XXXII - Hades, Lucilius, Beelzebub

32

"That was quite the battle," a light descended from the sky

"I was about to step in but you seem to have got it under control."

"Woah, my body is starting to shake, what is that thing?" Issei asked. The white suited figure walked towards Kazuki. "I am the White Dragon Emperor, Vali." He brought out his hand for Kazuki to shake and the monarch did just that.

"Are you just going to ignore me, White One?" A voice sounded out. "What? Was that the sacred gear talking?" Rias asked. "You are still alive. Red One?" Another voice called out, this time coming from Vali.

"I've been wondering when we were going to meet again," Ddraig says. "Äs have I. We are still fated to fight. It is inevitable," Albion answered.

"Let's meet again soon, Ddraig."

"Yes, let's, Albion."

"Hey! What the hell is going on?" Issei questioned. Then, Xenovia and Irina came to the scene. "We arrived once we saw the glow in the sky," Irina says. "What's going on?" Xenovia questioned. "I have no idea," Kazuki answered.

"Before you can understand, you will need more power. Become stronger, my archrival." He turns his attention back to Kazuki. "I didn't catch your name."

"Kazuki Tanaka, The Monarch of Shadows." His eyes flashed blue for a quick second. "I can tell that you are powerful. I was sent here by Azazel, he asked me to take down Kokabiel but you already did. I hope to see you again."

The White Dragon Emperor then vanished. "Well, that was certainly interesting." Kazuki comments.

Kazuki and Asia were sitting in the Occult Research Club, discussing the previous day's events when the door burst open. They both turned to see Xenovia standing in the doorway, dressed in the Kuoh Academy uniform.

"Xenovia! What are you doing here?" Kazuki asked, surprised to see the former Exorcist in their midst.

"I've reincarnated into a Devil," Xenovia said, her voice tinged with sadness. "As Rias' Knight."

Asia's eyes widened in surprise. "You... you're a Devil now?"

Xenovia nodded. "Yes. After learning about God's death, I decided to take a new path. And I owe you an apology, Asia. I was rude to you before, and I'm sorry. Even though you are not a devil yourself, you still allied with them. And now, I am no better."

Asia smiled warmly. "It's okay, Xenovia. I forgive you."

The tension in the room lifted as the three of them settled into a comfortable silence. Xenovia looked around, taking in the familiar surroundings. She had spent so much time fighting against Devils and other supernatural beings, it was strange to now be on the other side.

Kazuki then cuts off the silence and says to them, "How about we go on a little trip to Hell?" He suggests. "W-what? Already? But isn't that too soon?" Xenovia questioned.

Rias then spoke, "He is not referring to the underworld. Kazuki is talking about a Hell different from the one you are familiar with."

"That's right. And it's much more dangerous. So what do you guys say? Getting some more fighting never hurt anyone."

They all agreed and were waiting for Xenovia to give her answer. She smirks and dawns her sword. "Let's go," she says.

Without wasting any more time Kazuki added them to his party and created the Hell ID. In just a few seconds they were in the dark wasteland.

"This is the plan, kill any creature that comes your way. I'll maybe even have more shadows once we're done. The goal is to get to Hades."

"All right, now let's get going!" Rias shouts. They fought and killed many of Hell's creatures until they came across an Oni that was bigger and scarier than the rest that they came across.

Kazuki smirks, "Alright, you guys won't have my help with this one. Defeat it on your own."

They did as told and readied themselves to fight.

The six members of the Occult Research Club stood ready to face the massive Oni in front of them. Rias, the leader of the group, took a deep breath and scanned the area for any potential weaknesses they could exploit.

The Oni stood tall, with rippling muscles and a menacing grin on his face. His eyes glowed with an otherworldly energy as he cracked his knuckles in anticipation of the fight.

Without warning, the Oni charged forward with incredible speed, closing the distance between himself and the group in mere seconds. Rias quickly ordered her team to spread out and engage the Oni, each member taking on a different aspect of his formidable powers.

Kiba leapt into action, his swords flashing in the light as he attacked the Oni's legs with incredible speed and precision. Issei charged forward, gauntlet glowing with power as he landed a series of devastating blows to the Oni's torso.

Xenovia, meanwhile, used her Holy Sword to strike at the Oni's arms and shoulders, attempting to weaken his grip on his weapons. Koneko darted around the Oni's feet, her powerful strikes aimed at his ankles and shins in an attempt to trip him up.

Akeno, the club's resident lightning mage, took to the skies, raining down bolts of lightning on the Oni from above. Her powerful attacks sparked against the Oni's skin, leaving small burns and bruises in their wake.

Despite the combined efforts of the team, the Oni proved to be an incredibly tough opponent. His enhanced durability and regenerative powers allowed him to shrug off most of their attacks, and his intangibility and invisibility made it difficult for the team to land any significant blows.

But Rias refused to give up. She pushed her team harder and harder, encouraging them to fight with everything they had. They attacked the Oni with a ferocity and determination that he had never seen before, their weapons striking with incredible force and precision.

Slowly but surely, the Oni began to weaken. His attacks became slower and less precise, and his movements grew sluggish as his endurance began to wane. And finally, with one final burst of effort, the team landed a powerful blow that sent the Oni crashing to the ground.

As the Oni lay defeated at their feet, Rias breathed a sigh of relief. They had won, through sheer determination and the strength of their bond as a team. It was a hard-fought victory, but one that they could be proud of.

Kazuki congratulates them on their victory. He goes near the corpse of the creature and says, "Arise!"

.

.

[Choose a name for your soldier]

"You're name will be...Akuma." Kazuki then released the rest of his shadows.

"Good job, but if it took all of you to take down this Oni I don't know how you will handle Hades, now let's keep moving."

After a few hours, they defeated hundreds of creatures. Now level 100, Kazuki added another Oni to his ranks. This one looking more humanoid than the previous one and his name is Kappa.

Unbeknownst to them, three people were quickly headed in their direction. Once they showed themselves, Kazuki used his Observe skill to find out who they were.

"Lucilius."

"Beelzebub."

"Hades."

Hades smiles at the group. "You must be the ones who have been disturbing my realm," he says. He looked at the shadows that surrounded the group and he knew some of them had come from his realm. "You took my beloved Cerberus...I don't appreciate that."

The fallen angel that was next to him spoke, "You have upset the great Hades and for that, we will have your heads!"

"I can sense that you are no regular mortal," Beelzebub said, referring to Kazuki. He glances at the rest, "And you all seem to be devils of some kind? How interesting." His eyes then finally land on Asia, "She's the weakest one out of the group," Beelzebub grins. "This should be fun."