Ch 16: Meeting the Lucifer

Thousands of fireballs fluttered through the sky with such extreme control that they could be seen as a homing projectile. Among those fireballs, a man could be seen. The man looked no older than 18 as he floated in the sky with two massive draconic wings that spanned nearly 2 meters from his body on either side. He crossed his arms as he gazed upon his opponents with a slight smirk appearing on his face.

"You've done well to last this long. Now, how will you deal with this?" He says as his voice resounds through the air.

Four girls had a slight grin on their faces as they began their assault. One grew 2 pairs of feathery, black wings signifying her power. Another formed majestic wings of blazing flames while her entire body was draped in an ornate robe akin to a phoenix covering her body with its wings.

The other two grew two tails from their behind, along with two cat-like ears appearing from under their hair.

"We will beat you today, Sharon. There's four of us and one of you." Suzaku said as she and Akeno took to the skies with a flap of their wings.

"I guess we'll see what happens, won't we?" Sharon responded with a smirk as his body grew black-and-red dragon scales that matched his scarlet red wings.

Kuroka and Shirone ran around the forest, camouflaging with the trees, as they each began to use their youjutsu spells.

Kuroka smirked as she blended into the surroundings, completely invisible to the naked eye. Meanwhile, Shirone jumped around, moving faster than usual as she reeled her fist back.

'Will the rook be enough to get through Sharon's defenses?" Shirone wondered as she shook her head and decided to just brute force it.

A faint white aura surrounded her fist as she leaped off the tree and the fireballs, approaching Sharon at an incredibly fast speed.

Sharon had a confused expression, seeing Shirone stepping on the fireballs until he focused and noticed Kuroka creating flat barriers on the fireballs at the exact moment Shirone would touch them.

A smile touched Sharon's lips, seeing the two sisters work together as Akeno and Suzaku slowed down to watch.

"Whoa ... is she the same Shirone who looks so cute and cuddly?" Suzaku murmured to herself as she saw the growling face of Shirone.

A wide grin came across Sharon's face as he could feel danger emanating from her fist.

'Youjutsu combined with the devil piece. You've become so strong, Shirone.' Sharon thought as he reminisced the days when she couldn't fight and would always hide behind Kuroka.

"Go! Finish it, Shirone!" Kuroka yelled as she put her arms forward, summoning shadow tendrils all around Sharon, rapidly tightening around his body, reducing his movement.

An idea arose in Akeno's mind as she flew up towards Sharon as fast as she could and wrapped him with a whip made of lightning. Meanwhile, Suzaku summoned a bunch of fireballs, and she shot them toward Sharon.

Sharon smirked and took a deep breath.

'I think this should do for now.' He thought as he gritted his teeth and flexed every muscle in his body, shattering the lightning whip and shadow tendrils and blasting off toward Shirone.

"Shirone!!" Kuroka yelled as Suzaku appeared before Shirone with a single flap of her wings and erected a massive wall of fire to slow down Sharon.

"Nice try, but fire doesn't hurt me," Sharon says nonchalantly as he casually phases through the wall of fire, leaving him the way he entered, except for his burning shirt.

He slowed down and reeled his fist back, only to hurtle forward toward Shirone's punch. The two punches made contact, launching Shirone hurtling towards Kuroka, while Sharon stood there with all the dragon scales in his right hand shattered up to his elbows.

Sharon was in awe of how much Shirone had grown as he felt proud to have helped her reach this far. Though Kuroka did most of it, Sharon was there to cheer her up and give her head pats whenever she was tired of training.

Sharon made his way towards Shirone and Kuroka, who were helping each other heal, while Suzaku and Akeno joined him.

"You were gone for only a year, and you're already this strong."Suzaku conceded, trailing behind him as he crouched down beside Shirone, whose arm was fractured in multiple places.

'It seems her powers rebounded and caused the damage from my attack to multiply.' Sharon thought as he placed his hand above her injury and slashed it with his other hand.

His finger, which had turned into a claw, pierced his skin, allowing his blood to drip along her injury, rapidly healing her injuries.

Shirone had a guilty expression on her face as she was aware that she was injured by her own attack's recoil, but seeing Sharon hurt himself to heal her made her feel worse.

Observing her tumultuous emotions, Sharon tenderly placed a hand on her head, offering a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Shirone. It's alright. You've done exceptionally well. I'm proud of the progress you've made," he murmured. She responded with a timid nod, finding solace as she nestled against his chest.

'You thieving cat!' Suzaku and Akeno yelled in their minds. Meanwhile, Kuroka wore a sly grin, her eyes dancing with mischief. With a graceful leap, she landed beside Shirone and then, with an audacious move, settled into Sharon's embrace.

"Ara? You wouldn't forget about your sister, would you, Nii-san?" Akeno's voice carried a hint of playful reproach, her gaze carrying a slight edge. Meanwhile, Suzaku pouted, puffing up her cheeks in mock annoyance. The tension dissolved as they all merged into a heartfelt embrace.

