Revelations

P.S this story starts a few years before the start of our favorite DXD verse!

AND I DON'T OWN ANY DXD MATERIAL, ALL CREDIT TO THE ORIGINAL WRITERS!

Kuoh Academy

"aahhhhh-haaaa" Issie Hyoudou yawned as he entered the Kuoh Academy on a sunny Friday morning. He had spent the better part of last night playing one of the ecchi games he had borrowed from Matsuda.

"Yo Issie!" Issie turned around at being called out, only to find his two best friends waving at him from the school's central courtyard.

"Man, you look like shit. Did you even go to bed last night?" Motohama asked Issie with a cheeky grin, easily guessing what must have kept his childhood friend up last night.

"Man, I couldn't go to sleep after watching Chun-li in that blonde Bikini" Issie shouted excitedly, earning himself looks of disgust from the students of the academy. Not that he cared much about their opinion. He just wanted one thing from life...… OPPPAII!

"I know right, but that is nothing compared to when the magical girl appears with big oppai jumps and into the fray to fight against Chun-Li. Their sweaty and practically naked bodies are to die for" Motohama openly drooled while Matsuda nodded in acknowledgment.

"Damn I haven't reached to that point yet. No matter what happens, I will complete this game by today's end," Issie shouted excitedly.

As if the universe had decided to mess with Issie, Tsubaki lightly coughed from behind the perverted trio to grab their attention. Behind them stood the entirety of the Kendo club, an icy glare on their faces

"We will beat you all into pulps today" Katase screamed before hitting the trio with her bokken. Others join them in the fray.

"Please, no, I want to live" the trio begged for mercy, but their cries only reached deaf ears.

Later

"Why is it always me" Motohama whined as he held an ice pack on his forehead. His friends not that far behind since they also suffered a significant beating from the Kendo club.

"Where is Kiba-kun" one of the girls asked aloud, seeing that Kuoh's prince hasn't entered the classroom yet.

"I have just received word from the student council office, Kiba-san won't be attending today due to illness. Hopefully, he will be able to join us soon enough" the teacher announced after hearing the querry of one of her students

"I also heard Akeno-senpai and Koneko-san also didn't show up for their classes as well" someone replied

"Do you think all the members of the Occult research club are ill"

"No, I just saw Rias-senpai a few minutes ago"

"While we pray the ill recover soon enough, we still have a course load to cover. If you please, open your textbook to page 321"

'Ah, studying about the Shinto pantheon again. I might as well go sleep for this class' Issie thought before taking a required nap... considering how much he was beaten up.

Later

The sound of the final school bell and students rustling woke Issie from his nap.

'Did I just sleep through the entire day? It's not like I missed much though' Issie thought as he left the classroom after gathering his things.

"Oye Issie, you coming to meet us behind the Kendo club?" Motohama asked his friend. The memory of the beatdown he and his had gotten in the morning was overcome by the excitement he couldn't contain. He just might be able to see some good stuff today.

"No you guys go ahead" Issie sighed as he walked towards the stairs.

"You are not coming? Have you taken ill too?" Matsuda joked.

"No, guys, I am good. I just have stuff on my mind right now. You guys go ahead," Issie sighed as he continued walking down the stairs. Words of a particular hooded figure ran through his head.

"Your loss! Come Motohama" Matsuda shouted before running off to the Kendo club. The duo ran off, leaving Issie behind in his own thoughts.

'That hooded man was right; I can't keep just living like this,' Issie thought seriously on the advice he had unwillingly received a few days ago. He might have been angry at the time, but after thinking about it for a few days, Issie couldn't deny the wisdom in the hooded man's words.

"Oh my! Look, its Rias-sama! She is so pretty" squeals from some female students brought Issie out of his stupor. The second he came out of his little dream state, he noticed her red hair. No, her crimson hair, his favorite color. Her cute smile, beautiful angelic blue eyes, and Big OPPPAII had Issie in a stupor. He was truly mesmerized by what he saw. As one of the admirers of Rias Gremory, he had obviously seen Rias but never this close. His stupor lasted until he walked into a wall.

"Uff," Issie groaned as he rubbed his temple. He risked a glance back at Rias to see her one more time, to drink her appearance, save it into her memory. To his surprise, when he turned back towards the goddess of beauty, he only saw her giggle and show him a small but comforting smile before heading off to her club.

"Don't even think about peeping on Gremory-sama; otherwise, we will beat you to paste," the moment destroyed by Murayama when she threatened Issie alongside the entire Kendo club. Aika Kiryuu, one of Issie's classmates overlooking the scene, could only giggle. Despite knowing Issie as a massive pervert, she couldn't blame him for being entranced by Rias Gremory's beauty.

"Do we have an understanding, Hyoudou?" Murayama glared at Issie, not trusting the biggest pervert for a second.

"Crystal!" Issie quickly replied, with his hands up in defeat.

With that, Issie quickly left the school. He had too much to think about and just not think about Rias Gremory. He was genuinely smitten by her.

'Maybe if I clean out my attitude and get good grades, maybe she will go out with me,' Issie thought to himself before bursting out laughing at Rias Gremory dating HIM of all people. Yea, that is never happening.

