Chapter 13

'{Well… I've learned something new about women: it's a universal truth that they like the strangest things.}'

'You and me both, Albion…'

After the whole signing debacle, a mildly exasperated Vali rubbed the back of his head with one hand, whilst the other remained in his jacket pocket as he casually trudged along through the block. He wound up passing by various stalls, merchandise and accessories, though when he had heard his draconian Tenant say what he did, the boy thought back to that signing as well as Olivia's delighted face… and couldn't help but agree with him.

Perhaps when men say that they wanted to seek knowledge more than anything, what they REALLY wanted to know was how the opposite gender thinks so they could wrap their heads around all their mannerisms.

Still, part of him felt glad that Olivia and Emilia had at least SOME interests to keep them occupied when they were on their own, since that way they could keep themselves focused on something instead of being bored. Not to mention that them liking those kinds of storybooks, or rather fairy tales he had heard them often being abbreviated as during his short stay in that crowd, made him realize that they at least had SOME good memories of their respective childhoods. After skimming through the signed book that he had been given by Beta, Vali had to admitted he found these things far too childish and naive for his liking, but upon thinking about it for a bit, he remembered something he'd once heard from his father once when growing up, that childish innocence was one of the most precious things that a human had, for if everyone went and destroyed such fairy tales, burned the dreams of countless girls wanting to become princesses like in those childrens' storybooks, then humans would be no different than animals and monsters.

As he walked he saw multiple people standing in line in front of the shop that goes waaayyyy past the blocks, it's the talk of the city. "Mitsugoshi Trading." Vali heard from Olivia that this store sells all kind of novelty products. They also sell a type of candy called "chocolate" which caught the attention of the CPUs who then decided to work with them. Vali didn't care of a shop of course, but from the letter that Beta gave him, this place was run by-

"Hello, dear customer."

"Huh?"

Vali turned around and saw a worker standing in front of him. By the looks of this worker, Vali found it to be a woman in her mid teens, one who must have been an employee at the shop. The uniform seemed to be rather form fitting, for it consisted of a dress-like getup concealed by a blue closed coat, with black tights and matching high heels. Not to mention that the woman herself had the hourglass figure of a fully grown adult whilst sporting brown lower back-length hair and matching eyes. Honestly, he kind of imagined her to be similar to how Olivia might look when she grew older. "Getting inside could take about 80 or 90 minutes, if you don't mind the wait we'd be overjoyed to have you!" She said with a polite smile, although Vali recognized it as a business smile like the one Beta had used. However, this woman seemed to have ample experience under her belt since she seemed to fit straight into her role quite seamlessly. Like a figure skater on a field of ice.

When he heard the woman request that of him though, Valli hummed in thought as he cupped his chin with his right hand. "That long huh... this shop must be very famous. How the hell did you not run out of business with those nobles?" he wondered, remembering how Nobles tended to want to monopolize their fortunes and as such, a business as successful as this one would have no doubt earned their ire. It had happened multiple times in the past when organizations grew too big for the Nobles liking, who then resorted to dirty tricks like bribery, theft and sabotage (with some cases proving extremely bad from what Vai recalled) resulting in those businesses going under. Therefore, it seemed quite impressive that this one had managed to avoid this fate for so long.

"Why, with the help of the CPU, dear customer! We were facing a crisis a long time ago when the nobles messed up our stocks, and we were about to close it down. But then, a CPU who was in disguise helped our store and we were back in business! It's all thanks to the CPU Green heart!" the worker explained.

Green Heart, huh? With how things were going, Vali believed that he might be seeing that woman soon, considering his position in the Crimson Knights and all. Plus she might have heard of his Sacred Gear at this point, since it wasn't like he had been hiding it. "I see.... Ehhhhh, if you don't mind I might as well wait in the line."

"That won't be necessary dear customer! Could I take some of your time?"

Ok, THAT triggered the alarms inside his brain. "..... why is that woman? How do I even know that you are not like those women?" Vali questioned cautiously whilst funnelling Mana into his hands for a couple MSs. Just in case this woman tries anything funny with him, she'd learn JUST how much of a bad idea that would be.

However, his words, demeanor and increasingly hostile presence didn't faze the woman one bit, something which he had to give credit for honestly. "Don't worry I was hoping you could answer a little survey for us."

"..... a little survey huh…?…. Alright, lead the way woman... but if this is a trick, I'll make sure that you regret it." Vali said in warning, his eyes narrowing as he briefly flared his Demonic Power for empathizing his point. He didn't describe it as his 'Magic' anymore since well, that wasn't what it truly was, he wasn't some wimp who didn't want to accept something for what it was.

"Thank you, now if you could follow me." With that, the woman turned on her high heels and began walking back into the store. Vali followed the female worker as they entered the shop, once they were inside Vali saw there were multiple types of chocolate that did caught his attention, like in donuts, pieces, in a cake, like a flour, and stuff that he might get as a present for his mother and his little brother.

'{Impressive, it's just like a department store from when I was at your home universe.}'

'Its the first time I'm seeing this Albion.'

'{Indeed so partner.}'

They went up the stairs as they went through the halls that looked like a noble design for their home, before finally they stopped by a massive door. When they did so, Vali turned towards the woman again, this time his suspicions on an all-time high.n "This is the place I'll be taking a survey woman?"

"Fufu, that was just an excuse. Please head inside, Lord Vali, for our lady has been waiting for you."

She gestured to the door as Vali looked at it before opening both sides of it. When he entered the room, he guessed that it was a typical noble place that he saw every time when he was at school. There were maids lining up in different sides bowing down as the lady by a large ebony coloured throne walked up to him. She looked to be a mature, slender-looking elf with a large bosom and dark blue hair with several strands braided that extends nearly to her feet. Furthermore, she also possessed a mole under the left corner of her lips. She wore a long dark dress attached to a checker that exposes her chest and back, her feet being slightly visible thanks to her dress being ankle length but he could still see a bit of a high heel there. He was surprised at not the appearance but the person who he knew when he recognized her face.

"It's been a long time, Vali."

".... indeed it has, Gamma."

"It's nice to meet you again, we haven't seen each other for a few years, congratulations on your achievement as the combat saint."

"If it gets me any strong opponents to fight me, then I would say I like this title."

"Always the battle maniac as you are Vali, you won't believe how much I-GYAH!"

