Chapter 101: Belly of The Beast

Chapter 101: Belly of The Beast

Hidden in the outskirts of Kuoh lies a shining silver palace glittering amongst the nature of Japan.

A shining jewel surrounded by silver-gray brick stone walls, a silver gate, and many silver statues of a muscular adonis with a long antenna growing from his head, lines of statues standing beside the road leading from the entrance of the silver gate to his mansion's doorsteps.

Despite the lavishness of the estate, not a single soul was seen around the fence or behind it, the mansion pristine yet desolate, abandoned at first glance.

It surprised Issei and the other children when they first arrived at this place, though they did expect such a level of gaudiness from someone as eccentric as the Jojo-fanatic. The interior reflected Silver's pride and ego, most of the interior was made from silver with even more statues of Silver posing ridiculous poses while flexing his muscular abs.

It was hard for the Devil children to navigate through the silver mansion without suffering side effects.

On the other hand, it granted a significant boost to Angels for some reason...

The mansion was not only home to Silver's accomplishments and his famous weapon collection.

It was also his personal training ground, his temple, and his temple was open to guests.

Exclusive guests - such as two archangels and their aces.

"Huhuhuhuhuhu, dance for me, little pigeon." Silver taunted the angel fighting him.

Not fighting, more like trying to hit him.

The reincarnated angel, the ace of Uriel, threw his fists from every angle at this silver macho, flying around this larger male. But no matter what he tried, the silver adonis shifted his mass at the slightest movement, bending his body far enough to move his mass out of his fist's reach. It looked like Silver was stylistically dancing in one spot with flamboyant exaggeration of movement.

"This time, the power of my Sacred Fist shall breach your indomitable ego!"

The reincarnated angel shouted as he slammed his fist against Silver's abs.

A loud crack resounded on impact.

Silver stood unfazed, his arms crossed while looking down on his challenger's attempt with a wry, condescending smirk.

"...Ow. OW! OW OW OW OW OW OW!" the young angel hissed in pain as he shook his throbbing fist.

"Congratulations. You managed to tickle my magnificent self." Silver remarked with a tilt of his head.

In return, the young angel only took a deep breath and grinned; his fists were clenched and letting out a golden glow, "I barely even started!"

"I see." Silver appeared before the young angel almost as if instantly teleporting. The young angel flinched when Silver raised his fist as a familiar, yet purer power channeled into the larger male's knuckles.

"Dodge." Silver punched.

The young man with golden spiky hair in a priest outfit could see it, time slowing as if his life flashed before his eyes, but he could see it - the purest, most refined and destructive version of the Holy Fist, a purifying force that seemed to transcend the limits of the Holy Light of Heaven so strong that a single graze could purify his existence as if it was a stain of evil.

That was his impression.

However, the purifying force that defies the limits of Heaven did not meet its mark as another carried the young man away, the shockwave of purifying light erupting like a cannon, a beam that burned through the wall of the training room with such intensity it looked like it could burn even one of the Four Great Satans to nothingness.

Silver turned and saw the young angel in the arms of a young woman with a voluptuous figure clad in a black sister outfit, her angelic wings spread out behind her.

"That was close.... Are you alright, Nero?" the young woman asked as she settled the young man on the ground.

"Thanks for the save, Mirana. This guy.... Is stronger than the story told to us!" Nero could not help but grin nervously.

"Ahem..."

From the side, Gabriel coughed into her hand. Uriel also accompanied her.

"Mister Silver, is it possible to... reduce the output of your power a little? I am afraid that is a bit too much for young Nero." Gabriel smiled.

"I did tell him to dodge." Silver explained. "And I thought it proper to show what it means to throw a proper punch."

"The Sacred Fist... You used a more refined variant of the power because it is not the light of heaven. What is the source of your light, should I ask?" Uriel, the other seraph, asked Silver.

Entering the room with a silver cart of treats on silver trays and a silver teapot, Cattleya Leviathan, donned in a fetishized maid uniform, rolled the cart with soft clicks of her plimsolls towards Uriel and Gabriel.

"Thank you." Gabriel smiled as Cattleya poured her a cup of tea; while Uriel accepted with a brief nod - the Flame of God held back a sigh at Silver's choice of attire for his maid-servant.

"What is seen as a reflection of my perfection." Silver posed a T-Pose. "You, angel boy. You lack vision and intent. Your punch feels weak because it lacks the intent to kill. In short, your fist is too naive."

"Intent to kill...." Nero stared at his fist with a conflicted look on his face, "While I agree with the notion of not to hold anything back in a real battle, I must disagree with the notion of killing itself! I believe, with proper training and practice, I can become strong enough to suppress casualties."

"You will go nowhere with such a naive philosophy." Silver retorted. "You may not realize it, but you implied that there will be casualties when a battle breaks out. You can preach all you like about your idealism where nobody has to die.... But in the end, there is gonna be a moment where you have to make a choice - you, your comrades, or.... them?"

When Silver uttered the last word, his attention was directed at the front gate, or to be precise, what was standing beyond the gate.

"...Well, this is a surprise." Silver said.

"Is something wrong?" Uriel asked.

Silver could see it through his hive-mind link with the Blacks.

A large hyperspace gate, a ring cutting through space and time opened, spitting out a regiment of creatures, many varied forms and shapes emerged, followed by robed magicians following them into the fray.