Before he realized he was walking across the bridge in front of his school. 'Damn, I need to be more careful. The news said there have been many more accidents on this bridge' Issie thought.

His mind struggle was soon cut off when he heard an angelic voice calling him out.

"Excuse me, are you Hyoudou Issie-kun from Kuoh Academy?" A cute black haired beauty (in his mind) called out to him. The girl looked to be his age and was wearing a school uniform which Issie didn't recognize.

'Which school is she from? That school uniform isn't from a school from around here. Maybe she is from a school that recently opened on the other side of the town. Damn, I forgot the name of that school,' Issie thought.

"Yes, can I help you?" Issie politely asked. Ignoring his excitement over the fact he was talking to a girl.

"Are you seeing anyone at the moment?" the girl asked nervously.

"Not really" Issie rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Glad to hear it" the girl asked, smiled brightly at that.

"Huh?" Issie now confused as to why a girl who is not from his school is asking about his relationship status.

"Umm, would you mind going out with me?" the girl asked Issie out nervously.

"What did you just say now?" Issie asked in shock. Not believing himself that a girl would actually ask him out on a date.

"I have always seen you pass by here and well…I knew the second I saw you I knew you were my…" the girl in front of her nervously trailed off. But then if she had gotten a second wind of confidence, she asked Issie the one question he had been dreaming for hearing, "Would you please go out on a date with me?"

"Ehhhh" only thing Issie could blurt in shock of what just happened.

"I guess I am not good enough for you" the girl made a sad face before slowly turning away from Issie.

"I would love to go on a date with you" Issie blurted out once he was out of his shock.

"I am so glad here that" the girl jumped in excitement as her impressive sized D-cup breast bounced in her blazer jacket, much to Issie's delight

"By the way what is your name" Issie asked the date of her name.

"Oh I am sorry, my name is Yuma. Yuma Amano. It is a pleasure to meet you Hyoudou-kun" the girl now known as Yuma bowed.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Yuma" Issie reciprocated the bow while doing his best to contain the whirlwind of emotions flying through his head.

'I can't believe this is actually happening. I pray to God or any higher power up there that it is not a dream, and if it is then let me sleep peacefully for a little while' Issie thought in jubilation that he is finally getting a date with a girl who isn't disgusted by him or his antics.

"Should we go on our date today?" Issie asked his date excitedly.

"Not today, I have to complete my schoolwork today. How about we meet on Sunday by the Kuoh train station?" Yuma asked.

"Sounds good to me" Issie replied happily.

"See you then Issie-kun" Yuma waved before taking her leave.

"I can't believe I secured a date with a girl!!?!?" Issie exclaimed in delight before heading back to his house in the best mood he had ever had.

Occult Research Club

Meanwhile, Issie was asked out on a date, and two students walked towards the Occult Research Club solemnly. "Is he here Rias?" Sona asked her friend curiously.

"Not as of yet. Marid had informed me that the lion named Kenta suffered very serious injuries and it had taken him longer than expected to finish healing Kenta. He should be here shortly though" Rias

"What will be our gameplan for today Rias" Sona asked her friend while waiting for her friend.

"Firstly, we need to ask who were those lions and why were they fighting him out of nowhere" Rias replied without missing a beat. Sona only nodded as she too thought of questions, they could ask Kenta. Maybe more about his race.

Her thoughts were cut short when a magic circle sparkled in the room with Gremory sigil on it. And out came a sleepy Marid. "How are you doing ladies?" Marid asked, struggling not yawn in front of his aunt and childhood friend.

"Better than you by the looks of it" Rias took in her nephews condition. He truly looked awful.

"Tell me about it. I was awake the whole night trying to heal the Kenta. Those Dark Ki attacks Zill and his lackeys used are a pain to deal heal" Marid groaned.

"You were able to heal Ki attacks?" Sona asked shocked, since the doctors she had called in from her Family's hospital couldn't heal or reduce the potency of those attacks.

"I mean not exactly. I was able to heal all the physical damage Kenta had suffered during his battle. I had nothing to do with healing and draining out the Dark Ki used on Kenta. As I understand, Kenta's own latent magic helped him overcome the dark Ki" Marid explained it to the duo.

"That would make sense, if Kenta is also a Senjutsu user, then it is only natural that his magic can naturally has a resistant to such Ki manipulation" Sona nodded.

"Should I call in Kenta or do you guys want to talk over the vents of last night first?" Marid asked coming straight to the point. He was truly tired and wanted to go to bed. He still had a lot of work to do after all. From wine he had to perfect for the Gods to Kenta and his other ongoing Alchemy projects, his hands were really tied.

"There is nothing we can talk about at the moment. We don't have all the information right now. The best thing we can do is ask the Lion what is going on in our territory" Rias sighed. Sona only nodded at her friends explanations.

"How are your peerage members?" Marids tone took a serious turn when asked that question.

"Akeno is still unconscious while Kiba is in Sona's healing facility. Thankfully Koneko is not hurt, but she is a little shaken up. I think I am going to take my peerage back to the underworld for them to recuperate" Rias sighed as she remembered the injuries her peerage took during that brutal fight.

