chapter 30

Chapter XXIX – Alliance

In an undisclosed location within the Shimajiri Ward of Kuoh, Valper and Freed had finally arrived at the safe house after hightailing it. The two former members of the church were pretty roughed up that's for sure with Freed sustaining the most injuries while the old man just had a few scrapes and bruises.

"Damn! That was a close one, eh old man?" Freed huffed. He was clearly hurting from the ass whooping he just got but that crazed look in his eyes just won't go away. Someone must have been on the head when he was a baby. That or he's just crazy with the latter is the most probable.

"Yes." Valper coughed and dusted himself off. "If we have stayed any longer, I don't think we would've lasted; especially when Michael's pet Joker there." Oh, he remembers Dulio Gesualdo all right. He led a strike team ordered by The Archangel Michael himself to destroy the Holy Sword Project and rescue the surviving children after word got out of what he was really doing.

Valper had to admit, he didn't think Michael had it in him to order such a thing but he really should have known better in hindsight. Even the merciful Michael had his limits Valper suppose.

It was when the deranged Bishop finally made a breakthrough when word got out and he knew he had to get rid of everything including the children. They were nothing but mere lab rats anyway and they had served their purpose. No one would miss them; death was probably a welcome relief for them after what he put them through. They should be grateful he ended their suffering quickly.

Just as he was about to escape the facility, Dulio and his team had arrived and mercilessly cut down Valper's guards and researchers. Valper was lucky to have escaped by the skin of his teeth that night.

After he escaped, he was picked up by Kokabiel and the rest was history. The Fallen Angel wanted a war and all Valper wanted was the Holy Swords. It wasn't that hard to forge an alliance between them and the two joined forces.

Years of planning and preparation led them to this point and they were close to accomplishing their goal but it would seem that they had a small problem. Just moments ago, Valper and Freed had cornered and wounded a young Devil posing as a priest.

It was quite ironic and funny when he looked at it really. The church represented everything the Devils were weak against…and here was one masquerading as a priest. It really lets out the mirth within him.

Nevertheless, what they learned from the Devil boy was…troubling to say the least. It would seem that the Devils had known of their presence and intentions here and had something planned for them. Whatever compelled that idiot boy to tell them that was lost to Valper but it was appreciated but before he and Freed could take them back to 'ask' him properly about this, the rest of his blasted troop came to his rescue.

Regardless, Kokabiel needs to hear this.

"What the hell happened to you two?" A rogue priest asked them as he helped Valper up. "You two went to a party without inviting us?"

Freed laughed maniacally. "You're damn right it was a party! Don't worry though, next time I'm taking you all with me. More fun that way! But for now, ol' Freed needs some rest." To prove his point, the deranged priest cracked his back before limping away.

"That guy really is sick in the head." The rogue priest muttered with a shake of his head.

"Quite but I have to speak with Kokabiel. Where is he?' Valper asked as he needed to tell his benefactor that the Devils and quite possibly the other factions know what they were trying to do.

The rogue priest shrugged. "He's at the back, been here since this afternoon to check things up. Why do you ask?"

Without answering the question, Valper went ahead in search for his benefactor leaving the rogue priest behind. "Wonder what that's all about..?" The priest mumbled to himself before shrugging. Whatever it was, it was probably between the big shots so why the hell would he get involved with that.

In a secure room within the safehouse was the mastermind behind the current situation in Kuoh – Kokabiel. His appearance was that of a young man despite having lived for a few thousand years. He possesses black hair and pointy ears not unlike those of most Fallen Angels and blood red eyes. Being a Cadre – or former Cadre – of the Fallen Angels, Kokabiel possesses five pairs of wings that indicate his stature and level of power as a leader-class Fallen Angel, and were in full display.

Kokabiel had been moving from location to location in and out of Kuoh to prevent detection. Being a war veteran, he knew that staying in one place was a bad idea especially if one plans to start a war that is why he needed to keep moving. That and he wanted to make sure that everything in order once things went down.

