Chapter 16: The battle of Kuoh academy pt1
Ben was silent as he stood, frozen, where he stood though he could swear that his heart was beating loud enough for even Rias to hear it. There was no doubt that he was in serious trouble for going directly behind Rias' back without her knowing and he had a sinking suspicion that Rias shared a secret sadistic side to her like Akeno which she reserved specially for punishing any misbehaving servants.
It was at this point that he decided to take the only course of action that remained open for him at this point. The only possible option that any self-respecting guy would take when faced with the promise of punishment from a woman who's been deceived.
"RUN! Every man for them self!" he exclaimed fearfully as he turned tail from the beautiful devil women before them and made a break for it in the opposite direction in their futile bid to escape the wrath of their masters. Saji must have quickly come to the same conclusion as him concerning their imminent punishment as he was soon running right alongside Ben as they fled the area.
. . . . .
(Less than ten seconds later)
[Well, that went just as well as I expected,] Azmuth noted neutrally though Ben would swear he could hear a hint of amusement mixed into his voice.
"Shut up," Ben grumbled mentally as he knelt in front of his red-haired master inside the stone building which Kiba and Freed had been fighting on mere minutes ago. "I panicked, alright?"
[This will surely go down in history,] Ddraig muttered with an amused chuckle at the look of his partner's face. [The epic tale of how the fearsome Dragon All-Father tried to flee from a scorned woman.]
"I reacted on instinct," Ben mumbled, trying to defend his actions though even he found himself unable to do so as well as he would have liked to.
[I know you did…but still…ten seconds? That's all you managed to do?]
It was true.
Ben and Saji's desperate bid to escape their masters lasted all of a measly ten seconds before they were immediately caught and dragged back to the stone building where their masters were waiting for them. They were both now kneeling before their respective masters, both rightly fearing the punishment in store for them for their deeds.
While Sona looked at Saji with a stern look on her face that caused the Sitri Pawn to shrink under her intense glare, Ben didn't think of it anywhere near as terrifying as the look on Rias' face; particularly the glint in her eyes which haunted Ben's dreams back during their training session before their fight with Phenex. Another chill ran along his spine though he pushed himself to ignore it as best he could and continued to stare at Rias. While he was perfectly aware that he had gone against Rias' wishes and had gotten involved with a private matter between the church and the fallen angels, he would stick with his decision because it was the right thing to do; he was certain about that.
"Well," Rias said as she looked down at her kneeling servant. "I'm still waiting for an explanation. I assume that Kiba is still out there with those two Holy sword users, yes?"
At this point, Ben could only nod his head in response. His mind was still racing with the possible punishments Rias would use on him, each one becoming more intense than the last.
"What brought you to do this?" Rias asked, crossing her legs and arms as she waited for his explanation.
Ben brought his head up and took a deep breath before answering. "It's because I want Kiba to get some closure. He hasn't been the same since this whole mess with the Holy swords started and I know that he won't be able to let something like that go just by trying to move on with his life."
He stopped speaking and waited for Rias to respond. When she nodded her head slowly in understanding he went on to explain how Koneko, Saji and himself wanted to help Kiba and did this by searching through Kuoh for Xenovia and his cousin, and when they did he told her how they then were able to come to an agreement concerning the recapture or destruction of the stolen Excaliburs. Ben then revealed how, for the past five nights, the six of them have been exploring Kuoh as they searched for the Holy swords and concluded his tale with their recent fight with Freed and how the insane priest had fled the scene with Kiba, Xenovia and Gwen in hot pursuit.
Rias heard his tale in silence and then, once he was finished with his story, simply stared at him for a few silent seconds as it processed through her mind. She slowly released a long sigh and shook her head slightly before speaking again. "Hmmmm. I guess I can understand your reasons for disobeying me…." She looked from Ben's kneeling form and onto Koneko who was standing next to him and looking just as guilty as Ben was. "…but what about you, Koneko? Why did you get involved in this?"
Koneko looked to the floor with a sad expression on her face. "I…I didn't want Kiba to go away. He's part of our family and if he were to go away, I don't know what I'd do," she muttered quietly, avoiding Rias' eyes.
Rias released another sigh as she looked at her two precious servants looking so pensive. "What am I going to do with you two? Your actions can have serious consequences if you're not cautious enough."
Ben slowly nodded his head in acknowledgement. "I understand. I apologise for going behind your back on this, Rias I just wanted to help Kiba, even if it meant going against your orders."
A bright flash of light from his left, quickly followed by an anguished cry of pain, attracted Ben's attention. He glanced over to see Sona spanking Saji's behind though, unlike a normal human, she was clearly using her devil magic to increase the power behind her blows if the large, white magic circle resting in her hand was any indication.
"Arrrggghhh! I'm sorry, Sona! It won't happen again!" Saji cried as his eyes were starting to water as Sona delivered yet another magically enhanced blow to his tender backside, and then another.
"I know you're sorry, Saji," Sona retorted emotionlessly as she brought her hand back yet again, her intent clear as day, especially to a watery-eyed Saji. "But I think you'll remember what you've done after your punishment of one thousand spankings."
Ben gulped as he watched Saji let out another loud cry of anguish as Sona's hand continued to fall against his tender backside again and again. 'A thousand spankings!?' he thought with a cold shiver running up his spine as he watched Saji receive his punishment with dread and trepidation at his own punishment.
'What the fuck's Rias going to do!?' he thought fearfully, his mind already beginning to go through all the potential punishments she would use on him.
[I have no idea, partner,] Ddraig said, answering Ben's unasked question with slight amusement in his voice at the fear he could hear in his voice. [But you did accept the possibility that you would most likely be punished by the young Gremory for going on this little adventure of yours, remember?]
"Of course I remember," he muttered in response, unable to take his eyes off of Saji receiving his punishment. "That didn't mean that I was looking forward to it though!"
Catching sight of movement in his peripheral vision, Ben's head snapped back to Rias to see that the beautiful redhead had stood up from where she was previously sat and was slowly making her way towards him and Koneko. She stopped right in front of her white-haired Rook and her adorable Pawn who was clearly doing his best not to appear as fearful as he clearly was before she did the last thing that had ever crossed Ben's mind….
She dropped down onto her knees in front of them and pulled them into the crooks of her neck as she embraced them tightly in an affectionate hug. Ben was so taken off guard by her unexpected action that he found himself unable to formulate even the simplest of words and was rendered mute as he was held by the beautiful redhead.
"Oh what am I going to do with you kids? You're constantly making me worry about you," Rias sighed as she held her two precious servants close to her. Ben felt himself release his breath which he hadn't realised had been pent up in anticipation of receiving punishment from the woman who was currently embracing him.
This affectionate action certainly didn't go unnoticed by Saji.
"What the fuck's up with that!?" he yelled in the short gap he received between each strike from Sona. "How come they're all lovey dovey over there and I'm getting my ass tenderised!?"
Sona drew back her arm in preparation to strike Saji once again. "That's them. This is us," she replied curtly without even taking her eyes off of Saji to look over at her fellow King and, instead, only directed her attention towards delivering Saji's punishment.