Just as she tripped over her own dress as she started walking over to him, Gamma felt something like the wind passing by her before an arm caught her by her stomach. Eyes wide in surprise, Gamma looked up and became rather sheepish with a tad pink on her cheeks when she saw the deadpanned look on Vali's face

"Still clumsy as ever Gamma,"

"I-I'm sorry you had to do that Vali!" The poor girl exclaimed, her pink turning into a red blush when she heard several amused giggles from some of the Maids. Heck, she could even feel a couple jealous ones there, prompting her to quickly separate from the silver-haired male before she put a fist over her mouth. "(CLEAR THROAT) ahem, anyways since you have been away for so long, I have been recruiting lots of members to not only handle my business, but also gathering intelligence to not only finding out your parents but also other news that might help us in the future."

"........ there is no need for finding out my parents Gamma, I already know who I am."

When she heard this, Gamma looked like she had turned into an angel with how bright she had become, as she perked up at this information. "Really?! That's great Vali!" She exclaimed happily, something which pleased the silver-haired Hybrid.

Though to be fair, each of the girls whom he'd taken in after using his Demonic Power to help with their respective cases of Demonic Possession, Gamma had always been the most intelligent out of the bunch. She may not be the most physically capable of the bunch, but her brilliant tactical mind more than made up for it. Now that he thought about the matter, it only made sense that Gamma became as successful in the Business world as she had, creating an entire company even though she hadn't even reached 20 yet. Still however, he didn't want to keep this a secret from her or the others that he'd rescued, so to that end Vali narrowed his eyes he spoke whilst glancing behind him at the various workers. "Before I tell you, however..... Have your servants leave us alone, Gamma. Lets just say that it's important only those I trust be allowed to hear this."

"Of course, Vali. Alright girls, everyone leave us for we are doing some personal business."

"YES, MISTRESS!"

The maids, after bowing in unison like a well-trained military force (making Vali wonder if they had any capabilities in combat), then proceeded to exit in double file out the door, leaving the two of them alone as Vali then looked at Gamma with a serious gaze. Something which Gama understood the meaning of if the expression she had was any indication."....... its alright Vali you can tell me." she told him, soothing the last of his worries as he sighed, before opening his mouth to speak.

"....... ok. For what I am Gamma, I am not only a half-human but-"

"A half-devil, can you believe it, girls?"

"Yes, at first I thought he was exaggerating but when he brought out his wings, it explained how his energy felt so...… dark!"

Elsewhere, Alpha, Emilia, Angelica, and Olivia sat in the middle of the hotel room that the Duke's daughter had gotten for them. They were each clad in various PJ's that reflected somewhat how they were as individuals, with some being more risque and sexy whilst others remained rather conservative and stuff.

The girls had, after separating from Vali who had told them that he intended to take a walk around the city, taken everything inside the Hotel and gotten servants to bring their stuff to their room, thus they had spent the time relaxing here ever since. Heck, when they had all gathered together in the circle that they were right now, they had gotten into discussing the most recent revelations about Vali's true nature, something which had been a rather hot topic if one asked any of them.

Furthermore, the room itself looked quite lavish in terms of design, with attached bathrooms, a couple bedrooms and a kitchen area attached to the main living room. Although, considering the amount of beds there were, one of them would have to bunk up with another if they wanted the genders of their group to remain separate. Even if some of them wouldn't have minded such a thing, it wouldn't have been fair for those who did mind.

"That must explain how he destroyed your curse, Alpha!" Emilia proclaimed, getting a thoughtful nod from the blonde Elf girl. Now that she thought about it, she didn't see her friend's view as something to be neglected since, well, Demonic Power had been used to counter something demonic. It reminded her of the expression 'fight fire with fire', sort of, and as a result, Alpha had been able to grow up like any normal person.

"Heh….. you know it's quite ironic that other people call him a Devil for his power you know, but now it's too good to be true."

"Me too."

Each of them became silent when Angelica mentioned this, each of the girls finding different forms of amusement at the irony behind the situation. Despite being a Devil, Vali had proven himself to be more likable than even the so-called 'angelic princes' back at the Academy, not to mention that it was humorous that when all had been lost for some of them, it had been the dark hands of a Devil whom had saved them and gifted them with a second chance, a new start. It really didn;t matter what one's background was, even if they were in the darkness, they can still move up in the world and become the light which lit up the paths for others, as corny as that sounded.

Eventually Alpha shook her head as she turned to the silver-haired half-elf, who currently sat alongside the brunette commoner of the group. "Alright let's change the subject, how is your book, you two?" she questioned them when she noticed the book in their hands.

That seemed to have opened up a freaking DEN'S worth of emotions, considering how brightly the two girls looked back at her. Literally, there were stars shining in their eyes as if they were containing their own little galaxies. "Ohhh why it's so marvelous, especially cinderella! She was a former noble but she lost her parents and her stepmother turned her into a commoner, but then she was helped by the fairy godmother and found her prince and they got happily ever after! It's almost like it was my experience in childhood!" the brunette proclaimed joyfully, almost ready to break out into a fit of girlish squeals.

Something which looked to also be applicable to Emilia, too as evident by how she looked over to her brunette friend like she was a living saint. "Me too, Olivia! It's almost like my childhood only.... More real to it."

(Play Persona 5 OST - Confession Secret)

Though, at the end there, the happy atmosphere surrounding the girls all but instantly vanished, a sense of tension erupting forth and taking it's placed thanks to her words. Not only that, but a heavy feeling of pressure and weight settled throughout the room as the girls happy smiles twisted into low frowns, especially when they noticed the downcast look on Emilia's face as she had started her words off just as bright and cheery as before, before depression gradually seeped its way inside until it pretty much became her dominant emotion.

The Duke's Daughter gulped a bit at the sad mood that the half-elf had found herself in, not liking the sight one bit. Not only that, but this had to be the first time that she had seen something like this from her, since normally Emilia had such a happy expression on or an innocent one which fit her much better than the last one, and ESPECIALLY this depressed one she currently had on her face. After this gulp, Angelica felt like she had stepped on a landmine, especially with the look aimed at her from Alpha who looked like an overprotective sister at the moment, but even so she still pressed forwards, wanting to know what had happened to make her friend have that kind of face. "... what happened at that time, Emilia? You don't have to tell us if you're not comfortable." she questioned, though she also made sure to offer an out if she didn't want to take it.

