Yo, did you all read the latest chapter of Yusuke Murata's One-Punch Man?! XD If so, say AYE!
Ajuka marched with such fury in his steps that those that followed him walked with unease. The only other person matching his fury was Issei, as the current Lord of Flies immediately disabled the barrier surrounding the mansion where Diodora was imprisoned and pushed the doors open.
"Lord Beelzebub?" One of the Devil guards called while holding a mug of coffee.
"What have you all been doing?!" Ajuka shouted with all of his emotion, startling the devil guards there.
"W-What do you mean, sire? We are doing our-"
"Where is Diodora?" Ajuka demanded.
The devil guards responded with what sounded like genuine confusion.
"...He's still in his cell in the basement."
Issei gestured Rover to waddle towards the guards.
The devils watched as the alien dog started sniffing their shoes one by one, ending with the devil Ajuka was talking to. Ajuka knew of the dog's capabilities from the reports, knowing to trust a hound's nose more than words.The dog immediately barked and growled at the devils without warning.
"...You. What did you do?" Ajuka accused the devil before him.
"My lord, I assure you that-"
Rover barked louder before the dog jumped and bit the devil's hand.
Issei, Sona, Rias, and the others did not expect Rover to easily tear the devil's wrist off, showing the gangly muscle and gray, bloodless muscle underneath.
Rover even spat the torn wrist out. There were maggots wriggling under the skin and sinew.
Ajuka stared at the rotten flesh before he turned his glare at the guard.
The guards stared back.
"...Sire?" The one whose wrist fell off asked as if he did not even notice his missing appendage.
"I have had enough." Ajuka's palm aimed at them as every Devil guard was caught by magic circles appearing under their feet. "...Where is your master?"
Ajuka was casting a spell to trace the connection to whoever was pulling their strings using his vast knowledge of magic. He closed his eyes as he focused on the connection, following the line to the signature of the caster.
However, he suddenly felt the connection die.
Ajuka opened his eyes to see that the skin of the devil guards immediately sagging, falling off into decaying sludge, followed by their muscles and, finally, their bones.
Everyone stared at what was once the people responsible for guarding one of the most vile Devils of the Astaroth Clan's history as Ajuka clenched his teeth.
"...What the fuck was that?" Issei asked while looking aghast at the gory spectacle.
"Walking corpses pretending to be the living. I tried to trace the connection back to their wielders but they destroyed their puppets before I adapted. What power did he sell his soul to, this time…?" Ajuka clicked his tongue as he immediately marched into the basement.
Everyone followed Ajuka until he stopped before a jail cell.
The Lord of Flies stared at the erased magic circle in the center of the empty jail cell. The blurred circle was under a flipped carpet, runic symbols too random and alien, from a system he had never encountered before.
The words of Cattleya Leviathan replayed in his mind as he clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"...She knew this would happen. Damn her. Damn me for letting blood cloud my better judgment." Ajuka cursed.
"...What are you going to do?" Issei grimly asked the Satan.
"I'm going to correct a mistake."
XoX
That day, a small uproar erupted in the Underworld regarding the mysterious disappearance of one the most infamous Devils of the Noble Class, Diodora Astaroth.
There was now a price on the head of the noble, a very high, exorbitant price funded by the Three Factions, mostly from the Fallen Angel faction, paid in tons of platinum.
The Rating Games were now on delay and Latia Astaroth was currently under heavy protection after Diodora's stunt at the party.
Asia Argento was also under protection while undergoing more training since it was obvious that Diodora would target her.
Now, Issei and the others were within Rias' mansion. Irina, Xenovia, and Asia were there, Sona and Saji and all of Rias' peerage were also present.
"...Dude." Issei gave Saji a thumbs-up. "I will admit. When I first saw you, I didn't think you would get anywhere especially with that Gecko gauntlet and your poor taste in tactics."
"I will pretend that I didn't hear that." Saji snorted.
"...But seriously, you're finally getting it. You're getting that true warrior instinct. And way to go on trying to burn that fucker's balls off, I mean, nice work. Did it fall off?"
"Don't know, he teleported away before I could have done anything to him… And thanks for that. Seriously, Platinum worked my ass off like there's no tomorrow. Besides… What are we going to do? The Rating Game's been called off."
"I still can't believe that Diodora would go so far to violate his own relatives… The isolation must've exacerbated his impulsive habits." Sona gave her thoughts.
The silence in the room was pensive.
"Anyway, there's not much we can do until more leads come up." Rias commented after taking a sip from her cup of tea, "...With the Rating Game canceled and our Summer break nearing its end, I suppose we prepare for our return to Kuoh."
"Haaaahhh….." Issei gave a long sigh.
He just wanted to experience the good high class life before everything was finished.
"Damn it…" A part of him really did not want to return to school yet. "The break ended too fast."
"Time knows how to fly." Koneko commented.
"Yeah. I also need to find out where the bastard took the girls, but he already caught onto Mary's trick." Issei took out the King Piece as he stared at it. "...I am not sure if he also knows about Rover, but I have the Blacks help out with the search… Motherfucker knows who he should look out for; which brings more questions on how he knew in the first place."
Issei might need some more supernatural help. He knew that he could not do anything about it with his current skill sets. He was a fighter, not a professional investigator.
"...What about… finding a way to draw him out?" Irina gave her idea.
"That's not a bad idea, but what do we need to do to draw him out?" Issei retorted.
Issei admitted that was a valid idea and would save them a lot of time and energy, but…
"What is the one thing that Diodora wants the most currently?" Sona asked.
"Well… Oh." Issei realized Diodora's wicked desires as he turned to Asia.
However, as soon as everyone caught on, Issei quickly shook his head, "...No, absolutely not."
The pure girl blinked for a moment.
"Anything else we have as bait? Anything not female and rapeable?"
Everyone remained silent in rumination.
"Does Diodora have any other interest other than being a bastard?" Saji asked.
"Unfortunately, he is the kind of scumbag who would even go for his own niece out of sexual frustration. I really hope his balls are burned off." Issei sighed. "Speaking of which, why not dangle Saji as the bait instead?"
"Hey!"