He couldn't help but grin in anticipation from his chair. The former Cadre had eyes and ears roaming around the city and the latest reports say that Michael's Joker, Dulio Gesualdo, as well as two Holy Sword wielders were in the city.

Good, all the pieces were coming into place. Now all he had to do was wait for the right moment to strike. After he was through, not even Azazel with all of his diplomatic bullshit could stop this storm coming.

"Kokabiel, I have to tell you something." The Mad Cadre was broken from his delusions when someone called out to him. Growling in annoyance, he looked up and saw Valper coming his way.

"Yes, Valper?" He made sure to make his annoyance known. "What is it?"

"I have some interesting news. It would seem that the Devils know what we're doing here and have a plan." Valper said in slight worry. "I wouldn't be surprised if they told Dulio about this and joined forces."

Kokabiel frowned at what he heard. So the Devils already knew what he was planning to do…but how did they know? He made sure to keep things tight lipped so how did they…Azazel. It had to be him; he must have tipped them off.

But instead of feeling anger at this new development…Kokabiel grinned madly. "Perfect." Oh yes, this just made his life a whole lot easier. That was exactly what he wanted to happen.

"Perfect? What are you talking about?"

Kokabiel gave out a chuckle as he faced his portly accomplice. "Oh, Valper, this is what I wanted all along. Why do you think I left so obvious clues for them to follow? Why do you think the Fallen Angels have pulled out of Kuoh? I knew they'd connect the dots sooner or later; in fact I was counting on it. It makes this so much easier for me to start a war."

Realization dawned on Valper's face. "I see. So the girls aren't the real targets. They're the bait."

"Ahhhh, you finally get it." Kokabiel clapped slowly. "Yes, they're nothing but bait to lure in our true targets. So now we speed things up. We wouldn't want them to die from the suspense, that honor belongs to me." Oh yes, the Mad Cadre could not wait for war. He had put up with Azazel and his damn obsession with the Sacred Gears for far too long, it was time for a real victor to be decided.

"So that is your plan." The two were taken by surprise when a dull voice was suddenly heard from above them. When they looked, their eyes widened in surprise to see the Ouroboros Dragon was here.

It was not every day one would receive an unexpected visit from the Infinite Dragon God. What could she possibly want here?

"Ophis, I wasn't expecting you of all people to pay me a visit." Kokabiel said with a smirk but he knew he had to be careful here. One wrong move and then it was all over. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"…I wish to give you a power boost." Without waiting for a reply, Ophis stretched out her hand towards the Mad Cadre as snake-like magic tendrils emerged from her fingertips and shot towards Kokabiel.

Valper took a step back as the tendrils wrapped around Kokabiel, infusing him with but a small portion of Ophis' power.

Kokabiel could not keep a feral grin coming to his lips as the power he received coursed through his entire being. He did not know why Ophis was helping him but he would not complain about it. With Ophis' power boosting his own, he would be unstoppable!

"It is done. Use it wisely." With that, the Ouroboros Dragon disappeared in a flash of light leaving Valper to gape at what just happened and Kokabiel reveling in his newfound strength.

"This is amazing! I'm stronger than ever now!" Kokabiel laughed maniacally. This was a very unexpected turn of events but who was he to deny a gift from the Infinite Dragon God. Oh he would use this gift and he will have his war. He could already see the look on their faces.

As the Mad Cadre was drowning in his power trip, Ophis was standing in front of an ice cream parlor looking at the things she wanted to eat with a stoic expression. Why would she give Kokabiel a piece of her power, one may ask? The answer is simple really.

With what he is doing, it would surely bring chaos no matter if he succeeded or not. Chaos was something Ophis was hoping for because if there was chaos thrown into the mix, it would make recruiting powerful beings much easier to reclaim her home from Great Red.