"...I did not expect to receive unwanted guests. Well, it is a good opportunity to test Grigori's security features. Cattleya, go to the security room."

In a faraway land, Genos received a signal from one of the Grigori's defense systems. He was looking at the situation from one of the cameras installed in Silver's mansion.

Leading the vanguard was a silver-haired man with handsome features that reminded Black so much of Vali and that Rizevim character, only there was... a malicious regality to his appearance, cloaked in crimson red with eyes overflowing with pride, the kind that tends to look down on everything in existence from Silver's experience with his past 'associates'.

A bounded field was summoned around Silver's mansion, a barrier blocking the invaders.

Drones flew from the secret compartments of the mansion, aerial turrets armed with the latest Grigori technology hovering in the air as the windows of the mansion opened, Blacks manning high-tech laser weapons poking through the window pane.

"...Such pretension," The leading vanguard sneered at the decor and the ego of the mansion design, the arrogance to have so many statues of the owner on display.

The front door of the mansion opened, and the owner of the mansion walked out with heavy steps, followed by the angels and a small army of blacks setting up mounting laser turrets around the mansion.

"I hope you have an invite or a reasonable excuse for bringing so many unwanted guests. My chauffeur did not mention a bunch of lesser beings arriving at my gate." Silver pointed out.

Gabriel and Uriel, on the other hand, stared at the silver-haired man behind the gates with shock.

"Impossible....." Gabriel uttered with disbelief in her face.

"Hm?" Silver turned his head. "Do you know him?"

"...Lucifer?" Uriel could not believe his eyes either.

The Fallen One - the man who ruined the future of Humanity, and the Demons, the man who cursed the Devils for so many years.

"The Morning Star?" Silver turned back to the man leading the army of monsters and magicians. "...I don't believe it."

The man who arrived was Lucifer, the original Lucifer.

The progenitor of the Devil race ran his hand across his hair, stroking it back as he smiled at them.

"Uriel, Gabriel. I didn't expect to see you again. It has been such a long time. I apologize for not visiting earlier, I have been busy. Sampling the fresh air and fine wine I haven't tasted for eons in that pit your Father made to dump all of his... undesirables away. You should try it. Putting your sanity back together after so many years in Purgatory... It is good for the mind."

His voice had an eerie siren charm, beautiful, yet there was a hidden venom behind that melody.

"...Mirana, take Nero and return to the mansion, and inform Michael. Now." Gabriel demanded, her tone was out-of-characteristically high strung.

"Oh. Are they your proteges? Hmmm..." Lucifer turned his sight to the pair of reincarnated angels, "...Lacking. I could've chosen better. The boy looks too ripe, like a sour, terrible apple destined to be eaten by worms. By Gaia, your father has terrible tastes in choosing the worthy, and it seems genetic."

Nero was about to retort at the insult when Uriel's voice became louder.

"NERO!" Uriel could not afford to have his Ace to be riled up by Lucifer's taunting, "Go inside the mansion with Mirana and call for reinforcement, now!"

"But Lord Uriel-!"

Nero's protest was interrupted by Uriel's stern glare that demanded no argument. Additionally, Silver placed his hand on his shoulder.

"There are times when you must listen to your elders." Silver spoke without leaving his eyes off the intruder, "The opponent is the Devil himself... And he has returned from whatever shithole he was trapped in. Go." He sent a quick glance at both Nero and Mirana.

Nero and Mirana sent a wary glance at Lucifer, who merely smiled at them in return, before they exchanged small nods.

They withdrew and turned towards the mansion, passing the two Seraphs who still had their eyes at the Devil himself.

"Yes, fly away, little birds." Lucifer waved to the angels running back to the mansion. "But it is futile. Your magical communications will not work, I've seen to it. The true GOD is watching over me, now."

Lucifer spread his arms wide, his smile even wider.

"GOD....?" Silver replied with a narrowed look.

"What are you talking about?" Uriel asked with a confused look.

In response, Lucifer spread his wings.

Wings of the same cosmic night spread from his back, no defined shape, not bat or angel, just vague outlines of something beyond the understanding and concepts of mortals, the same theme Silver saw shrouding Garou when he was touched by GOD.

"The true GOD has graced me with his touch... Tell me. How does it feel? To have our positions reversed? My GOD is alive... while yours is dead?" Lucifer asked the archangels.

"Lucifer.... What have you done?" Gabriel asked with horror on her face.

"I found a father worth devoting my entire being to. And I am here to spread his light." Lucifer held his chest with his left hand. "And the owner of this mansion has something that belongs to me. I need it to further his work."

"Oh?" Silver quirked a brow. "And you think I would give it to you?"

"It would please him if you do. Now, please open the path. We can discuss more about this like civilized-"

Zap!

Uriel and Gabriel stared at Lucifer's silver statue.

They stared at the statue... they could not even see it. The seraphs had difficulties processing the existence of a silver Lucifer before they turned to Silver.

"...How do you think a Silver Statue of the original Lucifer would sell?" Silver asked, rubbing his chin with a mischievous grin towards the pair of Seraphs, looking away from the statue.

Before either could answer, the silver sheen faded, melted away.