Seeing them all smile and argue with each other brought a smile to his face. He knew from stories in his past how power could make even close friends grow apart and stop caring about each other. So, he was really glad that the girls in front of him hadn't changed at all.

*Time Skip*

"Sharon, please? Can you join us?" Shirone asked Sharon as she looked into his eyes while she sat comfortably on his lap, much to the envy of the other girls.

"Come on, Shirone. You know I'm not fit for something like that. I've never been to school before, and besides ... will I really need it when I'm not even a part of the human world?" Sharon responded as he softly played with her ears, as he could hear her faintly purr.

"But ... it'll be fun. Besides, Suzaku is gonna join this year. I'm sure you'll fit right in!" Shirone said with a faint tone of arousal.

'It can't be all that bad ... right? It's just a human school. Maybe I'll go, at least for them." He thought as sighed.

"Fine, I'll join Kuoh Academy. Are you all happy now?" Sharon asked as he was once again caught between the four in a hug.

'Man, I could get used to this.' He thought as he could feel something rising. With a cough, he excused himself and made his way outside.

He gazed around as he recounted everything that had happened in the last 5 years. After meeting Kuroka, he put everything he had into his training. Sometimes, he would make his way into the forest to only return a couple of weeks later, all bruised up.

The first time it happened, everyone was extremely worried, but Suzaku and Akeno had taken to the skies with Kuroka's invisibility spell and found him training in the forest. The girls had informed Baraqiel and Shuri, before watching over him as they promised themselves that they would become strong enough to eventually stand by his side.

Suzaku and Akeno had come to terms with what had happened with the Himejima clan, as Suzaku promised that she would formally invite Shuri and her family back to the clan, including Baraqiel when she officially took over.

Around 3 months later, Kuroka and Shirone went back to their home to visit their parents when they found out about the accident that had taken both their lives.

Shirone became a bit unstable at this point, and Kuroka, not knowing what to do wanted to return to Sharon's side. However, she didn't fully trust him and was still on guard especially after he had made Shirone call him master. Which awkwardly enough for Kuroka, he hadn't done, and in fact, Shirone was the one who chose to do it.

At the time of finding out about this, a branch family member of the Naberius Devil Clan approached the two and offered a place to stay. Prior to their mother's passing, the two were entrusted to the Naberius clan.

A couple of months went by, once again, as Kuroka had become a bishop for the Naberius clan member who took her in, Rigloth Naberius.

Kuroka had adapted to the bishop evil piece extremely well, as she began to rapidly grow in power. Shirone was being taken care of by Kuroka when she wasn't training. However, the day finally came when Kuroka truly understood what Rigloth had planned for them.

He aimed to force his servants and their family members to become super devils, devils capable of feats far greater than any normal devil. However, knowing the implications of such an act caused Kuroka to attack and kill her master. She rushed towards Shirone and was luckily able to take her and run away.

However, it wasn't luck. Sharon hadn't managed to distance himself from Shirone as easily as he thought. Something inside him urged him to go check on her. When he arrived at the building he'd been directed to, he was met with piercing screams.

"Kuroka... she's killed the master!" The voice pierced the chaos, igniting a sense of urgency within Sharon. Kuroka might not have left the most favorable impression, yet she was undeniably bound to Shirone by blood, and in that connection, she was inevitably linked to Sharon's world.

Setting his aura ablaze, he tore through the mansion, creating a diversion to ensure Kuroka and Shirone could escape unhindered. He understood the potential consequences of his actions down the line, but could he bear a future where he couldn't protect two vulnerable girls who had come to depend on him?

The answer was a simple no.

He stood in a mansion that was completely burned down and he had managed to find a small diary. Unaware of what it held inside, he flipped through the pages. Fury rose from deep within as he read of the cruel acts the servants of this household had been put through. A shiver ran down his spine as the realization struck—he was the only thing preventing Kuroka and Shirone from suffering the same fate. At that moment, any remnants of regret he might have harbored for the countless devils he had vanquished were extinguished.

He stood there with his hands gripping the diary as he could feel a suffocating aura approach his location rapidly.

"Send out alerts that there is a new S-Class stray on the loose, a nekomata named Kuroka Toujou." A voice calmly said as the woman flying next to him nodded. Behind her was another woman, seemingly a bit younger, but sporting a similar look.

"Now then ... what do we have here?" The man said as Sharon could recognize that voice anywhere. It was the same man he had seen numerous times when he would visit Sharon's father in the Savant clan.

"Sirzechs Lucifer," he murmured, a touch of relief entering his demeanor, yet his stance remained resolute, a formidable determination that refused to waver. He couldn't retreat without having Kuroka removed from the list of strays.

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A bit on the longer side, but here's the chapter. A bit late, but I'll have the next chapter up soon. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

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