"What? You can handle yourself this time, plus you set his balls on fire, meaning you're on his serious shitlist. Though you'll have some backup just in case since he is a genuine bastard. I mean, I don't even know how he gets around in the Underworld and stuff. I don't know how he got into the party uninvited unless he had inside help like with that one guy whose name I just can't seem to remember during the Holy Sword fiasco…"
Everyone smiled a little at his attempt at humor.
"It is disturbing that he escaped confinement. We might need to hire professional investigators for this."
"Now all we need is to get Asia under heavy protection." Rias noted.
"U-Um…"
Everyone turned towards the girl in question, who was raising her hand meekly, yet her expression was that of a determination.
"...I-I'll do it."
"...Do what?" Issei asked.
"...I want to be the bait."
Everyone stared at the pure angel as they imagined her facing Diodora.
"...Asia. Are you… trying to be brave? I mean… no offense but… why?" Issei asked Asia why the hell she would volunteer to be the bait for what was probably the worst evil bastard in existence.
Asia straightened her shoulders and put on a brave face.
"...Because I have everyone with me. And I have Rassei."
Kyu!
Raised poked out of her hair and flexed his small arms.
"I am not powerless anymore. Now I have gained strength to be useful for everyone."
Issei's expression softened at Asia's declaration.
"...How much stronger did you get? Actually, how much did Ophis level up Rassei?"
"We can do it, Issei! Rassei can do it!"
Squeak!
Rassei gave Issei a cheeky thumbs-up.
Issei wondered what a newborn Imoogi blessed with the Infinite dragon's power would become.
"You've grown a lot, Asia. I can see that." Issei's soft smile then shifted into a stern line, "But I cannot approve risking your safety like this when we can still come up with a better plan."
"A better plan does not exist for a conniving coward."
Everyone blinked and turned towards the entrance where Golden Sperm was standing by with his arms crossed.
"Gold?"
"I am here to inspect your status, just as Asia boldy proposed." Gold remarked as he allowed himself inside, ducking under the doorframe due to his height. "Brave, but needs polishing. Allow me to impart my wisdom. From my experience, you cannot over-prepare for someone like Diodora. I know his type, a snake that will slither around its prey and strike when its food is at its most vulnerable. Any sign of a trap, and he won't spring into action. The devil king just announced a man-hunt with an exorbitant bounty on his head, which will further push the coward into caution. Above all else…" He pointed at Saji, "The boy nearly got him and burned his life away. A shame, really. This is the kind of coward that must be killed regardless of any value he might have."
Asia then looked down, slowly seeing the point behind Gold's argument.
"The only way to bait someone like him out… is to prepare the girl for the inevitable confrontation. When she is alone and at her most vulnerable… But if we're clever enough, we might be able to slip in something that can catch him off guard."
"Such as….?"
"Live out your lives as usual. Be a little on guard since Diodora did mess up and tried to rape his relative, but time yourself right. Not to mention that you also have magic."
Everyone exchanged glances, until Rias stood up.
"Gold has a point." She began, "The only thing we can do is to move on with our lives, but remain vigilant for any imminent attack. Don't go out alone and keep your ears and eyes open."
"Say… how was your training at the Church, Iri?" Issei asked as he and everyone walked to school, returning to the facility of education after a few months.
Upon returning back to Kuoh - true to the words, Tsubasa's designated room in Hyoudou Residence had been vacated and she had returned directly to her family's house.
Onto the next topic - It was still a pain having to worry about Diodora even during school life, but at least Diodora would not dare come to Kuoh now that the price on his head was exorbitant as hell. Issei wondered how many bounty hunters would be after his head now… though for some reason, that guy had the backing of the Biblical Devil behind him, making him harder to kill than he should be.
"Well, we were training our angel powers. Lord Michael also had me… practice some devil magic. And some dark magic a little," Irina stated as they stopped at the red light, waiting for the cars to drive by.
"You can use Curse magic or something? Thinking about it, there are instances of God cursing people if I think about it…" Issei asked.
"Well, a little. Regular angels cannot do that, but I prefer to stick to the lighter side." Irina smiled as they walked across when the light turned green.
"Anything interesting on your side after we fed Bernael to the monkey's paw?" Issei asked.
"Well, the state of the Church did get better. There were a lot of… people unhappy that it took this long to get rid of the corruption within our Church. But on the bright side, everyone is happy that we did it! Oh, wait… there is something else." Irina remembered.
"What? What is it?"
"Strangely, there is an unusual rise of undead activity. I had to go with Griselda to purify the graveyards, perform exorcisms, clear out buildings of ghosts… a lot more than usual." Irina noted.
Her words reminded Issei of Sarui Ilugo's warning in his dream.
"...How rare are undead occurrences?" Rias asked.
"Pretty rare, actually. Not to mention that we still have not identified the source of this sudden uprising." Irina pouted.
"How does an undead come to be, though?" Asia tilted her head.
"Necromancy for most cases." Xenovia provided, "...Or any sort of rituals or dark magic that can reanimate objects. We deal with undead by purging the magic influencing them, or have whoever is controlling them stop. But in this case, revenants and zombies are rising naturally."
"What if those zombies are produced by some kind of drugs, viruses or something?" Issei quipped.
Xenovia and Irina stared at Issei as if he grew another head, before they snorted and descended into giggles.
"...What?" Issei asked in confusion.
As their giggles grew into laughs, Irina commented, "Oh my god, Ise. You really think Biohazard is a thing in real life, don't you? Hahahaha…!"
Everyone watched Irina and even Xenovia laughed at Issei - who was looking not amused, as if the boy just said something utterly ridiculous.
"...Don't make fun of the classics." Issei grumbled as he looked away.
"Sorry… Sorry." Irina and Xenovia calmed down.
"To be fair, there was once a theory that the dead can be raised through pure science, but it was discarded immediately after testing because…. Well, it's crazy." Rias stated.
"What? Really? Who tried it?" Issei asked.
"William Frankenstein."
"Wait, Frankenstein? The Frankenstein?! …Really? Damn." The more Issei knew.
"Yes, the amount of energy needed to reanimate a corpse is… something that no mere virus or fluid can replicate. So please stay your worries about a viral zombie apocalypse. It most likely will not happen…. And we have magic." Rias giggled.
"...Right, fair enough, I suppose. Anyway, how are you doing, lil' guy? Ready for your first day to walk among humans?" Issei turned to one Millicas Gremory - who was clad in a boy's Kuoh Academy uniform.