The power she gave him would be more than enough for his needs as it was considerably more than what she would normally give. With it, Kokabiel now had enough power that rivals that of any Satan-class Devil or Seraph there is and she was sure that he would use it.

Even though Ophis gave the Mad Cadre a massive boost in power, she knew it would not be enough for him.

For all intents and purposes, that fool and everyone with him were walking corpses at this point. Kokabiel thought he would be facing the Devil Kings and the leaders of the other factions but she was not talking about them. True, the Mad Cadre's strength now rivaled that of any Satan-class Devil but that paled in comparison to his strength.

The one other reason Ophis gave him a small portion of her power was that Kokabiel could at least put up a decent fight before he was ultimately killed. After all, he is her-

"Hello, young lady. May I take your order?" The cashier said as Ophis stood before the counter. It would appear that so lost in her thoughts, she did not realize she had entered the parlor.

Looking at the cashier with dead eyes, she contemplated on just heading out. But their selection looked quite appetizing to her.

"I'll have ten orders of your biggest ice creams."

There were things that Kyuren wanted to do this evening. Play video games, eat some good food, maybe watch some…those kinds of anime. Yeah, he could be doing those things right now, a good night well spent in his honest opinion.

But alas…it was not meant to be. Fuck you fate.

"Now before we continue, I want to know exactly how Kokabiel knew of what we have planned." Ajuka said. He was quite surprised and displeased that Kokabiel had learned of their intentions through one of Rias' servants when he disobeyed orders and went out looking for trouble. If it were up to him, Ajuka would have punished the boy severely for his stupidity. He had endangered them all with his stunt and not even Sirzechs could ignore this no matter how much he loved his sister; something must be done here.

The other leaders nodded, wanting the exact details of what truly happened but before the involved parties could speak, Kyuren cleared his throat. "Before we get down to business, I'd just like to point out one small detail." He said as he walked to the windows and peered out of it with all eyes on him.

"What is that?" Baraquiel asked.

Kyuren scanned the outside surroundings like a hawk. "Are you sure this place is secure?"

Sona frowned while the others were neutral. The only ones who appeared to understand where Kyuren was coming from was Claudius, Sirzechs, Ajuka, Grayfia, Griselda, Vaeri, and Dulio. Being those that have been tried and tested in arts of warfare and combat, they knew what he was saying.

"Yes, this is secure. This house is protected by powerful defensive spells and wards that are extremely hard to penetrate." Sona said, wondering where her partner was looking out the window for.

"Assuming the ones who Issei spilled his guts to managed to inform Kokabiel, I wouldn't be surprised if he sent a man or two to scope things out." The younger Devils and the two Holy Sword Users now realized what he was talking about and their eyes widened in surprise. "And considering this and Rias' home are the two strongholds in Kuoh…this would be the prime targets."

The others didn't need to hear anymore as Lord Sitri looked at Vaeri who was staring at him with her hand on her sword; wanting to act now. The elf may not likethe boy that much but even she had to admit that making sure this place was secure before they talked was very smart. Even if Sona's abode was fully protected by powerful defensive magic and barriers, they could notafford to take that risk at this junction. They had already given too much to the enemy, they could not afford any more slip ups.

"Vaeri, make sure the grounds are free of any prying eyes and listening ears." Lord Sitri commanded. While he did not particularly like the boy to an extent, he reasoning was sound and he did not want to risk giving Kokabiel any more advantages.

"Griselda, please lend her a hand." Gabriel said to her queen. Giving a firm nod, Vaeri and Griselda spun on their heel and marched to the door.

Before the two reached the threshold, Kyuren called out to them. "If you can, bring at least one here alive. I'm sure all of you would like to hear what they know." He looked at the leaders who nodded their consent. It would not hurt to know more than they already have.

Accepting their new objective – begrudgingly in Vaeri's case, the two went out and began their search for any possible spies.

