Chapter 21: Highway to Hell

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD but maybe if I ask nicely, Ichiei will let me borrow it for a day. I own the OCs. I'll lend him my story too.

Speech - "Hey, I'm Pierce."

Thoughts - 'I'm dead.'

Spells - "Jumon"

Wittenberg

Near the center of Germany and located in the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt, there laid a large town. This town was known as Wittenberg officially and locally known as Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Situated on the River Elbe and one of the most powerful towns in the Holy Roman Empire, Wittenberg was a beautiful place. A lush forest on one side, a calm river on the other and many white brick buildings littered the town. It was considered a holy place by many with all the catholic influences centered on it and no one would believe demonic forces inhabited the large town.

'…Except for the entrance to the Underworld in a nearby forest.' I thought this as the carriage I was on went over the bridge to Wittenberg. An old man was at the helm and he lightly hummed as he handled the reigns. This old man was named Phil and he offered to give me a ride when I was making my way to Wittenberg (I had Thallo transport me to Saxony-Anhalt but I had to walk the rest of the way). 'But no seriously, this is the center of the Holy Roman Empire and there just happens to be a gate to Hell nearby? I mean, no one has a problem with that?' I sighed once more at the exasperating logic supernatural beings seemed to have.

"It is quite something no?" Phil spoke up and smiled at me, probably thinking my sigh was one of amazement. I nodded.

"Yes it is I wouldn't mind living here for a couple of years." I wasn't just saying that. While the overall aura of the town was more on the holy side (which isn't always a good thing), there was barely any malice to be felt. Just like how I could sense auras with Chi Vision, I could also sense the feelings emanating from all the inhabitants of Wittenberg. That's the downside of living in dense populations for Chi users; the number of people around equals the number of emotions you can feel (both good and bad) and when you try to take it in, it hurts. A lot. It's like trying to listen to hundreds of voices at once and instead of "hearing" you feel them and more times than not the bad emotions overtake the good. Thankfully, I've learned to tone out the feelings when I'm using Chi Vision or that trip to Constantinople would have been a lot harder. Phil smiled proudly at my words.

"You would be smart to do so! Many people in Wittenberg are kind Catholics and the dukes are maintaining the territory well! I originally wanted to go to Berlin but my wife convinced me to come live here. Women truly are smarter than men I swear! Hahaha!" The old man laughed joyfully and I gave a small smile. Phil continued pitching Wittenberg to me and talked to me about his family and how his son was a high ranking member of the Monastery in town. We eventually reached the entrance and a soldier stopped us to look us over. Seeing nothing wrong, he let us through and we entered Wittenberg. "Welcome to Wittenberg." Phil stopped the carriage and I hopped off.

"Thanks for the ride old man. Here, for the trouble." I took out some money to give to him but he refused.

"Are you kidding? Kid, I should be paying you." Phil waved my hand away and smiled down at me. "If you didn't help me out I would have had to leave my wagon behind. Besides, you would have gotten here easily by yourself. You were really moving along!" Phil called out to me on the road when he saw me running across a field with tremendous speed.

"Yeah, I do a lot of cardio." I made up that excuse and pocketed the money. I asked a bystander when I was teleported to Germany which direction Wittenberg was. Thanking them, I channeled Chi into my legs and hauled ass in that direction, crossing paths with Phil. His wagon was in a ditch and his horse had sprained its leg. I lifted it from the trench and healed his horse with some Chi. Grateful, he offered me a lift and I saw no reason to refuse so I hopped in the carriage and enjoyed the smooth ride. Saying one last thanks, I waved goodbye to Phil and toured the large town. It wasn't as bustling as Constantinople or as high end as London but it was peaceful. Men and women walked along the street, either going to stores or to the many memorial sites. Wittenberg was important to the Church in the fact that Martin Luther practically started the Protestant Reformation here. He wanted to purge the corruption within the Roman Catholic Church and the papal's overreaching authority. While he died before seeing it through, his ambitions were picked up by like minded reformers and it continued till this day.

'Yet this is considered neutral ground by the Three Factions.' I walked along the road to the meeting spot, passing a group of kids playing with a ball and I kicked it back to them when it rolled over to me. There were very few neutral locations within the territories of the Three Factions and Wittenberg was one of them. An important landmark for the Roman Catholic Church with an entrance to the Underworld close by and, supposedly, a high ranking Fallen Angel made this his base for a time (sources say he was the first one here, the other two barged in). After the Great War, Wittenberg became neutral grounds and the influences here tried to stay out of each other's way if they could help it. 'Yes, because being neighbors with people that want to kill you in your sleep is a wonderful decision.' I shook my head at the entire situation and stopped in front of a large house.

It was a tall 3 story building with a triangular shaped roof. It was made of red bricks with a chimney and a couple of tinted windows. This was the original house of Johann Georg Faust. While the legendary magician was real and a great prodigy during his time, the actual myth based on him was a bit incorrect. Georg didn't summon Mephisto, he met him by accident. At the time, Mephisto came from the Underworld through the nearby gate and stumbled upon a young Faust training his magic. After giving him some pointers and finding Georg interesting, Mephisto made a pact with the magician. Georg quickly rose through the ranks of the Magician's Association under the Devil's tutelage and even after he died, Mephisto stayed in the Human world to teach magic. I was supposed to meet one of Mephisto's minions here (or as he likes to call them, "associates") and they were to bring me to the ferryman. You could only enter the gate with the ferryman's permission. There was just one problem.

