"Now, now...let's all calm down here, even though I have no idea what the hell's going on dattebayo..."
Everyone in the room stopped speaking when a young man intervened, walking in, already looking tired as water droplets dripped from his bare body.
...He also happened to only have a small towel wrapped around his waist to protect his decency.
And that guy was-
"N-N-Naruto!? Why are you walking around half-naked!?" Mio cried out, her eyes as wide as saucers as she quickly rushed to cover her eyes from the sight, cheeks flaring further.
Indeed, Uzumaki Naruto had just walked into the room after finishing his shower, and after Mio had just peeped on him.
Instead of being embarrassed however, he just stood tall, crossing his arms across his pectoral muscles as he gazed at his imouto with a stern look. "Alright...I think I know what's going on here."
Despite staying quiet, everyone around the blond turned to look at him, curious about his 'findings'.
And he very quickly delivered. "Mio...you've been feeling really weird around boys recently, right? You're getting curious about things that you were once never curious about, right? Well, first I have to tell you not to worry, we all go through this phase in our lives. We just have to get through this together, alright?"
As the blond continued speaking, everyone else remained silent, whether it was through rising horror or out of dangerous curiosity, akin to watching a train wreck about to happen, no one had any idea.
It was by that point that the shinobi spread his arms out in a welcoming gesture, a soft smile on his face. "Look, there's no need to peep, but...I do think that it's about time that we have 'the talk'."
...
...
Managing to do the impossible, Mio's face grew brighter and brighter red, matching the sun by this point as she desperately tried to stop him. "No...t-that's not it...it was Maria..."
"It's ok, I got 'the talk' really late too. You're not alone in this, I promise that you'll know all that you need to know about this confusing time in your life." Naruto assured, nodding sagely. "Really...I feel like I've failed as an 'onii-chan'...I should have known that this was happening ever since you began interrogating me and Yuki yesterday about relationships."
For the second time that day, the half-devil's jaw just dropped, speechless.
Meanwhile, Maria was covering her mouth up desperately, wheezing as she lost her breath to her giggling fits.
Issei just watched, his questions to the blond lost in the soap opera that was unfolding before his eyes.
It was like watching a ticking time bomb.
And it was about to go off.
Three.
Two.
One.
"Naruto...I..." Mio whispered, voice listless. "...I think I'll...just be going to bed early today."
It looked like the time bomb flopped.
Naruto didn't really even get a chance to respond, as the teenaged girl already began moving to leave the living room, deathly pale with dull and lifeless eyes.
She pretty much looked like she just gave up on life then and there.
The shinobi watched her go, confusion in his eyes, before turning to the succubus that was still sitting on the table. "...Did I do something wrong?"
Maria, who was clutching at her stomach as her eyes began to water up from holding back laughter, tried to answer. "Ah...no, you got it -hmph!- totally right... -ha!-without a doubt!"
But she couldn't stop the occasional burst of laughter that managed to break through her lips.
Still, unbelievably, Naruto believed her words and nodded to himself with confidence. "Alright then...I gotta talk to her about it tomorrow."
The pawn gaped, unable to believe what he was seeing.
There were no words that could be spoken.
It was -finally- by that point that Naruto finally noticed his presence.
"Ah...woah!" the shinobi exclaimed, doing a double-take as his gaze accidentally passed by the quiet teenager. "Issei...? Is that you? What the hell are you doing in my house?"
The young man locked eyes with the blond, feeling more than a little awkward at his intrusion. "Hey there Naruto...it's been a while. And I'm here because I wanted to talk to you about something personal...but then I got caught into something weird."
Illustrating his feelings on the subject, the young man waved his arm, implicating that the very house itself was spawning the weird events that recently unfolded around him.
Frankly, the whiskered teen didn't look surprised. "You sorta get used to it."
Oh, that explains a lot actually.
Without missing a beat, Naruto walked up to the living room table and slid into the seat opposite of Issei, taking a second to glance at the still coughing Maria. "Oi, do me a favor and comfort Mio, would ya?"
The succubus was still 'coughing' from before, completely unable to recover after the beautiful scene she had just engineered. "I'm -hah!- on it...Naruto-sama!"
Maria slowly pushed herself off from her seat, giggling insanely, and began moving to the hallway so that she could 'comfort' the red-head.
And by that, of course, she meant tease.
It was this very incident that would convince Mio of something later on.
Mostly, that she didn't need to consider how she got the succubus to join Naruto on his planned trip to Kyoto, which was planned for in the beginning of Kuoh Academy's reopening.
She'd just stuff her inside his baggage.
No muss, no fuss, right?
Anyway, Naruto finally turned to face the pawn, quirking an eyebrow in curiosity. "So? What's up?"
Issei dragged his eyes away from the retreating back of the mischievous silverette and onto the man that he actually came to see. "Right. You see...I've been training recently, especially ever since we've gotten a lot of free time after Kuoh Academy's temporarily closed down for repairs..."
For some reason, the shinobi saw fit to cough uncomfortably at the mention of the school's repairs, going shifty.
Ignoring this, the perverted boy continued. "...And while I'm making a lot of progress in terms stamina, as well as making up a new move...well, actually, that's just the problem. If I'm only thinking about my basic abilities, I've only really gotten a little better in terms of stamina and strength when compared to when I was Buchou's summer retreat."
So, after that small explanation, Issei finally got to the crux of his problem. "Basically, I need to make some improvements, and fast. And I'd like some advice on how I could do that, since...well, you're the guy who likes throwing punches the most out of everyone I know."
A snort emerged from Naruto's throat at the blunt admission. "Oh boy, you have no clue dattebayo..."
Then the blond shifted around in his seat, lackadaisically crossing his arms behind his head as he carefully regarded his fellow male. "...Well, I can definitely understand why you'd come to me for something like this, but you gotta understand that I ain't a miracle worker. There isn't a way for you to become a badass overnight."
If the brown-haired boy's roll of the eyes was any indication, he obviously didn't believe the whiskered teen's words too much. "Oh come on, Naruto! You're really strong, right? You've fought in a lot of life-and-death battles, right? So surely you've got some kind of method of training that could help accelerate my growth!"