"I see. Well I think I might be able to arrange a vial of Phoenix tears for Kiba soon" Marid replied gravely knowing how bad the knights injuries were.

"I have already tried to get a vial for Phoenix tears myself but due to the extremely high demand of the tears in underworld hospitals, Phoenix clan simply just can't keep up with the demand. It will literally take weeks before I can get a vial for Kiba. I think I will transport him and Akeno to underworld tomorrow. Maybe the doctors there might be able to help out him and Akeno" Rias replied sadly. While she tried her best not to show worry for her servants, she couldn't hide her true emotions from her two childhood friends.

"Don't worry Rias, they will be up and about soon enough. And as far as getting Phoenix tears goes, I have contracts with people to whom Phoenix family owns pretty huge favors to. I am sure I would be able to get a vial for you soon enough" Marid gave Rias a comforting smile.

"I would really appreciate that Marid" Rias smiled back in relief. Her cute servants would be at their 100 percent soon enough.

"Don't worry about it. You would just owe me a pretty huge favor I can redeem at any time" Marid replied with a cheeky grin.

"Way to ruin the mood Marid" Sona sighed as she gave Marid a light tap at the back of his head. Marid could only laugh before turning his attention back to the Kuroshishi he had brought with him.

"Alright then" Marid replied before conjuring a communication circle. "Alright come here you two" Marid spoke through the magic circle.

Moments later a Gremory sigil appeared on the floor of the ORC clubroom for the second time in the last five minutes. From the magic circle, out came two individuals; Kenta, wearing black jeans and a black biker jacket alongside a white T-shirt, and a beautiful blonde girl who wore a Toshio-style sleeveless kimono which not only shined her Japanese beauty but also perfectly covered her modestly sized C cup breast. A girl that neither Sona or Rias recognized.

"Who is she Marid" Rias asked her nephew curiously.

"Everyone please meet Yumi, she is my Bishop" Marid introduced her to room.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both, Lady Rias and Lady Sona" Yumi gave both kings a courteous bow.

"It is nice to meet you as well" Sona stoically replied.

"And well you all already know Kenta" Marid replied before taking a seat beside Sona.

"I thought you were going to bring Kenta out of his comatose state here in the ORC" Rias asked her nephew.

"I was going to let Kenta lie in his comatose state until he was ready to wake up on his own. But to my surprise, Kenta's innate Ki and magical power had already healed him enough overnight for him to wake up in the morning" Marid clarified in an impressed tone.

"Well Kenta I am sure you have a lot of questions about us, trust me as do we. So lets start with a basic introduction so that we are all on the same page" Marid suggested. When he got a nod from all the occupants in the room he proceeded. "Ok to start to off, my name is Marid Gremory. Behind me is my bishop, her name is Yumi. The one with the red hair sitting on that couch is Rias Gremory. She is my aunt and the heir to our family. Beside me is Sona Sitri and she is heir to the Sitri family" Marid introduced all the Devils in the room.

"I guess it is my turn next" Kenta replied with relaxed expression. "As you all know, my name is Kenta Maki. I am a Kuroshishi who are also known as the sons of the Black Lion. Believe it or not, I moved to Kuoh yesterday" Kenta introduced himself.

"Where did you used to live before you came to Kuoh?" Sona asked curiously.

"I spent the last six years of my life in Italy" Kenta replied tersely, something all the Devils in the room noted.

"You don't have to beat around the bush you know. I assume you want to know more about Zill and his lackey and what they were doing in the mine yesterday" Kenta sighed as he deduced what the Devils truly wanted.

"To simply put they wanted to recruit me" Kenta sighed again, knowing that a round of questioning was about to start. To be honest he could have just left once he woke up in Marids apartment, he didn't need to be here to answer questions of these Devils which was turning into more of an interrogation. But he decided to come along not only to meet the leaders of the city but also repay the favor he owned the Devils for saving his life on multiple occasions yesterday.

"Recruitment for what?" Rias asked curiously.

"That I don't know, but knowing Zill and his lackeys, their goal would have taken them into a path of unnecessary violence" Kenta replied.

"That is the second time you mentioned the lion named Zill with such familiarity. Is it right for me to deduce you know the lion personally" Sona asked analytically.

"Yes, I know or used to know him…. Me and him were part of the same pride" Kenta replied tersely.

"Were part of the same pride, what do you mean?" Rias asked curiously. Her question was met by a rather intense glare and a murderous intent that clearly carried the message that questions regarding his past won't be answered.

"Lets calm down people, there is no need to turn this room into a battle ground. I don't know about you, but I rather like this European architecture" Marid tried to ease the tension in the room once he saw Rias literally stepped on a land mine with that questioned. Marid took a quick glance around the room to check the state others were in. Rias and Sona had tensed up while his Bishop was now sweating and was incredibly tense, as if ready to fight on a moments notice.

"Any questions regarding my past won't be answered Devil" Kenta replied with a harsh glare.