"While they are busy, I suggest we reinforce the barriers, Lord Sitri." Sirzechs suggested. When Claudius nodded, the Devil King turned to Grayfia. "Please go to Rias' place and make sure that it is safe. I shall inform my parents to meet you there should you need their help."

The Strongest Queen nodded and teleported to Rias' home as Sirzechs, Claudius, and Ajuka did all they could to reinforce the barrier's strength to deter any breach of security that may occur.

They all waited for several minutes before Vaeri and Griselda came back, and low and behold they brought in a Fallen Angels and made him get on his knees. At the same time, Grayfia came back, her expression serious.

"It is true, there were spies scouring Lady Rias' household but I dealt with them accordingly and Lord and Lady Gremory arrived after I took care of the intruders." She informed them grimly. "They agreed to guard Lady Rias' home until then."

"And we caught this one after scanning the area." Griselda said as Vaeri held a sword to the Fallen Angel's throat to stop him from struggling. "There were three of them but we took care of the other two. It seems your assumptions were correct, young one." She gave Kyuren a small smile.

The raven haired teen just shrugged before all eyes turned to the wounded rogue Fallen Angel who tried to put up a strong front but obviously failed considering his ragged breathing and the way his body trembled.

Baraquiel cast one last look at his daughter before glaring at the traitor. "You will tell us all that you know about what Kokabiel intends to do." To prove his point to the miserable whelp, Baraquiel let his Holy Lightning flow. "If you do that then maybe I'll make your death a quick one."

When Akeno saw her bastard of a father summoned his lightning, she stiffened up even more. She hated the fact that she shared the same blood as him and that she got her magical powers from him.

In her eyes, Baraquiel was the reason why her life was destroyed. Her mother…her little sister…the two most important people in her life were dead because this pathetic excuse of a father was not there to protect them when they needed him the most.

Akeno hated him. She hated what he represented and she hated that she was the same as him – a Fallen Angel. If there was a way for her to forsake her Fallen Angel side, Akeno would take it without hesitation. That's how much her hatred ran for her former father.

Rias looked at her Queen in worry. She knew of Akeno's past when she found her nearly dead in the woods when she felt a big energy spike. When she arrived, she saw Akeno badly beaten on the ground and two charred corpses. The Gremory heiress did not know what exactly had happened but she did not dwell on it for very long.

The poor girl was severely injured and would die if she didn't receive help. Rias knew she had found her first peerage member and if her guess was right, the girl would be an invaluable member and she was right.

Akeno had become one of her best friends and confidant…and sometimes rival but it was not easy gaining her trust. Rias had to work for it because the poor child had been hunted down by members of her own family on her mother's side, viewing her as an abomination for being half Fallen Angel.

When the Gremory heiress asked about her family and where they were, Akeno's expression grew pained and rage-filled. The only thing she said was that her family was dead and her father was the reason for it. Of course, not wanting to bring back terrible memories, Rias opted to change the subject then and there but her interest was piqued.

It was not until her brother informed her that the Fallen Angel Leader, Baraquiel, was desperately looking for his daughter, Akeno. Apparently, his family was slaughtered by the Himejima Clan leaving only Akeno as the only survivor. At first, it shocked Rias that her Queen was the child of the Lightning of God but she agreed to meet with him to put his heart at rest.

It was a tense confrontation with Baraquiel demanding to see his daughter but Sirzechs and Rias managed to convince him that Akeno was not ready and that she hated him for not saving them all. It was a harsh thing to say but it had to be laid out there for Baraquiel to realize that his daughter needed time to heal. Reasoning that how young she was at that time, she needed someone to blame at that time and unfortunately, Baraquiel was the one she chose to put the blame on.

It took some time but the Lightning of God relented and allowed his beloved daughter to stay in Rias Gremory's service. His only request was that she took care of Akeno to which Rias agreed and he left with a broken heart.

The Gremory heiress knew that Akeno would one day have to face her father but Rias had hoped that it was going to be further down the road and right now, father and daughter were reunited and Akeno's anger towards him has barely simmered down.

