's cheek nearly sent his head spinning. The Evil Dragon toppled over as Issei's punch landed again and again and left a small crack on the scales on his cheek.
As their mighty foe toppled over, Issei landed by Naruto's side as the rest of the ORC, Sona, and Saji joined them, "Glad we could leave a few good hits on him"
[Don't be too lax. Grendel is insanely durable. It'll take more than this for us to put him down properly.]
Grendel was already groaning and picking himself up, sounding more annoyed than frightful and injured. As everyone prepared for the fight ahead, Naruto looked around, "Hey, sorry for forcing this on you guys, but do you think you can handle this big one by yourselves?"
Sparing the blond a look they noticed his eyes were shaped by his Sage Mode as he looked in one direction, "Do you need to do something?"
"The mastermind behind this slinked away while we were wailing on this thing." He narrowed his eyes, "I don't want him to sneak away while we're busy."
Devil
Euclid walked around the lab and factory collecting the data they had been able to collect so far. The Phenex Tear project had hit a snag, the clones they made were able to produce a suitable alternative but the product was severely lacking in quality compared to the original created by a real Phenex. Unfortunately short of kidnapping a great chunk of the Phenex family proper and tormenting them into supplying the Phenex Tears through torture and mind-breaking to leave their mind clear then there was just no way.
It would be too much effort and time.
This new Evil Dragon project on the other hand?
He spared a look to the projection of the other room where Grendel was fending off the Kuoh residents. He was spitting out fire and forcing the numerous members around him to evade and retreat so they weren't caught up. He was outnumbered but he was still more than a match for all the people that had come here. And he was just one Evil Dragon-
"Where's Naruto Uzumaki?"
Immediately after noting the blond's conspicuous absence from the field, there was a giant explosion along one of the walls that caved into the lab. At the center of the smoke and destruction was the blond ninja clad in ethereal orange energy. The [Pawn] stood up and glared in Euclid's direction.
"Was that necessary? I'm sure you could have entered here without-"
Naruto rushed, not giving the treacherous Devil a chance to speak as he came flying with a Rasengan in hand. But his jutsu clashed against an invisible barrier around an unfazed Euclid. It struggled against the powerful defense for a moment before finally bursting open and sending Naruto flying back. The orange-clad [Pawn] flipped and landed away from Euclid with a scowl, "Another barrier?"
"I set this up while you were focused on Grendel. Figured I could expect an ambush from one of you." Euclid turned back to some of his notes, "You are a ninja after all."
"Heh, weird to think an enemy recognizes me as that but my friends still don't." With a frown Naruto then turned his attention to the rest of the lab, seeing the twisted and broken clones within the tubes, "What are these?"
"Clones of the Phenex family, although less potent than the real ones."
Naruto walked around the lab, the bodies inside the tubes causing his gut to twist in disgust, "And Ravel?" He sneered, "Did you show her this?"
"Of course. I wanted to see if it would break her mind and make her spill tears with an empty heart. But she was quite resilient and kept her focus, repeating things like 'they'll come soon' and 'Issei-sama will save me' to keep her cool. Even when we started hurting her friends she cried but made sure to always have hope. Ridiculous."
Listening to the cruel man recounts his actions made Naruto feel like his anger was going to burst like fire. But after a moment of collecting himself, Naruto focused and allowed Kurama's power around him to sense and feel the powerful Devil.
There was no hate or disdain in his words. The emotions Naruto could sense felt subdued and dull in comparison to what he was feeling wafting through from the other room where everyone was fighting.
Shaking his head he focused on attacking again, "I don't know what this is all for but you're going to pay for hurting Koneko and the others. No one hurts my friends and attacks innocent people just to get to us!"
Just after that proclamation, Euclid seemed to finally pause in collecting the lab's data. The grey-haired man stilled and waited for a moment before rubbing his chin in thought. After swiping his hand over the material and storing it in a separate space Euclid turned to look at Naruto, "What does it mean to be a Devil?"
"What?"