Considering the young Gremory's recent designation as Rias' Pawn, he had been arranged to enroll in Kuoh Academy as a middle-school student.
On a related note - while Lint Sellzen was supposedly joining them too; she still had to answer to the final summon from the Grigori to officiate her transfer to Kuoh, hence her enrolment would be delayed for a few days.
"Yes, I am ready! I am looking forward to studying under the same roof as everyone!" Millicas replied with an eager tone, albeit there was a hint of anxiety in his voice.
"That's the spirit. But don't hesitate to look for us to help when you need one, okay? We'll work it out." Issei smiled as he ran his hand through Millicas' crimson locks.
They eventually arrived at Kuoh, walking in through the gates.
"Hey, Valster." Issei waved at Vali, who waved back.
"Finally getting used to school?" Issei smirked.
"I would rather burn it to the ground if I could." Vali snorted as he joined them. "I was finally at peace until some girls were eyeing me expectantly whenever some boys passed me by. And the boys were scooching away from me like I'm a sexual predator."
Issei snorted into laughter as they entered the school, with Millicas parting ways towards middle-school division after exchanging some well-wishes with everyone.
"So… Issei." Rias gave a cheeky smile as she tiptoed beside him. "We still have a Rook position available. Soooo?"
She placed her head on his shoulder, garnering pouts from Asia and Irina and the rest of the girls.
"You're going to have a full peerage soon, Rias. You know my answer." Issei smirked as he poked her head.
Rias pouted this time, before she wined, "But that would mean that Sona would get you!"
"Tell her I'll say no, no matter what then."
However, Issei suddenly paused in his tracks, prompting the others to stop as well, when they noticed a familiar face standing in front of them.
Tsubasa - along with Momo and Reya, were just on their way to their own class when the former's eyes met Issei's.
The other students in the hallway immediately noticed the awkward atmosphere as Issei and Tsubasa simply regarded each other without a word for a minute. Eventually, it was Issei who broke the stalemate.
"...'Morning, Tsu."
Tsubasa blinked before her lips stretched into a small smile, "Good morning, Ise… How are things?"
"Fine for now… You heard of what happened, right?"
Tsubasa nodded, "Yeah… Yeah, we did hear from the Stu-co President. Don't worry, we got your back."
"Hm, good… Good. Um, so, are you good?"
Tsubasa snorted slightly as she walked past Issei, not before giving Issei's side a light shove of her elbow.
"Yeah, we're good." She gave one more smile before nodding to the others and walking away, "...I'll see you guys around."
Reya and Momo simply nodded with small smiles before they caught up to Tsubasa. As Issei watched his ex-girlfriend's retreating back, he blinked when he found Irina's hand grasping his. He turned to see Irina's comforting smile, before he returned the gesture and squeezed her hand gently, then they continued their trek.
They entered their respective classrooms as Issei's mind wandered when the first teacher arrived. He was more concerned about the girls, but there was nothing he could do. He wondered if he should call Binbougami for his assistance with the corpse's hand, but that would open another can of worms, and he had no idea about the forces backing Diodora.
How should he approach this? Issei could probably ask Lavinia for some assistance. Honestly, he had no surefire way to look for the girls other than the Monkey's Paw.
Seriously, the power of Wish Magic… Issei really wanted the power to wield that kind of magic.
As for those with connections to Khaos Brigade… He just remembered that Diodora was aligned with that faction since he definitely had the mutating meatball, and there was one dragon goddess that he did not take into account.
However, he was not sure if she was reliable since she severed all ties with the organization... His thoughts were soon interrupted as the homeroom commenced.
The time for the break period approached.
Issei sighed as he reclined in his seat as he waited for the others to visit him as usual. He looked at the entrance to see Yuuto entering the room for a quick visit.
Issei was about to wave at him…
However, he stopped when their peaceful atmosphere was suddenly murdered by a blade of potent malice directed their way. No, it was directed towards Yuuto's direction as every angel, devil, and others turned towards the source of the malice, even Vali.
What they did not expect was the sight of Katase standing with her hand raised in greeting, albeit her face was similar to a deer being caught in headlights.
"...Um… is there something on my face?" Katase asked.
"I… uh…" Yuuto was not sure how to respond to Katase's question. Her demeanor and intent felt genuine, yet they were sure that, for a brief moment, they felt the murderous aura from her.
Issei and Vali exchanged glances. They knew that it was not a figment of their imagination if every fighter here reacted to it.
"...How was your summer break, Katase?" Yuuto decided to play along with his usual disarming smile.
"Oh! Um, it was uneventful at first, but then it turned exciting in the end! Well… Me, Murayama, and Kiryu broke into an abandoned building on a dare. But that's it!" She smiled at the prince.
"Hey, we were there too!" Motohama and Matsuda voiced out.
Issei and the others stared at the perverted duo before they turned to Katase.
"Wait, you went to an abandoned building with those two?" Issei called out, completely surprised since everyone was aware of how she and Murayama see the two.
"...Our friends were busy. And we thought they would make good meat shields in case we encountered ghosts." Katase looked away.
"Ghosts?" Yuuto asked.
"Yeah. Kiryuu even brought an ouija board. But… n-n-nothing happened in the end."
Her last sentence sounded strained for some reason.
Everyone stared at her before they turned to Kiryu.
"...Yeah, nothing happened." Kiryuu sounded extremely unconvincing for some reason.
Issei even noticed Murayama sending concerned glances at Katase every now and then, but he eventually decided to put them at the back of his mind.
"...Say, we actually saw you and Tsubasa outside the class this morning. Something happened between you two?" Kiryuu changed the subject.
Everyone appeared to be on the same page as they looked at Issei expectantly. Seeing no way out, Issei sighed.
"...Something happened, we talked and…. Decided to take a break." Issei replied cryptically.
They blinked once before Kiryuu nodded, "...Oh."
Even Murayama could not help but comment, "Are you, uh… You okay?"
Issei smiled at the brunette, "Yeah, we're okay, don't worry about that. We talked things out and agreed it's for the best."
Matsuda and Motohama then approached Issei before the former patted on his shoulder, "...It's okay, man. Plenty more fish in the sea, right?"