For the first time, Silver's smirk fell, and he saw Lucifer back to his previous form. For the first time, someone undid his signature move.

"Ah, did you have to do that to me?" Lucifer rolled his neck. "You made my muscles stiff... but it is not a bad move. But unfortunately, in Purgatory where no evil soul can die, I developed petrification spells to defeat my enemies, as well as ways to undo all forms of petrification. I am surprised that it works on metal, however. No matter, the time for talking is over."

Lucifer reached out.

In his hand, a spear appeared in his grip, a gnarled spear of warped fusion of contorted metal and organic matter, the spear tip twisted - three sharp prongs literally turned into a single sharp point.

"Who would like to go first? I would rather not deal with the fodder that surrounds you." Lucifer gestured to the Blacks manning the laser turrets and the aerial attack drones in the skies. "Morgan, I leave the others to you."

Another person stepped out from the darkness - a seductive-looking woman with black hair reminiscing a night sky, clad in spider-like gown, sharp and pointy tendrils of legs clasped to her body with membrane of silk in between.

The surface of her clothes bore a similar organic appearance to that of a certain GOD Silver knew.

"I wonder..." The woman's voice sounded sweet yet lethal, like a hidden caressing knife.

She aimed her hand at them.

"Divine Power?" One of the Blacks uttered with fear.

For a moment, Silver saw the shadow of the Homeless Emperor overlapping with the woman when he saw the countless spheres of energy coalescing around her, the spheres condensing into magical circles.

"Everyone, take cover!" Silver shouted as he braced himself for the incoming barrage.

All of the Blacks immediately abandoned their station, those within the building ran deeper inside while those outside tried to return inside the building as she unleashed her power.

Gabriel and Uriel immediately raised their magical barriers, but Silver appeared before them just in time for the devastation, as the entire complex went up in brilliant light, the light beyond the light of heaven.

Rias was restless as she was pacing around in her assigned room, her mind was full with the revelation she received earlier.

The news about Roygun Belphegor and Bedeze Abaddon being charged for treason, Mordax Bael hired mercenaries to capture her and Sona, as well as the technology that these mercenaries have in their arsenals.

Rias was still missing the crucial pieces of the puzzle; for the time being she had to focus on how to escape this building she was in and return to her family.

But what could she do?

They were armed and she was disarmed.

"Ahhh... if only Issei was still here..." Rias slumped on her bed and hugged her knees.

Everything would have been alright if he was still here.

He would have arrived to save the day, punching all of her captors in the face, and carry her off to the sunset...

A tear flowed down her eye when something spectral rose up from the bed.

"...It's still too soon for you to despair, young lady."

Rias gasped as she jumped out of the bed, turning her head to see Muramasa floating before her.

"Muramasa..." Rias blinked in disbelief, "Why are you- How did you...?"

"I had my master throw me to the enemy flying machine after I sensed magic engraved into it. They do not know about my true nature, so I am being kept in a strange room with many unknown tools. There are two guards with my main body at the moment."

Rias blinked a couple more times, digesting Murama's information, "So... The you here....?"

"An astral projection; it's been long since the last time I performed this technique. I'm glad I still got this." Muramasa smiled smugly as she remained floating in the air.

"Right..." Rias sighed in relief, she wanted to hug Muramasa, but she remembered that the yokai was intangible at the moment. "Okay, okay, I'm glad that you are here, Muramasa. Now I think we may have a chance to get out of here. But first, can you contact Yuuto? How is everyone faring?"

"We are communicating as we speak. They are formulating a plan to res-eek?!" Muramasa flinched and shuddered.

Rias nearly jumped at her sudden reaction, "What's wrong?

"...They are... the soldiers are touching me..." Muramasa whispered.

Rias blinked in return, "...Come again?"

OxO

"...The commander is going to eat your ass for touching that magic sword." The guard laughed at Timothy holding the magical katana.

"Oh come on, don't be jealous." Timothy unsheathed the katana, slowly inch by inch, until the metal was free from the scabbard, the holy runes glittering on the magical metal.

The soldiers were in awe by the craftsmanship and mystical allure of the weapon.

Timothy slowly swung the weapon a few times. He looked at a metal box containing their spare ammunition.

"Tim, Tim, look at me." The other guard urged Timothy to look at his face, "Seriously, man... Don't." The other guard warned.

Timothy stared at his colleague for a few seconds before he swung the katana at the crate, cleaving it into two, ammo clips spilling out like water as they stared at the aftermath.

"Holy shit...." Timothy admired his handiwork, "Did you see how clean this baby can cut? I hardly applied any pressure!"

"Yeah.... That's wicked sharp, alright." the other guard replied while staring at the cleanly cut crate.

"...Do you think the commander will let me keep it?" Timothy asked, swinging the sword a little. "I feel like a Jedi with this thing in my hands."

"Go ask him yourself, but what happens afterwards is all on you." the other guard replied with a resigned tone.

"Man, it sucks that they won't let us touch magic swords like this on the mission. It feels awesome if we can use these babies."

"Come on, we gotta look the part before triggering the civil war."

"Fine..." Timothy grunted as he sheathed and put the sword back into one of the available boxes.

OxO

"...Are you okay now?" Rias asked as Muramasa took another deep breath.

"...I feel... a little violated." Muramasa inhaled and exhaled.