'…That didn't take long at all.' I sighed, regretting that I tempted fate and entered the building. The house was perfectly fine on the outside and being Georg's original base of operations, it had a bunch of protection spells over. Except, those spells were now ripped apart and Chi Signatures that had faint holy aspects littered the inside. Many of the walls had burnt marks and all the furniture was destroyed. I walked through the living room and saw some blood stains yet no bodies. 'I guess that's a good sign.' I looked around some more but I couldn't find anything that would point me to who did this and why.

'Now this would be the part where I call Mephisto, tell him that his follower isn't here and be on my merry way…Nah.' Mephisto gave me his communication signal (the thing you put into the communication ring to call someone; a phone number basically) so I could call him but I chose not to. I was already here and this was technically my first mercenary mission, this would be a good experience. Of course, if I can't handle whoever has Mephisto's follower then I'll retreat but until then, let's get to work. Whoever attacked definitely covered their tracks so there wasn't any physical evidence to point where they went. Their Chi Signature however…

'I'm really glad Chi was the first power I ever got.' Smiling, I sensed the many Chi Signatures that covered the house and it led somewhere east. I walked out the back door and followed the trail.

I passed through the center of the town and made my way to the outer region, stopping in front of a small church (should have known). While it didn't look abandoned, no one was around and it was Sunday morning so that seemed off. Taking my time, I sat down on a bench across the church and activated Chi Vision. I saw only one aura within the church and they weren't particularly powerful. Then I reached out with my Spiritual Energy to sense any magic and my eyes automatically traveled down. The church had a basement. Why was this important? That would be because it was protected by a ton of protection spells. 'Bingo.' I smiled and stood up, already having a plan in mind. The protection was pretty strong and they had the light attribute too so they were probably Angel Barrier spells. It would take a lot of force to get through and they would definitely notice me doing that, so I did the next best thing. I walked up to the church with firm steps, stood in front of it, and raised my fist high in the air….before knocking on the door.

"…" I stood outside patiently and soon I felt the aura walk towards the door. A woman opened the door and stared at me in surprise, before smiling.

"Hello, can I help you?" The woman, I now saw was a pretty nun, asked.

"Oh I just saw this old church and was interested on how the inside looked. I'm a traveler who visits different religions and sees how they worship their Gods." I made up some excuse but the nun shook her head.

"There is only one God." She stepped aside and motioned for me to enter. "Please, come in." She walked away and I entered, closing the door behind me. I kept myself on high alert as I followed behind the nun. "God is almighty and immanent, he created all, and so there is only him."

"Uh huh." I just agreed with her as I observed the church. It was a simple church with many benches, small statues of the Virgin Mary, crucifies, and an altar with a basin. It was a typical church that wouldn't turn any head. If you ignore the magic protected basement and the Chi trail that lead to a door in the back (which also had protection spells). 'I'm going to assume that's the door to the basement.' I observed the door up and down as the nun stood in front of the altar.

"He created Heaven, Earth and the seas. His son came down to become the incarnation of our salvation and he is the Holy Spirit. To worship others and call them God is…blasphemy." The nun shuddered and held her cross, saying small prayers for forgiveness. I only raised a brow.

'…I've met Gods and Goddesses and I still don't understand worshipers.' I had nothing against the worship of higher powers and if doing so makes people feel better then good for them but I still don't get the whole putting your entire being to worship another. 'Then again, some people need some peace of mind that something out there is protecting them.' The nun finished praying and turned to me.

"While I do not agree with your choice to accept that there is more than one almighty, I will pray for you and your soul." The nun smiled and did a prayer in my name, hoping for my safety and happiness.

"…Damn it, why couldn't you have been mean? Now I'll feel bad…" I sighed at the nun's kindness and she became confused.

"What do you mean-" She didn't get to finish as I Chi Burst behind her, karate chopping down on her neck. The nun fell forward but I caught her before she hit the floor and gently carried her to the side. I laid her down on a bench and made sure I didn't hit her too hard. She was out like a light.

'Why do I feel like the bad guy now?' I made a wry smile and walked towards the back door, looking it over. Every inch of the door had protection spells over it from the handle and hinges to the frame. I covered my hand with Chi and grabbed the handle. My hand started heating up and gritting my teeth, I tried to pull but it didn't budge. I let go before my hand became fully burnt and fell into thought. The barrier covered the entire basement so if I try to destroy the floor then that would be the same as breaking down the door. I'm pretty sure Sword Fury would be enough to break through but the noise will definitely alert the enemy. '…Fuck it." I took out my sword and faced the back door; I started channeling my Chi into the sword. I wasn't some protection magic expert like Samantha or Melissa; I wasn't going to get anywhere by looking at it. I lifted my sword in the air and moved to slash down. Just as I was about to swing, I felt the spells in the door shuffle and I nearly tripped myself, stopping dead in my tracks.

"Hey Angela, where's the-" A black hair priest walked out of the door and stopped, blinking at me. I blinked back. He looked to the side at the passed out Angela and his eyes turned. He reached into his robes but I hit him on the side of the head. I knocked him out and he fell to the ground, leaving the door wide open.