"You've been a Devil for months now, right?" Euclid started to walk around the lab, circling with Naruto as the two stayed a fair distance away from each other in anticipation of the next strike. But Euclid seemed preoccupied with striking up a conversation, "In the short time you've been a Devil, what do you think it means to be one?"
"To follow your desires, however selfish they may be."
"Hmm, I suppose that's not exactly wrong. Devils are by nature supposed to be the most selfish creatures. But…if that's your only answer…"
The older man let out a long sigh, and Naruto felt a pulse of something more for the first time in the lab.
Disappointment.
Not wasting his chance Naruto dashed forward and attacked again. His fist collided with the magical defense Euclid surrounded himself with, "Really? Did you not learn the first time? You can't-"
Two chakra hands sprouted up from Naruto's back and slammed into the defense from opposite sides, "It's a different circle." Euclid looked at Naruto's strained face as the whiskered blond smirked, "I can tell this is different from the one you used in the other room. Rossweisse and Lavinia gave me a few magic tips! If you're using a different array, you have to draw it up fast. And if it was fast and small it means it's weaker! So with a little extra force-"
The magical defense cracked open and exposed Euclid as Naruto threw a punch for his head, "I can break through!"
The natural energy shifted and Naruto knew something was coming for his head.
He leaned back just in time as something red came swinging up for his chin. The strike narrowly missed but the air pressure that followed forced Naruto to jump back some distance. Once he had it he stared at Euclid's arm and froze in shock, "T-That's-"
"Yes, it is." Along Euclid's right arm was a familiar red gauntlet with a green jewel and a silver lining along the metallic edge. The jewel glowed and Euclid's already mighty power was increased even further, "This is my Boosted Gear, courtesy of your friend Issei Hyoudou."
Devil
"HAAAA! COME ON! YOU GOTTA DO BETTER THAN THAT!"
A wave of blue fire erupted from Koneko's hands and ran over Grendel's feet. From a little over her head, Rossweisse weaved her hands and summoned a great number of magic circles, using her water to cloak herself in armor to increase her defense while she assailed him from all sides.
With a stomp of his leg and a wave of his tail, he destroyed the flames and spells around him.
Grendel nearly stumbled when he looked down and saw a sheet of ice crawling up his legs and keeping his feet in place. While he was distracted a black line shot into his scales just under his ribs to drain his power. Followed by a strike of lightning to the top of his head. From both sides, Xenovia charged with her Bijū's power while Irina summoned a myriad of Light weapons to pierce his other flank.
"THIS IS BORING!" Grendel broke out of the ice with ease, snapping the line Saji had connected to drain his energy. Swiping his arm out he blew Irina away with her weapons shattering and then raised his other arm to block Xenovia's swing. He struggled with the [Knight's] enhanced power before tossing her away, "I EXPECTED SOMETHING MORE! WAS THAT MULTIPLE-HIT THING THE BEST YOU CAN OFFER! BUT! BY FAR! THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT-"
[Welsh Draconic Rook!]
With the armor around his arms bolstered, Issei yelled while throwing an extra powerful punch. A punch that collided with Grendel's fist in turn. They struggled for all of a moment before the Evil Dragon carried through and knocked Issei away, "IS YOU, DDRAIG, AND YOUR DAMN HOST! WHERE'S THE FUN?! WHERE'S THE THRILL?!"
Issei turned through the air before he landed on the ground and skidded along it to a halt. Once he did Issei let out a sigh and allowed the hefty armor over his body to disappear. As the other heavy hitters were busy fending him off Sona, Gasper, Asia, and Ravel ran over to check on Issei, "Hyoudou-kun, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just can't believe how sturdy that guy is."
"Senpai, you need to use your full power! Can't you use your [Queen] state to put on your crimson armor?"
"I…I tried." With a bite Issei spat out the word, hanging his head in shame as his helmet lowered, "Once I realized how durable Grendel is I knew I had to hit him at full power. So I tried to activate my full power but - RGH!" He punched the ground, "It isn't working!"
"What? Why not? You've been able to reach that form when we're training."
[Cardinal Crimson Promotion is the apex of Issei's power at this point. Conjuring that power properly requires focus and intent. But right now Issei is distracted. His fluctuation in thought is causing him to lose control over his strength. All of his strength.]