Though in the end, Emilia shook her head as if refusing that out, unlike what Angelica had previously thought when she'd seen this expression. Her opinion had only changed when Emilia opened her mouth and began to explain her backstory. "No no it's fine, if Vali can stand his past then I can too. He's much stronger because of it, I feel…" she muttered softly at the end, before she cleared her throat and took some deep breaths. "Ahem, well, when I was little my mother never cared about me due to being a product of her having an affair with a commoner, my father still loved me but was under heavy pressure that forced him to overwork himself. Because of that, he died from overwork, and my mother's side of the family… they tried to have me executed so that I wouldn't 'taint' their 'pure line' anymore." Each of the girls frowned (Angelica and Olivia) whilst Alpha growled in fury, as even though she had already known this story she still got pissed off hearing it, especially since she could understand how Emilia felt about family betraying oneself. "But, before they could, my aunt decided to take me away from my mother and have me live with her, thereby saving me from execution even if my name was probably wiped from their records. Though it wasn't an easy life from thereon, since people knew about me thanks to my mother whoring my father around like some common accessory. The other kids bullied me due to being a half-elf…"

As she heard this, the frown on Angelica's face worsened. "It probably didn't help that it had been stated that male elves couldn't impregnate human women, but the same couldn't be said for female elves impregnating men. Because of this established fact, females liked to take male elves as lovers, but thanks to this I can see how the reputations of both races got altered. Now, instead of it being outright impossible, it's seen as incredibly difficult, nigh impossible." She mused, remembering a stir throughout the Nation of Leanbox over the issue. Angelica herself didn't really care all too much about it since she never had any slaves, mostly due to Julius not letting her have any whilst the same could also be said for her parents. Now though, she could say that she felt relieved that she didn't.

Emilia nodded, knowing what the Noblewoman had been talking about. "Yeah. Mother's affair with father really caused damage to the elves' reputation, causing them to shun us even harsher than the humans did, leaving us with nowhere to go… My aunt must have had a horrible time at that point, but she never told me about it since she didn't want me to hate others because of it… even though I had steadily been growing it due to the bullying and oppression." She remarked, before her smile started turning into one of relief and happiness, as Alpha's growl turned into a fond smile of her own. "One day, I met Alpha as she scared away the bullies due to having been cursed by the Demonic Possession. I was happy that I met her, but was sad to hear that she was going to die. It all went well, but we were captured by bandits that were planning to sell us, to whom we weren't sure, but at the time we didn't really want to think about that possibility." At this point a tinge of pink formed on her cheeks as she said the last part. "That's where me and Alpha met Vali, he saved us from the bandits."

After she heard the story, Angelica took some time to formulate a response. She honestly had been prepared mentally to hear of such a past, because in the end half-elves were scorned by both races due to them being seen as 'abominations' and beings who were too 'dirty' to be considered the same as them. But, mentally preparing herself and actually hearing it showed itself to be two entirely separate matters, as she found herself being surprised by how much she wanted to punch someone's light's out. Even so, she kept her cool and retained her composure before delivering her response. "... it must've been hard for you in the beginning, wasn���t it Emilia?"

Emilia nodded, feeling the sad yet understanding looks everyone gave her. It made her feel somewhat better, knowing how far she had come. Still, she wanted to get this topic away from her so she decided to end it showing a beaming smile as her happiness washed away her previous sadness. "It was Angelica, but when I met Vali...… life got good for me and Alpha. When we're with him, we got things we never thought we'd have in our lifetime, with his family becoming like a second family to us. My aunt had told me once that the Bartfords were quite the nice family, despite being part of nobility albeit on the lower end of the spectrum. I hadn't been sure at first since, well, bad experience and all, but they proved me wrong and now I'm happy to be part of their lives." she proclaimed cheerily

"...... I see. Speaking about Vali...… what are your thoughts about him?"

(OST End)

When Angelica asked that question, it felt as though a DJ suddenly stopped playing the song on the record mixed with tires screeching to a halt. INSTANTLY the atmosphere felt like a summer desert as all of the girls started to get flustered. Their faces literally turned crimson like they were becoming humanoid strawberries, yet even so they tried to calmly reply to the other girl's question.

Olivia's answer: "Well...… he's kind of a hard-headed boy."

Alpha's answer: "A battle loving maniac."

Emilia's answer: "Always so stubborn."

Angelica sweatdropped at these points, knowing that they did indeed have merit to say these things since they weren't wrong. If it weren't anything to do with conflict or fighting, then Vali likely wouldn't have any interest in it, that was just the kind of person that he was. However, Alpha became the first one to exhibit a warm smile as her cheeks reddened even further, glancing fondly downwards. "And most of all he is not like those other boys. Always wanted to get stronger by his own merits. He destroyed my curse, the same for several others as well. I've gotten stronger thanks to him, I.... am forever thankful for that."

Olivia nodded her head in agreement, even as her hair mostly covered her eyes it failed to hide how red her face had become. "Vali helped me even when I am a commoner, he was the one who taught me to be more confident and fit in the school." she mumbled under her breath, poking her index fingers together.

After she had heard these words, Angelica hummed thoughtfully as she processed those words before coming to a conclusion. "You...… all love him, don't you?" It may have sounded like a question, but the way she had delivered it made the girls realize that it was more of a statement than anything else.

Something which Alpha confirmed for them since the others hadn't been too confident about confirming it."...... Yes, we do Angelica....." She admitted, though as embarrassed as she was, the blonde Elf couldn't help but smirk in amusement at the steam trails rising up from the tops of their heads. Though this only lasted a couple seconds before she realized something, as shown by her eyes widening and a look of shock being directed towards the sole Daughter of a Duke in the room. "Wait, does that mean… that you ALSO love him, Angelica?"

When she heard this question, Angelica tensed up in surprise, before she also joined them in the blushing club as she glanced awkwardly to the side. Though, in the end she did indeed give an answer both verbally and physically in the form of a nervous nod of her head. "..... Yes. I do love him, Alpha."

"..... when did it happe-oh.... I get it.... It was Julius, wasn't it?"

The red-faced Angelica nodded, not trusting her own voice until she decided to explain her reasonings. "........ At first, I thought that he wanted to fight Julius and his group members for his bloodlust, but then I realized he wasn't doing it for his sake...... it was mine. He tried to convince Julius to be with me, knowing how I worked hard, had the education and discipline that being his wife would have needed. It had been a tough time, but I wanted to do it if I got the chance to even be his. But, he was so blindly in love with Marie that he didn't care about me, one bit. Like he saw nothing about what I did for him. Yet, Vali had my back every time to the point where I've wanted to repay him, even if I have to be a wife for him." she explained.