"…Well that's convenient." Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, I picked up the priest and laid him next to Angela. I looked down at the priest's robes and noticed something sticking out. Reaching inside, I pulled out the object and I saw it was a sword handle, without the sword. 'What is this?' I looked it over and found nothing but a button on the size. I sent some of my Spiritual Energy inside and found a small Angel magic circle in the handle. It was emitting a decent amount of light energy and the button activated the spe-

'Oh…' My eyes widened, remembering where I once saw this. It was the weapon of a certain white haired psychotic artificial human. The smile that appeared on my face actually hurt with how big it got. '…Oh Hell yes.'

Basement of the Church

Under the church laid a large stone room. The room contained many crosses, banners and scriptures that were currently being handled by the few priests down there. While the majority were sitting around, either working or talking amongst themselves, there was one corner of the room that contained 2 beings. One was a blonde priest who was holding a blessed cross while the other was a tied up male Devil. Oddly enough, the priest was crying as he placed the cross against the Devil's face, earning a yell of pain.

"Arghhhhh!" The Devil's face became scorched from the holy object and the priest cried even harder, saying words of prayer that made the pain even greater for the unholy being. The priest took back the cross and the Devil huffed in exhaustion, sweating all over.

"I am truly sorry for this but it's what must be done." The priest caressed the burnt face of the Devil, like you would a lover's. He put down the cross on the side table and picked up a stake with engravings. "You are a stain on God's holy creation. It is my role to make sure your filth never reaches humanity." The priest took the stake and plunged it into the Devil's arm, causing him to scream again in pain. "But worry not! Once my job is done your soul will be erased and you will no longer have to live as an abomination of God's grace! Rejoice!" The blonde priest smiled brightly and said this all in a happy tone. Tears of joy rolled down his face as he pressed the stake deeper into the Devil's arm.

"Poor bastard…" A priest that was standing near the entrance said and shook his head. "I get they're enemies of God but can't he just kill them quickly?" A female priest that was sitting nearby raised a brow.

"You better keep those sentiments to yourself. Devils are evil beings that deserve no pity." She said this with a sneer. The male priest shrugged.

"I still prefer to kill them quickly. It's more of a waste of time than anything else."

"Fanatics right?" The male priest snorted at the title.

"I don't know about fanatic but he is- wait. Who-" The priest turned around and was met with my smiling face.

"Morning!" I spoke in a jolly tone and grabbed his head, smashing him through the table. The female priest tried to take out her sword but I punched her in the stomach, knocking her out. The commotion alerted the rest of the room and they quickly reacted, taking out their weapons. Light Swords in hand, the priests faced me and the Fanatic (that's what I'm calling him) walked away from the mutilated Devil. He looked at me with a bored expression and took out a Light Mace.

"Who are you?" The Fanatic asked, looking my cloaked figure up and down. I smiled.

"Who am I?" I took out my new Lightsab- Light Sword and turned it on. "You know who I am."

"I don't know you heathen." His face scrunched up in disdain.

"I am no Heathen."

"…Then who are you?" The Fanatic asked me, becoming cautious of my nonchalance and I lifted my Light Sword to illuminate my face.

"I am…your father."

"…"

"…"

"…What?" He asked, along with many others.

"…Okay, I'll admit that sounded better in my head." Am I losing my touch? I idly thought as the Fanatic's face became cold.

"Enough of this farce! Kill-" He didn't get to finish as I sent a Chi Sword towards him. He smashed the construct to pieces and I moved, Touki already on. I shoulder checked a priest into the wall and sliced at the wrist of another. Catching the Light Sword that the priest dropped, I blocked 2 Light Sword swings.

"They make the noise!" I smiled when the clash of Light Swords actually made the "kkssshhh" sound and pushed the priests back. I sliced at their stomachs and they fell down, long burn marks on their abdomens. Kicking another priest away, I Chi Burst to the side when a beam of light shot past me. I saw multiple priests making yellow magic circles and I zigzagged towards them, dodging the light beams. I sliced at the ankles of 2 priests and pierced through the shoulder of another one. I quickly dealt with the remaining priest and blocked the Light Mace from the Fanatic. I pushed him back and slashed at his arm but he dodged to the right. I jumped over his low swing and kicked him in the face, sending him skidding back. He was on me again and I blocked all of his swings, slashing his torso when I saw an opening. He didn't react however and swung at my face to which I leaned back. I slashed at his legs and he barely jumped back in time to avoid dismemberment. He didn't react to the 2 deep burn marks on his legs.

He placed a hand on his stomach and a green glow appeared. The glow was coming from a silver ring on his hand and the burn marks covering his body immediately went away. I had only one question.

"I thought only females got Twilight Healing or am I wrong?" I remembered there being something about the Church taking women with Twilight Healing and making them Holy Maidens. The Fanatic didn't respond and I parried his attacks. The battle continued like this, me cutting the Fanatic whenever I had an opening and him healing the damage. I also noticed he was getting faster and more reckless as the fight prolonged. I sighed. "You really are crazy you know that? Auka Atrið." My magic circle appeared on my chest and my Touki turned silver. With my now increased speed, I quickly cut off the hand that was holding the Light Mace and sliced off one leg. The Fanatic stumbled but he recovered by hopping on one leg and lunged at me. I kicked him to the ground and he landed on his head, knocking him out.