Naruto just quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah...I've been in a hell of a lot of fights, but that's kind of not the point. I don't have a quick-fire way to make you powerful or anything like that, and even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you."
Seeing the indignant expression that began to creep into the reincarnated devil's face, the blond continued without missing a beat. "Look, there are many ways that someone could grow strong. For the most part, everyone has there own way to fight, or at least a unique spin to their fighting style. We both may like to use our fists, but that doesn't mean that we'll fight the same way, or that we'll have the same strategies."
Issei plopped his head down onto the table, disgruntled. "...I have no idea what you're saying."
Oceanic eyes dulled.
"...Basically, I can give you some pointers, as well as some training in helping you form a basic fighting style...but after that, you're on your own." Naruto explained more clearly, crossing his arms across his chest. "If I do more than that, then I'd be interrupting your growth."
The shinobi's eyes narrowed, firm in this. "Fact is, I want you to build upon your abilities your own way, to find you own way forward without my meddling. I want you to fight as Hyoudou Issei, not as a cheap clone of Uzumaki Naruto. Do you kinda get what I'm saying?"
The pawn leaned back from the table, eyes widening, knocked silent as his brain finally registered what the blond was saying.
His chocolate-colored orbs turned downwards, unable to look at his host. "But...what if I take too long to get stronger? What if I can't protect Asia again..."
That was right.
Once upon a time, there was this devil that was targeting Asia, for what reason, the former human had no idea.
What he did know, was that when the time truly called for it, he wasn't strong enough to stop the bastard himself.
...What if he couldn't beat him the next time he met?
What if-?
"Oi, idiot."
Issei was snapped from his internalized worries, locking eyes with his fellow teen once more without even thinking about it.
"...If you begin thinking like that, especially if you're in the middle of a battle, then you might as well throw in the towel." Naruto criticized, sighing a little. "You need to keep your head held high, and you need to have the confidence to face your next enemy, no matter who they are. Otherwise you'll stand no chance."
The shinobi closed his eyes silently afterwards, as if pondering.
"I remember...that Rias once told me about some interesting things about the supernatural in general after we first met, from the 'Top Ten' most powerful beings...to how Sacred Gears basically worked." he began, focused.
The pawn leaned back into the table, ears perked at what the blond's possible point was, keenly looking for anything that could help him out.
And as expected, the point very quickly became obvious.
"Specifically, I remember what she told me about Sacred Gears." Naruto noted, sliding his gaze onto his guest again. "And how someone is supposed to become more powerful while utilizing them."
Issei's eyes lit up. "Oh...! I think I remember Buchou mention something like that once, something about my 'desire' if I remember right..."
"Yeah, apparently your 'desire' could make your Sacred Gear evolve if it's strong enough." Naruto remembered clearly, though his facial features belayed his dissatisfaction. "But, to be honest, I don't really believe that it's that simple."
The reincarnated devil squinted. "How do you figure that? You're not a Sacred Gear researcher or anything, so wouldn't Buchou have more information on something like this than you?"
A shrug was his only response. "Personal experience."
...That wasn't an answer though.
Ignoring the thorough vagueness of his words, Naruto allowed a calm smile to awash across his features, at ease now. "Issei...answer me this; how badly do you wanna get more powerful? To protect not only Asia-san, but to protect your new comrades?"
The perverted boy didn't even hesitate. "I would sacrifice my arm for it."
This time, the blond's only response was a toothy smirk. "Good answer, but here's another question now; why the hell don't you have the power that you want so badly if you're already 'desiring' it?"
Issei opened his mouth, ready to answer...
Then paused, suddenly uncertain.
Seeing his fellow male's pause, the shinobi raised his nose into the air. "You get it now, right? There has to be more to this Sacred Gear thing! See, this is why you shouldn't question my wisdom, I'm just too smart for my own good sometimes~"
Dry brown eyes watched as the blond's ego began to swell to massive proportions, forcing a sweat-drop out of the still-confused young man.
It took a few more seconds for Naruto to bring his ego back down to the planet Earth.
"Anyway, as I was saying before, there's probably more to this Sacred Gear thing than we think, as your desire is pretty damn obvious right now. Though, I suppose you could say that your 'desire' could reach a peak in dangerous situations, which in turn could trigger your Boosted Gear to evolve, it doesn't change the fact that you probably...no...definitely need one more thing to get stronger."
Blue eyes locked with brown ones, reflecting each other's visages as the shinobi breathed out the two words that went on to echo in the small room, their importance understated, yet not.
"Your will."
Present...
Boost!
Issei smashed his gauntlet into the ground, splitting it apart with his incredible strength, using it to force himself onto his feet, a green aura beginning to swirl around him.
"...Oi...you blond bastard..." the reincarnated devil murmured, eyes shadowed by his brown hair.
At least until he tilted his head upwards, a toothy grin plastered across his face. "Don't try and say such cool shit...when you've only got a towel protecting your decency...huh...?"
The brown-haired boy then took a deep breath, before breathing out, easing himself as he glared at the sky, trying to plan out what to do next.
He only had a rough idea of where that bastard was, so he would have to wait for him to make the first move, and go from there.
...And...while he couldn't, and shouldn't, use his Dragon Shot, which probably wouldn't hit the asshole anyway, he could still try and use something in it's stead.
Rather, to be more specific, he could improvise.
And improvise he would, as he just barely saw something flash in his peripheries, breaking through the dust to his right, moving for the kill.
In response, Issei jumped backwards as the beam obliterated the ground where he just occupied, his brown eyes snapping to where he -roughly- knew where the attack originated from.
He already knew that the bastard wasn't gonna let up, as a matter of fact, he was counting on it.
Which was why he was focusing demonic energy onto his Boosted Gear once more, making it glow faintly, as a small orb appeared in the palm of his hand.
That being said, the gauntlet wasn't glowing anywhere near as brightly as last time, with the red orb being significantly less powerful than the last orb that occupied his palm.