Her feelings being something which Alpha could relate to. "..... We all do Angelica. We just have to wait and see if Vali..... Responds to those feelings when the time is... right." she admitted, with the others agreeing. Though, they all shared trepidation about the idea of Vali finally knowing how they felt since he was a battle maniac after all. What if he rejected them all? What if he never found out? Things like that filled their minds and made their hearts feel heavy, although they'd endure…

Just as they had always done.

TImeskip

"..... tell me again why did you even come here?"

"What, not happy to see me Vali?"

If anyone were to see his current predicament right now, then Vali would likely shove a couple Mana Rays through their eye sockets just to keep them from seeing it. That, and the humiliation he felt inside made him want to explode right now.

"Yes and do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because..... WE ARE IN A DAMN FUCKING HOT SPRING!"

Vali yelled at Alexia, looking like he was a human lobster in terms of anger and embarrassment. Meanwhile, Alexia herself just looked as composed as she ever was, like there was nothing wrong with the current situation. Both her and Vali were naked in the hot spring, something which had been an interest of Vali's since he'd heard that it was supposed to be something relaxing. Although, what he HADN'T checked up on was the fact that it was apparently mixed genders which allowed both men AND women to sit in the hot spring together. Hence, how this situation came to be.

Seeing the look on his face right now, Alexia felt no small amount of glee and amusement. She'd admit that she hadn't seen any guys naked before, but if they had even a SHRED of the build that Vali sported, his body being comparable to a male adonis, then she would likely gain a new hobby. The guy looked like he had sculpted his body out of shear marble with how chiseled and resilient it looked, combined with his rather bad boy features, it resulted in making him look like a damn fine HUNK if one asked her. What was even more amusing, was the fact that she likely would be the first girl to EVER see him naked like this, and that filled her with a sense of womanly pride. "Well any boys will kill a chance to be with a naked girl you know." she remarked with a teasing grin.

"...Do you want this fist to knock into your skull to give you a trauma?" Vali retorted whilst shaking a fist at her, one which also had some veins pulsing along it. It helped that his demonic power had also reacted to his emotions to form a silverish aura around him.

In response, Alexia chuckled a little more before she huffed in mock annoyance. "Hmph you're no fun at all Vali." she chided playfully, although she had anticipated this being his reaction. "But the reason why I'm here was because my Sacred Gear Tiamat would like to speak with yours."

At the mention of Sacred Gear however, all previous emotions left his body, replaced with shock, realization and then caution. "..... you know who I am, don't you Alexia?" He stated, although he didn't feel nearly as angry as he had before. If anything, he felt calm with her knowing about him, mostly due to her being someone whom he knew even if it wasn't as long as with the others. But, well, she did help him get into this Goddess Festival and there were a bunch of energies he could sense throughout the city that felt quite powerful, meaning that they will likely be tough opponents. Essentially, she did what she said she would, and that Vali could respect about her.

Alexia nodded her head in response, her eyes just as serious as his. "....... yep, Tiamat told me. Don't worry Vali, I don't judge your race. You are what you are." she told him, and she meant it. After all, wouldn't it be hypocritical of her to judge him when she herself wasn't even technically the same as she once was either? Tiamat DID tell her once about how, in her universe, those with draconian Sacred Gears were considered Dragons themselves. So, she should be counted on that list, making it disgustingly pathetic if she were to judge Vali harshly for his own nature.

Plus, growing up as a Noblewoman, Alexia had experience with REAL Devils. Vali? Didn't even come CLOSE to them.

"... fine. Let's get this over with. Divine Dividing!"

"Chaos collider!"

As soon as they said that the lights then shined so bright that if anyone was here they could've been blinded by that. A pair of wings then manifested at Vali's back while a tail appeared on Alexia's tailbone.

"{Hmmmmm why did you summon me partner?.... Oh I see. Tiamat, it's been a long time, hasn't it?}"

Upon him summoning it, Divine Dividing's wings began to flash every time a word was spoken through Albion's voice, since he wasn't talking through the mental link that they shared.

Soon however, the Jewel on Alexia's Tail (which had coiled around her like a snake) began to flash as well.

"[Indeed it has, Albion. Looks like I wasn't the only Sacred Gear here in Gamindustri]"

Tiamat's voice rang through, and as it did so, Vali began to think back to what Albion had told him about his home universe. And about Dragons, since they were his primary source of interest aside from Devils. Apparently, amongst the Dragon race there were a select group of individuals called the Dragon Kings, a group of 5 Dragons that had powers that made them a threat to the leaders of the Devil Race known as the Satans. There was actually once 6 of them, but apparently one had left to join the Devils as part of a deal or something, Vali couldn't recall the specifics, but what he DID recall was that Tiamat had been the sole female Dragon King. THAT had to speak volumes about her power, especially in a seemingly male-dominated race.

"{You know….. If you say Gamindustrim it sounds like a game industry. Kinda weird, isn't it?}"

"[It is. Who even names that kind of place?]"

Alexia, sort of trying to defend her home but not really, then opted to speak up which really impressed Vali. One had to have HUGE ass balls to interrupt a conversation between Dragons like how she did. "The CPUs named them, the reason why is because this universe is all about games and stuff. You can even make money if you either play a game or even make one."

"{This place would make an Otaku dreams come true, I can even sense one of my previous wielders being very happy that his dream comes true, though he isn't even alive.}"

"[Mine too, Albion I mean 'CPU'? That stands for 'Central Processing Unit' in our universe, but here it stands for Console Patron Unit? That's not even a goddess title, it's just a computer unit! We're living in a game world!]"

At this point, both Vali and Alexia sweat dropped together, feeling like they were listening in on a chat between two elderly men about their gripes with the younger generation. Though, they could hardly blame them since it seemed like these two had been around for a long time, hence they probably WERE of the elderly generation… over countless centuries ago.

"{It's like those generic, boring Isekai mangas/novels that my previous wielders used to read. Can't believe that it actually does exist since my partner was transported here. Though, not by a Truck. I'm actually thinking that Trucks are basically Isekai transporters.}"

"[If any scientist or Azazel would know about this, they would have a WET dream about all the stuff they could gather.]"

"{Uhhhhh, you know that Azazel is a massive pervert, don't you?}"

"[I said WET dream Albion. Of course, he would use this opportunity to either study or sleep with the women!]"

"Actually…" Vali began, sighing as he sat down and crossed his legs and arms. "This 'Azazel' guy would likely not be anyone special here since the girls are just as shameless as he seems to be. They casually take in groups of lovers and have sex practically daily." he stated, with Alexia nodding in agreement. "I've lost COUNT of how many I had to fend off, as well as help my companions against some boys doing the same thing."