"Here, here." Motohama nodded while fixing his glasses. "Glad to have you back among our circles of single men, brother."
Issei blinked at the pervert-duo before he smiled wryly, "Yeah…. Appreciate it, but about that…"
On cue, Irina stepped in to hug Issei's arm into her bosom, leaning her head on his shoulder in the process.
"Irina and I just began dating this Summer, so… Yeah."
Kiryuu snorted in amusement, while Matsuda and Motohama had their smiles vanish from their faces as they stepped away from Issei.
"On second thought, Ise - eat shit and die." Matsuda retorted.
"Fucking cassanova… One Kiba is already bad enough." Motohama followed suit.
The girls merely giggled and Issei glowered before Genos arrived and started his class.
It was eventually the end of the school period as the students either went home early, club activities, or just lounging around on the school grounds.
Issei had a few plans regarding Ophis and making contacts with his magician friends to locate the girls if possible.
"Oh, um, Issei! Asia!"
However, an unexpected voice called out to them. Issei and the rest of the girls, plus Yuuto, turned to see Kiyome run up to them.
"Oh, what's up, Kiyome?" Issei waved back as Kiyome approached them.
"Um, may I borrow Asia? I kind of need her for something." Kiyome sheepishly asked.
"What do you mean 'something'?" Issei quirked a brow.
"...Do you need help with Stjarna?" Asia asked, tilting her head.
"Shhhhh!" Kiyome hissed at her with a finger to her lips.
"...No way. Don't tell me…" Issei's smile grew wider and wider - pointing his thumb at Asia. "She actually did it, didn't she?"
"No, no she didn't. Stjarna just… shut up!" Kiyome snapped at Issei as his smile reached his ears.
"Look, Stjarna is… doing something new; and I need help to approach him without getting incinerated."
"...Incinerated?" Issei narrowed his eyes.
"Um, Ise?" Irina quipped in, "Who is she, and what is she talking about?"
"Ah, right. Everyone, meet Kiyome Abe. She is another friend of mine, though for different reasons than you think. She is from the Abe clan, has a long history of monster taming in her blood, and she is currently dealing with a creature that is way too high level for her."
Irina and Xenovia understood half of that judging by their blank faces.
"...So you have a third childhood friend?" Irina asked with owlish eyes and a lopsided frown.
"Um… I wouldn't call her a childhood friend… I mean, we only knew each other around a year ago." Issei then shook his head, "Anyways, what do you mean incinerated? Why? What'd you do?" Issei asked Kiyome.
"I don't know how to describe it other than him… marking his territory." Kiyome quoted.
"...Define marking."
"He is spreading some kind of sticky organic resin around a cave he dug in for himself and is now extremely territorial for some reason." Kiyome explained.
"Did you do something to him?" Issei asked again.
"Nothing! Well, I was poking around here and there but after Asia left, he became more easily irritable. So… may I borrow her or is this a bad time?" Kiyome asked with an awkward smile.
Issei opened his mouth a little.
"Um… I can come with her. I mean… it is Stjarna." Asia said with a small smile.
Issei imagined Diodora attacking Asia in Stjarna's presence. He could only picture Diodora regretting everything as the creature turns him into poop.
"...Actually, I think Asia can help you with your problem." Issei decided to risk it just to see Diodora die by digestion and laugh at him for it. "Though… Maybe I can come as well? Just in case things get too hairy."
Kiyome blinked before nodded, "Sure, why not."
"Um…" Irina raised her hand up, "Can we come along too? I think all of us are curious now." She gestured at the others around.
Kiyome glanced at everyone, before she shrugged, "...Alright. Again, why not? This should be interesting."
Issei and the others stared at the 'cave' Kiyome mentioned.
The angel trio and the devils - Vali, Yuuto, Ravel, Rias, Koneko, and Akeno were with Kiyome and Issei.
"...This looks less like territory marking and more like a Zerg infestation." Issei commented using Starcraft references.
There were really no words to describe the newly formed cave at the mountain wall on the beach.
Cancerous flesh-like matter covered the majority of the sand and rocky walls, black-purple ooze staining the natural beautiful scenery. There was no better description other than calling it 'corruption' in a sense.
"Um, what is a Zerg?" Asia asked.
"Think highly evolved sci-fi creatures that can adapt to anything and can tear space machines apart like paper, don't worry about it." Issei waved off.
"Um….. What is 'sci-fi'...?" Asia tilted her head this time.
"Science Fiction, Asia." Issei replied with easy patience, eliciting an 'oh' from the girl.
"Yeah… I'm a bit concerned when I think about it." Kiyome frowned. "...What will happen if Stjarna multiplies like a Zerg?"
Issei did not want to think about it or imagine the worst case scenario like in the sci-fi movies.
"Let's just hope that Stjarna is the kind that doesn't asexually reproduce. Alright, let's go in. And be ready for any zerglings or whatever." Issei gestured as they walked into the alien creature's territory.
Koneko frowned as she looked at the corruption. She did not want to step in that filth so she spread her devil wings and took flight. Seeing Koneko's action, Rias, Akeno, and Ravel took flight as well.
Irina and Xenovia took flight as they spread their angel wings.
Asia did not seem to mind as her shoes squelched in the corruption alongside the boys and Kiyome.
The girls remained silent as they followed the four into the cave.
Asia summoned a ball of light and illuminated the darkness.
Thick, yellow web-like fluids were scattered around the cave walls.
"Eww…" Koneko frowned when some got caught into her hair.
"I don't like this." Ravel said as she tried not to get any caught on her clothes
"None of us do." Issei remarked, not caring if his clothes got stained by the alien organic matter.
Issei really, really hoped that they were not dealing with some kind of invading superorganism from outer space. That was definitely the last thing he or anyone in this world needed.
They finally entered what looked like a massive clearing; Though they could not help but drop their jaws at the sight of the massive yellow glowing sac hanging in the center, connected by yellow organic webbing with something large and serpentine inside the sac.
"...Okaaaay… Kiyome. What the hell are we looking at? I'm starting to get very worried." Issei asked dumbfounded.
He was too stunned by the sight to give a proper reply. This was way beyond anything he experienced, less sensible Supernatural creature and more inexplicable eldritch alien entity.
"It's…. Some kind of cocoon, I think?" Kiyome replied helplessly.