And that orb was being aimed just when another beam pierced through the dust cloud, heading for him.
With as much precision as he could muster, he raised his left arm, clutching at it with his right, and called out the new attack that he literally just came up with one the spot.
"Dragon Barrage!" he declared, his Boosted Gear glowing brightly as it released the attack to intercept the enemy's magical attack.
And indeed it did.
*BOOM*
Both attacks impacted one another in the air, not too far off from the ground, and cancelled each other out in an impressive light show of an explosion.
However, even as Issei was firing off his demonic-based orb, another beam was breaking out of the fog, coming out in short order after the last one.
Then again, it was called, a Dragon Barrage for a reason!
"Keep going...!" he urged himself, creating another orb immediately after the last one. Firing it off to meet with the latest attempt on his life.
Like he expected, his attack once more canceled out Diodora's, but he still continued to barrage the air in order to keep up with the increasing number of attacks on his enemy's end.
The air became riddled in small explosions, shaking the earth under the constant air pressure that it was picking up, knocking everything away from the points of detonation.
Which was exactly the point...!
Even as the perverted boy was forced to jump backwards after failing to stop a few stray beams from getting through, the dust cloud that once hanged overhead like some kind of looming threat was being pushed further and further away from the explosions.
And it was thanks to that, that the young man was able to see the silhouette of a certain devil, standing on top of an apartment complex a way's away from him.
Gritting his teeth, metaphorically clutching his heart in his hands...
He jumped.
Boost!
This was it...!
His felt his Sacred Gear give him his last burst of power, his stamina unable to accommodate more than this last power up.
And because of that, his Boosted Gear let loose everything he had in one full burst.
Explosion!
His very muscles felt like they were set on fire, as his Sacred Gear announced that he has reached his zenith in power.
He had no idea how much time he had...
But...!
Issei very quickly closed the gap between himself and his enemy, who was preparing another volley, unaware that he was incoming.
So he raised his left hand, his gauntlet, and heaved it forward, knowing instinctively that it was going to crash beautifully into a certain asshole's face.
Diodora for his part, was cautiously waiting for some of the smoke to clear up so that he could get a clearer shot on his enemy, focusing on creating more magic circles to attack with, and considering whether he should change spots to confuse the former human more.
What he didn't expect, was to see said former human come crashing through the smoke from the explosions earlier, his fist raised, primed to smash his face in.
His single functioning eye widened, caught off-guard by the reckless offensive.
But he managed to pivot on the spot by sheer reflex, muscle memory activating as he remembered their last clash.
By mere inches, Diodora managed to dodge the mighty swing, his face twisting up in a dark smile as his eye lazily watched the fist pass him by, as if in slow motion.
Yet, Issei didn't look at all worried by this fact.
If anything, a shit-eating grin overtook his features.
"Issei, if there's one thing that you need to know above all else...it's that you're the type of guy that likes to use his fists. But to actually get the chance to use them, you've gotta actually make sure that your enemy is wide open."
Naruto's last piece of advice echoed in the perverted boy's mind, as he began to seriously concentrate a bit of his demonic energy onto his Sacred Gear.
"Remember, you're not me. You're you. And knowing you, anything that you come up with to make that opening will sure as hell be blunt and ham-fisted. Which is fine, but just remember one thing..."
Issei pooled that power into his gauntlet alright, specifically, on the back of his hand, which just so happened to be facing Diodora as he made his pass.
"...Whatever you do, however you do it, when you get your chance to attack..."
That power made the jewel that rested on the back of his gauntlet glow.
Until...
That very jewel flashed brightly, as if it was a flash grenade that just went off, blinding anything or anyone that happened to see it for that very sparse millisecond.
"Ugh...!? W-What!? I-I can't see! I'm blind!"
Like Diodora, who clutched at his last eye, stumbling over himself as he began to wail at the intense pain, which was amplified thanks to his sensitive devil eye.
An absolutely vicious grin split Issei's face apart, as he flew past the blinded devil, tucking himself into a roll the same second that he touched the roof of the apartment complex.
It was called the Boosted Flash, meant to blind any opponent that dodged his fist by pouring demonic energy into the jewel on the back of his Sacred Gear.
It was ham-fisted, and completely unsubtle.
And it was one-hundred percent just like him.
Anyway, as soon as he was able, he forced himself onto his feet so that he could turn on the spot, prepared to utilize this golden opportunity.
His feet was cracking the floor as he sprinted towards his weakened opponent, forcing his fist back, his muscles expanding as his fist was sent thrusting forward with overwhelming strength.
"...Make sure that you beat the shit outta the bastard!"
Issei's fist crashed into Diodora's waist by the side, instinctively forcing the devil's muscles to bend awkwardly to try and minimize the damage done, an automatic measure to help spread the damage more evenly to the rest of the body.
It helped very little, as the former Astaroth heir was sent crashing through the guard rails that were erected to prevent people from falling, coughing blood at the sudden attack.
"And more than that...if you ever have such a golden opportunity...make sure that you don't stop pummeling them. You'll be in your element. So until you've done as much damage as possible, or until you're satisfied, keep up the pressure! No matter what!"
"Damn..." the pawn ground out, smashing his foot into the ground and pushing himself off from it. "Even if you didn't say anything back then, I still would have done that anyway!"
Brown eyes fiercely focused on the devil that was sent into the air, his own body lifted off from the ground after he used his feet, refusing to relent on his offensive.
Issei caught up to him quickly, this time using his right fist to barrel into the hapless high-class devil, knocking him further away.
At least, it was supposed to, but before he could be sent away, the former human drove his gauntlet forward and grabbed the man's fancy robes, dragging him back for more.
Using this chance, Issei literally smashed his head into Diodora's forehead, snapping his head -and body- back, as the sheer force of it ripped up the clothes that he was clutching onto.
With as much speed as he could muster, the teenaged male managed to grab the devil's arm before he went too far, however, the momentum his body was exhibiting was strong enough to force the former human to drag the bastard's body back, lest he slip out of his hand.
This pull swung Diodora's body around him in an arc, as Issei literally spun his enemy around him while remaining in the middle of the air.