Looking around at the pile of bodies, I deactivated the Light Swords and walked over to the restrained Devil. "Hey, you alive?" I asked tapping his shoulder and the Devil woke up, his eyes hazy. He blinked to regain clarity and looked around at the scene, his eyes widening in shock. "Jack?" I probed and the Devil looked back at me before nodding slowly.

"Mr. Pierce?" Jack questioned back and sighed in relief when I nodded. "Thank Maou." I ripped his metal restraints off and gently laid him down on the ground.

"You want to explain why all this happened? And it better be a good reason since I may have just made an enemy out of the Angels." I asked and crossed my arms, waiting for him to regain his bearings. Granted, I don't really care about the Angel Faction and they were in the way of my mission, I'd rather not be in the wrong here. Jack quickly put my worries to rest though.

"You didn't, these guys are Stray Exorcists." Jack took deep breaths as his Demonic Power tried to expel the holy energy in his wounds. "They attacked the house and brought me here to torture me. I don't know what they're doing but there was a lot more of them before."

"What do you mean? Where did they go?"

"I was with David when they came and they took him somewhere else with one group." He struggled to stand up and I helped him to a chair on the side.

"David? You mean the ferryman?"

"Yes, he was brought back shortly after and another portion of the Strays went with him." Jack winced upon touching his wounds. "I don't know what they're planning but it can't be good."

"No kidding." Stray Exorcists that kidnapped a ferryman to the Underworld can't be anything good. "Do you think they'll come back for the rest?"

"I don't know."

"Then let's find out." I walked over to a passed out priest and picked him up. Carrying him over to a bucket of water on the side, I dipped his head inside and waited. Jack looked at me in shock and I brightly smiled back, as if I wasn't holding a person's head in water. Eventually, the need for air woke the priest up and he struggled. I pulled the priest out and he breathed in large gulps of air.

"Are you craz-"

"Yes I am." I coldly said and turned on my Light Sword, holding close to his throat. He shut up real fast. "Now, you're going to tell what you guys are doing with the ferryman." The priest scuffed at my command.

"You won't get anything out of me. Devil lover." The priest said in disdain.

"…Really? I'm holding a high energy blade of light to your throat and the best you got is Devil lover?" I was honestly more disappointed than angry and even the priest seemed to have found that stupid by what his aura was saying. I shrugged and let the priest go, surprising him by my choice of action. "I want to beat the truth out of you but that's not my style."

"…So what are yo-" I punched him in the face. He held his jaw in pain and looked at me in shock. "I thought you sai-" I punched him again. "Wai-" I kicked him in the stomach. "Arrggh-" I uppercutted him and sent him flying back through the air, landing with a hard thud. Jack watched this all in confusion.

"Didn't you say you weren't going to beat him up?" While Jack felt no pity for the priest, he was confused by my words and actions. I shrugged.

"I don't want to but you got to do what you got to do." I walked over to the unconscious priest and picked him up, shaking him awake. He woke up and looked at me in righteous anger. I punched him again.

This went on for a while and I had to give the priest credit, he didn't spill anything. I stood over the pummeled body of the priest and he smiled victoriously at me through bloodied teeth. Sighing, I crouched down and asked the priest for information. He told me to fuck off and not to bother with the others, they won't say anything either.

"I believe you." I said with a bored look and that threw the priest for a loop. I placed a hand on his shoulder and gave the priest my Chi, healing all his injuries. I made sure not to break any bones or internal organs with any of my hits so the priest quickly recovered. He stared in shock at his healed body and looked up at me in confusion.

"Why did you-" He didn't get to finish as I decked him. He spit out blood and I kicked him in the stomach, sending him skidding back. Waiting for the pain to pass, the priest looked at me in anger and a bit of fear now.

"While I believe you won't talk, this is all I got. So I'll beat you then heal you and then beat you again. Until you prove me wrong and answer my question, then you better clench your teeth. I find that helps." I nonchalantly said this as I cracked my knuckles. The priest looked at me like I was crazy.

"Y-You're lying. T-There's no way you can keep healing me-" He didn't get to finish as I fully flared my Chi. The concrete under my feet slightly cracked and the air actually became heavier, the priest's eyes were now full of fear. Even Jack now looked at me in caution.

'Huh… it's been awhile since I've fully flared my Chi. It got stronger.' Even I was surprised by how strong my flare was. It's only been a couple of months since I've been in the supernatural world but I've really gotten stronger. Of course, this wouldn't do much against someone that's as strong as me or has higher reserves of power. Against beings weaker than me though? The priest looked ready to piss himself. I brightly smiled down at him (though to him it must have looked like a Devil's smile). "So which is it? Are you going to tell me like a good boy or do my fists need to do the talking?"

"I-" His aura already told me the answer.

3 Hours Later, Wittenberg

The sun was high in the air and many people were out for a walk but no one questioned the 3 odd figures marching down the street. 2 were wearing priest garbs and a person with a cloak was between them. They were walking quite close to the cloaked figure and if you looked closely, whenever the figure stopped, one of the priests would be there to keep them going. Eventually, the trio reached the outer region of the city and stopped in front of a church. They opened the door and one of the priests spoke.

"Angela?" The name rang out and after a second, the nun walked out of a side room.