"{....... This is an ideal world specifically for Azazel. I don't think he'd mind being a servant to a noblewoman either, he'd probably get off on it.}"

"[He worked with telescopes to not even look at the stars but trying to peek at Gabriel's tits while she is in Heaven!]"

Both teens felt their brows twitch at that, both of them glancing at one another and making a silent pact to NEVER let that happen.

"Filthy pervert."

"As much as this situation makes me feel hypocritical… I second that. Just how massive pervert is this guy?"

"[He made one of my wielders a FREAKING PERVERT OF THE HIGHEST ORDER! IT WAS THE MOST EMBARRASSING THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME, AND IT FOR CENTURIES! FOR CENTURIES, I WAS CALLED THE OPPAI DRAGON! HE GOT POWERS JUST BY TOUCHING OR FEELING BREASTS!! I EVEN HAD TO ASK DDRAIG! DDRAIG! FOR HELP GETTING RID OF THIS DAMN FUCKING TITLE!!]"

"......"

"......"

"{...... to be fair, a past wielder of mine was the one who killed that man, mostly because he stole a bra from her.}"

A slight surge of power got released from the Tail called Chaos Collider as it's tip swayed left and right. Almost like the creature inside was shaking its head to rid itself of those memories. Alexia suddenly felt so much more pity for Tiamat that it wasn't even funny.

"[Which is why I am SO grateful for that and why I always get along with you, Albion.]"

"{I am a rational dragon Tiamat.}"

"[........ do I need to remind you if you WERE a rational dragon?]"

A moment of silence passed once more, and suddenly Vali felt a sense of kinship with the Dragon if his theory about his past was going to be proven right.

"{....... Fair point, Tiamat. Anyway since you are here, not being transported like Vali did, does that mean Sacred Gears are starting to come here?}"

"[.... I don't even know about that Albion, but I hope not. By the way, you said transported repeatedly, care to elaborate on that?]"

"{You know that my partner is a half-devil right?}"

"[Yes what do you me-?! Wait does that mean-?!]"

"{Yes, somehow Great Red must've transported Vali here. I would have looked into Vali's memories for clarification, but one I don't wish to disturb his personal space, and two it likely happened when he was an infant, as from what I've seen he's been here the majority of his life. The memories of an infant are nigh impossible to view anyways since their brains are hardly developed to even record memories.}"

"[But that's impossible, no one is able to catch his attention, not even Tannin when he challenged him! How did he even catch the eye of the dragon of dreams?!]"

"{Calm down, it was either unintentionally or he did something to transport him, I don't even sense its energy on Vali Tiamat, can you even sense it?}"

"[.... I don't. But the questions remains though: are Sacred Gears starting to appear in different universes?]"

"{I don't know Tiamat, we just have to wait and see if it does.}"

"[... alright, I understand.]"

At this point, a bunch of questions had formed inside Alexia's mind, just like how Vali was feeling inside. Although he didn't ask for the two of them as she had beaten him too it. "Uhhhhh Tiamat, just who is Great Red?" she questioned whilst tapping on her Sacred Gear's tip with her index finger.

"[The Great Red is a terrifying dragon, Alexia. WAY more powerful than myself and Albion combined. He is also known as the Apocalypse Dragon, the True Red Dragon God Emperor, True Dragon, and the Dragon of Dragons. He currently resides in the Dimensional Gap and usually keeps to himself unless provoked. It is the dragon recorded in the Apocalypse.]"

If the amount of titles that this Dragon had weren't enough to showcase how much of a terror it seemed to be, then Alexia would have been a blind fool. Not to mention a lot of those titles sounded insanely badass to her. ".... how powerful is this dragon?" she questioned slowly, since as badass as they sounded, they also made this Great Red being sound extremely dangerous, something which she did NOT like the thought of.

"[His strength comes from the dreams. An existence with the power of dreams, Great Red can descend into the thoughts of others and turn dreams into reality. He can completely control dreams and the dreams of others. He can attack or protect others in dreams, as well as affecting the real world to some degree via dreams or daydreams and can still affect the dreams of others even if he himself is not asleep. He gains power from dreams and can even project people's dreams, and as he represents dreams, he knows the dream one has seen and imagined. He is the embodiment of the dream, not even the infinity dragon can defeat him, no one can defeat him not even these so-called 'Goddesses'.]"

"I see….. Alright let's go back to our respective rooms. The trials will be starting tomorrow, I can't wait to participate!"

"Hmph always the battle maniac you are Vali..."

After leaving the hot springs and splitting up from Alexia (much to his internal relief since she kept teasing him about looking at her body whilst they changed), Vali once again wandered the streets, sporting a rather sour mood. He even wanted people to leave him alone to the point of wearing his Slime Suit, the hood of his Coat darkening his face whilst his Demonic Power enhanced his glowing silver eyes. Furthermore, his hands lay within his coat pockets as it's tails fluttered about behind him, creating a rather eerie presence about the boy as he walked through the darkness of the night.

Whilst on his stroll, the boy couldn't help but glance to the side when he noticed what looked to have been a church-like building beside him, something he hadn't noticed before as he had been busy in his brooding session. When he saw it, Vali had to roll his eyes and scoff, not having too much of a fondness towards religion himself especially if there was one which taught that pacifism was the way to live life. Still, the thought of religion made him wonder something, therefore he decided to query with his sole tenant about the issue. 'So, tell me Albion, does the God of my home universe have a religion the same as this one?' he asked.

'{Hmmmmmm no, it's more of a strict religion compared to this one. YHWH, another name for him, only wanted to protect his followers and the humans there, so to that end he created a religion just by impregnating a women and that demigod Jesus founded the religion, the difference for this religion and the church is that it is run by man, not by God or Angels.}'

Hearing this, Vali arched his brow as he stopped walking and stood under a lamppost, leaning against it whilst placing one foot behind him on it's base. 'If it's run by man, then what do these angels do?' he asked, frowning. Sounded to him like these so-called 'Angels' were less like divine guides and more like a bunch of lazy motherfuckers who didn't do anything to deserve the praise that they get.

'{The Angels do only what is best for either their followers or their race. One could call them virtue puritans and it wouldn't be too far off since God had designed them to only embody those virtues. They cannot live their lives without those in mind, think of them like children only they aren't allowed to ever do anything naughty, not even once as a lesson to them. Of course, as one might expect for such a strict regime, some angels couldn't stand on this rule and thus, became Fallen Angels.}'

When Albion said that name, Vali suddenly got shivers down his spine, although he didn't know why. 'Fallen angels?' He queried since they sounded like they were bad news.