His head was full of other thoughts that hindered his performance in battle. Chief among them was the fact that Ravel and the others had been tormented and hurt. He had all this power - all this new strength that sometimes he couldn't even control - and he only found someone who cared about him after she had been tormented by their enemy.
The sight of her in tears clinging to him filled his heart with rage…and cursing his uselessness.
"Dammit! And Senpai trusted us to handle this thing while he's gone!" He punched the ground again, "This is no time to screw up!"
As they looked down at the troubled [Pawn, Asia clutched her hands tightly and stepped forward, "Issei-San, it'll be okay! I believe in you! I know you'll step up and be our strength! And until you do…I shall be yours!"
"Asia?" Issei and the others watched as the peaceful nun stepped forward and approached the battlefield, "Asia, wait! It's not safe!"
Asia proceeded on dauntlessly, closing her eyes as she started to recite the oath, "Answer my voice, Golden King! Crawl from the ground and receive your reward!" At the end of her chant, a massive golden magic circle appeared before the nun, drawing the attention of the battlefield as she held out her hand, "Come, Golden Gigantis Dragon, Fafnir-San!"
From the magic circle, a golden light and massive power emerged to cover the battlefield. In the fading golden light a giant, mighty dragon appeared to match Grendel in size. Once the beast was revealed Grendel cackled, "Hahaha, Fafnir! So they even have you in their midst, do they? That's great! I was looking for a challenge!"
"A-Asia?" Issei stared at the young nun who had summoned a Dragon King to the field, "You made a contract with a dragon like that?"
"Fafnir-San, please come to our aid!" Asia pleaded to the mighty dragon, "Help us fight off this enemy until Issei-San is ready to fight!"
Fafnir looked down at her, "For my services, a treasure is required."
"A treasure?"
[Fafnir is especially greedy, even among other dragons. To make him do anything you have to be willing to offer him up something of great value. Azazel was able to get his cooperation by offering a huge portion of his treasure to him.]
Issei looked down at his gauntlet, "Are you serious? Then what could Asia offer up to him of equal value? If it's monetary value then she can use my bank account! She doesn't-"
Asia bit her lip in anguish, looking down with teary eyes as she made the ultimate sacrifice. She reached down…
Slipping her hands under her skirt and dragging her underwear down her legs. The battlefield stilled, even Grendel stopped in place as Asia lifted her legs out of the holes and held up the article.
"M-My panties!" She cried out with tears in her eyes, "Please take them and help us!"
Fafnir looked down, the cute underwear covered in a golden glow and lifting out of Asia's hands. As it flew up before him the golden dragon snapped his jaws down and bit the underwear, "Yum. Panties make me happy. Asia-tan's panties are the best."
…
"What the fuck?" Grendel perfectly encapsulated their thoughts, "What the shit am I looking at here?"
"It's as I feared." Sona fixed her glasses and glumly looked aside, "Rias told me about this before she left. Argento-San has made a pact with the Dragon King Fafnir. And the price for her contract is her undergarments. Because Fafnir is a raging pervert with a panty fetish."
"Asia-San, you would make this kind of sacrifice?" Irina covered her mouth.
Xenovia cried with admiration, "You're so brave, Asia!"
"Nom, nom, nummy."
…
…
"BASTARD!" Issei cried out, his voice carrying through the white space, "You can't just chew on Asia's panties! That's our Asia! That's my Asia!"
"Gross." Koneko grumbled with disgust as some of the others nodded in agreement, "I guess every dragon in this age is just becoming a pervert."
[Hey, those are Issei's proclivities - not mine!]
Saji looked down at his Sacred Gear, "Don't pull out any weird fetish on me."
[I'm not like these freaks!]
[Vritra, did you not just hear me!]
As Fafnir summoned a slew of golden lights and used them to assault and fend off Grendel, Ravel took this chance. She ran up and knelt by Issei's side, "Issei-sama, now is the time to-"
"Y-You sonuvabitch! How could you take her panties like that?!"