"Welcome back. I hope your trip was a safe one." Angela smiled and bowed to the 2 priests.

"It was fine." One of the priests waved his hand. "Has there been any problems?"

"Problems? Why would there be problems?" Angela asked in confusion and the priest shook his head.

"Never mind then, go back to whatever you were doing." The priest didn't wait for the nun's response as he walked to the back door with the other 2. He placed a hand on the door and the spells inside moved to unlock it. They walked down the stairs and the second priest looked back, sighing.

"What a shame. I was hoping to take a crack at her before leaving." The second priest sighed at the missed chance.

"Stay focused. We're on a mission; you'll need to wait to get back to your…bad habits." The first priest said with slight disgust in his voice. The second priest scuffed in response.

"Please, like you're any better. After this is over, I'm coming back here and spending some quality time with-"

"Stop." The first priest stopped and held up a hand. He furrowed his brows and looked at the entrance of the basement. It was oddly quiet and he could faintly smell burning flesh. "Mark, take him-" He looked back but his fellow priest was no longer there, along with the Devil they were transporting. Eyes widening, he took out a Light Sword and looked around. He slowly turned in a circle before taking a step up the stairs. That was as far as he got.

"Arghhh!" The priest was hit on the side and was sent flying into the wall. Gritting his teeth, he waved his hand and a magic circle appeared in front of him. "Lux Coniectum." Dozens of light orbs came out, striking every corner of the room and leaving scorch marks. That didn't help though as he was hit from the back, making him land on his face. Quickly getting up, the priest turned around and tried to find his attacker.

"Where are you!?" The priest screamed as he nearly went mad.

"Here." A soft voice spoke from behind him and the priest turned around, swinging at the figure. His light sword connected with the figure's head and the head fell to the ground but the body stayed standing. The priest stared in shock as the head on the floor smiled back at him.

"What the fuc-" Then his vision went black.

'…I never understood that. Why would your attacker tell you where they are just because you ask?' I shook my head as the priest laid prone on the floor and the illusion spell wore off. I looked over to the side and saw Jack kneeling down to the cloaked David. "You had illusion magic like that and you were still caught?" The Devil blushed.

"T-They ambushed me with a containment barrier." Jack defended as he helped David to his feet.

"Sure." I shrugged and dragged the 2 priests inside the room (I knocked out the second priest at the beginning). After tying them up and placing them with the other priests, I walked over to the 2 Devils. David spoke first.

"Thank you for this, if you had come later then there would be no hope." David said in a wry smile and I frowned.

"What do you mean? What are they doing?"

"I don't know what they're planning but they made me take them across the gate to the Underworld. I already took 3 groups of Exorcists and if I were to take this group then they would have killed me." David nodded towards the tied up exorcists. "Please, we need to go and warn the Belial's of the intruders."

"…Fine." I sighed and David thanked me for my help. I was already on the way to the Belial's and I'll tell them about the Exorcists after giving them the letter. I looked at the priest in the corner. "What about them?"

"I'll deal with them." Jack's expression became cold and I stared at him before nodding.

"Alright, I'll wait upstairs." I turned and walked upstairs with David, ignoring the looks of fear the Exorcists sent my way. 'Karma's a bitch.' They kidnapped, tortured, and planned to kill 2 Devils; they should have seen something like this coming. I made it back to the church and saw Angela sweeping the floor. She saw me and smiled.

"Oh Mr. Pierce, I hope your inspection went well."

"Yes, everything's in order. I just need to wait for my partner to finish up and we'll be on our way." I said and Angela nodded at this before resuming her chores. After waiting a couple of minutes, Jack came from the basement and nodded. I ignored the smell of blood coming from him and stood to leave. I quickly stopped Jack when I saw him walking towards Angela and narrowed my eyes. "What are you doing? She's not a part of this." I had Jack put the nun under an illusion spell earlier and had her answer some questions. She was just a regular nun that ran this church and the Strays took residence here.

"I know but-"

"Let's go." I said with finality in my voice and dragged Jack along, David coming up behind. The Stray Exorcists brought their deaths on themselves but Angela was just a regular woman, she didn't deserve punishment.

"Thank you for coming and I hope you have a blessed day." Angela smiled at us as we left and I nodded back.

"You too." We walked out of the church and I looked at Jack once we were far away. "Will she be okay? There won't be some side effects from your spell right?"

"…No, the nun will be fine." Jack said reluctantly and I let the subject go. I get the whole hatred towards the Church in general but still, she was nice.

"Follow me." David said and we followed him through Wittenberg, reaching the outer gate. We traveled outside the town and made it to the nearby forest. David brought us to an old beaten road and even though it was midday, it was oddly foggy.

"Creepy mist that you can't see through? Check." I said and nodded sagely, Jack giving me a strange look.

"Who are you talking to?"

"No one, it's just when I see a cliché, I have to point it out. Now all we need is a gate made of brimstone and flames with a red guy holding a pitchfork asking for our souls as tolls."

"…What?"