Instead of trying to stop the momentum that was sending his enemy in circles, Issei quickly opted to swing him around faster.
The perverted boy clutched at Diodora's arm with a vice grip, heaving his body around him in a spin, speeding up his swings to the point that he felt, more than heard, the man's arm pop out of his shoulder.
Ignoring the scream that this elicited, the wielder of the Boosted Gear used every bit of his strength to make one more swing around, feeling more and more of the devil's arm detach from his body as he did so.
Until, with that very same strength, he launched his enemy towards the ground with such tremendous violence, that the already battered concrete roads didn't just break apart to make a crater.
No, the very road itself simply shattered, collapsing in on itself, as if the structural integrity finally gave way to all the punishment that it was forced to endure.
By the end of the collapse, a large crater was all that remained of that piece of the road.
Issei peered at the ground, watching his handiwork, silently acknowledging the announcement that his Boosted Gearmade as he began to descend from the air.
Reset!
Ah. That meant that his Sacred Gear was resetting his power back to it's normal state.
As soon as that announcement was made, he felt his strength suddenly leave him, very much feeling the fatigue hit him right then and there.
But despite this, he still managed to, haphazardly, land safely onto the crater that he made.
Yet the perverted boy still had to lean against a piece of concrete that was sticking out of the ground, huffing and puffing from exertion.
It took a split-second before he could push himself away from the crutch he temporarily made so that he could actually see the man that he was fighting, knowing that he had to make sure that he was actually down.
So, cautiously, the teen trudged deeper into the crater, which was at least a couple of meters wide, and focused his gaze onto the bottom of it, knowing that Diodora was somewhere down there.
After a few tense seconds of meticulously climbing down the relatively sizable hole, he reached the edge of where his opponent laid.
The former Astaroth heir's head was turned away, his body motionless, and one of his arms was almost completely detached from his shoulder, with blood pooling under him from his many wounds.
Issei leaned in with squinted eyes, unsure whether he was unconscious or actually dead...
As soon as he did however, that once motionless body suddenly moved.
Swiveling on the spot, with his arm out, a magic circle on the palm of his hand, aimed right at the pawn.
Brown eyes widened to the size of saucers, a curse on the tip of his tongue as he registered the insane look in his opponent's single orange eye, suddenly remembering that the man could hide his energy signal.
The magic circle glowed bright green, shining in the teen's face as he tried to backpedal out of the danger zone.
Yet it seemed that he was too late, as flames suddenly blanketed his eyesight, nearly blinding him with the luminescent light in the dark hole.
...
But it didn't touch him.
"...Ugh...? A...-ARGH!?"
Issei's eyes, if possible, widened even further when he realized that Diodora didn't release those flames, it couldn't be, as the devil suddenly screeched when flames suddenly engulfed his body, setting him on fire.
Brown eyes scanned around, trying to figure out what happened, until the perverted boy looked up and noticed two figures at the edge of the crater.
Mio had her hands out, panting, and shaking with her last bit of demonic energy spent.
Asia, who was holding said red-head up as she struggled to even stand up properly, was letting her use her body as a stand-in clutch.
An unwilling grin spread across his face at the two, breathing out in relief at the save.
"Hey...! You...alright down there...?" Mio spoke out, her question disjointed every time she took a second to take a gulp of air in, before being quietly scolded by Asia for trying to speak.
Issei opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, another scream interrupted him, coming from the very enemy that was set on fire.
All eyes turned to watch as the devil desperately tried to put himself out, rolling around in the earth as the flames began to turn his skin ashen.
His expensive clothes weren't helping either, as it was only giving the flames fuel to burn with.
Everyone just silently watched, somewhat unnerved as they watched someone getting burned alive.
No one there was experienced with the concept of a sentient being getting killed by their hands, as everyone there was still new to the world of the supernatural.
No one, for all intent's and purposes, had the blood of a sentient being on their hands.
Neither did any of them watch as someone was getting tortured either.
So even if the man was scum, it was still a disturbing sight to behold.
Made even worse, when Diodora finally stopped trying to put himself out, instead trying to use his only good arm to climb out of the crater, pulling at the newly-made slope of earth desperately.
As he tried to climb, his last eye glared at the sky, full of unrelenting hate.
And it was aimed at Mio, who was stuck in place, locking eyes with the man who was sent to capture her by 'Lucifer', unbeknownst to her.
"You..." the man growled lowly, his voice distorted as he continued to pull himself up, inching closer towards her location. "You...!"
The red-head stared, unable to speak as he slowly ascended up the recently made cliff, his snarls of pain obvious as the fire continued to steadily incinerate his body.
She could hear his snarls slowly morph into pained chuckles, mocking. "...I bet you're proud of yourself...right? Oh, how well you've...done today! But...don't pat yourself...so quickly...when you were the reason...that all of this started...in the first place...!"
Diodora stopped his climb for a moment, his entire body pretty much covered in fire by this point, the only thing visible being his eye, which was unerringly aimed at the half-devil with unnerving intensity.
Mio couldn't move, her feet was stuck into the ground by nothing more than her astonishment, as well as her dangerous sense of curiosity.
Almost like he knew this, he continued, his voice becoming more and more raspy. "...Your blood...your blood is...special. It speaks of authority...it speaks of power. And feral stray devils...are drawn to such power like a moth is to flies, especially...if the holder of that blood isn't that strong yet."
That orange eye dilated, insanity in it's depths, as blackened lips stretched to smile. "Ferals are like animals...they want power...they want to be alpha...they wanted your blood...!"
A pained cackle emerged from his throat, joyous despite the torture. "Do you have any idea...how hard it was to...keep those strays in line? The only reason they obeyed me...was because they obeyed their alpha...and because...they believed that they would get a chance to devour you..."
There were no responses to this, to any of this, just a tense silence that weighed everyone down.
"Y-You're wrong." Mio said lowly, her voice barely above a whisper, shaking her head, hands shaking, refusing to believe. "This...it's not my..."