'{Azazel, Barakiel, Penemue and Kokabiel for example, became known as 'Fallen Angels'. By committing something that can be considered 'sinful' and 'not following the ways' of a pure Angel , they are stripped of their Halos, and their wings turn black before they are cast out of heaven like drunkards in a tavern. Together with Azazel, The Fallen Angels group formed a whole organization called the Grigori, one which was meant to shelter their own kind since none of them had a place to call home anymore.}'

A look of disgust formed on his face when Vali heard that one, as he could imagine how they could have 'fallen' if that was the case as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Remembering what Tiamat had told him and Alexia back in the hot springs, suddenly he felt like he understood her fury a whole lot more. 'That explains why the guy is a pervert. But what is the point if the Angels or God even try to help or guide them like the CPU, at least they care about us.'

'{... Unfortunately, it's more complicated than that, Vali. The Gods or YHWH throughout the supernatural world don't want to show themselves, because they think it would mess the humans' economy. It's like saying this: "Hey we have Gods walking among us, let's praise them!" it would not only mess their lives but a huge war between religions. Unlike this world which seems to have four Goddesses but with a similar religion and much involvement with their followers, there are over a dozen Religions throughout your home universe, each with their own ideals and rules, therefore peaceful co-operation between the remains a pipe dream. Ever since the modern-day arrived and people like foreigners going to other places, Christianity has been growing so much that they think only one God exists, that made multiple factions go on exile, hiding or disappearing from the world.}'

'...... what a sick, pointless life, as well as a pathetic religion you guys have over there. It's even worse there than it is in Gamindustri!' Vali mentally raged, gritting his teeth in fury as well as revulsion. As much as he hated religion, the teen now felt much happier in the knowledge that he had grown up here instead of that kind of shit hole.

'{It's how life works there partner, there is no eternal peace over there unlike this place, and even if there is the cost of that peace is always war. Its like someone from an anime said: a cursed world will always have a cursed peace. Because of this, the Judeo-Christian faction became the most hated faction in the world.}'

With his left hand now in his pocket again and the right now pinching the bridge of his nose, Vali couldn't help the annoying groan that escaped his lips at the thought of such a thing. Oh, he could imagine that happening if these people were anything like the noble families in Gamindustri he could imagine the hubris they would have generated with so much power and influence under their fingertips. 'I'll agree on that Al-'

"{WATCH OUT, PARTNER!}"

"HM?!"

SCHWING!

BOOM!

Thanks to the warning of Albion, Vali summoned a MS over his right hand just in time to block a longsword that had been about to cleave him in two. Following this, Vali found himself in a heated deadlock of an unknown opponent, before he performed a twisting move and broke it, allowing him to see who attacked him. To his slight surprise, the attacker turned out to be a tall, young Elf with a refined, beautiful face. She had long, light blue hair that had been tied into two waist length pigtails. The color of her eyes were of the same color as her hair, but slightly darker than said hair.

For an outfit, the male saw that she wore a Slime Suit which had been the first clue to Vali as to the girl's identity. Her slime suit, like the others, was coloured black black with jewels adorned across it's form, with a mix of the colors. gold, and sapphire. Not to mention there was a scarf wrapped around her neck with vambraces over her forearms, straps over her triceps and various belts around her waist and thighs as if to accentuate her crotch area. Over her legs, she wore a pair of high heeled boots which, combined with the ABSURDLY large bosom she sported, made him wonder if she had any back problems. Speaking of the girl's bosom, the elf-girl possessed a rather curvaceous body, one that would make any woman envious to the point of going green in the face, along with any man drooling like a dog in heat.

Vali however, was not one of them, for he looked slightly surprised on who it was before going into a small smirk of amusement. "Well well, that was a sneaky attack Epsilon."

The woman became surprised on how this person knew her real name, there was only one person that gave her that name. "..... is that you, Vali?" she questioned in shock, lowering her sword.

At this, the male twitched a brow in annoyance as he dismissed his MS. "Of course it's me, you idiot! Look!" Vali proclaimed as he swiped his hand over his face, taking off his Mask and pulling back his hood a bit, before showing his face to Epsilon.

Once she saw his face, her eyes widened slightly as a small gasp escaped her mouth… for a couple seconds, before her face brightened like the rising sun. "It's you! It's really you! Long time no see, Vali!"

"Likewise." Vali replied with a nod, watching as the newly christened Epsilon sheathed her sword. He then placed his right hand inside his coat pocket again after having put his Mask and Hood back on. "Anyway Epsilon, why are you even at the church?"

At this, along with the deadpanned stare Vali eyed her with, Epsilon simply huffed as she puffed her chest out in pride. "I was looking for someone in the church that I worked very hard to find!" she proclaimed with her hands on her wide hips.

However, the silver haired Hybrid wasn't satisfied with that, as evident by his gaze becoming one of annoyance. "That didn't answer my question Epsilon." he spoke whilst pinching his nose. 'Looks like not much has changed about her since we last met. She's still got a load of pride, but considering how potent her Magic Control is she has the bite to match her bark. Of course it can't match up to mine, but she's a close second to it… I once heard that before she left she once tried to mimic one of my Mana Series Techniques… might have to look into that sometime.' The male thought.

Finally, Epsilon gave an answer to him that sounded credible. "Oh, I was going to see if those church people had any info of the demonic possession so that we can prevent it from happening." She explained before she dropped the cheerful tone and became serious with her eyes narrowing darkly behind her Mask. One which looked quite like his own. "But, by the time I got there the Archbishop was killed and the info was gone."

Now THAT caught his attention, as well as confirmed a suspicion that he had as Vali cupped his chin with his right hand, leaning slightly on his left hip and leg. "..... I see. Sounds like someone out there really doesn't want this kind of info to be discovered." he remarked to himself, remembering how the fight with that Zenon guy had gone down when he'd taken those drugs. For one, he figured that to have a connection to this incident but shook it off afterward before looking back to his female companion. "But Epsilon, are you desperate to find out the curse's origins?"

"...... I want to know Vali, I want to know the real reason why the curse is happening and why these people are not doing anything about it. As soon as I find out the truth and the people associated, I will have my revenge."

"....... I understand Epsilon, here take these." Pulling out his left hand again, this time Vali gave her an earpiece, one which he had given to the girls as well as Gamma just recently.