"Fine then let's get onto the next question then, do you know whether Zill and his allies planned to stay in Kuoh, if so do you know the location of their potential den?" Marid asked calmly, steering the conversation away from the literal minefield.

"No. Zill invited me to the mine last night when he heard I had moved to Kuoh. He wanted to talk to me about something and our potential alliance for a good cause. At the time, I needed money, and the desire to be something better than a street cat had me overcome my hesitance and go to the mine. But as I entered the mine, I immediately noticed two things: first, he and his lackeys had killed someone since they had those white stripes and blood-red eyes, and second, the lions were feasting on some kind of monster. Due to the Zill and his allies' dark Ki, I wasn't able to identify the race of the monster," Kenta explained the events of last night.

"That monster must have been the stray Devil we were supposed to kill" Rias noted aloud.

"Indeed, so what happened after you saw Zill and the others feasting on the stray?" Marid asked seriously. He was now forming a potential timeline in his head to get a better understanding the events of the last night. He wasn't the only Devil doing it.

"Once I entered the mine, they noticed me. Zill then demanded me join his pride for the betterment of the Kuroshishi. The second he uttered those words, I knew what he wanted, he had given into the beast" Kenta relayed the events with disgust.

"The beast?" Sona asked curiously.

"The beast within us Miss Sitri. For centuries, Kuroshishi have been discriminated because of how they are born. We the Kuroshishi are born with the purest of Ki, untainted and full to the bursting, and as a result we are born with pure white hair and innocent light blue eyes, but when the child takes its first breath it absorbs the malice from the area around it and as a result turns its hair black and our eyes dark blue. And because we take in so much malice, we are treated as monsters even though we are the same as any other Lion Youkai maybe even stronger as a race" Kenta continued to explain. Not hearing any questions, Kenta continued, "Because of all the malice we take in at birth, our bodies don't work like other beings in that sense. You see when a regular person feels those feeling that would create malice, their bodies store that inside of them and releases it over time at a steady average rate that is healthy. But for us, our release rate is much lower, as all the malice inside of us is not our own and is released much slower and just like everyone else we have a limit to how much malice we can contain and because our reserves are practically full of other people's malice, we can barely contain our own malice. So in short we have a very, very short fuses when it comes to anger and rage so much so we need to vent our excess buy fighting in order to keep our selves civil" Kenta exclaimed much to the growing horror of the Devils in front of him.

"What do you mean by civil?" Sona asked slowly, almost dreading the answer she might receive.

Her questioned earned her a death glare from Kenta, but that glare soften because he knew it was an innocent question. After taking a few deep breaths, he replied "Most Youkai species take on their forms of their species, such as kitsune can take on the forms of foxes. The same can be said about the regular lion youkai, they can take on the form of rather large lions. But for Kuroshishi its different…. We use lesser forms we use in battle, so we don't have to use our beast forms"

"Because the beast form releases all the pent up malice at once you have stored in your bodies. Sort of like a dragon's rage form" Marid hypothesized. A nod from Kenta confirmed his hypothesis.

"Exactly, which is why a Kuroshishi only uses his or hers beast form only in a moment of desperation. In a time where losing is totally unacceptable. Once we go in such a state, we lose all control of ourselves until our magic and malice runs dry. After we finally get off our beast form, we usually are bed ridden for the next few days due to the amount of strain our beast form have on our bodies. All of this not even considering the consequences we face from the supernatural world once we come off our high, even though we technically are not responsible for our actions" Kenta explained further. The Devils who were listening in were shocked and saddened by the challenges Kuroshishi had to face. For them it was rather humbling considering all three Kings in the room came from a rather well off families. Marids own thoughts strayed to his own Bishop for a second.

"What do you mean by facing consequences you have to face after going into your beast form. Surely people can excuse a violent behavior if the individual doesn't have any control over himself?" Sona asked shocked. Her question was met with a rather dark chuckle from Kenta.

"As much as you like to think the world isn't fair Miss Sitri. For us Kuroshishi, using our beast form is considered a sign of weakness. Since we are a warrior race among Youkai, using our beast form is a taint to our honor. Like how a Dragon would be enraged if someone tries to help him in a fight even if he is losing. And as far as doing damage goes in our berserk form, even magic itself doesn't excuses us for that" Kenta answered Sonas question with expected bitterness.

"Are you talking about being magically marked should you kill someone" Rias asked.

"Yes. Killing someone in beast form or not is frowned upon in most Kuroshishi prides. This is because once a Kuroshishi kills someone, their soul is irreversibly damaged. They get addicted to the malice that is released when you kill a person. Eventually their sense of life, self-preservation and love goes away. They become irresponsive to basic acts of friendliness, love and even passion. At that point all they can think about is fighting strong opponents and killing people to satisfy their bloodlust" Kenta nodded much to horrors of most Devils present.

For a small time, no one said anything, the Devils were mostly absorbing what they had been told about the Kuroshishi, and how much of a threat some of them could be if they are remained unchecked.

"If you don't mind me asking, what sacred gear do you have?" Marid asked out of nowhere much to Rias and Sonas surprise.

"A sacred what?" Kenta asked confused.