'Still got it.' I chuckled at the Devil's confused face and David stepped forward, placing two fingers on his lips. Whistling, I could hear trotting and 4 horses attached to a wagon came up to us. Petting the horses, David got on and we followed suit. Jack sat next to David and I sat inside the wagon (it was larger on the inside then it looked). David held the reigns and led the horses towards a random direction in the mist. A couple minutes passed as I looked outside the wagon and eventually the mist disappeared, allowing me to see a large open prairie. Animals ran across the fields and magic flying creatures soared through the air. The air was quite refreshing and I could see mountains in the distance that had massive trees covering them. It was honestly a beautiful sight and I saw nothing wrong with this picture…of course, if you ignore the completely purple sky.

"Welcome to the Underworld, Mr. Pierce." Jack chuckled at my awed face and I looked down. The wagon was riding on a road that had a line going down the middle and it was elevated. I could see that the wagon was staying on one side of the line just like a-

"…Wait." I made an incredibly amused face and looked at the 2 Devils. "Is this…a highway?"

"Yes it is." David nodded.

"…So are you telling me, the entrance to Hell…is a highway?"

"Well, this is the entrance to the Belial's territory but yes I suppose so." David answered honestly and I just stared at the Devil.

"…I love DxD." Smiling, I leaned back in the carriage and left the confused Devils alone. I laid back and enjoyed the scenery pass by, seeing many species of supernatural beast. The ride was pretty smooth and David said it would take about an hour to get to the Belial's territories. Getting comfortable, I was feeling hungry so I rubbed my space ring and a wrapped lunch box appeared in my hand. Looking down at the lunchbox I remembered this morning and who gave this to me.

It wasn't Melissa.

5 Hours Earlier

'Sword? Check. Underworld money? Check. Food? Check. Black cloak...Don't know why I have that but check.' Not questioning my earlier impulse to pack a black cloak, I stood up and looked around. I had everything I needed and saw Jade sleeping soundly on the bed. Smiling, I chose not to wake the small Familiar and walk towards the door. 'I'll summon her when I need her.' I opened the door and tilted my head to the right, dodging Maven's outstretched fist.

"Ah!" The mage jumped in surprise and immediately blushed in embarrassment. "I-I was trying to knock!"

"I can see that." I smiled and gave Maven a second to collect herself. "What's up teach?"

"Teach?" Maven quirked a brow at the title.

"You know…you're my teacher. So I'm calling you teach…Which is just a teacher but shortened…Really?" I tried to get a reaction out of Maven but she looked at me in confusion. 'Oh come on, it's not even that creative. I mean sport is a thing, how is teach not?' Choosing to ignore my weird jargon, Maven coughed and held out a box to me.

"Here." I stared down at the box and grabbed it, looking it over. Yep. It's a box. It was wrapped in a blue cloth and I untied it, looking inside. It contained rice, chicken, lettuce, and some pieces of steak. It smelled pretty good and the inside had a heating spell that kept the food at the optimal level.

"Did…did you make this?" I noticed the way Maven kept her hands behind her back and she blushed.

"Y-Yeah. I thought you would get hungry on your trip, s-so I made that for you." Maven said in a low voice and tried her best to keep eye contact. She failed miserably. I stared at the blushing mage and hated myself for what I had to do next. Sighing, I wrapped the lunch box once again and gave it back to Maven under her confused look.

"I'm sorry Maven but I can't take this. Thank you, really but I just can't," I said in the nicest way possible and the mage just gave me a blank look. Then she looked down at the outstretched lunch box and mechanically took it. We stood there in awkward silence for a couple seconds before I delicately walked around Maven and spoke. "Thanks again but I got to…you know…yeah." I truly am a man of many eloquent words. I walked a couple steps before Maven spoke.

"C-Can I know why?" I had to hold back a wince at Maven's tone. While her face was still blank, her voice very clearly showed she was hurt (her aura was making me feel even worse).

"I-I just can't. I don't want to lead you on." I sighed and explained. "Besides, I really like Melissa and taking that will upset her." Flirting with other women is kind of scummy on its own but taking a lunch box, fully knowing what it represents, is really pushing it. I hoped that Maven would understand but the face she made only seemed to confuse her even more.

"B-But Melissa helped me make this." Maven said in an incredibly confused voice.

"…"

"…"

"…Hm?" Come again?

"I-I asked her what you liked and she helped me make this. W-Would it really upset her?" Maven looked down at the lunch box in confusion. "Then why did she help me? I-I don't understand."

'…Me neither.' Okay, what the hell. I scratched the back of my head in wonder over my girlfriend's actions. 'I don't get it. Does she not know about Maven's feelings about me? Or am I wrong and have completely missed read all of Maven's signals?' I looked at the mage but with all the evidence, it wasn't hard to see she had feelings for me (if I wasn't so confused, I would be incredibly smug right now). 'So what is it? Why would she help a person with feelings for her boyfriend? I get they're friends but it just doesn't make sense. I mean, it's almost like she's okay with Maven dating m-'

The silence was deafening as I stood there like an idiot and Maven was still trying to figure out Melissa's intentions. Then the mage jumped at the sound of a loud slap and saw me with my hand over my face.

"…I'm a fucking moron…" I said this as I lowered my hand and a bright red hand print remained (I deserved it). After all this time, after Froid, Shiruku, the magician's Association, and even now on my way to the Underworld, I forgot one very important piece of information.

I'm in an ecchi universe.

An ecchi universe where powerful people have or can have a harem and it's totally normal.