As she held it in her hand, Epsilon examined it curiously. "Eh? An Earpiece?" she questioned as she held it over her head and looked up to it.

Vali nodded whilst she examined it, proceeding to explain it's functions. "My lost item Luxon will be helping you for your investigation, I have acquired a clue that would help you."

"Really?! What is it?"

"A pill that a man by the name of Zenon ate. It grew his strength and he became some kind of monster from it, they say it is from this cult called the 'Cult of Diabolos'." The boy explained, frowning.

"Diablo?"

"Yeah. No idea what it is, but as long as I can fight forever I don't care. Anyways, I have to go Epsilon, tomorrow is the big day. I'll see you later" He stated, before turning to walk away leaving the elf-girl alone.

"...... you too,Vali."

"WELCOME TO THE GRAND FESTIVAL OF THE GODDESS TRIAL!"

Finally, the day of the Goddess Trials had arrived, and to say that the people were excited for this little event would be an understatement. The whole thing currently took place in a large stadium, one which had a circular design built into it with every row of seats being chock full of people.

A man in a red announcer's uniform, one which sort of made him look like a crimson gentleman from a certain someone's home universe, proclaimed into a microphone.

"YEEEEAAAAHHHHH!"

"THIS IS AWESOME!"

"THIS IS WORTH THE WAIT!"

After this, the whole stadium erupted into cheers and merriment, men and women of all ages showcasing their excitement as they eagerly awaited the festivities that followed.

"THE DAY HAS COME FOR THE TRIALS TO BEGIN, AND THE TIME FOR THE CPUS TO GATHER HERE FOR THIS GRAND DAY, LET ME INTRODUCE THE GODDESS WHO GOVERNS THE LAND OF PLANEPTUNE: LADY PURPLE HEART!"

The announcer yelled as he stood by a wooden section of the stadium, one which had four colorful looking characters in it. The one whom he just called out, turned out to be a fair skinned girl with light purple eyes and a matching shade of hair. It's shoulder-length with somewhat messy bangs with many strands sticking up and few framing her face she wore a big white hoodie-like dress with purple striped cuffs, lining, and a purple hood. The outfit had pale, ice blue and light lilac accents. As well as a zipper section, two big round pockets, a big zipper with an N on it, and strings resembling a plug. Around her neck, she wore a simple white choker. Her lilac shoes have blue and white accents and were also worn with blue and white striped stockings.

"ANOTHER CPU WHO GOVERNS LASTATION: LADY BLACK HEART!"

The second person turned out to be a pale-fair skinned girl with very long black hair about waist length, worn up in long twintails with two-piece black and blue ribbons. Her bangs are neatly combed, framing her face and she has very noticeable red eyes. Noire wears a fancy dress consisting of dark blue, white, red, and small amounts of gold lining and buttons. The dress part covers a red with black spiked lining cloth while the breast part is white, along with the skirt which has black lining on both layers. Behind this is a blue bow, matching a smaller one worn around her neck attached to a black and white collar.

"THE CPU WHO GOVERNS LOWEE: LADY WHITE HEART!"

Third, was a short pale-skinned girl. She has sandy-brown colored hair reaching her neck and expressionless, dull blue eyes. On top of her head Blanc wears a big white cap with light blue ruffles and a brown and centerpiece. Depending on the weather and location. Around her neck is a light blue choker with a single white stripe in the middle and a blue gem/badge in the center. She also wears power blue sandals with a white ribbon around in her right leg resembling a bandage. Because of her height she looks like 10 to 14 years old.

"AND FINALLY THE CPU WHO GOVERNS LEANBOX: LADY GREEN HEART!"

Lastly was reen Heart, but she had already been described in a previous chapter, so let's forgo that for now. After she stood up from her seat and waved at the people, Green Heart once again took her seat.

"NOW IT'S THE TIME FOR THE FIRST BATTLE TO COMMENCE! CPUS WOULD YOU PLEASE?"

All four of the CPUs stood up and waved their hand as a dome of light appeared in the center of the arena.

"THANK YOU CPUS. NOW IF ANY OF YOU DON'T KNOW THIS DOME MADE FROM THE CPUS WON'T ALLOW ANY INTERFERENCES UNTIL ONE OF THE PARTIES IS UNABLE TO FIGHT. BASICALLY THE FIGHTS CANNOT BE STOPPED UNTIL SOMEONE FALLS TO THE GROUND! NOW THEN OUR FIRST CHALLENGER IS THE PERSON WHO INHERITED THE SWORD SAINT OF THE HUMAN BODY AND THE FIRST MALE WHO HAS DEFEATED THE PREVIOUS SWORD SAINT: REINHARD VAN ASTREA!"

From one of the entrances to the stadium's main floor, a figure walked through with the poise and grace of a knight, a fitting posture for his stature. The person who walked to the arena was a tall, handsome young man with flaming red hair and blue eyes. He wore a princely pure-white regalia with red accents to it, and strapped to his him was a longsword safely tucked into a white sheath, giving him the impression of both a prince and a member of royalty.

"OH MY CPU A FIRST MALE SWORD SAINT!"

"THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE!"

"YES, FINALLY A MALE FIGHTER!"

Various cries from the men and women rung out whilst the man remained composed, a single hand on his sword whilst he had his eyes closed. Surprisingly, he didn't bump into any walls during the princely walk, but yeah. One could tell why the women were going all love heart-eyed at the man's almost inhuman levels of beauty with many wanting him to marry into their families so they could have him all to themselves. As for the men, well, seeing a strong male fighter was always going to excite them since they saw those people as representations of the repressed patriarchy.

Once the man known as Reinhard had stopped inside the centre of the arena, a figure started to appear the opposite of him before solidifying itself.

"NOW THEN, LET THE FIRST FIGHT BEGIN!"

"WHAT A SPECTACULAR EVENT! THE SWORD SAINT HAS JUST DEFEAT HIS OPPONENT IN ONE MINUTE! HE TRULY DOES DESERVE THE TITLE OF SWORD SAINT!"

The first fight proved to be finished in less than 5 minutes, yet the battle had been as intense as a life or death struggle in a real-life warzone. Yet, in the end, with the battle over Reinhard sheathed his sword as the figure dispersed into smoke, before going to the gate. However, when he began hearing the announcer proclaim who would be going next the man gave a small smirk of amused excitement. 'Wonder how you will top me this time, old rival. You always were a bit of a show off back when I was at Gamicademi…' he thought to himself.