"A sacred gear. It is a device that is bestowed upon humans, or beings who are part humans, by the God of the Bible. It was said that the God of Bible wanted humans to be able to defend themselves against a supernatural threat, should the need arise of course" Marid explained.

"And what do you think I have a sacred gear?" Kenta asked indecorously.

"You do have one because I can sense its trace on you now. It wasn't as obvious before but since you awakened it last night, the energy of your sacred gear intertwines with your very magic" Marid explained much to Kentas shock.

"I was watching the fight alongside you, I never saw him release a .." Rias stopped herself in her tracks as she realized what Marid thinks Kentas sacred gear was.

"I see that you now remember him unleashing his sacred gear" Marid smirked at Rias impressed look she was giving him.

"I think I would have remembered unlocking a sacred gear if I had one" Kenta replied with a huff.

"Marid is right, you did unlock your sacred gear last night. It happened when you rushed into Zill to deliver a final strike. At that moment a spear made out of pure fire appeared in your hand" Sona explained much to Kenta's growing surprise.

He now remembered, in his rageful state, he had somehow conjured a spear of pure fire. Taking a moment to calm his nerves from the initial surprise, Kenta focused on himself, bringing about the same state of mind he was in previously.

The three kings watching, saw Kenta's magical aura increase a little but they didn't make a move to stop him. Yumi on the other hand stepped up and came in right behind her master, ready to defend him on moment's notice. An act that didn't go unnoticed by a certain Devil.

Soon, a pair of rings appeared on Kenta's hands. Each ring appeared on each of Kenta thumbs. At a closer inspection by the denizen of the room, they noticed the rings were adored by some form of green serpent.

"What is this?" Kenta asked with some excitement.

"That is the physical form of your sacred gear. I will have to admit I have never seen this sacred gear" Marid replied while observing the sacred gear with a keen eye.

"What does it do?" Kenta asked.

"I don't know. Most sacred gear are an extension of a persons will. Go on try and do something. You have enough magical power to be able to use your sacred gear" Marid replied almost giddly. He loved learning about new things, so finding a new sacred gear had made his whole day.

Kenta listened to Marids advice and tried to exert his will on the sacred gear, and just like before a powerful flame spear appeared on his hand, "whoa"

"I know right. I never would have imagined you would have such a sacred gear" Marid replied happily.

"What else does it do?" Kenta asked Marid, since he knew most of the answers, at least to him anyway.

"That is up to you to figured out. Despite how much the Devils hate the Bible God, even we can't deny his sacred gears are a work of beauty and have many hidden secrets among them" Marid whistled as he closely inspected the flame spear with Sona and Rias.

"So what now?" Kenta asked as he out away his sacred gear for the time being.

"Uh that is up to you to decide" Marid replied absent mindedly. He was too invested in the sacred gear right now.

"What do you mean?" This time it was Kenta who was confused.

"I won't lie, having the Kuroshishi, a lion species of Youkai we knew absolutely nothing about, was rather concerning" Marid admitted with a shrug.

"But thanks to you most of our concerns are eliminated. We still need to keep an eye on Zill, who by all accounts would be gunning for us and you since we all eliminated his entire group" Rias continued on.

"Zill can try and come after me this time. With him alone this time he wont be lucky this time" Kenta growled at the memory.

'That is not even considering I have this sacred now. If I can learn how to use it in combat, I would be able to fend off Zill all on my own' Kenta thought seriously.

As if she had read his mind, Sona interjected, "A untrained sacred won't be able to stop Zill you know" Sona stated calmly.

"What did you say" Kenta replied angrily, annoyed at the fact that his power was being questioned.

"By your admission, Zill seems to have given into the curse of the Black Lion that encourages him to act rashly and violently without his sense of his life. He in some respect becomes more like a stray Devil in some regard. Even as strong as you are right now, you won't be able to stop a person who doesn't care about their life. To stop these people you have to kill them" Sona replied calmly, unaffected by Kenta's anger.

Kenta on the other hand was now perceptive of what the Devil in front of her was saying. He agreed with her but there was nowhere he could go. He had some spots in mind, but he couldn't sleep in the park until the end of days.

"How about I turn you into a Devil?" Marid said out of nowhere much to everyone's surprise.

"What makes you think I will join you Devil?" Kenta shot back with some anger.

"Firstly, like Sona said, Zill will most likely come back for revenge and if you decided to become my rook and stay with me in Kuoh, I will not just be able to protect you, but you also would be able to help out the other Devils here in the city. Like the phrase, 'You scratch my back and I scratch yours'" Marid explained while Kenta looked more thoughtful on the idea.

"Go on"

"Secondly, if you joined us you will always have a sparring partner to safely vent against. I never really get to sharpen my own hand to hand combat skills. If you were to be my rook, I can sharpen my skills and you get to safely vent off. Furthermore, I can also train your sacred gear. You can ask my bishop behind me; I help her train her sacred gear" Marid pointed out to Yumi behind who nodded in agreement.

"I can attest to Lord Marids teaching ability. He is a wonderful trainer" Yumi gave Kenta a warm smile. The confidence in her voice told Kenta that she wasn't lying.