As this continued, on the other side of the stone structure Ben had found himself lost in Rias' embrace. He could only describe himself as intoxicated by the beautiful devil holding him in her arms; her luscious hair which covered his face and her alluring scent which filled his nostrils almost caused him to lose himself in the moment completely. The only thought going through his head at that moment was how warm he was in that instant.
Just as quickly as it happened, the embrace ended a moment later as Rias broke the embrace and stood back up, leaving Ben still kneeling on the floor and trying to collect his thoughts. He blinked a few times to bring himself back to his senses and looked up at the red-haired heiress to see her flashing a beautiful smile as she stared down at him.
All it took was a mere three seconds before Ben's breath hitched in his throat and he froze again, unable to take his wide-eyed stare off of Rias nor her sweet smile.
He recognised that smile currently adorning her flawless lips and felt a strong chill run down his back as memories of it appearing on her face as she oversaw his brutal morning training sessions which were the only times in his life that he wished that she had just let him die that night so that his torment could finally be over.
"Now, could you do something for me, Ben?" she asked in a sweet voice that almost made him let his guard down had it not been for 'that' smile which adorned her face as she said it which made him feel anything but safe at her tone of voice.
"Yes," he said slowly as Rias brought her left hand to his face and cupped his cheek. While he did feel an electric shock run through his body at her soft touch, he didn't dare take his eyes off of hers. He'd already given up trying to get out of his fate and was just waiting for the inevitable to happen.
The inevitable certainly didn't disappoint his fears.
"Could you do me a huge favour and turn around for me, please?" she asked in such a cute voice that it amazed him that she was able to keep it up when they both knew that it wasn't going to end well for him in the end.
Already accepting that there was no escaping what was to come, Ben whined meekly as he slowly complied with her request and turned around so that he now presented his backside to the red-haired devil.
"I thought we had made up with that whole hug thing just then," he muttered weakly as he tried to drown out Saji's anguished cried which continued to resonate throughout the building. He may have resigned himself to what was happening but he still had to try, right?
"My adorable Ben. You know perfectly well that it doesn't work like that. It's a master's sworn duty to discipline their servants when they misbehave and I'm no exception. I think Sona has the right idea; you shall also receive 1000 spankings as your punishment."
As Rias was saying this a large red circle appeared in her hand, just like the circle which still rested in Sona's hand as she spanked her pawn yet again. Before Rias could deliver her first blow against his backside though, Koneko stepped forward and present her own backside to Rias.
"I was in on Ben's plan too, Rias. I should receive half of the spankings as punishment," she said with determination in her voice.
Rias stared at Koneko for a second before nodding slowly. "Very well. Koneko, you shall receive some of Ben's spankings as your punishment."
Ben turned back to look at Rias as she slowly approached Koneko's panty-clad behind. "It's not her fault Rias. It was my plan…Koneko just went along with it."
"Nevertheless, she still went behind the agreement I made with the church and must be disciplined too," Rias retorted as she stopped behind Koneko and held her hand out, ready to deliver her first spank. Before Ben could say anything else, Rias brought her hand down and lightly tapped her cheeks with the palm of her hand.
Ben was confused at the lack of force Rias applied into the strike and was just as confused when Rias stepped back from Koneko and turned her attention back to him. "Now it's your turn,"
"Hang on," Ben said, twisting his torso round to face the red-haired devil heading towards him. "I thought you said she was getting a share of the punishment."
"And she did," Rias responded coolly as she stopped in front of him. "She graciously took one of your spankings. You should be grateful that you only have 999 to go. Now turn around please."
Ben gulped and tried to come up with some sort of response but found himself unable to do so. Resigning himself, he turned back around and begrudgingly presented his ass, once again, to her and braced himself for what he knew for absolute certainty would hurt like fuck.
. . . . .
(Later)
"Argh! My fucking ass hurts like hell," Ben moaned as he clutched his tender cheeks as he practically hobbled down the street towards his house with Rias walking beside him. "I won't be able to sit down for ages."
Rias chuckled as she leant against him, wrapping her arm around his as they walked down the street. "I hope you have learnt your lesson from this, Ben," she said with a chuckle. "I didn't enjoy spanking you, you know."
Ben glanced at her with a look of utter disbelief on his face. "Like hell you didn't," he grumbled as he held his battered backside from his recent punishment. "I saw that look on your face as you were…spanking me. You were enjoying every moment of it!"
Rias gasped and placed her free hand on her chest in mock indignation. "I can't believe you'd think of me like that. Is that who you think I am? Akeno's the one with the sadistic streak."
'Yeah, but is she the only one?' Ben wanted to say but refrained from doing so in fear of earning himself further punishment.
They made it back home a few minutes later, though the rawness of Ben's ass didn't diminish in the slightest. The two of them entered the lit house and took their shoes off in the doorway before entering the house proper.
"Hello. We're home," Ben called out as he made his way into the hallway and came to a sudden halt when he spotted Asia standing in the middle of the hallway, as if waiting for their arrival. It wasn't the fact that she was standing before him that had made Ben freeze where he stood momentarily; it was because of what she was wearing…or not wearing which would be a more accurate statement. Aside from a milk-white cooking apron, the blonde, ex-nun was wearing absolutely nothing at all.
"W-Welcome home," she greeted in a tone of voice that told Ben that she was incredibly embarrassed about wearing such a thing in front of Ben but, at the same time, determined to make Ben see that she was a woman and not a girl.
Rias took this moment to appear beside Ben and also spot Asia standing before them. When she saw the young devil and her choice of clothing, the red-haired beauty smiled broadly and clapped her hands together in approval. "Oh my, Asia! You look fabulous. Simple yet enticing. You're on the way to becoming a wickedly sexy devil; I'm so proud of you."
Asia's face seemed to light up at Rias' praise and tried to hide her flushed cheeks with her hands though it was too little too late. "You think so? Oh, but what if I don't want to be wicked?" she whined cutely, causing Rias to just smile at her reaction.
"Why are you wearing that?" Ben asked in confusion, no longer amazed at himself for losing his nerve at the sight of Asia wearing such a risqué combination of clothing. He attributed it to the changes that Azmuth's Gear was making to his body and wanted to leave it at that.
Asia blinked at Ben's question before holding the edges of the apron and showing it off more. "I was told that this is what you should do when a guy comes home after a tough day and needs to get rid of stress."
Ben frowned and shook his head slightly at Asia's statement. He knew perfectly well just who had been the one to tell Asia such a thing. He was so sure that it was Kiryuu that he didn't even need to bother asking Asia if he was correct.
"Were did you get that thing anyway?" Ben asked gesturing to the apron Asia was wearing with a strong nagging sensation in the back of his head as to the answer to his question.
As if waiting for that exact moment, his mother popped her head from around the doorframe which led into the kitchen, a wide smile on her face as she stared at the three of them.
"From me of course," she said cheerfully, as if it was a completely stupid question for him to ask.