"Issei-sama-"
"Don't suck on them succulently like that, you fuck!"
"Listen-"
"I should be allowed to have the bras at least!"
"FOCUS!" Ravel grabbed Issei's helmet and yanked it to look at her. With a frustrated sigh she calmed herself and spoke, "Issei-sama, we all need you to step up and be the hero we all know you can be!"
"I'm sorry, Ravel, but I can't summon the strength." Issei shook his head and knocked against his helmet, "I can't summon the strength because I fucked up. I let you get captured and you had to suffer at these guys' hands. You, Gya-suke, and Koneko-chan." The proud Devil flinched being reminded of the ordeal they had been forced through before rescue arrived, "Senpai trusted me to handle the fight out here, but my stupid head," He knocked his helmet again, "This isn't the time for this!"
He was disappointed in his lack of performance, and it was clear he blamed himself for the danger she was in. Ravel looked over Issei's head, seeing Fafnir still holding back the Evil Dragon as the others either stood at the side or cheered as the fight raged on.
Ravel looked at the armored warrior holding the man she admired and wanted to follow as she put a hand to her chest, "Issei-sama, would you feel better if you groped me?"
…
Issei slowly turned his head to her, the eyes of his helmet widening slightly. Gasper and Sona spared a look before awkwardly stepping away from the two, "What?"
"I promised that I would let you cop a feel after your promotion. You promoted but I haven't been able to follow through with my end of the bargain."
"B-But I can't control my strength yet. I don't want to hurt you."
"It's okay. Heh," Ravel looked aside bashfully, "Koneko-San enlightened me to the fact that since I'm a Phenex I have powerful regeneration. So even if you might not be able to control your power-"
"Don't joke about that. I wouldn't ever want to hurt you."
Ravel smiled softly, a tear coming to her eye as she nodded, "Yes, I know that. I just thought I would offer it." She shrugged with a weak chuckle, "I want to be able to help you however I can. Because you have been helping me more than I realized. You gave me a purpose and your trust. You give me hope that someday I'll be able to bring honor to my family name. And during all this - despite how scared I was and how I froze up - I knew you were coming to save us…so I didn't have to feel scared for long." With a tear in her eye, Ravel smiled, "I knew you were coming to save us, Issei-sama, because you're my hero. And I know you'll do it again."
Issei was rendered speechless by Ravel's words. He turned his head to watch the fight with Grendel, everything feeling like it was happening so slowly as the young [Pawn] considered what he could do next, "Ddraig?"
[Yes, partner?]
"I wanna touch boobs again."
[Believe me, I know.]
"But I can't do it because my power is all out of whack." Issei pushed off his knees and stood back up, "And there are these bastards here making a mess of everything."
[I agree.]
"Then we gotta make them pay for causing us trouble." Issei stepped forward, "Are you ready?"
[You don't even have to ask me. The question is are you ready? I'm not feeling any of the hesitation that blocked you a moment ago.]
"I was starting to get a big head that I should be able to avoid any threat or danger because I'm stronger now. I realize that's stupid, but I know what I can do now." Issei raised his head, crimson light bursting through his jewels as he roared, "If any danger comes to my friends, I can kick its head in and send it flying! Ddraig, I've got my shit together now! So are you ready to do this?!"
[That's what I've been waiting for, Issei!]
The Scale Mail flowed with an intense crimson color that filled the entire field. Grendel paused mid-strike to look over to the blinding light and the overwhelming flow of power coming from its source. A source that burst forth at blinding speeds towards him.
A fist buried into Grendel's cheek and sent the Evil Dragon's head snapping back violently.
Issei, clad in his True Queen armor, yelled for all to hear, "I won't let my strength falter again! I won't let my precious friends get kidnapped by you assholes! AND I REFUSE TO LET ASIA GIVE UP HER PANTIES FOR MY SAKE!"
[One of those isn't as important-]
"GRIT YOUR TEETH, FUCKER!" The wings and jets at Issei's back flared with intensity, "YOU WANTED A REAL FIGHT?! YOU'RE GETTING ONE!"