"Why would I become a Devil for that reason. I can go further south towards Kyoto. That city is littered with Youkai. I can find good opponents over there" Kenta fired back.

"True, I am willing to offer more than fighting. I am Alchemist so I earn a ton of money from every month. If you become Devil under my servitude, other than the perks I have already mentioned, you will also earn yourself a pretty hefty allowance, an apartment to live here in Kuoh and a chance to learn not just how to fight, but also to learn how to live" Marid replied with a smile.

With the desire to finally have a safe haven, to work on his skills but also to finally live a stable life out did his desire to be a lone lion. He had seen a lot of violence, now he wanted to experience life on the other side.

"It is a very tempting deal. But I will only become you're a Devil on two conditions, firstly I get to spar you three times a week, this doesn't include your sacred gear training sessions" Kenta demanded.

"I don't have a problem with that. What is the second condition?" Marid asked curiously.

"That I will never be asked to kill anyone. And if someday I, do I want you to promise me that you will kill me. I don't want to view myself as one of them" Kenta stated his second condition with utmost seriousness.

Marid won't deny, the second condition from his Kenta did catch him off guard, but it wasn't an unreasonable ask, "I agree to your demands and I promise you that I will never ask you to kill someone. I swear it on my honor as brother, son and member of the Gremory Family" Marid replied just as seriously.

"Then we are in a agreement" Kenta smiled for the first time that day as he and Marid shook on the accord.

"That we do" Marid replied extremely pleased with how the events played out.

"So how will you turn me into a Devil?" Kenta asked curiously. All his hesitation by conversing with the Devils was now gone.

"Have you heard about the Evil pieces?" Marid asked.

"Evil pieces?" Kenta repeated the word, clearly unfamiliar with the term.

"The Evil Pieces, also known as the Devil's Pieces, are a set of 15 chess pieces given to High-class Devils to increase their ranks by reincarnating other beings into Devils. As I said, the evil pieces are similar to chess pieces which we use to reincarnate beings into Devils. We have a King who is the master of the peerage, in this case it's me, then you have a queen, two Bishop, two Rooks, two Knights, and eight pawns. I will use my rook piece to reincarnate you into a Devil" Marid explained to Kenta who looked to be soaking everything in like a sponge.

"What other pieces you have used up till now?" Kenta asked curiously.

"I have used my queen piece, Bishop and a Rook until now. You have already met Yumi who is my sole Bishop. In time I will have you meet the others as well" Marid spoke proudly. He was indeed proud of his peerage. It may not be as big as Sona's or Sairaorg peerage, but it was coming along just fine. In his eyes he had the best combinations of technique and power type fighter.

"Wait you have a queen and a Rook, why didn't you tell me before?" Rias asked shocked that she still haven't met her nephews queen or rook.

"Well as far as my rook is considered, lets just say she is on a mission and as far as my queen is considered, she is well.. ill" Marid voice slowed down when talking about her queen, something the other Devils in the room noticed but they didn't comment on it. While Rias and Sona didn't really what illness had Marids queen be infected with, Yumi who knew could only hope that one day they could only meet Marids queen, considering she was the only one who had seen queen of her peerage in all her glory. And to be honest she missed her dearly. Her sad thoughts were overturned by Kenta's loud voice.

"Just so you know, if you don't pull through on your promise then I will punch you in the face" Kenta joked. He won't lie he was a little excited to start the next phase of his life.

"Oh that goes without saying" Marid laughed as he summoned his evil pieces from his dimensional locker.

"I, Marid Gremory, hereby use as my power as a King to reincarnate Kenta Maki, a Kuroshishi, as my Rook. May magic guide him to the right path. May he support his new family in a time of need and shield them from the turmoil's of the world. With this I welcome Kenta Maki as my Rook and a brother to the world of the Devils" Marid said confidently as his rook piece sunk into Kenta chess. With a bright crimson glow the reincarnation had been complete.

"Congratulations Kenta, you are officially my rook from on so let me be the first to welcome you into our world" Marid smiled as he hugged his new rooks, much to his own Rooks surprise.

"Alright alright don't need to be that touchy" Kenta said loudly as he wiggled his way out of his new master's hug.

"Welcome to our little family Kenta-san" Yumi congratulated and welcomed her masters newest peerage member. Kenta gave her a friendly nod before looking back at his new master.

"So what now?" Kenta asked.

"Now we move you into your new place before starting your training tomorrow" Marid replied to his new rook as if the most obvious thing in the world.

"Training?" Kenta blinked his eye in confusion. He somehow thought he wasn't thinking the same kind of training his new master was thinking.

"Yea training and teaching you how to fully operate in the underworld. You would be surprised by this Kenta but I am a member of a major political family in the underworld. All of this is not even considering the I am the son of the current Lucifer, so there are certain things you need to know about, like protocols and stuff" Marid explained to Kenta.

"Wait you are the son of the Lucifer" Kenta exclaimed loudly much to the amusement of the Devils present.