"Actually, what on earth is this Stjarna? Kiyome, what have you gotten yourself into?" Rias put in her two cents.
"That's what I'm trying to find out. I had Stjarna's DNA tested by my connections in Underworld… they have absolutely no idea what he is." Kiyome was just as stunned.
"...Is it strong?" Vali asked.
"Dude, not the right time." Issei elbowed the half-devil.
The cocoon started pulsing as the creature inside wriggled.
"Uh… we might want to step back." Kiyome said as she and the others backed away as the fluids started to spill.
Emerging from sac was what the Devils and two angels could only describe as an alien abomination of a wyrm.
The creature had… eighteen eyes - six at the front of its elongated serpentine head and six on each side.
It had an extra horn alongside the ones with the fin-membranes connecting the ones before, a singular sharp horn of obsidian purple black aiming at the heavens like a rhinoceros horn.
It looked bigger, the imbricated dark exoskeleton looked sleeker and more durable.
Stjarna raised its head to the ceiling and released an ear-bleeding screech as it spread its twelve majestic wings from its dorsal.
Everyone in the room covered their ears as Vali and the rest stared at the monstrous thing, completely stunned by its appearance and sheer imposing presence.
[Holy shit!]
[What kind of unholy abomination is that thing?!]
Ddraig and Albion were the first to shout out everyone's thought - Divine Dividing was fully manifested on Vali's back, as well as the Boosted Gear on Isseis forearm.
"I don't know, but it's something all right!" Issei shouted through the piercing noise as Stjarna shook off the yolk-like slime off its body.
"It looks awesome, though!" Vali shouted back.
"Yeah, I know!"
Stjarna growled as it looked down at Issei. The creature instantly lashed its head down until it was so close to Issei.
Issei was stunned by the thing's speed as it gazed at him directly with the six front eyes. Issei couldn't even react as it observed him.
"...Hi? Uh, remember me?" Issei awkwardly called out. He really hoped that the creature would not try and eat him.
The creature pulled back as its eighteen eyes rolled into different directions, not unlike a chameleon as it folded its wings.
It looked like it didn't have any wings in this state.
"Um, Stjarna! Hello!" Kiyome called it.
Stjarna turned to Kiyome, seeing the human waving at him.
"Uh… You've gotten bigger, right? C-Congratulations… I mean, you sure know how to surprise people you know? With all that Zerg stuff you're pulling off… oh, are you hungry? I got something nice and meaty for you if you follow me!"
Stjarna only venomously hissed at her.
"Oh come on! I mean it! I'm trying to be your friend here!"
"More like trying to make him your pet." Issei muttered loud enough for Kiyome to shoot a glare in his direction.
Stjarna gruffed as his many eyes flicked towards the others. Immediately, its pupils dilated.
"Um…. Why is it looking at us like that?" Rias nervously asked, as she and the others prepared to spring into action at any moment's notice.
"Probably because it has never seen you before." Kiyome surmised.
The creature immediately disappeared, everyone hearing a loud hiss behind them followed by falling dust and pebbles as everyone turned around, seeing Stjarna blocking the entrance.
Everyone was stunned by this thing's sheer speed as it immediately whipped its head down on Vali.
Its sudden viper-like action took Vali by big surprise to the point that he did nothing as the creature sniffed him, loudly inhaling his scent.
It then started growling at him before it snaked around and started sniffing Divine Dividing. It hissed with hostility.
"...Issei. Whatever Stjarna is, it's starting to scare us." Rias said as Stjarna instantly faced Rias. It was so close to Rias that she could smell the creature's fluids, the ones that still remained from the cocoon.
The creature was starting to sound like it did not like them.
"Just don't antagonize him. He is… not that open to strangers." Kiyome suggested as the creature started flicking its mouth-tongue thing at Rias.
Rias held her breath as the creature moved lightning-fast to Yuuto, the swordsman feeling his heart stopped when he was suddenly face-to-face with it.
It inhaled deeply, sniffing, before it lowered itself to Yuuto's sword, sniffing it.
"...We come in peace?" Yuuto already had his hands up in the air.
It went to Akeno and sniffed her. It sounded confused when it smelled her, then it continued sniffing her.
Once it was satisfied, it shifted to Koneko and Ravel. It paused on Koneko, tilting its head a little at her.
It was then eyeing Ravel with slight curiosity.
Then when it came to Irina and Xenovia, its expression softened as it sniffed them; it then pulled away.
"Um… hello." Asia waved.
Rassei poked out of her hair and squeaked, waving its little hand. Stjarna thrummed with a calm tone as it saw her and Rassei.
With a quick inhale, Asia steeled herself and pushed the conversation forward, "...It's good to see you again, Mr. Stjarna. How are you doing today?"
Everyone watched as the eldritch-looking creature thrummed again, albeit with some growling, as its head veered around the girl, as if it was actually attempting to communicate with her. Issei caught Rias staring at him with a 'what' expression, which he could only return with a shrug.
"Ummm… I hope you don't mind if I bring my friends. They are very curious to meet you." She smiled as her angel wings fluttered.
The creature almost made a rhythmic clicking sound as it tilted its head at them.
"This is so unfair. Why is Stjarna friendly with Asia while I…" Kiyome muttered under her breath, causing Issei and Vali to snicker.
There was a small silence between them.
"So uh… what now?" Rias asked as she and the rest stared at the creature.
"...Would you show us what you can do?" Issei asked as the creature turned to him.
"What? We have no idea what you can do, and you look like you understand us… Ish."
The creature remained silent as it stared at Issei. It turned around and slithered back out the tunnel it made, although they watched Stjarna chew through the rock with contemptible ease since it was bigger than when he made the cave, leaving them behind.
"...Okay. Ms. Abe, Issei... What just happened?" Irina asked when freed from the thing's imposing appearance and presence, completely in a daze as to the series of events.
"Meet Stjarna, my work in progress." Kiyome clicked her tongue. "I found him when he fell from the sky in my mansion's backyard beach… and I've been trying to get him to warm up to me ever since."
"...And failing." Issei added.
"Shut up - He is unique, and I just want him to open up to me even just a little… Hah, damn it all." Kiyome stomped her way out of the cavern towards the enlarged tunnel.