Devil
Faster than the eye could perceive, Naruto lashed out with a punch that Euclid widely dodged to avoid the natural energy. The lab around them was wrecked in the aftermath of their strikes and parries.
Naruto slid to a stop with clenched teeth, "How the hell do you even have a Boosted Gear?!"
Euclid weaved his magic and fired a myriad of attacks at Naruto. As the blond dodged Euclid continued, "Your friend Issei Hyoudou died in the Dimensional Gap. You think we couldn't find samples of his deteriorated corpse floating around in the void while we set up shop here?"
"So you made a copy of the Boosted Gear. But since it doesn't have Ddraig inside it," Naruto dashed through the slew of attacks and reached Euclid, extending his chakra and grabbing the Devil's arms before he could attack again, "It's not as strong as the original, right?"
In the moment Euclid was defenseless, a clone jumped up from behind Naruto and swept his foot down towards the rogue Lucifuge's head.
"No, it's not."
Euclid jumped and kicked up, knocking the clone back and popping it before he swung his arms down and forced himself out of Naruto's grip. The blond flashed away before Euclid's fist came down and shattered the floor, "But I am much, much stronger than Issei Hyoudou, so my boosted strength is far greater. You've met my sister and the people she associates with, right?"
"The Maou?"
"The false Maou," Euclid stressed, "You would do well to consider me closer to their level than a talentless fool who won the Sacred Gear lottery."
Naruto scowled, "I'd watch that tone. That talentless fool kicked a whole lot of ass and sent most of you Khaos Brigade dicks packing. There's a reason he's the hero of the Underworld."
"A Devil…lauded as a hero…" Euclid quietly scoffed at the prospect while shaking his head, "Regardless, you'd be wise not to compare the strength I can utilize to what Issei Hyoudou can just barely eke out. Like night and day." Naruto grabbed a table from the lab and spiked it at Euclid only for it to shatter on impact against another shield he erected in an instant, "See? Even my hastily made shield is significantly stronger now with the Boosted Gear."
"What do you even want from all this? If you have a Boosted Gear then you're already way stronger than most people. Why go for Phenex Tears and work with dragons?"
"If you know Rias Gremory, you know her brother too. How much do you know about my sister and our family?" At Naruto's unflinching expression, Euclid deduced that it wasn't much, "The Lucifuge family fought against the reformist faction that the false Maou lead today. And at the front of our battlefield was Onee-sama, challenging and fighting back that bastard Sirzechs Gremory. The Lucifuge family is one of the closest retainers to the true Lucifer bloodline, and we should be offering our services to the tasks they follow, not these pretenders."
"You're desperate to follow a Lucifer?" The whiskered man shrugged, "The rest of those Old Maou guys were killed, so if you wanna work for Vali then more power to you, I guess."
"Pfft, like anyone wants to work for that petulantly little bastard." Euclid sneered at the idea, "There are other options to take, more in line with what I've decided to pursue." A quiet ding broke the tense silence between them as Euclid raised his hand while a magic circle appeared over it, "Speaking of that pathetic excuse for a Lucifer, it looks like the other team is having some trouble."
"Other team? There are more of you, and you're picking a fight with Vali too?" Blowing a raspberry Naruto let out a small chuckle, "Hey, the last people to pick fights with us at the same time were Loki and Cao Cao, and you should look up how it worked out for them."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Euclid whipped his hand aside and sent a massive blast of destruction that decimated the lab, destroyed the walls surrounding it, and caught Naruto in the resulting blast. The despicable Devil quickly dashed out as Naruto burst through the rubble and gave chase to him.
They emerged back into the main space, the heavy prominent sounds of punches landing as Issei and Grendel were battling. Euclid flew over their heads and landed on Grendel's shoulder, "Grendel, it's time to leave."
"What?! Are you stupid?! I'm having the time of my life fighting Ddraig like this! He and his stupid host finally started showing some backbone!"
"You're still in the settling phase, Grendel. I don't want to risk your state with you overdoing it so soon." That seemed to unsettle the Evil Dragon as the beast let out a disgruntled growl, "If it'll make you feel any better I'm not asking you to leave fighting behind totally. I just got word that the White Dragon Emperor is fighting at this moment."