"I am the son of current Lucifer Kenta. There is a big difference between me and that guy, so please never compare me with him" Marid spoke in a calm tone which masked the underlying threat he had made against Kenta. Out of the people present, only Yumi and Kenta were able to pick up on the unspoken warning. Yumi was able to pick it up due to knowing Marid personally while Kenta had seen too much violence in his lifetime to pick up on subtle hints on violence.

"Duly noted"

"Good now then lets had back, ladies it has been a pleasure and Rias I will try and get a vial of Phoenix tears for Kiba soon enough. Keep an eye out for my message" Marid gave Sona and Rias a courteous bow before teleporting Yumi, himself and the newest member of his peerage away.

"That was certainly interesting wasn't it Sona" Rias said as she tried to reel in what had just happened in her clubroom in the last few minutes.

"You can say that again" Sona could only nod at her childhood friend's comment.

Kenta's apartment

"Welcome to your new apartment Kenta" Marid announced once he finished teleporting himself and his two peerage members in his suite on the north side of the Kuoh academy.

"This is where we will be living at?" Kenta asked his new master as he looked around his new home. It was a western style two story apartment decorated with European architecture and antiques. The top floor of the apartment housed a master bedroom and two queen sized bedrooms. Each room has its own bathroom with the master having its own ensuite. While the second floor of the house hosted bedrooms, the first floor on the other hand was equipped with a modestly sized living room, which was connected to a rather spacious garden, and a state-of-the-art kitchen which was installed with all the latest and expensive culinary equipment.

"No, this is where you both will be staying" Marid announced much to the surprise of Kenta and Yumi.

"You won't be staying here with us?" Yumi asked curiously.

"Apart from the fact that I will be doing a lot of back and forth between here and the underworld because of the concoction I have to create for the Olympian Gods, I also have to look into come with a cure for the Devil disease. Too many have suffered from it" Marid replied sadly. While Kenta had been confused of the reason of his sadness, Yumi who understood, walked up to Marid and gave him a comforting hug which Marid accepted with a smile.

"You definitely know how to raise one's mood up" Marid smiled back.

"Is Kiba ok, I heard he got hurt last night?" Yumi asked in a worried voice. When she heard about the attack, she wanted to go to her master and demand all the details of the attack and Kibas injury. But she understood her duties and kept her tongue. After all the situation with the Kuroshishi took priority over the injured, no matter how heartless it seemed.

"I won't lie to you Yumi. His injuries are pretty bad. He received a deep gash across his torso and is missing a part of his shoulder" Yumi went deathly pale at that, tears forming in her eyes.

"Nothing that my dittany potion and a phoenix tear can handle. I should be able to get him a tear by tomorrow" Marid reassured his distraught Bishop.

"But wwwhat iiiif he iss" Yumi tried to get words out of her mouth but couldn't due to how much she was crying.

"He would be fine Yumi. Like I said nothing a Dittany potion and tear can't handle" Marid replied with a smile. "You know what, why don't you come tomorrow with me to heal Kiba. I am sure he would appreciate your presence" Marid said as his smile widened at Yumi's shocked reaction.

Yumi could only look at her King in shock, "But you said".

"I know what I said Yumi, but right now, I feel like this is the best possible route" Marid replied with a smile as he gave his shock bishop a hug.

"Am I missing something here people?" Kenta asked as he crossed his arms over his tank like chest. He was clearly expecting a proper answer.

"Since, Kenta is part of our little family he deserves to know" Yumi calmly said as she gave her permission to reveal her past to the newest addition to their family.

"You see the thing is, Yumi actually is…" Marid then proceeded to relay Yumi's past and true self to his newest Rook. Yumi was right, if he was to know of their plan, then he needed to know everything, well most of it at the least.

Later

The next day, the school was out. Rias had just walked into her clubroom alongside her Rook, Koneko, and her childhood friend Sona, who was there to transport Akeno and Kiba to the clubroom since she was medically caring for them. After all, the Sitri family maintained the monopoly of healing and hospitals in the underworld. That kind of control doesn't come just with being skilled in business and deal-making.

"Has there been an improvement in Akeno-senpai and Kiba-senpai's condition?" Koneko asked quietly. She was genuinely struggling mentally to get past the events that took place a few nights ago.

"No, Akeno still hasn't woken from her comatose state while Kiba is still recovering from his injuries, but his recovery is slowed down by whatever the lion Zill used on Kiba while striking him. I swear on my honor as heir to the Gremory family, I will eradicate his soul the next time I see him," Rias spoke the last part with some anger.

"Perhaps if I could do something," Koneko sheepishly suggested. She was by no means skilled in Ki control, but she was willing to push through her fears to help Kiba, who had become a mentor, not a big brother to her.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, Koneko. And take this doubt out of your mind this second. What happened that night wasn't your fault, but rather the fault of those lions," Rias said as she tried her best to comfort Rook.

"So what are you going to do Rias? Are you going to keep them here with me or are you going to take them back to the underworld?" Sona asked as she walked alongside Rias.