Issei followed Kiyome as the rest joined them, climbing out of the less sticky tunnel since Stjarna cleared the organic fluids when he dug his way out.
Once they emerged from the cave, they saw Stjarna waiting for them outside.
It hissed a little before it spread its wings and launched into the skies, kicking up large swaths of sand and dust.
"...It can fly." Issei noted after a few seconds.
"It can fly…" Kiyome repeated as she watched with wide eyes.
"Wow, amazing, Mr. Stjarna! You can fly!" Asia - bless her heart, was actually sincere with her comments as she clapped her hands.
The creature, however, was extremely fast in the air with all twelve of its massive wings beating against the sky like drums, blowing a gust of air over them.
Issei could barely keep track of Stjarna even with his high-kinetic vision.
"...Wow… he's like a caterpillar turned into a supersonic butterfly. Look at him go," Issei noted.
"...Say… how old is Stjarna?" Akeno asked.
Stjarna started to shoot energy beams out of its mouth. Then breathed white fire. Then shoot a a high-pressure stream of fluids that cut the sands in front of them.
The sand was sizzling with smoke as the organic matter covering it instantly melted, leaving trenches that marked Stjarna's streams.
"That's… why do you ask?" Kiyome asked.
"...What was Stjarna like before?" Akeno asked.
"More underdeveloped… Oh." Kiyome immediately understood.
"If Stjarna underwent metamorphosis, then… that means that he is not an adult. Meaning he still has much room to grow…" Akeno informed everyone as they looked at Stjarna with a newfound sense of concern.
"And…. Now that creature can unleash multiple breaths. What stage is he on?" Rias asked.
"Teens, maybe? Considering the last time I saw he's more or less a child… I think?" Kiyome shrugged.
"Honestly, I am more excited to see what he will become when he becomes an adult." Vali gave his input.
"Dude..." Issei elbowed him again as Stjarna landed with serpentine grace, swirling around the sand once before it craned its head up within the center of the ring of his lower body.
Stjarna started to do something new.
Issei watched as Stjarna started to grow limbs. Small stubby things at first, then those things started to form what looked like fingers.
"Are those…. Human arms?" Issei asked as he saw the limbs became more and more familiar in shape.
It was an attempt to mimic the shape of human arms although they were disproportionate, one arm lengthened much longer than the other.
The size of the fingers were mismatched and asymmetrical as well.
Stjarna looked at its 'arms' and clenched and unclenched its fingers. It grunted with displeasure before its arms sank back into its body.
"Huh…" They were more surprised that the thing had limitations on him. Its displeasure was obvious even to them.
"Don't worry, Stjarna! You can do it!" Asia called out.
Stjarna growled softly at her before it started slithering towards the ocean, sinking into the waters until its form was no longer seen.
"So… That is Stjarna." Rias concluded.
"Yep." Issei nodded
"And it can breathe underwater?" Akeno asked.
"...Yep."
"...What does it do in the ocean?" Koneko asked.
"When I first saw him, he was eating a frickin whale corpse on dry land. At the end, he slithered back to the ocean doing whatever he's doing," Issei shrugged.
"...What's stopping Stjarna from entering human territory and wreaking havoc?" Ravel asked.
Everyone stopped as they imagined the terror this kind of creature could cause… and it was powerful. Mortal military weapons and tactics would probably not faze the creature.
"Stjarna never likes dealing with people in the first place, so we don't need to worry about him causing trouble." Kiyome replied.
"And you know this, how?" Issei asked the non-master monster tamer.
"Well…" Kiyome looked around awkwardly.
"Are you basing this assumption from his interaction with you? Because I'm sure that it's just you he's been rejecting." Issei asked.
"...Shut up." Kiyome looked away. "And besides, he didn't end up on the news. He's not a mindless beast, I'll have you know."
"So when are you going to stop treating Stjarna like a Pokemon?" Issei asked.
"Since when am I treating him like one?" She asked.
"I don't know, when will you stop asking for Rover? This is the side of you that I don't like for a reason you know."
"Uhhhh… The alien serpent thing is back." Ravel pointed out.
Every turned to the ocean seeing Stjarna returning to the shores, water dripping from its scales.
In its mouth was a literal giant squid. Stjarna stopped before Asia. It dropped the sea creature before her.
"Um….. Is this for me?" Asia asked - a little grossed out at the slimy carcass at her feet.
In return, Stjarna merely growled while jerking its head.
Asia stared at the dead squid's eyes, keeping her shivering down, she nodded with a forced smile, "T-thank you, I appreciate this."
Stjarna gently rumbled.
Issei believed that the creature needed some education at least… and he might have to bring some squid home for his family. Saitama would love some.
Issei was traversing around the outskirts of the town - or to be precise, he was scurrying the town's cemetery after the group had concluded their business at Abe household.
Much to Kiyome's reluctance, everyone had agreed that Asia would be invited whenever Stjarna was being 'difficult', as the creature would only show the slightest decorum at the holy maiden.
Currently, as evening approached, Issei knelt down and took a small clump of soil within the cemetery complex. He clenched the earth with his hand a few times and even took a few sniffles as well.
"Um… What are you doing?"
Issei turned around and nearly forgot that he had company for his current excursion. Standing behind him was Reya, Saji, and one Latia Astaroth.
"Just doing a quick check on the quality of the sample. A good soil is required for the small ritual I'm about to do." Issei stood up while still holding the small soil on his palm. "...By the way, while I appreciate the company, are you sure you guys want to come along? I mean, you guys usually have contracts to fulfill, right?"
"With some defiant maniac on the loose? I don't think so. Besides, President Sona asked me to be your extra muscle should you need it since I did nearly send him to hell." Saji replied with a shrug.
"Good job for that. What about you two?"
"I'm here as his back-up." Reya added.
"All of this happens due to my family's short-comings. Besides, if the Sitri clan is involved, at least I should also help to return the favor Mr. Saji has done to me." Latia chipped in, before she smiled at the Sitri Pawn, "...On that note, I'm afraid I will have to rely on you again, Mr. Saji."
Getting slightly caught-off guard by Latia smiling at him, Saji replied with a little fluster, "U-um, I'm just following my King's orders, that's all. No need to fuss over it."
"...I'm surprised that you're even here." Issei asked as he noticed a chemical synergy between Saji and Latia… ish.