"Albion! Oh shit, that sounds good too! Alright, I'm ready to head out!"
"Hey!" Euclid looked down as Issei hovered a dozen meters away, "What the fuck is that thing on your arm?!"
"Oh this? This is a wonderful parting gift you gave us in your passing." He spoke in a monotone but his words were so clearly insulting that Issei ground his teeth. As Euclid conjured a huge magic circle to take him and Grendel away, the grey-haired man looked down at where Naruto stood with the rest of his people, "I expect this won't be the last time we conflict with the rest of you in the Rias Gremory peerage."
"You said there was another option for you to work under, right?" Naruto called out, "So who's the bastard in charge of all of you now?"
"Don't worry, we'll be introducing ourselves soon enough. Until then…" The circle beneath them glowed, "Farewell."
The light intensified and in an instant, the Devil and his Evil Dragon companion were gone. And leaving just the ORC and their StuCo tagalongs alone in the void of the white space that was starting to collapse.
Devil
"We escaped before the space could collapse and made our return to the station. We surrendered the captured Magicians over to some of our allies and they'll be doing what they can to interrogate and extract information from them." Sona fixed her glasses, "We've reclaimed the station for our use but still need time to determine how the Magicians got into Kuoh."
("Don't beat yourself up, Sona-kun. If these Magicians were as talented as you said there's no surprise they could slip through our defenses. We'll just have to make them up better.") Sirzechs encouraged the young rookie through his projection, ("I'm sorry you were forced into a situation where you couldn't call for help, but you handled it remarkably well. Especially considering there was a dragon there that all reports confirm is dead.")
"Yeah, and he's tough too." Issei looked done and clenched his fist, "Even in True Queen, focusing all my strength, and using Ascalon's dragon-slaying properties the blows I landed didn't affect him as much."
("Leading me to suspect that they've somehow been able to alter a dragon's body - which is all the more disconcerting. But the most unsettling fact of all…Naruto-kun, are you sure it was him?")
"He gave me his name. His hair was the same color. And the look in his eyes was suspiciously similar to Grayfia's." Naruto confirmed, the three young Devils giving their report to the Lucifer, "I think she'd be able to confirm if this was him better than anyone."
Sirzechs looked aside as his expression soured, no doubt seeing his wife and her reaction to the news about her brother, ("Yes, I suppose so. Someone disappears for centuries and suddenly turns up as your enemy…it's not the most comforting thing to hear.")
"I'm sorry, Lucifer-sama."
("It's none of your faults. But it is something we'll have to expect from now on.")
"Sirzechs," Naruto stepped up, "This guy is working for someone. Says that as a retainer of the Old Maou, he should follow a proper Devil, and that there were better choices than just Vali. Do you have any ideas?"
("Some, but we will need more information before we have an answer. I don't want to assume the worst-case scenario right off the bat.")
"And if it is the worst case?"
("Then even with our preparations, we may end up losing more than we anticipate.")
With a few more details and orders given the call ended and Sona let out a sigh, "Today has been an absolute hell."
"At least we came out the other side." Naruto crossed his arms and looked at Issei, "How are you doing?"
"I think I'm a little better." Issei flexed his arms, "I feel like I have a better hold of that swell of power I was feeling. Heh, I'm thinking of boobies right now and not losing control!"
"That's…great?"
"Yeah, but I still want some more practice. Make sure I have complete control, and I can enter my strongest state whenever I need it." Issei nodded, "I don't want Ravel or the others to have to go through this again without me at the top of my game."
"How is Ravel-San doing?" Sona asked.
"She's okay. She…had to head back home to the Phenex household. Report what she experienced involving the Phenex Tears. Also…she had someone to meet."
Devil
After Ravel had given her parents the report about her harrowing experience, she walked out of her family's mansion and made her way further into the Phenex territory. She went further and further until she arrived in a familiar location she'd been before.
"You again?" Son Goku opened his eyes to regard the small Devil arriving outside his cave formation where he had set up, "Are you here trying to convince me again? Or will you send a member of your family to do it?"