"It's all your fault!" Diodora accused gleefully, his slasher smile obvious through the flames. "Your friends have been ambushed by my servant in the forest! They...are all going to die! And it's because of you! I would've never been able to get those stray devils if it wasn't for you! I would have never came to this place if it wasn't for you! IT'S. ALL. YOUR. FAULT!"
Mio recoiled, deathly pale, shaking her head. "No...! They're not...! No! They trained! They got stronger! Naruto helped them train! They won't die-!"
"Naruto...?"
Diodora's whisper, despite being just that, somehow managed to be so impactful that it knocked the red-head into silence.
His single orange eye was wide, as if the man had just made a great discovery.
Then, much to everyone's rising alarm, the burning devil managed to get onto his feet, flames still burning his skin to charcoal, as he limped closer to Mio and Asia.
"You...know him...? You know him...! The man who started all of this..." Diodora rasped quietly, remembering vividly the sphere that was smashed into his face less then two weeks ago.
Then he remembered the sphere that the daughter of the Original Lucifer herself used against him, and how similar it looked to his.
"...You admire that man..don't you...?"
Mio didn't respond, her heart hammering inside her chest, her entire body shivering as she watched a dying man continue to speak.
But she infinitely preferred a faster heartbeat when compared to her heart stopping, which was achieved thanks to the next words that were uttered by this sick, sickman.
"...How would he feel...if he figured out that you were the cause of the deaths of so many...of his comrades...?" Diodora asked rhetorically, melted skin dripping from his body as he took another step forward. "How would he look at you...?"
The red-head locked up, choking up, an instinctual fearpreventing her from trying to escape.
To get away, from him, back up and away from the crater.
To shut her eyes and refuse him the pleasure of even listening to him.
To do something.
Yet she stood there, as stock still as everyone else.
And the devil continued to move closer, with his silver tongue continuing on it's quest to expand on things that she didn't want to think or contemplate over, let alone admit to exist.
"...That attack you used against me...it looked just like his...but it was pathetic compared to his...a shoddy copy. Were you trying to emulate him...? Too bad for you that you're weak...as well as a liability that will get everyone around you killed. You're nothing but a burden...!"
Mio tried to back up, her entire body shivering uncontrollably, cupping her mouth with her hand as bile threatened to break out if she didn't.
"He'll realize this one day...you know...? He'll see what I see..."
"...No..."
"That you do nothing except hold him back...!"
"No! Just...stop...!"
"He will see this...and he will ignore it...and one day..."
"Shut up!"
Diodora smiled, despite his body literally falling apart, focused on this one overarching need...
To leave one last parting shot for these brats, to do as much damage before he was gone.
And to that end, he made his grim prediction.
"...One day...because of your weakness...he will die trying to protect you..."
Mio's heart stopped, her irises dilating to such an extent that they were merely pinpricks in comparison to the whites of her eyes.
"...Did you hear me? I said...that he will die because of you..."
"No. No, no, no. You're wrong. That's not true. He can't...he won't-!"
"He will die...because of you...!"
"Didn't you hear me!? I said that he won't...!"
"He will die, because of you!" Diodora bellowed with absolute glee, using his remaining hand to point at the red-head in accusation. "HE WILL DIE! AND YOU WILL HAVE NO ONE ELSE-!"
"Stop. Talking."
Blood splattered all across the rock surface that the former Astaroth heir was laying on, accomplishing the request that was given to him by the teenaged male that smashed his fist into his back.
And it really was inside his back.
Diodora turned his head around, blood trickling down from his mouth thanks to overflow, and simply looked at the wielder of the Boosted Gear, shocked at what he had just done.
Issei, in turn, stared right back, trying to stay firm and resolute, but...
"...So...how is it...?" Diodora wondered quietly, eyeing the 'dragon' with genuine curiosity. "How does...your first kill...feel like?"
The pawn flinched, far harder than he cared to admit.
"...How did you know?" the former human questioned, voice solemn.
A pained smirk slowly made itself known on Diodora's lips. "...Someone like me can tell."
And with that, the insanity quickly returned to color the devil's features, even during his last breath, especially with his last breath.
"...I hope you burn this visage into your memory, this moment, right here. I hope that you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat as you remember the bloodflowing past your arms. I hope that you remember myscreams." the insane man said vehemently, his orange eye glazing over as he used his last moments to curse his enemies.
To pray for their suffering.
As he did in life.
Though now, that was coming to an end.
Little by little, his rantings began to get lower and lower in volume, and his strength felt like it was leeched from his body.
Until he didn't have the strength to speak, or to keep his head lifted as he glowered at the reincarnated devil.
So his head drooped, and his eye lost it's focus, staring blankly ahead without direction.
The soft crackling of the body's fire was the only thing that Issei heard as he silently watched the decaying body, brown irises blank.
No...there was one other sound that was prominent to the young man.
He could hear Mio's muffled whimpers on the edge of the crater as well, the only other noise that he could hear then and there.
A part of him wanted to go up there and comfort her, as he had no doubt that Asia was trying to do, yet...
He couldn't.
It wasn't like he didn't give a shit, he did, but it was just that...
...
He was tired.
Yeah, that was it.
Despite the fact that such a disgusting piece of shit was dead, and the fact that he just did the world a huge favor by getting rid of him...
...Well, he wasn't smiling.
There was no celebrations, no cheers, there was none of that, even though he felt like he should.
No...he just felt tired.
Issei tilted his head to the sky, idly seeing the night sky return to the normal colors that he was familiar with in the human world.
The barrier was broken after Diodora's demise, which meant that they were free to enter back into the real world again.
All the damages done in their battle disappeared, as if they didn't exist in the first place, as they never took place in the 'real world'.
And just as the barrier fell...
"...Ah! Look! The barrier fell apart!"
Those words echoed across the night sky, originating from somewhere above the perverted boy's location, prompting him to look up.
His eyes widened slightly as he took in the visage of several devils floating high above them, a few of them looking battered and tired, but well nonetheless.
As he was studying them, Akeno descended towards the ground, a relieved smile on her face. "Thank goodness you are all alright. We were worried after we sensed that there was a barrier put into place out here."