"Alright... Back on track, can you contact Yuuto and others? Can you tell them that I'm okay?"

Muramasa nodded, "They are informed. Manpower and supplies are being organized. Please be patient until we reach you."

Rias nodded, "Just be careful, though..." Her eyes then widened at one information she learned prior, "Muramasa, you need to tell the others that these people are going after Sona as well! And they are holding Gragg Forneus prisoner too!"

Muramasa grimaced a little at the unfamiliar name, "...Who? But Sona... She's that old friend of yours, is it? That doesn't surprise me much, but very well, I will let them know. Anything else you need of me, young lady?"

Rias contemplated for a second before answering, "...I'm sorry if I'm asking too much, Muramasa; but I'd like you to look through this building. I need you to learn about this building's layout, how many people are in here, and if you can, we need to know the environment around this building. Can you do that?"

Muramasa smiled apologetically, "I am afraid that I must rest. Astral Projection is not a skill I practice often, and it drains me to maintain."

"Of course, don't push yourself, Muramasa. All of us are going home together." Rias replied with a smile.

With that final nod, Muramasa vanished as she phased through the wall, leaving Rias with hope. Despite the current situation, Rias went to bed to get as much rest as possible; she needed herself to be in tip-top shape if she had to punch her way out.

She undressed her robe and hung the clothes on a nearby hanger, tucking herself into bed before closing her eyes. A few minutes later, however, she got up with a sigh. Her current bed was not as comfortable as the one she usually slept on.

In addition - thanks to the revelations she learned today, and the hope inspired in her after talking with Muramasa, Rias found her body still a bit high on adrenaline. She needed to rest, but her body was still restless. There was no television to alleviate her boredom; when she rummaged through drawers and cupboards for reading material, she only found a Qur'an which she could not read without harming herself. She did not feel like turning to her captors after what she had learned about them so far.

She sighed, pondering - what to do?

...What would Ise do?

Her hand reached to her neck, her fingers brushed against the metal collar. She glanced at her naked reflection in the nearby mirror - upon longer look, the collar could be passed off as an eccentric-looking choker. She then took a glance at her body, then her hands, clenching and unclenching her fists.

A thought occurred - her magic might not be accessible, but she did not feel any changes regarding her physical body. She could still move like usual.

Again - what would Ise do in this situation?

She was restless, and sitting idle would not help herself, much less anyone else. She glanced at her only clothes - the tunic robe hanging on the wall, then around her room which was quite spacious due to the minimum amount of furniture.

Rias pursed her lips for a second before she came with an idea, turning her lips into a smirk as she glanced at the reinforced door.

With a goal set in mind, she began to stretch her limbs and body, as if she was warming herself up with a few deep breaths. She then let her body topple itself forward to the floor, before her arms stopped her fall and she immediately went into push-ups.

Might as well do something productive.

Simon sighed as he covered the glaring rays of the desert sun on his way to his usual meeting place.

The white shining jewel in the hot deserts of Central Asia, a city glowing in white under the sun, a metropolitan accomplishment of Turkmenistan.

That was Ashgabat, also very costly to live in due to inflation and imports.

Honestly, he wished that command could let them live somewhere else more hospitable, the heat was radiating from every white stone and gray asphalt as if they were turned into solar radiators without an off switch.

And the white colors reflected the glaring sun too well, it was hard to see on some days.

He found his haunt, a local cafe which also served as a tavern at night - Sunlight Respite, and quickly ran across the street under a red light when there was no traffic in sight.

He pushed the door - causing the attached bell to ring, and exhaled at the feeling of air conditioned cold seeping into his skin.

"As-salam'ualaikum, Simon."

The bartender - Jake waved at him, wearing a short sleeve T-shirt and baggy shorts in this hot weather.

"Wa'alaikum-salam, Jake. Order the usual for me." Simon requested as he sat on the bar stool.

Jake only smiled before he opened the freezer, retrieving an ice tray filled with dark brown ice cubes. He took four cubes into a tall glass before filling the glass with cold fresh milk.

"Cube coffee latte from yours truly." Jake served the drink to his regular.

Simon received the drink with a grateful nod before downing half the glass before sighing in bliss.

"That hits the spot...." Simon said as he slumped against the table.

"Rough day at the hotel?" Jake asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Simon replied, "...We got ourselves some VIP, apparently."

"Oh? Tell me... or is this confidential?" Jake asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Nothing too confidential, if you ask me... But I can tell you that this VIP is a real beauty." Simon could not help but grin at the memory of the gorgeous redhead walking through the hallway.

"That hot?" Jake asked with an intrigued tone.

"Solid nine out of ten." Simon raised his glass before taking another sip, "Sadly she is inbound back to our client. Though... Until the client gives us another holer, there are talks about sending her to the workshop first."

Jake stared at Simon for a few seconds before he glanced around and leaned forward, "The workshop? Are you sure that's wise? Because-"

However, before their conversation could have gone further, the door-bell rang - prompting Jake and Simon to pause and turn to the newcomer.

Newcomers, to be precise - three girls. Simon could not help but to notice that not only were those three attractive, they were clearly not from around.

Three caucasians - one with short blue hair with a green streak covered in a white sports hat; she was clad in a sky-blue t-shirt with matching jeans that reached her knees, as well as white sneakers.