"Yes. Though I must ask, what is the nature of this….activity of yours?" Latia asked while gesturing her hands around.
"Checking an omen." Issei took out a small vial containing a silver dust and poured the content on top of the soil on his palm.
The devils watched as Issei clumped the grave soil and silver dust together before he blew the mixture to the air.
"What do you mean by omen?" Saji asked.
"What do you know about ghosts and the afterlife and how it works?" Issei asked.
"Uh…"
Saji threw clueless glances around, while Reya spoke up with Latia looking thoughtful herself.
"I think so. My grandmother always told me that necromancy was… much easier during the dawn of mankind's era." Reya said. "There is a layer over the living world known as the Veil. It is the realm where the recently deceased appear in, a parallel adjacent world overlapping Earth."
"Correct." Issei nodded while keeping his eyes on the places where he spread the soil around,
"And… How does this help with your investigation into finding Diodora?" the Bishop asked.
"Oh, it doesn't. I already requested help from some magician contacts, and hired a supernatural investigator using the Big Bag's revenue. This guy has two Longinus sacred gears, apparently."
"What? TWO?! Are you playing us?!" Saji asked, visibly overwhelmed by hearing that there was someone with TWO of the big thirteen.
"Dead serious. Met the guy himself in an interview, and he showed them to me, the real deal. Paid half up front with a test trial to see if he can come back with anything in a week."
"Um, what about the Monkey's Paw? I mean… I heard about what it could do before you got freed from the curse." Reya asked.
"That is a difficult story. One… I'm not sure if I should use the wish-granting corpse hand for this. And two, I asked Binbougami… he said that the corpse-hand isn't something that should be shared, and I don't want to have its gaze lingering on me even when freed. And three, frankly, it terrifies me. Binbougami said that the paw can actually bring terrible misfortune to those it fancies, and by fancies, those it wants to really eat. Wish magic won't solve that, apparently… and the Monkey's Paw definitely has a thing for a special human soul like mine. Binbougami can use it due to his authority over misfortune in general, making it a perfect item made just for him."
"Ah…" Reya nodded in understanding.
"So… Yeah, I'm kind of out of options. While I say I'll stop at nothing to rescue those girls, screwing myself over with something like Monkey's Paw is another story. Anyways… brace yourselves and see the magic happens." Issei said.
Saji blinked as their vision slowly blurred.
It was like sand was digging into their vision as they closed their eyes, trying to blink the irritation out.
When their vision cleared, they saw a new world tinted in gray, a world where they could see shimmering echoes rippling the fabric of the air around them - a World where they could see the spectral loiterers still clinging to the material plane.
…And something else.
"What the fuck….?" Saji looked around, finding the girls were no less shocked as he was, before he turned to the other guy, "Hyoudou, what's-"
"Shh." Issei interrupted as he took in the sight of spirits wandering around. He then gave his comrades a quick look.
"Whatever you do - don't interact with these people, and do not look them in the eye."
The devils exchanged glances.
Around there were spectral humans, ghosts, like they were abstract mirages that could barely remember their original forms.
"Ookay… But what do we do if they're coming at us?" Saji asked.
"Just… Ignore them." Issei merely replied as he also began walking around. "They can't interact with us. Ghosts that can are very rare. Even rarer when one can fight and cause physical harm. Although I gotta say, there are a lot of ghosts here."
The last time he visited, there were only stray loiterers. The numbers have swelled around five times the number.
"What do you mean?" Saji asked as he and the others followed Issei.
"Usually you'll see ghosts wandering the streets and stuff. The shimmering ripples in space aren't supposed to be there. And-"
Issei stopped when one of the ghosts turned to his direction.
They made eye contact, albeit Issei was able to maintain his composure when the spirit - who appeared as a man with a deformed face, closed into his face.
"Can you… See me….? Can you see me…?"
Issei noted that the ghost was above the rest since it takes skill and some strength to convey their spectral voice through the Veil. The spell that let them see the ghosts did not let them hear, touch, taste, or smell.
Everyone watched as the ghost loomed around the boy, who simply ignored him as he went to look somewhere else. It took a good minute until the ghost let out another hum and finally floated away from him.
Issei then heaved a small sigh and addressed the others, "See? That's what you do when a ghost comes to you. Easy, right?"
"That… was a bit freaky." Saji commented.
"Yeah, I get that part, but the evil spirits are the worst. They're fragile, but man, the jumpscares…" Issei shuddered.
"Did you deal with evil spirits before?" Latia asked.
"Yeah, at a haunted house I went to as a kid. Did it on a dare… met a ghost of a dead kid in the process. The ghost boy told me everything he knew about spirits and how they work."
"Isn't that a very rare encounter?" Reya asked.
"Oh, yeah. Helped him pass away to the afterlife peacefully after laying his mother's soul to rest. Ghosts cannot exorcise other ghosts. The one trying to exorcise the other will be exorcized instead; like a dog-eat-dog scenario."
Saji's eyes lingered on one ghost in particular as they wandered the cemetery. It was a young spectral form of a girl… too young.
She turned towards him and made eye contact.
Saji stared at her in the eyes for a while and looked forward.
A ghost was face to face with him suddenly, standing there.
"ASDHAIJWOEJWOJD!?" Saji shouted as he fell back.
"...You can see us."
The same ghost that spoke alerted Issei, Reya, and Latia.
Suddenly, the ghosts started to turn towards their direction.
"Dude…" Issei looked at Saji.
Saji wanted to retort, but the sight of all of the ghosts converging on them took all of his attention.
"...Oh, shit."
When the ghosts moved, Saji's first instinct was to lead them away from the girls near him. However, he had no idea how to deal with a horde of spirits screaming and wailing at his face.
It looked like they were screaming and wailing at him.
Most of their faces were extremely scary to look at, abstract faces with no distinction in swarms like those from the horror movies chasing their victim.
"H-Hyoudou! A little help?!" Saji shouted as he futilely trying to swat the ghosts away.
However, Saji ended up seeing Issei and others talking with each other.
When Issei and Saji's eyes met eventually, the former waved with a smile on his face, "Hey, Saji! Looking strong, man!"
Saji was bewildered as he began running around while swinging his arms at the ghosts chasing after him.
"What the fuck are you on about now?! Help me!"