"Mother!" Rias stated firmly, attracting the attention of the Tennyson Matriarch. "I would like to try one on too!"
Sandra's smile grew even wider, if that were possible, and clapped her hands together in joy at Rias' declaration. "Wonderful. Why don't you come with me and we'll see if we can find one for you? I have a broad collection but I don't know if I have one to suit your physique…but I guess that's part of the fun of it, isn't it?"
Without missing a beat, Rias strode towards the kitchen where Sandra had withdrawn her head back into. She paused when she reached Asia and leant towards the blonde Bishop, a sly smile on her face.
"You should be very proud of yourself. You almost got the drop on me. Well played," she purred into Asia's ear before disappearing into the kitchen.
"Thank you!" Asia said with slight embarrassment. Ben could see that Rias' compliment meant a great deal to the young devil who was still getting used to her new life as a devil.
When Rias disappeared into the kitchen Asia turned her attention back to Ben and her cheeks reddened in embarrassment as he stared at her quietly without saying anything. She shuffled her bare feet cutely and cast a shy glance up at Ben.
"You haven't said anything about my outfit. Don't you like it?" she asked with slight fear in her voice.
Ben blinked as he brought himself out of his silent stupor at Asia's question and looked directly into her emerald-green eyes.
"Sorry about that," he said quickly as he approached Asia and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You look amazing," he said, meaning it. Asia was attractive on a normal day but now…. He was finding her beauty intoxicating and was finding a hard time at concentrating.
He found himself both cursing and blessing Azmuth for the changes happening in his body that affected those around him in how they acted towards him and himself in how he reacted to such encounters.
Asia wrapped her arms around Ben's waist and buried her head against his chest, a warm smile radiating off of her at his compliment. "Thank you! You have no idea how much that means to me," she stated cutely.
As she hugged him, Ben found his own arms wrapping themselves around her bare back. He had unconsciously hugged her back and now found his exposed arms pressed against her warm, bare back. He gulped as he felt her soft flesh and was taken completely by surprise when he heard a low growl emanating from deep within himself. He had never heard himself make a noise like that before…well, not while he was in his normal form and not a demon. Luckily, he managed to hide it behind a small cough in the back of his throat so that Asia couldn't hear it.
"I don't regret becoming a devil."
Ben was brought out of his own thoughts at Asia's abrupt statement and looked down to see her looking up at him.
"I got to meet such wonderful people," she continued, determined to speak her mind while she had the confidence to do so. "Rias, everyone in the club, your parents and especially you. I don't want to lose any of you and end up all on my own again."
"That's not going to happen," Ben said firmly, tightening his arms around Asia and pulled her closer to him in their embrace. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. Even if the whole Church comes after you, I'll always be there for you. You won't have to be on your own ever again."
Asia's eyes started to water slightly at Ben's proclamation and, unable to say anything in response, she chose to bury her face in his shirt once again to hide her flushed expression.
"Oh Bennn," Rias called out in a sing song voice as she re-emerged from the kitchen in her new attire. Ben's eyes widened considerably at the sight of the red-haired heiress and what she had chosen to wear. Asia, who had disengaged from their embrace, also stared wide-eyed at Rias though she added a cute whine as she looked at her.
As expected, she had copied Asia and had changed into an apron and nothing else besides that. The apron she was wearing was deep purple in colour and, even though recognised it as one of his mother's largest aprons in her little collection, the apron was having an extremely hard time trying to contain Rias' curvaceous and voluptuous body; her large breasts particularly as they were stretching the fabric to the very limits that it was intended for. Ben had gone through too much tonight to even be affected by the thoughts which ran rampant through his head nor the unconscious desire for the apron to just give up and surrender to Rias' alluring body.
"Wellll?" Rias said, continuing to speak in a sing song tone which only heightened her potent sexuality. "What do you think of my outfit?"
Ben's eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets as he gawped at Rias. True, he had seen her completely naked every night as they slept together in his bed, but looking at her now, in the purple apron she was wearing, Ben couldn't imagine a sexier look for the beautiful devil woman standing before him. The apron obviously covered more skin than the attire (or lack thereof) that she slept in at night but he couldn't help but find her even more attractive than he'd ever seen her before. It wasn't that she had an unattractive body, very far from it, it was just the simple act of poorly covering her body that did the trick.
Rias giggled cutely and approached Ben until she had taken up Asia's former position and had her arms wrapped around the stunned devil, taking extra care in pressing her ample chest against him.
"Oh my," Rias purred seductively. "I never knew you were such a pervert." Answering his question before he could ask it, she brought her hand up to his face and wiped off the thin line of drool which had slowly been trailing down his chin, much to his embarrassment.
"There's something you girls should know about men," his mother's voice called out from the kitchen. They all looked to see her leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and a broad smile on her face. "Especially young men, and that is that they are all either perverts or closet perverts," she declared, her smile never leaving her face as she said it.
"I-I am not a pervert!" Ben retorted, red-faced at the way he had lost control over his own body and reduced to drooling upon seeing Rias in an apron, as he quickly wiped his arm across his chin to get rid of any evidence of his recent drooling.
"Keep telling yourself that, sweetie," his mother replied calmly. "You're just like your father. He was always like this when we dated…."
"Ah! Lalalalalala," Ben exclaimed as he pressed his hands to his ears to block out his mother's mortifying words.
It didn't matter who you were, the only people in the entire realm of existence who could embarrass you as much as they do are your parents. It seemed to be an absolute fact of the universe.
"I don't want to hear my mother talking about such stuff!"
Sandra only sighed in response to her son's childish antics and shook her head slightly in amusement. "Sometimes it amazes me that you have, somehow, managed to attract the attention of two beautiful young women."
"Stop it, mother. You're making me blush," Rias cried out cutely as she held her face in her hands to hide any signs of a blush which may have appeared on her cheeks. Asia, on the other hand, just clapped her hands over her cheeks though that did very little to hide the fact that her entire face had turned red in embarrassment at Sandra's kind words.
"I'm just telling it like it is, Rias," Sandra said innocently as she noticed the time on the wall clock. "We'd best make a start on dinner girls. It won't be long before my husband gets home from work." With her piece said, she headed back into the kitchen with Rias and Asia following after her. Ben also followed them into the kitchen/dining/living room but was stopped from going into the kitchen section by his mother who placed a raised hand in front of his face.
"Nope. There's no way I'm letting you into my kitchen, mister," she stated sternly.
"Come on. Seriously?" Ben complained with indignation in his voice.
"Do I need to remind you what happened last time you tried to make a meal in a kitchen?" Sandra retorted coolly but with a hint of unforgotten annoyance in her voice. Ben gulped as the vivid memory ran through his mind.
"Alright, you have a point," he conceded, raising his arms in front of him in a placating manner as he stepped away from the kitchen area and made to sit down on the sofa in the living room where he could see the three women who had already begun to make dinner.
As he watched them work their magic, Ben winced as he sat down on the sofa. Even though the sofa was extremely comfy on a normal day, it didn't do much to quell the agony he still felt in his ass after Rias' punishment. He was able to hide it well from his mother and Asia and slowly leant back into the sofa in search of a more comfortable position.