"I need you to join with me."
"And I told you I'm not going to just surrender to a pact like that so easily. I have my pride."
"As do I."
"Then we're at an impasse."
"No, we're not." The four-tailed Bijū looked down as Ravel hung her head with shaking shoulders, "Because that's what I want to talk to you about; pride. Even if it can be arrogant or haphazardly detrimental, I still hold onto my pride. Even if I'm not the strongest, the joy and elation I feel being part of the Phenex family cannot be described. And today…"
Her hands trembled at her sides as a tear ran down her cheek, "I saw my family's greatest treasure being bastardized by our enemy. I saw husks of clones of my people twisted and broken for experiments. And what's worse is that my friends had to get hurt and pay the price just because my enemy wanted to push and break me!"
Ravel looked up at Son Goku, tears spilling from her eyes as she yelled, "I had my pride trampled on today by monsters who don't care in the slightest! My friends and the man I adore came to my rescue, but I still can't forgive that it was because of the total disregard for my family that this occurred in the first place!"
"Son Goku-sama!" She called out his name in desperation, "I want to form a bond with you! Not out of necessity! Not because we've both experienced what it feels like to be used! But because of our pride!" Her wings burst from her back, "I want to protect and reclaim the pride they stepped on today! And I ask of you, the only other being that could understand this frustration, that you help me take it back from them!"
Her fierce proclamation echoed through the trees and into the chasms of the caves. Son Goku stared down at Ravel for several seconds unfazed as she desperately filled her lungs.
"Heh," The giant ape scoffed, his tails shifting as he lifted himself, "I'm not pleased by this. I'm still not sold on this whole idea. But I must say, young one," His palm reached out to the young Phenex daughter, "You speak of your pride more deeply now it seems."
Ravel nodded, a small tear in her eyes but her resolve steeled as she reached up and touched Son Goku's palm.
Her body was bathed in a layer of lava until she was completely engulfed by it. She remained in that state for a brief moment before the lava hardened and shattered into pieces of rock at her feet. Ravel opened her eyes-
"Why am I naked?!" She immediately squealed while covering her chest and lower region, "Why did you burn my clothes?!"
"I mean I covered you in lava. What did you expect?"
"None of the other Bijū affected their partner's clothes when they linked with them!"
"They didn't?"
"No!"
"Oh. Oops. Guess I should be careful of that."
"You should have been careful now! I don't even feel that different so I don't think you even-"
Son Goku looked down and Ravel paused in her tirade to look down as well. Her feet had started melting into the ground and droplets of lava started dripping from her flaming wings. Ravel was left speechless as she finally noticed the intense heat coming off of her.
"I suggest you get more durable clothes, girl. You're going to be running a lot hotter from now on."
Devil
Euclid's eyes roamed over the footage of the fight he was able to collect after returning to his base. The abilities of the other Devils. Their tactics. The strange way Issei Hyoudou seemed to grow more confident when the Phenex girl offered to let him grope her.
That was just strange.
"So, how was the experiment?"
The faux-amiable voice came up from behind him as he focused on the footage, "Good enough. Grendel seems to be able to hold his own quite well against a Heavenly Dragon, even if he isn't fully realized."
"That's good! Does that mean the other Evil Dragons should fair just as well?"
"That's our hope, sir."
"Hmm," His hand reached out over Euclid's shoulder and pointed to a particular screen, "And what's this?"
With a wave of his hand, he brought the screen forward, depicting his scuffle with Naruto within the laboratory, "This was a quick fight I had with Naruto Uzumaki."
"He seems to be holding his own very well."
"He was. I wasn't using my full power and hadn't don the Scale Mail…but I could tell neither was he. And he was already a capable opponent countering and fending me off even when he didn't know my full capabilities. He'll be a dangerous foe to face in the future."
"Right…but that didn't seem to be your focus during your little kerfuffle, was it?"
"No, it wasn't." Euclid zoomed in, "I believe my focus…was here."
Closing in on the black seal formation along Naruto's stomach while he was clad in chakra.
"What is it?"
"Something very interesting."
Devil
Done
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