"Help you with what?! The three of us definitely cannot see whatever you are swatting and running away from! Right, ladies?!"
Reya and Latia exchanged glances, uncertain.
"...See? The ladies are also confused about what you are doing, Saji! Again, we definitely cannot see what you are fending yourself from!"
"Fuck you, Hyoudou! You definitely can see them, alright?! What the fuck do I do?!"
"Just stay focused and calm, Saji! We'll figure something out about the things that the three of us still definitely cannot see!" Issei simply replied before he addressed the girls.
"Okay, keep calm and pretend we are talking about something else." Issei said with a serious look, "The last thing we need is to be chased around by these ghosts… Not that we can see them or anything, okay?"
Issei kept throwing side glances at Saji.
The way they were chasing him felt… strange. Honestly, Issei was aware that Saji got jumpscared by that one ghost whose voice was carried over.
"...Right." Latia nodded while keeping her eyes on Issei's, ignoring another female ghost with absurdly long black hair that was hovering right next to her. "But seriously, should we do something?"
"We are doing something by keeping things from getting worse." Issei replied, "Rule number one on dealing with ghosts and evil spirits - don't ever let them know that you're scared, or aware of their presence."
Then Issei spoke with a louder voice, "Sheesh, look at Saji. The poor schmuck is like being haunted or something, not that we can see what he's seeing, honest!"
He then glanced at Reya, who was beginning to look anxious at several ghosts appraising her.
"Keep your eyes on me." Issei whispered immediately - waving his hand before Reya's face to gain her attention.
He then spoke out loud again, "...Still, speaking of ghosts - which we still cannot see or hear, by the way, do you know that ghosts are more sensitive to energy signature? You know, like a burst of energy!?"
He made sure that his voice was audible enough for Saji to hear, who just screamed in fright at the ghost girl who was now clinging on his hip.
"...Although I admit, something's wrong." Issei added, returning to whisper. "Usually they'll just haunt the shit out of you to do whatever they want so they could pass away to the afterlife or play pranks or something. They would either tail you or try to desperately communicate with you, not something like this."
"That's because we need aid."
Issei and the girls paused. They slowly creaked their heads towards the male ghost whose voice could travel through. They did not detect this one's presence… and Issei could not believe that this guy got the jump on them. The only time he would let a ghost surprise him was the ghost boy.
"Please… we need your help. We won't survive if this continues."
To be Continued….
Extra
A massive body covered in jet-black scales crashed into a mountain wall.
The mountain crumbled to dust on impact, what was once a majestic monument of nature became a pile of powder, falling, spreading, swallowing nature. The sands unveiled a majestic black dragon hidden within, now lying atop of a massive dune.
His blood exploded from every orifice while every single bone in its body was reduced to powder, his organs and muscle paste.
"Imp… ossible."
The damage from that technique was resonating in his soul, like an echo that could not leave, constantly incrementing the pain the more his heart beats.
He could not see, hear, feel, smell. His eyes and ears were bleeding. The pain… it was more spiritual than physical now.
Darkness already took over Crom Cruach.
It felt like death had finally claimed his life, the strongest Evil Dragon… though he was not sure if he was considered Evil in the first place.
After all, everything about him changed ever since Balor leashed him.
His dragon pride was broken by his own arrogance once, and then again from a random human…
He succumbed to the darkness. He wondered if death would finally keep him in Hell or the astral realm where souls that do not belong to heaven or its opposite reside.
He did not know how long he succumbed to that darkness… It felt as if an agonizing eternity, even though it could be a second, the flow of time meaningless in this world.
Then something tickled his nose as he stirred, pulling him from his slumber as he slowly opened his eyes. He could barely see and barely hear. He might be able to heal himself as he sniffed… he smelled something good.
He closed his eyes again as sleep took him.
He opened his eyes again with accumulated strength. He could see better now… but the pain was still there. He could barely move a muscle.
"...Yo. Can you hear me, you overgrown lizard?"
He tried to move his head around - a growl escaped his lips as he mustered his battered body to do what he wanted. When he laid his eyes upon the source of the voice calling him, his blurry vision registered a visage of a man crouching before him.
"...What brings something like you in these parts?"
Crom Cruach growled again, seeing the many squatting on his long neck.
"Nnnngh…." It hurt for him to call on his voice. "What… are you?"
"Not sure myself at this point; but back at you. What are you supposed to be, you overgrown reptile?"
Crom growled. He could not move a single muscle.
"I… am no lizard. I am Crom… Cruach. The Crescent Moon Dragon… have you come to kill me?" Crom asked before he coughed blood again.
"I came here because the village nearby saw you. You're scaring them off their hunting grounds, so here we are. So, I'm giving you a choice. Piss off and go somewhere else, or today's the day I get to see what dragon tastes like while I make your skin and teeth into my clothes and trinkets and then sell the rest of you off. What's it gonna be?"
Crom stared at the man staring down on him.
"...You brazenly approached the strongest Evil Dragon and fought it to the death, unarmed and unarmored…. all for… charity?" The dragon asked.
All his years he had never faced a warrior who would challenge titans on a meager whim, all except for the heroes of human legend.
"Emperor, angel, god, I don't care, all will fall before my fists no matter what they are. So, what will it be?"
Crom was stunned.
"...Very well." The dragon had no reason to remain here and he wasn't given a choice. There was no loss in not taking the option that would extend his life. "You are an enigma. Lesser dragons would've stayed and shouted profanities… I shall leave when I regain my strength… nnnngh…!."
It would take a while for him to repair his body.
However, a dragon was not without perseverance and tenacity.
"...But know that you will not see the last of me until I reclaim my pride. May I ask for the name of the victor?"
He refused to leave without at least the man's name, and for him to one day defeat him.
"Huh… well, I could use the entertainment. Call me Bang."
"...You may have bested my body, but you cannot fool my senses, liar." Crom snorted.
The man paused at his answer before he clicked his tongue with a sigh.
"...Tsk. alright I'll give it to you. It is-"
Future updates will be slower - considering the amount of twists we plan to implement, we gotta be careful not to cause any inconsistencies in the story.
Also, following my previous announcement - the NSFW chapter in my will be closed for public a.k.a back to Patrons-only. The next chapter will be free for another week or two. Cheers
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