When he eventually did find a tolerable position to sit in, his thoughts, though heavily distracted by the two extremely attractive, scantily clad devils assisting his mother in the kitchen, were somehow able to drift towards Kiba and the two Holy Sword users…including his cousin to a certain extent.
He wasn't completely heartless when it came to his cousin. They may not have had the best relationship in the world but that didn't mean he wasn't concerned about her, especially with how they were dealing with a leader-class fallen angel and not to mention that asshole, Freed, who now wielded a Holy Sword, making him more powerful than ever before.
He just hoped that they were all alright out there…wherever they were.
. . . . .
Unknown location, somewhere in Kuoh
(At the same time)
BOOM!
Gwen grunted as she was blasted into a large tree and fell to its base, clutching her side in pain as she tried to get back up onto her feet.
During their pursuit of Freed after they left his cousin and the other two devils behind, she had gotten separated from Xenovia and Kiba after several other exorcists appeared out of nowhere and ambushed them as they chased after Freed. While Kiba and Xenovia were forced to stop and deal with their attackers, Gwen had shot ahead, determined to catch Freed and finish him off once and for all.
When she made it to a clearing in the middle of nowhere she was surprised to see Freed standing in the middle of it, staring back at her with a triumphant smirk on his deranged face.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity presented to her, Gwen lunged forward to strike at her target.
This, combined with her failure to take in her surroundings, proved to be a fatal mistake though as, when she was a few feet away from Freed, the ground beneath her exploded and brought her to an abrupt stop as she was caught in the middle of. It was only because she was able to create a magical barrier around herself that she was able to survive the explosive attack.
That was the only saving grace though as several more powerful explosions erupted around her, forcing her to concentrate solely on maintaining the shield around her though the continuous barrage weakened it more and more with each strike.
She was focussing so much on defending herself from the onslaught that she lost her hold on her sword as she was knocked back across the clearing until the last blast proved too much for her to handle and her barrier finally broke, throwing her backwards into a tree where she collapsed to the ground. Her battledress had been torn to shreds and large parts of it had been blasted away, revealing her bruised and bleeding skin.
The only sound she could hear as the explosions died down was the manic laughter of the insane exorcist who was practically jumping with delight at how badly Gwen had been hurt.
"Hah! Nothing gets me harder than a stupid bitch being put in her place where she belongs!" he cackled as he strode over to where the fallen Excalibur blade lay and picked it up.
"I'll be taking this," he declared as he placed it around his arm when it turned back into its armband form.
"On behalf of our organisation, I would like to thank you for contributing to our cause," he went to say with a dark smirk and a slight bow.
With the blade secured, Freed strode over to Gwen's downed form and knelt down on her waist and licked his lips lecherously as he looked down at her battered form.
Gwen was too injured to move and too exhausted from using her magic to defend herself as Freed reached down and roughly grabbed hold of her exposed breast and squeezed painfully, taking immense delight in the sharp gasp of pain he received in response.
"I think it's only right that the victor gets his spoils, don't you agree?" he declared with glee as he easily knocked away her hand which she had brought up weakly to defend herself. "Do me a favour and scream. I love it when they scream and struggle!"
"That's enough, Freed!" a deep voice called out from above them. "There'll be plenty of time for pleasure once we've completed our task. Leave her be."
Gwen's eyes widened as she found herself looking up at the creature they had been warned about.
The fallen angel, Kokabiel!
"Aw, can't I have a little fun with her first?" Freed pleaded with a comical pout as he looked up at his boss.
"No. I've got other plans for her."
Freed grumbled at having his fun spoiled but did as he was told and removed himself from Gwen who thanked God for protecting her from the vile creature who had almost forced himself on her.
"I would hope so considering who she is," another, sinister voice spoke out from the darkness as a spectral creature materialised out of the shadow.
"Ah, glad to see you finally joining us, Zs'Skayr," Kokabiel mused with a glance at the spectral newcomer. "I was beginning to think you weren't joining us."
"My apologies. I was performing some much-needed recon on your little pests and found something very interesting."
"Oh, do tell," the powerful fallen angel said as he slowly descended to the ground.
Zs'Skayr hovered over to Gwen and stared at her intensely with its upside-down mouth grinning horrifically.
"This human is related to Tennyson. She is his family, his cousin," the ghostly creature hissed with glee.
"Is she now? Well this is perfect! The stage is set and all the players are coming together. This child will have the honour of being the catalyst that will bring my plan to fruition!" Kokabiel laughed deeply.
"Bring her along, Freed. We need to reunite her with her family."
"Sure thing, boss!" the insane exorcist replied with a casual salute before turning back to Gwen and punching her in the face with enough force to knock her out cold.
. . . . .
Back in Ben's bedroom
(Several minutes later)
Ben was lying in his bed and just about to drift off to sleep with Rias and Asia asleep in his arms when Ship materialised in his room and leapt onto the bed.
After they had lost the others as they chased after Freed, and after he had had his backside tenderised by Rias' overzealous application of discipline Ben had sent Ship out into town to look for Kiba, his cousin and Xenovia and report back to him if he had any success.
He had kicked himself when he realised he could have done this and didn't know why he hadn't thought of it beforehand though, in his defence, Ship had only recently forgiven him for his transgressions where Ben felt comfortable asking Ship to do this task for him.
When Ship jumped onto his chest, Ben returned back to his senses when he realised that Ship had news for him.
"What is it, Ship?"
"Ship!" Ship barked back in response.
Somehow, through their bond as 'master and familiar' perhaps, Ben was able to understand exactly what Ship said through their one-word vocabulary.
For instance, he instantly knew that Ship had found something and it wasn't good news.
"You found someone?"
"Ship!"
Ben didn't need telling twice. He quickly removed his arms from underneath his sleeping companions who had been woken up by the short exchange between Ship and him and jumped out of bed and changed into a set of clothes as quick as he could.
. . . . .
(Later)
"Ship! Ship!" the canine familiar barked as it lead the way for the trio of devils.
After declaring that she was coming with him and after having gotten dressed, Rias had teleported the three of them plus Ship to the edge of town where Ship had been searching before returning to inform Ben of their discovery.
"Lead the way, Ship," Ben called out to the familiar as he followed behind them, Rias and Asia on either side of him.
"Who did Ship find?" Rias asked, unable to understand Ships' barks and calls as they ran down a dark, deserted street.
"I don't know for sure. All they said was that they'd located one of the females so it's either Gwen or Xenovia. Ship isn't familiar with different faces yet so they see them all the same for the most part."
Rias nodded, privately both glad and concerned that Kiba wasn't the one they were coming to the aid of.
They continued to follow Ship and turned the corner ahead of them where they came to an abrupt halt when they found themselves facing Freed who appeared to have been waiting for their arrival.
"Freed!" Ben growled as he glared at the insane, sadistic exorcist who stood before him with a sly smirk on his face as he waved his hand in a taunting manner.