"I am going to take Akeno and Kiba back to the underworld for the time being. I talked to big Brother Sirzech, who said he would do his best to try and get a Senjutsu user for Akeno and a tear for Kiba. But I don't think he will not be able to get them anytime soon" Rias sighed as she walked into her clubroom and sat on her seat behind the table.

"What makes you say that" Sona asked curiously as she sat on one of Rias couches.

"Apart from the fact that the Phoenix clan will benefit more if I cannot heal my queen and knight, the Satans are actually very busy at the moment with the ongoing feud with the Olympus. While my nephew's idea may have some merit, it is a completely different thing to actually get those Gods on the discussion table. Furthermore, Marid himself is busy at the moment creating an alcoholic beverage for the gods and with the Satan's themselves being this busy, I need to rely on myself at the moment," Rias stated her reasoning.

"You sure you don't want to wait for Marid. To see if he can a tear for you?" Sona asked her friend.

"Like I said I don't think he will be able to supply me with a phoenix tear anytime soon" Rias sighed. She truly wanted nothing more than Marid to land true to his words and come through with a Phoenix tear in his hand, but at the moment it looked unlikely. And by seeing her brother not being able to get her out of her engagement with the vile fiend, Rias had learned to not to rely on some fantasy to deal with her problems.

"You should know better than to go against me Rias" A voice, they all recognized, called out. Moments later a magical circle pooped and outcome Marid and his peerage.

While Sona and Rias were happy and somewhat curious to what Marid was up to now, Koneko on the other hand, stiffened in fear and somewhat shocked after watching one of the newcomers.

"Whatever do you mean Rias" Rias asked her nephew with an eyeroll, wondering what he had under his belt now.

"Taa Daaa" Marid pulled out a vial of Phoenix tear from his pocket dimension, much to the shock of the others present.

"How in the nine layers of hell were you able to get a vial that?!? The phoenix clan are struggling to keep up with the demands of the underworld as is" Rias exclaimed in shock. Sona wasn't doing much better than her friend in that regard.

"Well you see Rias, some of the people I do business with keep a few tears on hand should the worst occur. I just traded the tear for a favor. That is all" Marid threw a sly smirk towards Rias who understood what Marid was implying. She now owned him a favor.

"So what are you waiting for lets bring the your knight and queen here to heal them" Marid said aloud.

"About that, we actually have to go to my healing facility to heal him. While Kiba is out of danger, his body is trying to recover from the Ki attack he was targeted with. I have him attached to specified equipment to reduce the effects of that Ki attack" Sona replied to Marids query.

"Is he going to be alright?" Much to everyone's surprise, it was Yumi who asked worriedly.

"He should be fine for now, but if we don't heal him soon, or if we disconnect his body from the medical equipment installed, his injuries could become more permanent" Sona blinked as she relayed Kibas condition to the group. While Marid and Kenta nodded with understanding, Yumi looked like she was about to cry.

'What is her deal? Why is she worried about a Devil she has never met before?' Sona thought curiously as she eyed the said Bishop curiously.

"If Rias agrees, then I will recommend Kenta and Yumi to administer the healing process of the duo. Yumi is quite skilled in healing charms and well Kenta can use Senjutsu so he should be able to counteract any curse or lingering aftereffects of Ki" Marid suggested to the group.

"Are you sure about this Marid" Rias asked cautiously as she eyed Kenta with suspicion. Marid who had followed her gaze was quick to come to his new Rooks defense, "I have complete trust in Kenta, Rias. And to be honest, he is your best bet to revive Akeno and Kiba safety for the time being."

"What about you Kenta, can you help my peerage members recover. Can you reverse the after effects of the Ki attack they took" Rias crooked her eyebrow in the newly converted Devil direction.

"From what I have been told by the extent of injuries both of your peerage members took, it should relatively easy to treat them. Fortunately for you, Zill never wanted to kill your queen, just knock her out until the battle… Well we all know what he wanted to do with her. And as far as Kiba is concerned, the phoenix tears would do the most work, I would just need to keep the balance of the Ki in Kibas body during the duration of the treatment. The phoenix tears would do most of the heavy lifting" Kenta explained to Rias who looked more thoughtful at the suggestion of letting Kenta and Yumi treat her servants.

"Ok then, Sona could please create a magic circle to take all of us to your healing facility?" Rias sighed. This after all was her only way to get her peerage members back.

"Sure, everyone please walk into the magic circle in the middle of the room. I will take you all to the healing facility now," Sona said as she casted a big enough magic circle to accommodate six Devils.

Chapter End

That's all she wrote people! Lets have a little chapter recap shall we.

Next chapter we jump into the healing of Kiba and Akeno. Furthermore, we also get to see the deal with Yumi. Most of you already have good enough ideas in your mind about her. Along with this, our little Issie finally gets the date he wants to go to for the longest time. But you know what they say, be careful what you wish for!

I wanted to include the healing process of Kiba and Akeno in this chapter as well but then chapter would have been way too long. So I decided to split the chapter into two smaller parts. This is the first part. The other part will come out next week. I am kinda busy with school at this moment in time.

Next chapter is a big one people! Keep an eye out for that!

Until next time

Dragon God Zalama

Words:- 8803