'Okay, how the heck did I forget that?' I was honestly tempted to go to a shrink or something at this point. 'I remember the most miscellaneous crap but the obvious things just go over my head. What's up with that!?' While I was busy questioning my entire thought process, Maven sighed and bowed.

"I'm sorry about this. I didn't know. I'll just eat-" Before Maven could finish, I quickly snatched the lunch box and put it in my space ring. She stared at me in shock and I looked back at her.

"Okay, so I may have an idea on what Melissa is trying to do but I'll ask her after I come back from my trip just to be safe."

"…Okay." Maven just nodded along.

"And since she helped you make this then it's no problem for me to take it."

"R-Really?" Maven perked up at that and I smiled.

"Yes, thank you for this Maven. It was really thoughtful of you." I chuckled at the mage's happy face and turned to leave but stopped. I looked at Maven's hands and reached out to grab them. She was surprised by this and tried to pull them back but it was a lackluster attempt at best. I saw that she had multiple small cuts on that were poorly bandaged. "Why didn't you go to Samantha to heal these?"

"I-I woke up early to make the food and wanted to get it to you when I finished." Maven explained like she did something wrong and I shook my head. I channeled my Chi and sent some to her hands, healing all the cuts she had. She looked at her hands in wonder. "That…felt different."

"Now you know how I feel every day." I said with a smirk. Let it be known, you never get used to the fact you have superpowers. Even after all this time, the feeling of power that coursed through my skin sometimes surprised me. "I'll see you later Maven. I promise to give you an actual answer when I come back okay?"

"Good luck." Maven smiled at me and I nodded back, walking away to the teleporter.

I selectively ignored the small skipping of happiness Maven did as she walked away.

I really am an idiot.

Back to the Present

'Wow…I really do suck at cooking.' I ate the food inside with gusto as I was far hungrier than I thought. Even though she said it was her first time cooking, Maven sure did a swell job. Giving 2 rice balls to the Devils (I'm assuming Melissa made these), I ate the rest of the food and I could see our destination. A very large town laid next to a mountain range and it was circular in land layout. The reason I called it a "town" was because most of the buildings weren't particularly big and many green fields littered the interior. While the center had a pretty impressive castle that no human country could build with current technology, it wasn't flamboyant. We rolled up to a large bridge with a gate and a guardsman stopped us. He asked what our business was and David took out a piece of paper. It had a stamp on it and Jack explained how it was his ferryman permit.

"Please, I have grave news to tell Lord Belial." David pleaded with the guardsman and he stared at us for a second before nodding. While his gaze stopped at me for a second, he eventually ordered the gate to be opened and David rode inside.

'Why do they even have a bridge?' The carriage rode across as I thought this. 'I mean a regular Devil could easily fly ove-'

Then I felt why.

I shuddered as I passed through a restriction barrier and it was very strong. The first thing I did with my Spiritual Energy when I made it back to my room that day was reach out with it. I was in the literal domain of the Gods and Goddesses, I wanted to see the protection magic spells that were set up (I also wanted to check out that Locked Space spell Maven talked about all those months ago). The entire top of Olympus was covered with magic spells from every branch for every kind of effect you can imagine. Defense, offense, healing (I've never been injured on Olympus so those never activated), teleportation, sensors, and I even saw some space controls. Now the Belial's barrier is not even close to Olympus', it sure as hell was something I would have difficulty getting through.

"Sorry should have warned you about that." Jack said in apology. "Many magicians that go to a clan's territory react like that once sensing the barrier." I looked at him in shock.

"How the hell did those Exorcists get through this barrier undetected?!" The barrier scanned me from head to toe and even the carriage didn't stop it.

"We don't know if they did." David chose this moment to speak up. "They had me drop off groups right before we got to the Belial's territory and then they would send me back for more."

"So they're not here?" David shook his head at my question.

"I don't know but it's the nearest territory. I have to inform Lord Belial anyway because they came from their gate. I must also face punishment." David sighed and Jack gave a comforting pat on the shoulder. We passed the many houses inside the territory and made a beeline straight for the castle; Jack chose to jump off before we got close.

"Sorry, this is as far as I go. Good luck." Jack said and I nodded at him, saying I'll see him later. At the end of the day, Jack was under Mephisto and he couldn't get close enough to give Lord Belial the letter without crossing a line. We reached another checkpoint and the guardsmen took a look at David's permit before letting us through.

We reached the front door of the Belial's home and it was even more impressive up close. David parked the carriage and I hopped off, walking with him the steps. A butler opened the door and invited us in. Lord Belial was expecting us.

"...How often is that true?" I deadpanned and the butler did a double take. "Admit it, You say that to everyone don't you?"

"…I'm sorry?" The butler had a very confused face and I shook my head.

"Forget it, let's go." While the butler was still confused, he eventually got over it and brought us through the halls to Lord Belial's office. I observed the hall and noticed the many intricate paintings that hung on the walls, along with the tasteful statues. Many maids walked by and lots of doors were open, showing the luxurious rooms inside. I leaned over to David and whispered. "I thought the Belial's were low in terms of status."

"They are." David nodded.

"So how come they have all this expensive stuff?" I asked as we passed another room that looked like a high end lounge.

"While they are low in terms of status, they are still one of the 72 Pillars. Even though they're one of the poor aristocracies, there's still a big difference between poor nobles and poor commoners." I nodded in understanding.