Another one with chest-nut colored hair tied in twintails, with a pair of sunglasses resting on top of her forehead. She was wearing a yellow crop top and beige shorts, walking on sandal shoes and a bag on her back. Simon also noticed a small silver cross hanging on the necklace around her neck.

Lastly, one girl shorter from the other two with shoulder-length platinum blonde hair. Her skin was pale and she was clad in a white sundress, carrying a matching tote bag around her shoulder, white sandals and a yellow wide-brimmed hat with floral patterns, and a pair of shades over her eyes.

The trio then sat around a table with the one with twintails waving her hand at Jake, prompting him to come towards them with menus in hand.

"Welcome to Sunlight Respite, ladies. What can I get you today?" Jake greeted with his best customer-service smile.

"Um, I'll take what he's having." The chestnut-haired girl pointed at Simon with a smile.

He fired into the boy's gut multiple times at point blank, yet all it gave him was a severe bruise, and his silver bowie knife did not sink past the rib bones.

His past kills and hunts never lasted against that.

"Yeah, I'm built differently, I guess." Saji replied with a defiant grin.

Simon then growled, and two combatants charged at one another.

OxO

They had been separated.

Simon fell to the lower floor through the hole, that was Lana's assessment when she glanced at the environmental damage.

These devils were more resilient than the monsters they hunted, she should finish this before her time ran out.

The devil tackled her, but she missed and tripped on her swinging baton, falling on her face with disgrace.

Tsubasa rolled on her back and blocked the falling baton, the shockwave of force and holy energy burning through her arms as the ground cracked under her spine, but failed to block the woman's soccer kick to her jaw, kicking her out of the door and into the wall, Tsubasa coughing on impact as Lana rushed with her baton thrusted towards her throat.

Yet it struck something hard, her baton crammed up to her confusion.

She swung down and struck the same hardness, her confusion growing as she looked around, seeing the white-haired girl aiming her palm at her.

"You..." Lana rushed towards her, one hand digging into her spatial pocket.

Momo panicked when she saw another strange silver-chrome gun, thicker with a longer barrel than the light pistol pulled out. When Lana aimed and pulled the trigger, Momo summoned her Applause Wall in time, seeing a wall of bright light splashing against her barrier.

She could feel the shockwave flying through her shield as Lana emerged from the splashing bullets, circling around her barrier with her baton swung at her.

However, something ricocheted between the walls and struck Lana's back, launching her past Momo as she rolled to her feet, grunting in pain as she looked up to see the cause bouncing back to her hand.

"Never thought I would use that sniper's trick." Tsubasa muttered as she held her artificial sacred gear.

Twinkle Aegis - Shield of Spirit and Glory.

She did not think her panic throw would actually hit her.

Lana then turned her sight to Tsubasa, who was wielding a round shield made of hard-light construct.

Momo unfurled her wings and flew back, joining Tsubasa as Lana grit her teeth at them.

"Thanks for the save."

"She's tough. I think that's a shotgun in her hand." Tsubasa responded, surprised to see such a modern firearm.

"Wait, a shotgun? Really?!" Momo asked in disbelief.

"Wonder how much kick that thing has..."

The devils wondered why the Church never diversified their firearms, now that they think about it.

Lana slowly took furtive steps, raising her sawed-off light shotgun. Her gaze looked like they would burn them like the light ammunition she fired, but more intense.

Tsubasa and Momo exchanged glances and nods, then Tsubasa charged towards Lana.

Lana immediately fired her shotgun towards the incoming blunette, but the same invisible wall took the brunt of her shot, allowing Tsubasa to keep running towards her, forcing Lana to respond by slamming her baton - which Tsubasa received with her shield.

A loud bang resonated across the room as soon as Lana's baton made contact with the hard-light surface, the force of the impact caused the surrounding air to shake a little as Tsubasa grimaced a little at the power behind the human's blow. She did not know what kind of spell that allowed a human like this one to be on par with a Rook like her in terms of brute strength, but that did not mean Tsubasa would just back down.

However, Lana ducked and pressed the weapon vertically against Tsubasa's solar plexus and pulled the trigger.

The wave of holy light smashed Tsubasa against the ceiling, every pore of her body was burning under the holy light.

When Tsubasa bounced back down, the same spread knocked her back to the ceiling.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Momo dropped her jaw at the sight of the woman catching Tsubasa into a one-sided brutal combo, continuously shooting her to the ceiling with little resistance.

However, the nth shot was blocked - Tsubasa shielding herself while being knocked back to the ceiling, prompting Momo to intervene.

Lana caught several projectiles fired her way, forcing her to break away and run towards Momo, firing buckshots of light at her as Tsubasa landed.

However, the barrier was much closer than she expected, so close that the splash bounced back to her face and knocked her back a few steps towards Tsubasa's charging shield.

"Aha!" Momo exclaimed at her timing.

"Fuc-!"

Tsubasa smashed her shield against her nape, forcing her to the floor. She did not stop and kicked the shotgun out of her hands towards Momo just in time to block the woman's tenacious baton.

Momo grabbed the weapon on instinct, but hissed and dropped it when it burned her hand. Of course, they made it so that it would burn devils on contact, something she should have expected at the moment.

Lana bashed against Tsubasa's shield as her hand slipped into her dimensional pocket.