"Well hello there, shitty devils. We were beginning to wonder when you'd get here," Freed smirked as he bowed his head slightly in mock greeting.
"What the fuck are you doing here, asshole!?" Ben demanded, taking a step towards the insane man with the intention of dealing with him right then and there when he found himself fixed in place, completely unable to move as a huge wave of pressure consumed, originating from above them.
He glanced upwards and his eyes widened in shock when they locked onto a dark figure hovering above them, clearly illuminated by the bright moonlight from the full moon directly behind him.
He knew he was staring up at a fallen angel by the blackness of the feathered wings spread out behind his person, but unlike Raynare, this being which was clearly the source of the intense pressure he felt had five pairs of wings protruding from his back.
The powerful and mysterious figure looked down at him and smiled darkly, with triumph in his eyes when they zoned in on Rias.
"Kokabiel," Rias stated, recognising the fallen angel from the stories she had heard from her parents and her brother.
"So that's Kokabiel? One of the leaders of the fallen angels?" Ben said to himself as a tinge of fear ran up his spine.
[That is he,] Azmuth answered in warning. [Be very careful here, kid. You have never faced a creature like Kokabiel before.]
"Greetings, daughter of the House of Gremory and sister to the Devil King, Lucifer. This is the first time we've met but I've been so looking forward to this meeting."
"And to what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting? What do you want?" Rias asked in a cool and collected tone of voice, staying true to the lessons she had been taught while she was growing up in the Underworld.
"Oh, not much. I just wanted to make sure that your servant's family is returned to them," Kokabiel replied with a gesture down towards Freed.
Ben took a sharp intake of breath as his eyes snapped back down at Freed who stepped back to reveal the prone figure that Ben hadn't spotted until that second. He let out a pained gasp when he saw who it was.
"Gwen!" he cried out and ran forward, falling to his knees when he reached her.
She was in an extremely bad way. Her clothing had been torn almost to shreds and she was covered in blood and multiple wounds. The only consolation to Ben at the sight of his severely injured cousin's state was the shallow yet consistent rising and falling of her chest which showed him that she was still alive.
Before he realised it, Asia had joined him, kneeling down beside him to offer whatever help she could to Ben's cousin. When she saw how injured she was though, the innocent former nun couldn't help but gasp in shock at her dire condition.
This didn't stop her from immediately activating her Sacred Gear and starting to apply her healing abilities on Gwen.
Ben moved out of the way to give Asia access to Gwen's unconscious body and moved past it to stand between them and Freed, a murderous expression on his face as his clenched fists turned white from pressure.
He barely even registered the bracelet attached to Freed's arm. All that was on his mind in that instance was the fact that he had dared hurt his cousin so badly.
Freed didn't appear fazed at all by Ben's glare. Instead, he chose to taunt Ben by smirking evilly and stroking the bracelet fondly, finally drawing Ben's attention to it.
"Consider this my way of attracting your attention," Kokabiel continued with a dark smile at Rias, completely ignoring Ben and Asia as they tended to Gwen's injuries. "I knew I'd have difficulty contacting the Devil King directly so after ages of wondering and wondering I arrived at an epiphany; if I rape and kill his dear little sister then I believe that will attract Lucifer's attention fully. Don't you agree?"
Rias refused to answer the fallen angel leader and her disdainful expression remained the same.
"Why did you feel the need to contact me?" she finally asked coldly, ignoring his despicable suggestion.
"I just thought I'd let you know that, after tonight, the whole world will never be the same again. If you'd like to be a part of history then come to that human school you attend," Kokabiel announced with barely-contained glee. "I believe Sirzechs will answer my call at last once you're dead."
Rias' glare intensified as she finally registered what the fallen angel's plan was.
"If you do that, then you'll be starting the war between God, the Devils, and Fallen Angels all over again," she shouted up at him with anger in her voice.
Kokabiel chuckled menacingly at Rias' anger. "That's what I'm hoping for. I thought I would succeed by stealing the Excalibur swords and drawing Michael out of his tower in the Silver City…but what do I get instead? Two amateur exorcists and two pathetic little Holy sword wielders! How boring. I'm hoping that rampaging through this town will give me better results from the devils."
"You actually want to start a war?" Rias asked in disbelief and with hatred directed towards the war mongering fallen angel hovering above them.
"Yes!" Kokabiel replied quickly and with glee in his voice. "I was sooooo bored after the last war ended; there was nothing to do! Azazel and Shamza weren't keen on another war. Not only that but Azazel spends all his time collecting Sacred Gears! I personally don't care for them but Azazel's obsessed with them."
"Either way," he continued, "I don't need to use the Holy swords now that I've got you and Leviathan's little sister in this quaint little human town."
Freed cackled at Kokabiel's words. "Hahaha. I'm getting excited just thinking about it. Look at all these new toys I've got," he said as he opened his robes to reveal four swords…all of them Excaliburs!
"And the best part is that they're all in hyper state and ready to be used."
"Did you do this?" he demanded, doing his best not to lose control of himself though that was proving to be incredibly difficult.
"Wouldn't you like to know," the mad priest cackled cockily as he closed his robes again.
"What could you possibly want with all those Holy swords?" Rias demanded as she looked up at the fallen angel.
"Why don't you come to the school and find out?" Kokabiel laughed darkly as he created a large flash of light which caused the three devils to hide their eyes away from its brightness. When the light diminished they looked back to see the Fallen Angel and former priest had disappeared.
"Ben!" Rias called out, turning back to look at her pawn. "We're heading to school."
Unable to bring himself to say anything in response, Ben simply nodded his head curtly and went to join Rias' side, stopping momentarily to kneel down and grip Gwen's arm comfortingly and giving it a soft squeeze as he passed her.
Someone was going to pay. He would make damn sure of that.
. . . . .
At the front entrance of Kuoh Academy
(Several minutes later)
"We've successfully covered the school in a protective barrier," Sona reported as she approached Rias and her peerage. The entire school was now surrounded by a bright dome and was held by the members of Sona's peerage who were spread out around the perimeter as they fuelled the barrier with their magical power. "Unless something drastic happens, it should prevent anything from escaping the school grounds and causing damage to the surrounding area."
The Occult Research Club, bar Kiba who was still AWOL, had all gathered at the entrance to the school. Ben's thoughts went back to Gwen again who had been taken to Sona's house to recover from her injuries which, thankfully, weren't nearly as serious as they had been thanks to Asia's quick healing. He had thanked Sona profusely for her generous offer to look after his cousin's recovery even as the Sitri heiress brushed it off.
"Thank you, Sona," Rias said with appreciation; partly from her gratitude to Sona agreeing to come to the school at her request, her own appreciation for offering to assist in Gwen's recovery, and partly from her offer to erect the dome they all now stood in.
"This is simply to reduce the damage to a minimum, you understand?" Sona explained as she cast a glance back at the red-haired heiress behind her. "Should Kokabiel decide to fight you seriously then this will all be for nothing."
"It's not too late, you know?" she added, pushing her spectacles up her nose a little. "You can still call your brother. He'd certainly come to our aid."