'Make senses. No matter how low they are, nobles are called nobles for a reason.' Surviving the Great War and having incredibly long life spans along with magic, they're standard of living is far above what the richest human king can have. 'If this is a poor state, then I really want to see the Bael's home.' We reached a large double door and the butler opened them, motioning for us to enter. We entered and saw a tall, handsome white haired man sitting at a desk. He looked up from what he was writing and nodded.

"Welcome. I've been expecting you." My eyes twitched. "I hear you have something important for me." Ignoring the urge to call out his cliché, I handed him Mephisto's letter and he opened it.

"…" No one said anything as the Lord of the House read in silence, his features giving nothing away. He placed the letter down and took a pause before speaking. "They're not going to like this."

"...Uh huh." I had no idea what he was talking about.

"But we have to respect the wishes of our ancestors." Lord Belial said with a sigh.

"Of course." Still don't understand what he's saying.

"Thank you for this, you had no reason to do this but you came anyway." Lord Belial smiled and I waved my hand.

"Don't mention it." I have a battle crazy maniac with an overpowered lizard in their body possibly coming after me. You tell me if that's a good reason.

"My Lord." David chose this moment to walk forward. "I also have news of-"

"I know of the Exorcists." Lord Belial said and stood up. "There has been a string of murders of our officials in the surrounding territories and they are holy in nature."

"I-I'm so sorry my Lord. They came in because of me. I'm ready to take full responsibility." David kneeled to the ground and Lord Belial sighed.

"Stand up." David got up real quick and he continued. "It doesn't matter at this point. The Exorcist came well prepared and no matter how many soldiers I send, they can't seem to be found." Lord Belial leaned on his desk and crossed his arms. "The ones that do find them are killed quickly. I just don't have the subordinates with the proper hunting techniques."

"Oh I see that's truly a shame." I nodded in sympathy at the Head's plight. "…Well good luck with that!" Then I turned around and made for the door seeing my job was done but David spoke up.

"Wait Mr. Pierce!" David grabbed my shoulder. "Aren't you a Chi user?" Lord Belial and the butler looked at me in surprise.

"Are you?" The Lord walked forward. "Do you have any sensing or tracking abilities? Please if so, help us; I need to deal with the backlash from the old descendants after my decision and I would need to call back my soldiers to handle it. I will have no time to deal with the Exorcists." The Head pleaded for my help and the other 2 Devils looked at me in hope.

'Nope, uh uh, not happening, I've got places to be, people to see, and Gods to kill.' Obviously, I didn't say that out loud but I did let them know I was busy. Sighing, Lord Belial understood and thanked me once again for delivering the letter.

"Morgan, look around and try to find anyone that can hunt down these Exorcists." Lord Belial talked to his butler as I reached the door and opened it. "Hopefully, we will find someone to deal with them before the situation escalates." I was one foot out the door and was about to close the door behind me. "The reward can be anything as long as it's not to-" The door stopped an inch from closing.

"Reward?" I peeked back into the room and looked at the Lord. "And by anything, you mean…"

"Anything within reason." Lord Belial clarified and I blankly stared before falling into thought.

'Anything huh…' Honesty, I wasn't in need of money right now. The Greek Gods paid for our expenses (I finally asked Adrian one day where all the money he gave us came from) and nothing came to mind but it seemed like a waste to let this opportunity go. 'But what should I ask for? A Demon Sword? A future favor? The Belial Princess' hand in marriage?' I was stumped as they let me stew in my thoughts and just as I was about to end my train of thoughts I looked out the window.

There wasn't anything that caught my attention in the window. It was just a view of a long green clearing that looked untouched with a peaceful lake next to it and animals running across. I could see why Lord Belial made his office window facing the clearing, it was a beautiful sight. It would be the perfect spot for a hous-

"…" I blinked. I blinked again. Then a single idea wormed its way in my head and the biggest shit eating grin I've ever made appeared on my face. '…Pierce you wonderful, crazy bastard you.' I faced the Head of House Belial and spoke. "I'll deal with those Exorcists."

"R-Really? That's great!" That brought great relief to Lord Belial and he shook my hand. "Thank you! If there's anything you need then-"

"The reward."

"Oh yes, the reward." Lord Belial nodded and smiled. "But of course, the moment the Exorcists are eradicated then you'll be paid." The Belial's may be among the lower aristocracy but they still held their pride and would pay their dues.

"If I could, I already have an idea of what I want." I threw that out and Lord Belial looked surprised.

"Really? What do you want?" I pointed to the clearing out the window.

"I want that plot of land."

"…"

"…"

"…What?"

Lord Belial quickly agreed to give me that piece of land after the extermination of the Exorcists (apparently it didn't hold any significance other being a good view for him). I bowed once more and walked out of the room with Morgan. He kept giving me odd looks as he led me to get what information they had on the Exorcists. Why did I ask for a random piece of land instead of a Demon Sword or status? Because that piece of land will be the place of a very important place in the future. How do I know this?

Because the very first branch of my Supernatural Mercenary Association will be located there. A branch located in the heart of a noble clan and the Underworld.

'…Pierce you devious, glorious son of a mother.' My maniacal laugh echoed through the Belial's halls and more than once did Morgan send me looks that said I was crazy.

Aren't we all?