"Momo!" Tsubasa shouted.

Momo fired bullets of demonic power at her, only for Lana to block them with her baton while backhanding Tsubasa's jaw with something she did not expect, something hard and made of something that hates devils.

When Tsubasa regained her bearings, she saw Lana had brandished another weapon - a set of silver knuckle-duster covering her fist.

Tsubasa rubbed her jaw in disbelief at the sight. In return, Lana smirked as she taunting Tsubasa with her fingers to come at her.

Feeling her pride at stake, Tsubasa dismissed her Twinkle Aegis before she spat at her palm, rubbing her hands together and balled her fists, ready to rumble.

Momo watched the two brawled, the woman and Tsubasa exchanging blows of fists.

Tsubasa was about to block her baton, but the woman actually dropped it and sucker punched her gut, before uppercutting her jaw with the silver knuckle duster, sending Tsubasa crashing into the ceiling before falling back down into a strong right hook, punching her in the same jaw.

Momo gulped when Tsubasa ragdolled towards her, prompting her to receive the Rook in her arms, struggling to maintain her footing to keep themselves from falling to the floor. Tsubasa quickly regained her bearings as she moved the Bishop aside, away from the brawl as Lana approached.

"Sorry, ladies. I don't have much time."

They frowned when she pulled out...

"...Is that a machine gun?" Momo asked with trepidation.

"SMG model."

Lana then opened fire at the two, prompting Momo and Tsubasa to pull out their respective Sacred Gears to defend them from the hail of bullets. The woman rushed towards them, the hail of light bullets pelleting their shields refusing to cease, the two retreating to cover more ground.

They realized that was a mistake when Lana retrieved the shotgun model and doubled her firing rate at them, splashing buckshots and hail of light bullets barraging their shields without mercy.

OxO

[Black Dragon's Basket Shield!]

Saji formed a volute shield composed of Vritra's tentacles weaved together like a basket.

Simon fired at the shield, annoyed that it was nullifying his light bullets as he ran across the rooms, avoiding the whipping tentacles cracking the walls and furniture in their misses.

Using his head, Saji ignited one tentacle and spun it a full revolution, touching the walls of the room, setting the surroundings on black fire and stopping Simon in his tracks.

"You're gonna burn everyone in this building, son." Simon warned.

"Just need them long enough to box you in." Saji smirked as he charged towards the soldier.

Simon growled as he discarded his pistol and took out two light swords, silver hilts with arcane runes engraved in the metal as red light blades ignited as he ran towards Saji.

[Shadow Prison!]

It was time for Saji to end this as he slammed his fist on the ground, a wave of black flames encroaching the man.

The man jumped and threw one of his light swords at Saji.

[Delete Field!]

The sword stuttered and the red light blade died, deactivated to the man's shock.

"Gotcha!"

[Black Dragon's Hydra Snare!]

Saji unleashed a blossom of tentacles at the man, wrapping around his torso as he reeled him in for a devastating straight punch to the torso, Simon coughing blood as his ribs fractured from the blow.

However, Simon held something before Saji's eyes. It was a silver grenade as he smirked and closed his eyes.

Saji's entire world turned into a blinding white, prompting him to lose his bearings, his hold on Simon faltering.

A sharp pain burrowed into his chest, a searing, agonizing pain Saji had never felt so severely before.

When his vision cleared, he saw Simon with his blade plunged into his chest, the red light sword violently eating him inside out.

"Tell the guy in black... If there's an afterlife for a devil like you." Simon smirked at the sight of Saji choking in his own blood.

However, his smirk faded when Saji's lips slowly curled into a bloody grin.

"Yeah... How about... NO?!"

[Delete Field!]

Saji suppressed the light sword within his chest, deactivating it as the pain died down.

[Black Dragon's Buster Punch!]

With clenched fist, Saji struck Simon dead center in the face, using prime examples of the best punchers he knew.

Simon crashed through a wall and the front door until his body was barely stopped by the metal railings of the hallway, preventing his body from falling down from the ninth-floor. He hacked out blood as he wheezed and struggled to get back to his feet. He could see the boy struggling to stand, and broken ribs would not stop him from finishing the job.

Simon took out a magnum pistol from his dimensional storage and pulled himself from the hell-bent railings.

Saji grimaced as he prepared the shadow prison as he held his chest, wheezing from his punctured chest. The bastard got his lung, but the light sword cauterized the wound before the blood filled it.

"Dammit, that was a close call... But seriously, what the fuck is this guy made of?" Saji growled through gritted teeth.

Simon aimed his gun and was about to pull the trigger, when something pulsed in his body.

Suddenly, Saji watched the soldier lurched and vomited blood while his eyes and nose began to bleed. Holding down his body from convulsing in pain, Simon growled, "What the fuck...?!"

Saji had no idea of what was going on, but he would be a fool not to capitalize the opening. Using the remains of his strength, Saji charged towards Simon with a roar, and tackled his body until both of them fell off the ninth floor, all the way towards the parking lot below.

Saji heard the gun firing, a sharper, more piercing frequency as Simon unloaded his firearm in a panic before they both crashed atop a car. Unfortunately, Simon's body was positioned right beneath Saji's frame - taking the brunt of the impact upon landing, as well as cushioning Saji's own fall in the process.