That relieved smile soon fell by the wayside however, as she quickly noticed the pale features of Mio, who was shaking violently, and was barely keeping herself up thanks to Asia's assistance.
"Akeno-san..." Issei murmured, his own lethargy obvious. "It was that guy that Buchou warned us about...it was all him."
The queen of the Gremory group shot the pawn a confused look at first, until realization lit up her violet orbs. "Oh no...ok, we need to regroup, now. Buchou and the Kaichou are busy dealing with the last of our enemies, so they'll join us shortly."
Issei definitely did not have a problem with that plan.
"...My house."
Both teens turned to look at the pale red-head, who, despite looking like hell, was forcing herself focus again.
"...My house is closest, and Naruto has placed seals on it that muffles energy signals...we'll be safe there. And...I have to watch over Raynare-san as well." she continued, heaving her words out, as if she was about to vomit.
At the mention of the fallen angel from the abandoned church, Akeno's features darkened somewhat, but she still nodded firmly. "Then that's where we'll go."
Naruto nervously watched the bubble drift closer, wondering what he would see when it tapped against his body.
Dulio, for his part, was curious too. As this would, without a doubt, tell him whether the teenager was in any shape to take up his mission.
Would he stand tall? Or would he crumble?
These questions were about to be answered as the bubble touched the shinobi.
...
...
"When a person...has something important they want to protect...that's when they can become truly strong."
"How...? How can you be so strong...?"
"If I can't find the answer, it will be up to you to do it!"
"I believe in you."
"Know Pain."
Naruto fell to his knees, the water splashing underneath him as memories assaulted him.
Of a selfless and kind soul, treasuring the man that saved his life.
Of a confused young boy, that was seeking a different path to the one he was walking on.
Of a perverted and wise old man, gazed upon him like a grandson, and passed on his dreams to his student.
Of a handsome young man with spiky blond hair, rubbing his head and uttering the words that he craved to hear for so long...
"...You know the pain of solitude, just like I have."
The shinobi winced, taking a step back, shaking his head, clutching at his brain as those words echoed, reliving the words that were uttered by the one he considered his 'sibling'.
"It's that very pain that makes you and I stronger...Naruto."
That wasn't true.
That wasn't where his strength came from.
He didn't believe that, he refused to.
Because...
Naruto opened his eyes, his head bowed, looking at the clear water under his feet.
...
...
No.
What he was looking at...it was just an aftereffect of what he just saw.
Nothing more, nothing less.
The thought comforted him as he straightened his back to face the young man that was aligned with the Vatican, making his lips curl upwards into a lopsided grin.
"...How'd I do?" Naruto asked, that stupid grin prevalent.
Dulio blinked, taken aback if anything.
Then, after a moment of silence, he grinned as well.
"...Looks like I've got some free time to kill." the blond man joked lightly, stretching his arms loosely as he turned on the spot. "Welp, I'll leave the rest to you from now on, alright? I'll be seeing ya."
Anti-climatically, the exorcist began floating into the air, waving his hand goodbye as he drifted off and away, content with the state of affairs.
Blue pupils trailed after him, expressing nothing but dry amusement, figuring that this was the guy's lopsided way of telling him that he had faith in him taking on his mission.
He was a pretty chill guy.
Naruto's eyes hardened, clenching his fists as he turned resolutely, prepared to make his way back home.
It's been a while, but he had a feeling that he should get back home, and soon.
Before he made a move however, he looked down one last time, his lips curling disdainfully at what he saw.
It felt like a mirage, but more likely than not, it was just his mind playing tricks on him.
As his bright blue eyes looked down, he saw a pair of dull blue eyes stare back, apathetic and dispassionate.
Those eyes...he remembered those eyes.
Those were eyes of someone who has given up.
And, much to his eternal shame, his own once upon a time.
But that time was long gone, everything about that 'Naruto' was dead and buried, and it was never coming back.
It was nothing but a phantom, he had nothing to worry about.
...At least that's what he assured himself, but a part of him couldn't help but flinch at the eyes that stared back.
And, more than that, maybe he should've never looked down in the first place...
Naruto shook his head violently, cutting off his thoughts there, knowing that no good would come from it. He had to focus.
He'd deal with it later.
The shinobi lowered himself, prepping himself to move...
Then took a mighty step forward, starting his spring to race back to Kuoh Town, internally hoping that everything was alright.
He was coming home.
Dulio lazily drifted towards the sky,taking out his cellphone so that he could contact Michael-sama about the change in plans, figuring that he was about to get chewed out.
Man, he really was too nice of a guy sometimes.
His green eyes flickered back to the large blue depths of the Pacific Ocean, where blocks of ice lazily drifted about.
He had a better grasp on that teen now.
He could now definitively say that Uzumaki Naruto could accomplish his mission, both; in a fair manner, and overall in a satisfactory conclusion.
More than that, he could say that the 'issues' that's plaguing him were well and truly buried, whether consciously or unconsciously.
That wasn't to say that it wasn't a problem, but at the very least, it wouldn't be much of one unless someone intervened and drudged it up from deep within his psyche.
And hopefully, before his problems become too big, he could open up to someone.
Until then...well, he'd just have to wait and see. He had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time that they meet.
By that time, he idly managed to find his boss' contact number, making him sweat a little as he considered how to gently word his next few sentences.
...Oh, this will be pretty difficult.
Still, there was one thing that bothered the young man.
Why would Naruto-dono focus on keeping him out of the picture specifically?
To put it bluntly, there were still church agents in Japan now, even if you dis-included him.
As a matter of fact, he was sent here specifically to reinforce the two exorcists which were initially sent to the small settlement known as Kuoh Town.
...
Wait, Naruto-dono mentioned earlier that there was a spy in the Church, right?
So...what if this spy happened to be a part of the more weaker councils in the Vatican?
If that was the case, then that spy would likely have completely missed the fact that he was supposed to be supplementing existing exorcists. As the initial group was sent anonymously, mostly so that the legendary weapons that they were carrying wouldn't be tracked to a single area.
...Naruto-dono was aware of that, right?