"NOW THEN WITHOUT A FURTHER DUE OUR NEXT CHALLENGER! THIS BOY-NO THIS 'MAN' HAS ACHIEVED THE IMPOSSIBLE! WHEN HE WAS AT GAMICACADEMI, IN THE ELEMENTARY DIVISION HE HAS CHALLENGED SEVERAL SENIORS AND WON WITHOUT A SCRATCH AND ONLY HIS HUMAN BODY!"

"WAIT A MINUTE, IS HE TALKING ABOUT WHO I THINK IT IS?!"

"MAYBE IT COULD BE!"

The moment that the announcer made these statements, the crowd repeatedly discussed between one another about the possible identity of this newest contender, as well as why the announcer seemed almost fanatically excited about the whole situation as, compared to his previous announcement, this one held even more cheer and merriment to it. However, the excitement in the air remained quite palpable regardless, so they all eagerly awaited the announcer's next words.

"FOR YEARS AND YEARS, HE CHALLENGED MULTIPLE SENIORS AND STILL WON WITHOUT A SCRATCH. HE TORE THROUGH COUNTLESS COMPETITIONS BOTH IN ROBOTS AND IN PERSON ON THE BATTLEFIELD! HE HAS GAINED THE APPROVAL OF THE CPU LADY GREEN HEART HERSELF, WITH HIS FAME AND FORTUNE ONLY GROWING FROM THERE! THE ONLY PERSON WHO WAS ABLE TO MATCH HIM WAS THE CURRENT SWORD SAINT!"

THAT caught the attention of the CPUs, but Vert kept a small smile since she already knew who this person was.

"IF REINHARD IS THE SWORD SAINT, THEN HE IS THE COMBAT SAINT! FOR HE HAS ACHIEVED THIS FROM HIS WORLD RECORD OF BEING THE UNDEFEATED OR THE UNBEATABLE PRINCE! FOR HE IS THE FIRST PERSON TO EVEN FIND LOST ITEMS IN CENTURIES! HE IS THE ONE! THE ONLY! VALI FOU BARRRRRTFOOORRRRRD!"

In response to this announcement, a wave of pressure slammed onto the stadium, making those who weren't experienced with battle double over from it's sheer intensity. Even those who did know the pressure of conflict still felt like their torsos had multi thousand-kilogram weights on their shoulders. Following this, a black blur fell down from the skies above, slamming into the centre of the arena and releasing a silver energy wave, one which concealed his form with it's presence. When it began to dissipate, a black-clad Vali walked out with his hands pocketed inside his hooded Trench Coat, a smug smirk having formed on his lips with his eyes glowing a predatory silver.

Almost immediately afterwards, the energy and pressure lifted itself, allowing the public to react. And react, they did.

"I KNEW IT, I FUCKING KNEW IT!"

"OH COME ON, HIM AGAIN?!"

"WHAT DID YOU EXPECT, A WOMAN?!"

"GAAAAHHHH! OUR PRINCE IS HERE!"

"THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE!"

"COME ONE VALI SHOW THEM YOUR POWER!"

Meanwhile, in another section of the stands, a merry Alpha cheered happily as a wide grin had plastered itself onto her face, her left arm holding a bag of popcorn whilst the other had one of those hand-things positioned in a pointing motion that she waved about whilst jumping up and down. Something which got the attention of her mildly exasperated companions who sat beside her.

"Aren't you getting too far into this Alpha?" Olivia asked with a nervous smile and a sweatdrop. One could say however that she felt somewhat grateful that the crowd had been much louder in their cheers than her blonde elf friend was, cause she would likely die of embarrassment if so many eyes fell onto them.

Glancing down at the brunette commoner, Alpha tilted her head in confusion, not seeing anything wrong with what she was doing as evident by the incredulous, innocent look on her face. "This is how I show my support, Olivia." she stated, like it were the most normal thing in the world.

"By screaming out loud like the audience?"

"It's better than being quiet."

At where the CPUs are...

"Combat Saint, Vert? Sounds kinda arrogant if you ask me..." Black Heart questioned her fellow CPU as she placed one foot over the top of her thigh, cupping her chin thoughtfully after having looked back to the Arena to analyze the newest challenger intently.

Vert nodded in response, a proud smile on her face as she recalled the incident where he beat down those foolish former princes (whom according to what she heard, would never be able to have children again thanks to what Vali had done to them. Heh, serves them right). "Yes indeed Noire. Ever since he was at the academy, his power distinguished itself as unlike anything we have seen before. Therefore in order to keep an eye on him, I gave him that title so that not only I can monitor him, but also give him what he needs. For you see…��… he is a battle maniac."

On THAT, the black-haired CPU couldn't help but agree with the blonde one there especially since she saw how he grinned like a shark preparing to pounce on its prey. "I can see that Vert, his eyes are showing proof… it's kinda scary."

Meanwhile, White Heart glanced over towards the Leanbox CPU as she aimed an incredulous, narrow-eyed stare her way. "You sure are getting strong people lately, Vert." she stated, and anyone could be able to tell that she had some… opinions on that matter.

Opinions which Vert swept under the rug by brushing a hand through her hair and making an oujou sama like pose as she looked at her fellow CPU out the corner of her left eye. "What can I say, I'm blessed with getting talented people."

"Maybe it's because they only want your attention."

"Oh my, is someone jealous because they can't grow these?"

"THOSE ARE JUST FUCKING MEATBAGS!"

"Oh my someone is having an attitude."

"WHY YOU!"

Just as the two girls went to have their spat, something which normal people wouldn't know was a daily occurrence to these girls, Purple Heart then dove between them whilst pushing them aside by placing her hands on their stomachs. "Alrighty girls, hold it-hold it! Main Character of the Franchise is here after over 12 chaps of absence to make up for! Let's calm the Nep down and focus on the trials."

"....(DEEP BREATH) your right Neptune, as much as I loathe admitting it. Let's focus on the arena, but I'm having a bad feeling about this... Let's hope the match would go smoothly."

"... I hope so as well, Blanc."

"NOW THEN LETS BEI- WHATS THIS?! THE RUNES!"

A bunch of runes started to float around before combining together. As if responding to Vali's desire for a strong opponent.

"I-IT CAN'T BE! AN ANCIENT WARRIOR!"

It solidified itself before turning into a figure that caused the CPUs to stand up from their seat

"No nepping way!"

"Impossible! HER!"

"It can't be!"

"It is indeed her: the witch of ruin, Aurora!"