Saji groaned in pain, mentally thankful to the Rook's durability that allowed him to survive the fall. However, when his clarity returned, he blinked at the sight of Simon choking on his own blood, his body flattened between his frame and the car roof. The soldier coughed out blood one last time before passing out.

"...Shit." Saji could not help but curse when he vaguely remembered that he was meant to bring the guy in alive.

OxO

Lana stopped firing - not only that her SMG requires recharging, she found herself hearing the sound of a crash outside the apartment, followed by a blaring car alarm.

"Simon...." Lana needed to check on her partner as the bluenette rushed towards her shield held front.

Lana fired her shotgun, but the only sound was a disappointing buzz from her weapon.

"Shit!"

Tsubasa rammed her shield, pushing her and forcing her back until they crashed through another wall, before they tumbled down to the floor.

Her guns were scattered, left behind the crash.

Lana spat out a tooth as she took out another gun, firing an especially loud laser that bounced off Tsubasa's raised shield.

The impact knocked her shield vertically facing the ceiling while launching Tsubasa back, crashing against the wall to her shock. Tsubasa blinked as she looked at what just hit her.

It was a long, two-handed rifle, quite futuristic and glowing in rune-inscribed chrome.

The laser gun, however, had a downside - while it packed a lot of firepower, Lana had to wait for at least an hour for her laser gun to cool down.

"Fuck me, that should've broken through!" Lana cursed as she opened up her spatial pocket again.

Before the soldier could have procured another weapon, Tsubasa willed her shield to crackle in electricity before she threw the shield forward.

The spinning disc of lightning struck her side, shocked her, and knocked her off her feet. The soldier dropped to the floor, spasming from the electricity coursing through her bruise, her eyes locked onto Tsubasa charging at her.

Lana quickly rolled back and hopped back on her feet, ready to intercept Tsubasa who was already within an arm's length.

Tsubasa pulled her fist back as the bluenette inhaled and coursed her ki through her heart again.

[Exploding Heart Release Fist!]

Lana crossed her arms to receive the incoming fist aimed at her abdomen, but when Tsubasa's fist connected, the shockwave pierced through her defense, spreading throughout her system in the process. She coughed up a mouthful of blood as her body was launched through several apartment units.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOO! I pulled it off!" Tsubasa raised her fist in celebration.

She could not wait to rub this against Koneko's face!

"Tsubasa, you there?!" Momo's voice snapped Tsubasa out of her momentary glory.

"Momo!" The Rook saw the Bishop walking through what remained of the walls.

"You beat her? How's she doing now?" Momo stared at the direction where the soldier was launched.

The girls then quickly ran towards the crash, where they could see Lana groaning, futilely trying to stand up before coughing out more drops of blood and passing out.

"...Is she dead?" Tsubasa could not help but ask.

"Let's hope not, we need her - or at least the other guy alive. I hope Gen-chan is okay." Momo quickly went to check over the woman's vitals.

On cue, Tsubasa noticed another arrival and looked up to see Raynare suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Raynare? How long have you been here?" Tsubasa asked while out of breath.

"Just now, quite a clusterfuck you got yourselves into, eh?" Raynare quipped as she glanced out, allowing Tsubasa to notice that Irina and Xenovia hovering above the apartment, having arrived as well.

"Let's get out of here for now, we need debrefing. Bring the humans along too." Raynare ordered.

"W-what about the building, and the other tenants?" Momo asked, glancing back at the havoc around her.

"I'll figure something out, though we don't have much time before the authorities arrive, now chop-chop!"

During her usual rounds in the Hotel, Natalie had noticed that many of the male soldiers had been visiting the CCTV surveillance room a lot ever since their VIP joined the building.

Natalie pursed her lips, confused by their strange behavior.

Was there anything she missed? Aside from Simon's report on 'suspicious individuals', she did not recall any potential compromise to their security.

When a gathering of males congregated in the camera room again, Natalie decided to see what they were up to.

"...Are you all shitting me?" Natalie cussed when she found out why.

When she opened the door to the surveillance room, the men were startled at her sudden arrival, some of them even scrambled to cover the multi-screens to no avail.

All of their eyes were on the young devil heiress on the camera screen like horny teenagers.

It was decided that a hidden surveillance camera would be installed in Rias Gremory's room, and the heiress herself was not informed in order to provide her a false sense of privacy and to give them access to monitor her every move.

While there was no audio, the conjoined screens gave a clear visual of Rias Gremory on the floor, performing a bicycle sit-up.... In her birthday suit. Her breasts would subtly shake with every motion of her creamy legs covered in light sheen of sweat.

"Are your dicks so hungry for ass that you're ogling a fucking teenager!? Hah!?" Natalie chastised the men in the room with the fiercest scowl she could muster.

The men knew better than making up excuses in front of Natalie, and quickly changed the screens into different areas within the building. Growling under her breath, the female soldier then reached to her comms.

"Kate, go check our prisoner and tell her to wear some damned clothes! Just do it!" Natalie then watched the sole screen that was still displaying Rias' room, where Rias was in the middle of performing a perfect split on the floor when her comrade went inside, questioning the heiress about her state of undress.

Natalie then turned to the men who were still glancing at the single screen, "Get out! OUT!"