...
Meh, he was sure that the blond was aware of it. There was probably some kind of complicated reason that he focused entirely on Dulio, he was sure of it.
...Speaking of the spy, he supposed that he should flush him out, then let him go after that.
Yeah, he'd do that.
"Alright brats, I've fulfilled my end of the deal by transporting you lot back to Kuoh Town. What you do from now on has nothing to do with me, so as long as you don't drag me into any incidents later on by mentioning my involvement...we should be fine."
"...Even if you didn't say anything, we still would have been aware of that."
"I still had to say it, one can never be too careful with you brats."
Yuki rolled her eyes at the fretful leader of the fallen angels, she never thought that she'd be nagged by such a powerful figure, let alone this man in particular.
Though considering the trouble that they were dragged into recently, she supposed that he had ample reason to be concerned.
"...Yeah, yeah, we got it. We won't blame you for any buildings we might destroy later. Happy now?" Maria snarked, a deadpan on her face.
Azazel glared at the succubus, refusing to take the olive branch. "I'd prefer if you you lot just wouldn't...oh I don't know...destroy any buildings!"
Yuki raised an eyebrow, refusing to believe that even they were that bad. Her partner was obviously being facetious.
They only destroyed small patches of wildlife, they didn't destroy residential areas. At least as far as she was aware of.
She was positive that no one among there little group of misfits would so blatantly destroy buildings.
Maria echoed this sentiment by snorting in disbelief. "Oh come on! just because we got into a little bit of trouble, doesn't automatically mean that we're going to break apart buildings now."
The Grigori leader shifted his gaze between the two females, serious. "...Fine, I suppose this is the best I'll get out of the two of you. So I suppose I'll just leave you both here, at the edge of Kuoh Town, just to be safe."
The hero narrowed her eyes warily at that last bit, already aware that Kuoh Town was liable to blow up in conflict soon, but not completely privy to how.
Nevertheless, Azazel already turned his back to the duo, demeanor lackadaisical. "Now be careful you two...wouldn't want to see either of you get killed."
Before anyone could even ask, the far older entity disappeared in a flash of teleportation magic, leaving both allies stranded somewhere in Kuoh Town.
An excellent start to the new day.
And despite the fact that it was night, it was a new day, if Yuki's knowledge of astrology was correct.
Midnight had come, and had passed quite a long while ago.
She hoped that nothing major happened while they were gone...
"...Before we keep going, I have a quick question; Yuki-san."
The hero glanced at her ally, receptive. "Yes?"
Maria turned to her, her deadpan even fiercer than before.
"...Why do I have to carry around your friend?" she asked, annoyance laced in her words.
Yellow eyes trailed to the back of the succubus, seeing the limp form of Toujou Basara on her back, still unconscious after all of this time.
"Isn't it obvious? You're physically stronger than I am." the female teen admitted, her logic as solid as always.
If anything, the loli looked displeased at this line of reasoning. "...It's the principle of the damn thing, Yuki-san. The principle."
Yuki stared at her blankly, not understanding at all.
Purple and yellow locked with one another, both females sending blank looks at one another.
At least until Maria grumbled and turned away. "...Never mind. Let's just go."
Yuki shrugged at the strange behavior that the succubus exhibited, figuring that she was just being strange as usual, and followed her shortly.
As the two trekked their way back home, Yuki carefully picked her phone out of her pocket, regarding it like it was some kind of bomb.
She hasn't managed to dredge up the guts to contact Toujou Jin, her adoptive father, yet.
His blood-related son was alive, yet she couldn't bring herself to contact him.
It was quite frustrating, and she wasn't even entirely sure why she was so nervous.
And this dilemma was still present as the two females moved forward on the completely empty streets.
It was very late, so the emptiness wasn't unexpected.
If anything, it would be unexpected that there would be anyone still roaming the streets.
So when the small group continued moving forward, making some progress, Maria suddenly had to stop moving after she noticed something...unexpected.
Yuki didn't notice this until she nearly crashed into the loli from behind, prompting her to look up from her phone.
What she saw elicited her to raise an eyebrow.
In front of them, were two figures wearing long flowing cloaks with green and yellow accents, walking towards their direction with purposeful strides.
The hero's remaining working hand twitched, prepared to summon her katana at a moment's notice, knowing that with her cast, she wasn't at a hundred percent quite yet.
But she definitely had to be the one to fight if it came down to it, as Maria-san was the one that was taking care of Basara.
So the young teen was very much prepared to fight if necessary.
Thankfully, it didn't seem like it was going to come to that, as the two figures stopped in front of them and addressed them cordially.
"Hello there! Sorry for interrupting your evening, but can you tell us where...um...Kuoh Academy is? We're kind of lost, you see, and it's been a while since I've been here." the cloaked person on the left claimed with a feminine and chipper tone.
Yuki's form slowly lost it's tension after the young woman genially asked her that question. "Ah...well, we were roughly going to be making our way there shortly. If you want, you can tag along I suppose."
Even from under that large cowl, the chipper woman's violet eyes were clearly visible as they shined in appreciation. "Awesome! May God bless you both for your kindness!"
The hero's yellow eyes snapped to her right, seeing Maria wince, feeling a little sympathetic.
However, now that she was actually focusing on the succubus, she noticed that she was looking a little pale as she regarded the two cloaked individuals, tensing her back up again.
"...Yes, thank you for your kindness." the other cloaked figure claimed, her voice -and it was a her- far more serious and monotone in comparison to her partner.
Yuki refocused back onto the two confirmed females, unsure about how she should feel about them. "...So, now that we're travelling together, how about we introduce ourselves to one another?"
Once more, the hero could practically see the chipper one's excitement. "Oh! Ok then! I'll go first!"
With a casual movement, the chipper woman pushed the cloak's hood off from her face, revealing her long chestnut-colored twintails, and her happy violet eyes to the world. "Hello there! My name is Shidou Irina, and I'm a former Kuoh Town resident that is happy to be back! Nice to meet you two!"