"I could say the same about your sister," Rias retorted with a wry smile on her face.
"You know why my sister can't come. Your brother loves you and would come here if you'd only ask," Sona countered.
"There's no need to," Akeno called out a she approached the two pure-blood devils. "I've already contacted Sirzechs and he's agreed to help us,"
"Akeno!" Rias scolded her best friend with annoyance, casting a glare at her Queen for going behind her back. "How could you do something like that without asking me first?"
Akeno bowed her head politely. "I'm sorry, Rias but it had to be done. I understand that you don't want to disturb your brother unless we absolutely must…but our enemy is a leader-class fallen angel! He's not someone we have any real chance of beating on our own. I think that qualifies as a must," she explained calmly, not perturbed by the scowl adorning Rias' face.
Rias stared at Akeno in silence for a few seconds before sighing heavily. "Fine," she relented with a slight nod.
A smile returned to Akeno's face at Rias' concession. "Thank you for understanding, Rias. Sirzechs and his troops will be here in just about an hour."
"I just can't win against you, can I?" Rias sighed with a smile on her face before returning her attention towards the school. "Should be a fun hour."
"We should be able to hold the barrier until then as long as nothing excessive happens," Sona said at hearing that backup would be coming soon."
Rias nodded and turned to the rest of her servants. "One hour. We have to hold Kokabiel off for one hour. We shall be on the offensive this time. We shall find that war monger and distract him long enough until reinforcements arrive. I needn't remind you that this is nothing like our battle with Riser. This is a life-or-death battle. Just let it be known that I will never forgive any of you if you die! We shall survive to attend school and our classes tomorrow!"
"Yes!" Ben shouted enthusiastically along with the other members of the ORC as they headed towards the school atrium.
"This is it, guys," Ben said, talking to his two dragon companions. "We've got to stop that asshole before he gets his war. I'm not letting Gwen nor my parents die just to satisfy this maniac."
[You've got it, Ben,] Ddraig answered with determination. [Kokabiel may be a powerful opponent but we'll show him what it means to challenge a dragon.]
"You got that right, Ddraig. What about you, Azmuth?" Ben replied and was met with silence from the ancient dragon deity.
"Azmuth?" Ben asked, attracting the dragon god's attention.
[Hmm? Uh, yes, it'll be a difficult fight but I'm sure you'll surprise everyone,] Azmuth replied in a distracted voice.
Both Ben and Ddraig were baffled by Azmuth's strange and unusual response. It didn't sound anything like the Azmuth they usually dealt with.
"Uh, Azmuth? You okay?" Ben asked with caution. He had been put in Azmuth's bad books far too many times for annoying the emerald dragon to let himself willingly be put back in there again.
[I'm fine. It's just that uneasy feeling I've had for the last few weeks about my missing memory. I'm sure it's about something important and I'm certain I'm so close to finding out what it was about."
[There's a time and a place to worry about your failing memory, decrepit old lizard. Is this going to be a problem?] Ddraig chided Azmuth. A battle was hardly the place to reminisce.
[No. No, of course it isn't,] Azmuth replied firmly as he brought his attention back to the current situation.
Ben nodded at Azmuth's declaration and quickened his pace to catch up to the others who had pulled ahead of him and were nearly at the entrance to the school atrium.
[And don't think I didn't catch that 'decrepit old lizard' remark, Ddraig,] Azmuth growled in the back of Ben's head as he caught up with the others as they approached the school doors.
. . . . .
Ben promote himself to 'Queen' as soon as they entered the dark school atrium and summoned his Sacred Gears to his arms. He could already feel the increased power from the 'Queen' piece flowing through his body.
"Ben. I want you to refrain from using Ddraig's power offensively in this battle," Rias said as they walked through the empty hallways, their footsteps resonating through the empty school. "Rely on your transformations while you build up Ddraig's power. When it is ready, I want you to transfer it over to the rest of us when we need it."
"You got it. It'll take longer to boost my power when I'm transformed though," Ben replied, casting a quick glance down at his Boosted Gear. It was a minor weakness which he had discovered a few weeks ago when Azmuth had told informed him of it. While he was transformed it would take longer for the Boosted Gear to charge up his power and longer until he could use his 'explosion' or 'transfer' abilities. This was attributed to his body simply not being capable of taking the full power of both Azmuth and Ddraig at the same time; it was just too much for him to handle.
He didn't mind that much though as he wasn't exactly defenceless with his other Gear. The demons he could transform into were powerful in their own right.
"That'll be fine. Just the fact that you can still use Azmuth's Gear without using Ddraig's power too is an advantage in itself. That being said though, I'd like for you to stay back for as long as possible so as to allow you to charge up your Boosted Gear without interference," Rias continued as they continued down the deserted hallway.
Ben nodded his head and it wasn't long after that that they reached their destination and arrived at the school field where they were met by a bizarre scene.
In the centre of the field stood an elderly-looking priest who was surrounded by four swords which were emitting an extremely large amount of Light. They were hovering above a large magical circle which covered a large area of the school field.
"Who the hell's that old priest?" Ben asked nobody in particular as they approached him.
Before anyone could answer him, a familiar, dark voice spoke out from high above them. "The four Excaliburs are being merged into one."
Everyone looked up to see Kokabiel sitting in an ornate throne-like chair which hovered above the school as he watched the scene below him play out.
"Proceed with the ritual, Balba," the fallen angel added with a malicious smirk on his face.
Ben's eyes shot back to the elderly priest as he continued to perform his ritual. So that was Balba Galilei? The same man who behind the project which took so much from Kiba and hurt him under the pretention that they were doing it for God.
"Kokabiel!" Rias shouted out, looking up at the leader-class fallen angel.
Kokabiel turned his gaze away from the priest and the floating swords and glanced over at Rias where his eyes lit up with glee.
"So, is your brother on his way…or is Leviathan coming to challenge me?" he asked in a triumphant tone.
"Neither at the moment. For now, you'll have to deal with us…," Rias began to say but was cut off when Kokabiel created a large spear of Light, the largest Ben had ever seen in his life, and casually threw it towards the gymnasium. When it impacted the large building, the entire structure was lost in a huge explosion which consumed it completely, leaving nothing but a large crater behind when the smoke eventually cleared.
"Urgh, so boring. I'll need a diversion until the real fight begins then," Kokabiel muttered with boredom as he looked down at the gathered devils. "I guess you'll have to do until then."
Ben slowly rose to his feet as did the others. When the spear struck the gym, the blast had sent them all to the floor from the force of it. Once he was back on his feet, he couldn't help but stare at the crater left in the Light spear's wake as a chill ran up his spine.
[You alright, kid?] Ddraig asked, distracting Ben from the fear he felt after Kokabiel's attack.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Ben replied though he wasn't fooling either of his dragon partners one bit.
[It's alright to be afraid, Ben] Azmuth said calmly as he sought to calm the young devil down. [You forget that this is a being who survived the war between God and the original Devil Kings. You have never encountered such power before so it's only natural that you fear it. you must remember though that you are a dragon, destined to be one of the most powerful beings in this dimension.]