Natalie then received a reply on her radio and watched the screen again while the men were filling out the room in a hurry - thankfully their prisoner was already in the middle of putting her tunic back on.

Natalie then switched the channel of her radio comm, "...Commander? We have a small situation."

OxO

"So I've been informed of what happened by the guard on duty."

Back in Rias' 'room' - the heiress was sitting on her bed, with John sitting on a chair a few steps away with Natalie standing next to him. The older man had a mixture of curiosity and bemusement on his face, while the woman was scowling.

Keeping the part about the hidden surveillance camera omitted, John then continued, "...While what you do in your spare time is your own discretion, I'd like to ask you not to cause a scene that can gravely distract my men. A young woman like you should be more aware of modesty."

Rias on the other hand, was unfazed.

"With all due respect, Mr. John - you didn't really provide enough leeway for me to spend my time in this cell. What else should I do? Drive myself crazy by having nothing to do? Also, I don't know about you people, but the only clothes you gave me aren't exactly for exercise, are they?"

"You could have asked for different clothes." John retorted.

"Well, I didn't know that. I thought I was a prisoner." Rias retorted back.

"...Is being naked whenever you can a custom for you noble devil types or something?" Natalie interjected.

Rias raised an eyebrow at Natalie, "Do you bathe with your clothes on?"

"That's irrelevant! The stunt you pulled earlier can disrupt the entire squad's morale and discipline! You're lucky the men aren't given guard-duty in your cell!"

"For that, I am thankful; my body and heart have already been spoken for, after all. Besides, if they could somehow watch what I'm doing here, let them watch - I have nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to my body." Rias replied dismissively.

Natalie was tempted to tell Rias about the hidden camera just to rattle her, but a look from John shut her up - the last thing they needed was the heiress to throw a temper-tantrum about her privacy being invaded, good reason or not.

They could not force Rias to stop her nonsense without sounding petty and harming their own image; and depending on how disciplining his troops would go - male and female soldiers' divisions might need to be rearranged.

John then heaved a sigh, "...Anyway, we'll provide you additional clothes should you wish to keep yourself in shape and preoccupied. And since you're bored... I believe we happened to have prepared an itinerary for you today."

"Itinerary?" Rias blinked with a small intrigue.

"You will know more once you are bathed." John glanced at the door in the room, which Rias recalled to be the bathroom. "I'll be waiting outside."

The older man then stood up and walked out of the room, with Natalie remaining on stand-by, jerking her head in silent order for Rias to get moving. Rias stared for a couple of seconds before she complied.

As Rias removed her clothes, Natalie suddenly understood a little bit why the men were all enamored by her figure. She could not help but wonder if all females in the supernatural world possessed this otherworldly beauty.

Rias gave a quick look-around at the bathroom - the shower, toilet and wash-basin were installed in one compact room, complete with amenities. She turned on the shower and tested the water - the temperature was alright. Come to think of it - she did not remember about having a shower ever since she arrived in this place.

However, just when Rias thought she could enjoy a small time for herself, Natalie's voice was heard.

"You have five minutes. Any longer and we'll take you to the communal shower and wash you along with other prisoners."

Rias froze for a moment at the idea of going into a communal shower - clicking her tongue disdainfully, she gave a heavy sigh before she immediately went under the running water.

Rias broke the record shower time compared to her usual 15-20 minutes shower back home, as she walked out of her room - clean and tidy despite the short notice.

John nodded in approval and snapped his fingers. On cue, another female soldier came up - the same one who barged in when Rias was in the middle of cooling down after a good work-out. Rias could not help but to be on guard when the new soldier procured a black cloth with runes written on, while Natalie had her handcuffs ready.

Rias immediately could tell what they planned to do with her, and John would not stop them this time.

"...So you are going to treat me more like a prisoner now?" Rias asked, allowing Natalie to cuff both of her wrists in front of her.

"My apologies for the treatment, missy. Considering where we are planning to take you to, we cannot afford to compromise on protocols."

John replied as the other soldier stepped in and wrapped the runed black cloth over Rias' eyes - blindfolding her while rendering her devil night vision useless. The female soldiers then grabbed her shoulders, prompting her to walk.

"Just walk like you usually do. As long as you don't plan any funny business, we'll ensure that you won't trip and fall."

Knowing better than to fight back, Rias recomposed herself with a soft breath before beginning to walk. The female soldiers kept their respective hand on her shoulders, ensuring that she walked in the right direction at her own pace.

Rias could recall that she would walk down a hallway and enter an elevator, but she could only imagine beyond that. But from the feedback of her other senses, she thought she was walked through some kind of common area - a place with more people, judging by the noise, and considerably warmer as well.

A basement or some kind?

Rias speculated from the sudden change in temperature on her skin. Her ears also picked up the sound of engines and machinery, along with the faint smell of gasoline

A garage?

She was then abruptly pushed into a van and the door sliding closed behind her. Still blindfolded - Rias then heard John's voice next to her.

"...Take a seat, Ms. Gremory." the older man jerked his head towards an empty seat across from him. "Make yourself comfortable as well, this trip will take some time."

Rias could not help but have a sense of foreboding as the armored vehicle drove away.

To be Continued...

*Release, Ignite.

For those who want to see the illustration reference for Lucifer, check out the story in my AO3!