Without missing a beat, her partner casually pulled off her cloak's hood to reveal her short chin-length blue hair with a strange fringe of green hair on the right side of her head, and her serious dark yellow eyes, which were focused on exclusively on Yuki. "...My name is Xenovia Quarta, pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Hey, Xenovia! What the heck! You're supposed to give your surname before your first name! That's how Japan does things!" Irina suddenly protested, pouting.
Her partner twitched, whether it was because she was irritated at her partner or at herself for forgetting the custom, Yuki had no idea.
But she was sure of one thing at the very least.
...These two, were going to be trouble.
"...What's taking this man so long?"
"Now, now. Patience is quite the rewarding character trait, don't you know? You'll have your coordinates soon enough, young one."
Ruby eyes narrowed at the jab at her age, but didn't say anything, keeping her piece for a little while longer.
The 'king' was currently sitting in the couch of the old hero's office, trying not lash out at his impertinence for making her wait for so long.
She knew damn well that he reveled in getting a rise out of people, and she didn't feel like dealing with his shenanigans then and there.
No, she was saving her energy for something that was truly worthwhile.
...Just thinking about the upcoming confrontation was making her already limited patience fray to the breaking point.
And in that tense atmosphere-
*riiiing* *riiiing*
-a phone rang.
The elder man's phone to be precise.
Ruby eyes trailed after the former elder of the Hero Tribe as he got off of his seat in order to reach the landline phone, picking it up to answer.
And that man very much felt his protege's eyes lock onto him, knowing that her patience was reaching the breaking point.
"Hello?"
"Hello, hello? Ah! There you are chairman! I was worried that our enemies may have managed to get to you without our knowledge somehow! Glad to hear that you're safe, after all, we all have to stick together as comrade-in-arms, do we not? Anyway, I have called to inform you that we're all in position, and that we're awaiting your orders!" a hot-headed male voice exclaimed on the other line.
Even as the young man was speaking, the former member of the Hero Tribe was already getting a headache just by listening to his loud voice.
Nevertheless, a dark smile stretched across his wrinkled features as he heard the report. "Excellent, remain on standby until further notice."
"Of course!" that hot-headed voice exclaimed again, before cutting itself off.
The elder placed the phone back down onto the receiver, turning on the spot so that she could gauge the 'king's' reaction.
He was given pause by her completely nonchalant attitude.
"...So that's what you were up to." she murmured softly, crossing her arms under her bust as she coldly regarded her senior. "I was wondering why those six were deployed without my knowledge, so you're playing your old games again, are you?"
Unintentionally, the elder man stood straighter. "You knew about this?"
The tyrant hummed. "I was. Nothing happens inside this institution without my knowledge. But I figured that you had your reasons for deploying those six, so I took the liberty of adding two more members to your little strike force...just in case things went awry."
Alarm colored his blue pupils. "W-Who did you send? This is a delicate operation! If you send someone...unruly along with the strike force, then the objective will-!"
"Then I suppose that you'd better inform me about what your objective is, so that I, in turn, could inform my two additions. We wouldn't want this ploy of yours to crash and burn." the young woman stated in no uncertain terms, daring him to try and call out her bluff.
The tension in the room could be cut with a knife, as the two humans stared at one another, unresponsive on both of their parts.
But it was the older man that broke first.
"Who did you send?" the man repeated.
This time, instead of ignoring the question, the ruler answered. "One person that you could talk out of this, and another person that will only listen to me."
If possible, the former hero's wrinkles deepened as his face scrunched up, knowing that he had to give up this little battle in the name of the greater good.
"...Those six that I've deployed...they were sent to the outskirts of the Japanese branch of the Hero Tribe, awaiting my orders so that they could complete their objective; search and rescue." the seer admitted slowly, his lips thinning. "If my...acquaintance; Shiba, doesn't make contact with me after a specific period of time, I was planning on 'rescuing' him, with that excuse."
The tyrant raised an eyebrow, already understanding what he was planning.
Essentially, the chairman was very much aware that Shiba held quite a bit of influence in the Hero Tribe, not a lot, but enough that he had an overall advantage over the chairman himself.
However, if the chairman 'freed' Shiba from the Hero Tribe, then he would completely sever his ties with that faction, preventing him from using his high position to push the Hero Tribe to destroy him and their little institution. Should their rivalry come to blows.
He was weakening the competition before they truly became competition, something standard in cut-throat politics.
Of course, it would only work if he had an excellent pretext to attack.
In short, he was waiting for the opportunity.
...Which meant that she was wasting her time here.
The 'king' forced herself onto her feet, making her way out of the large room, newly apathetic.
As expected, the elder man raised his hand out, opening his mouth to try and speak to her.
But she was already a few steps ahead of him.
"I'm done here. I'm going to go inform my last-minute additions about your objective while they complete the ones that I have given to them. Make no mistake chairman, your plan will succeed without a hitch."
If possible, the former hero's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, such was his growing surprise. "...Were you aware that they were going to the Hero Tribe? Also, what objective did you give your additions...?"
The tyrant was already at the door, opening it up. "Yes, but I wasn't aware of what your objective was. As for their goal? Well, I figured that they could help me with a little project of mine, that's all."
As the door was sliding open, she paused, tilting her head a little to the side so that her ruby eyes could glare at the elder through corner of her eye. "...Don't try and pull a stunt like this again, or, I promise you, there simply won't be a third time."
And with that, the young woman slammed the door open, leaving the room with one last thing to say. "Seeing as your informant is either incompetent or stupid, I won't bother trying to use him to intercept Uzumaki Naruto, instead...I think I'll be visiting Kuoh Town and, I'll simply wait for him there. A proper greeting is in order after all."
The former seer of the Hero Tribe watched her briskly walk out of the room, her long hair flowing behind her, a reluctant smile on his face.
That girl was growing increasingly dangerous as time passed, there was no doubt about it.
Even if she was underestimating him.
He wasn't aware of her machinations, but he was more than aware of what her objectives were, at the very least.
...It didn't change the fact that he probably needed to do something to keep her in check, just in case he lost complete control over her.
...Oh well, at least her attention would be focused on someone else for a little bit.