"Can we beat someone like him?" Ben asked as he looked up at the fallen angel hovering above them with trepidation. Not even Riser was that powerful and he had been forced to give up his left arm to beat him.
[Even if I have to turn most of your body into a dragon, I'll ensure you have the power to beat him. The last thing the Three Factions and both the human and supernatural world need is another war,] Azmuth declared firmly.
"I think I'll let you kids play with one of my favourite pets. It should provide some light entertainment for me at least," Kokabiel declared before snapping his fingers. As he did so, a bright light erupted from the floor beneath him to reveal a new magic circle which soon after spouted a large plume of flames into the air.
"What the fuck?!" Ben exclaimed as he brought his Sacred Gears up in preparation for whatever came out of the circle.
"Prepare yourselves," Rias ordered to the rest of her servants as a dark shape manifested itself in the intense flames.
A large, black-furred paw stepped out of the fire and was quickly followed by the rest of its body. It emerged out of the flames to reveal itself as a 10ft tall, black-furred dog. It had four thick legs, each with a set of sharp claws, but the thing that concerned Ben the most was the fact that the massive beast had three heads, each with a set of razor-sharp teeth.
Ben was taken aback again when a second beast emerged from the brilliant flames.
It wasn't just him who was shocked by the beasts sudden appearance; even Rias was taken off guard by its appearance.
"A Cerberus!?" she exclaimed with shock as the three-headed dog roared loudly in their direction.
"Wait…Cerberus!?" Ben asked, unable to take his eyes off the beat in question. "As in the same Cerberus who guards the gates of Hell!?"
"The very same," Akeno explained as she equipped into her battle robes.
"Summoning them to this realm is forbidden!" Rias stated with anger in her voice. "Akeno, Koneko!"
"You got it, Rias," the two devils replied as they sprang into action.
"Ben, you stay with Asia and charge up your Boosted Gear," Rias ordered as she joined her Rook and Queen as they attacked one of the huge beasts as it charged towards them with a loud roar of challenge.
"Got it," Ben shouted back in response as he stood in front of Asia and guided her away from the intense fight going on before them. "Get back, Asia," he said as he did so.
"Okay," Asia said fearfully as she stared up at Cerberus with wide eyes.
"It's going to be fine," Ben said to her in an attempt to calm her down. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."
[BOOST!]
The two of them watched as Rias, Akeno and Koneko attacked the Cerberus with gusto. Koneko inflicted blow after enhanced blow against it while Akeno shot at it with her lightning bolts and Rias attacked the beast with her own magic. If it wasn't enough of a challenge to land a blow on the hulking Guard Dog of Hell, they also had to contend with the balls of fire which the large dog fired from out of its three mouths.
Ben was so captivated by the fight that he almost missed the scream from behind him. He spun around to see Asia looking behind them at the other Cerberus beast which had skulked around the battlefield until it was standing before them. Its left and right head glared at the two of them with a ravenous hunger clearly seen in their blazing red eyes, their intent clear to the young devil. The middle head differed from its other heads in that it appeared more collected than them and, instead of blood-red eyes, it had pitch black eyes with white pupils and black cracks just underneath them.
Without thinking, he quickly picked up Asia, bridal-style, and leapt out of the way as three large balls of fire struck where they had just been standing a second ago. He landed several feet away and looked back at the intimidating beast.
[BOOST!]
"Shit! When did that suddenly sneak up on us?!" he cursed as he placed Asia back on her feet. He couldn't call the others for help as they were already struggling to tackle the other Cerberus. If they had to split up, then things could go from bad to worse for all of them.
There was only thing to do.
"Stay back, Asia," he instructed the blonde devil behind him as he brought up his Transformation Gear and hurriedly cycled through his choice of forms until he found the one he wanted. "I'll deal with this guy," he said as he slammed his hand down on the dial, his selection made, and disappeared in a familiar emerald light.
[Transform: Vulpimancer!]
The light died down to reveal Ben's new form. His appearance had changed into one that vaguely resembled an orange dog-like creature. It was half the size of the Cerberus standing before it, around 15ft tall, and had neither ears, eyes, nose, nor a tail of any kind. It had sharp, defined teeth, several of which protruded from the sides of it mouth, and what appeared to be a set of gills on each side of its muscular neck.
Growling deeply, Ben stepped in front of Asia as he faced the Cerberus dog in front of him. He roared loudly at the dog as it issued a challenge to the larger beast, seemingly unconcerned by the three sets of teeth which roared right back at him.
Noticing that the smaller dog-like demon before it had no sign of eyes or ears, the Cerberus believed it would have no trouble handling the small creature and suddenly charged forward, its three heads reared back in preparation to quickly strike the demon down, trapping it in its jugular and ripping it apart before tasting its flesh.
However, unbeknownst to it and anyone who had seen Ben's new form, this one had a unique ability which no other known demon possessed. While it was true that Vulpimancer's had no eyes, ears, or nose, they still had perfect awareness of their surroundings. This was thanks to the gills on either side of their necks which granted them a near unparalleled sense of smell. This ability was so potent that Ben's "Vulpimancer vision" was composed of a dull 3D map of their entire surroundings, giving him a powerful sense akin to sonar or radar.
This was shown when Ben, who had seen the Cerberus' attack coming at him clear as day, nimbly leapt out of the way of the three large jaws which struck the ground hard, taking them completely by surprise as they had not expected the puny demon to be able to see them nor react so quickly. This enraged the three-headed demon dog but this paled in comparison to the rage it experienced when the orange dog-like demon proceeded to leap up onto its back with ease and bite down, hard, on the middle head's neck, drawing thick red blood which trailed down it black, matted fur and staining Ben's burnt orange fur as he slashed at the Cerberus' back with its razor-sharp claws before nimbly leaping off its back when the other two heads converged on him and attempted to catch him in their powerful jaws.
Ben continued to use his hit-and-run tactic against the much larger opponent where he would leap around the large demon, striking it with his sharp claws and teeth and succeeded in drawing copious amounts of blood from the beast's three heads and the rest of its body; always able to stay out of their reach…that is until his lucky streak eventually ran out.
As he leapt up to bite down on the jugular on the right head, the middle one reacted with such speed that it caught Ben off guard when it intercepted his attack, allowing it to clamp down on Ben's right shoulder and bite him hard.
Ben let out a loud, pained roar as the Cerberus bit into his shoulder and, acting completely on instinct, brought his right paw up and slashed the middle head on its right side, leaving deep claw marks along its face, causing it to release him from its grip as it howled in pain and reeled back, allowing Ben to crash to the floor.
As it released its prey, the Cerberus lashed out with an instinctive slash of its claws which just struck Ben's chest and the circular dial which protruded from his chest which left a shallow gash across his chest.
[DNA sample acquired!] A voice that resembled Azmuth's yet was too robotic to be his called out but went completely unheard to everyone across the battlefield.
Once out of its grip, Ben leapt back from the large demon and landed with a pained grunt, collapsing to his knees when he applied pressure to his injured arm and whimpering a little from the sharp pain in his arm and chest.
"Are you alright!?" Asia cried as she ran towards him. Ben glanced at her and tried to tell her to get away before she got hurt but wasn't capable of doing so. Instead of formulating actual words he released a series of animalistic noises instead which made no sense to anyone listening, not even to him.
Asia, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what he was trying to say and shook her head at him even as she held up her hands and began to heal his wound. "You're injured. I won't just leave you when you're hurt so much," she stated firmly though her voice was still shaking slightly with fear. It wasn't fear of Ben in his demonic form; she could never be afraid of him, no matter what he transformed into. No, she was afraid because of what had happened to him and how much it was hurting him.
In a flash of light, Ben returned back into his normal form though his right shoulder still hurt a lot and was covered with blood from the wound which Asia had just finished healing. He was breathing heavily and glanced over at Asia. "You really are stubborn, aren't you?" he asked rhetorically, chuckling at the ex-nun when her cheeks started to flush slightly at his comment.
"Thanks," he added with a smile on his face.
[BOOST!]
"Roooooooooaaaaaaaaar!" three animalistic sounds called out in unison.
Ben and Asia looked up to see the Cerberus which Ben had been fighting had leapt towards them and was just about to land on top of them. Seeing this, Ben spun around and wrapped his arms, protectively, around Asia and jumped out of the beast's way. This proved to be unnecessary as, just before the Cerberus landed on them, the middle head howled in pain for a second before its head separated from its neck and fell to the floor where it disappeared in a plume of brilliant flames.
"What the…," Ben exclaimed with confusion before he noticed a glint above him. He looked up to see none other than Xenovia soaring above the large demon dog, her Excalibur of Destruction in her hands.
"Xenovia!" he shouted, surprised at the relief in his voice. His gaze fell back to the stump where the middle head had just been.
"She cut its head off in a single blow!" he exclaimed with amazement.
[That is the damage a Holy Sword can have on an 'evil creature',] Azmuth explained. [Now you know why we cautioned you about them so much.]
"I see what you mean," Ben replied before looking back up at Xenovia who was still flying through the air.
"Thought you could use a little help," she shouted down to him before flipping in mid-air and bringing her Holy sword down on the demon below her, cleaving it right through its middle this time. The two halves of the demon fell to the floor, its heads howling in pain one last time before they followed the middle head's lead and both parts of it were engulfed in flames before disappearing.
Ben released Asia and rose to his feet and ran over to Xenovia as she landed a few feet away from him. Xenovia noticed his approach and looked over at him.
"I sensed the barrier being erected around the school and knew something was going on. I lost track of Gwen though; do you know where she is?"
"Yeah, she was attacked by Freed and Kokabiel and had her sword stolen," Ben revealed and held up his hands up at the look of concern on the Excalibur wielder's face. "Don't worry, though, she's safe. She's resting at Sona's house for the moment. Asia was able to heal her wounds before anything worse happened."
Ben's words seemed to console Xenovia, if only slightly. "That's a relief. I was worried about her when we lost her in our chase. Thank you for taking care of her."
"We might not get along but she's still family," Ben stated firmly before his right arm glowed again, brighter than before.
[BOOST!]
He knew what that meant.
"Rias!" he exclaimed to the red-haired devil as he ran towards her.
"Good boy!" Rias shouted back as she and Akeno disengaged from their fight with Cerberus momentarily and flew towards Ben while Koneko kept the large demon dog distracted.
When he reached them, Ben leapt up into the air and tapped both of them on the shoulder as he passed by them.
[TRANSFER!]
Both Rias and Akeno were surrounded by a green aura as they felt their strength return and magnify further than ever before. This also caused them to feel a wave of euphoria wash over them and they cried out in ecstasy as the pleasurable feeling filled their bodies. When the wave quickly passed, the two devil women hovered above the Cerberus they had been fighting.
"We're ready now!" Rias declared as she felt more power flowing through her body than she had ever felt before. "Akeno?"
"Of course," Akeno replied, feeling the same euphoria that Rias had felt and eager to test out her new-found power. She raised her hand in front of her as a bright yellow magic circle appeared before her. "Bring out thunder!" she bellowed as a thick bolt of electricity shot out of the circle.
The Cerberus demon seemed to sense what was coming and tried to avoid the blast but was stopped when Koneko delivered a powerful blow to its front right leg, shattering its knee, before flipping it over her head with the help of her enhanced strength and leaping out of the way as Akeno's attack struck its target. The demon howled in pain and struggled to rise back up to its feet.
"Time to end this!" Rias shouted as she created a crimson magic circle before her to finish off the demon once and for all but was caught off guard when the Cerberus decided to carry out one last suicidal charge, lunging forward with the power of its hind legs and uninjured foreleg.
It crossed the distance between them in just a few seconds but just before it made it to its target several swords shot out of the ground, impaling the Cerberus' belly and holding it in place. The owner of the swords, as if anyone was unsure about it, dropped down from the sky, landing beside Asia.
"Kiba!" Ben exclaimed with joy. "You made it!"
"Sorry I'm late. Looks like I got here in time," the Gremory Knight said with a faint smile on his face.
"Time to finish this!" Rias declared as she released a concentrated dose of her Power of Destruction magic, striking the demon completely unopposed, blasting it into oblivion, leaving nothing of the large demon behind.
Ben ran over to Kiba and Asia and was about to ask the blond knight where he had been all this time but was stopped from doing so when Kokabiel's deep voice spoke up, attracting everyone's attention.
"Huh. That was slightly entertaining," the ancient angelic being muttered, his bored tone not lost on anyone. "Though it's still not enough to satisfy my boredom."
Rias couldn't hold back her anger and disgust towards the fallen angel and, using some of the enhanced power she had left from Ben's ability, she created another bolt of Destruction magic in her hands before firing it towards the cocky bastard.
Ben's eyes widened in shock though as Kokabiel casually knocked the bolt away with a wave of his hand, sending the bolt right back towards Rias who only just managed to avoid it as it shot past her and impacted the ground, leaving behind a deep hole from where it struck and taking another large chunk of the school field away.
"That was adorable," he taunted as he rose out of his chair, a malicious smirk on his face. "Look how powerful you've become when you've had a little dragon inside of you. Simply fascinating."
Ben glared up at the fallen angel and would have transformed into something else and taken the fight to the bastard if he wasn't trying to recover the power he had lost when he transferred it to Rias and Akeno as quickly as possible. If he was going to fight someone as powerful as Kokabiel then he would need as much power as he could possibly muster.
The area was suddenly illuminated by a bright light which originated from the other side of the school field…right where Balba was with the Holy swords.
"It's finished! It's finally finished!" the elderly priest cackled as a beam of light fired into the air, breaking through the protective barrier with ease to reveal, in place of the four Excaliburs which Kokabiel had managed to gather together, a single sword which radiated pure Holy magic from it. "After all my hard work; I have finally done it!"
They were too late. The Excaliburs had been successfully merged.