The rogue Fallen Angel felt his throat run dry once he saw Baraquiel unleash his lightning but he remained strong. He would not break even if they tried. "I won't tell you shit!" He snarled. "I'll rather die than spill my guts to the likes of you!" He would have said more if not for Vaeri pressing her blade harder on his neck.

"Listen, friend, do you even realize what Kokabiel is trying to do?" Sirzechs asked the rogue; maybe he could reason with him. "He plans on restarting the Great War and have us kill each other again. All of us know that the Three Great Powers are not the same as they once were. We were almost driven to the brink of extinction and Kokabiel wants that. Ask yourself, is that really what you want? To cause the deaths of countless millions just so one madman can satisfy his bloodlust?"

The rogue appeared to be contemplating and Sirzechs smiled. Perhaps there was still hope for this fellow yet and could help them stop this pointless fiasco. Alas, those hopes were dashed when the rogue basically spat on his words.

"I don't care what you say you damn Devil! I lost a lot of friends in that war and I want payback and when Kokabiel succeeds, I'm killing every last one of you!" He raged on until his eyes landed on Sona and Rias. "On second thought, maybe I'll save those two girls for later. I'm sure the boys and I will have so much fun playing with them. In fact, maybe after the war starts, I can capture them as well as all of these fresh pussies and taste them." The rogue let out a lecherous deranged grin directed at the two and the other girls who shivered in disgust.

Vaeri growled in absolute anger at what this fucker said and slammed her foot on his stomach so hard that it made him spit out blood. Memories of what happened to her at the hands of those animals flashed through her eyes; the pain and humiliation she felt for years under their employ was something the elf did not want to be reminded of.

Raynare stiffened up and unknowingly held her arms in an attempt to force away the memories long since past. – an act that did not go unnoticed by Kyuren.

The others gazed upon the rogue Fallen Angel with hateful glares as Saji growled at this piece of shit and unknowingly draped his arms over his girls protectively. But none were more hateful and rage filled than those of Sirzechs Lucifer and Lord Claudius Sitri.

The Red Devil prided himself as a reasonable and generally nice guy. He rarely became angry with anyone these days and he would only use violence as a last resort but what this son of a bitch said had crossed the damn line. No one threatens his sister and wife with barbarism and gets away with it.

Lord Sitri was absolutely livid. Nothing would please him more than to hear this sorry lump of meat scream and beg for mercy for what he said. Threatening to kill his youngest daughter was one thing but threatening her with unspeakable acts was unforgiveable!

To add insult to injury, the rogue had the audacity to laugh at their faces, further enraging them. He was about to say more derogatory things that he would do until his eyes met the sharp and unforgiving eyes of Kyuren. "And who are you? Oh wait don't tell me, you're their lapdog, aren't you?" He let out a mocking laugh as Kyuren's left eye twitched.

Everyone knew that this fool was digging his own grave at this point by angering the teen whose strength rivals or even surpasses that of a god and quite frankly, they were counting on it.

"I'm no one's lapdog." The raven haired teen said after a few seconds but the anger and irritation was clear in his voice.

"Ha! Don't act so tough with me, boy. If I wanted to, I could crush you like a bug. Now why don't you just scurry back to you precious master's skirt." The rogue mocked before he made the worst mistake of his pathetic life.

He spat on Kyuren's face.

The raven haired teen moved his head away after the glob of saliva and blood hit his face as Vaeri pressed her sword even harder on the rogue's neck making him hiss in pain.

Sona, Rias, their peerages, and Raynare could not help but flinch at what that idiot just did. If there was one thing they could agree on, it was this: that idiot just signed his own death warrant.

As much as Sirzechs wanted to diffuse the situation before it really got worse, the vindictive side of him wanted to see this play out. After all, for what that rogue said about his sister and wife the Red Devil was not going to let him live past this night anyway; a sentiment that was shared by Lord Sitri and Ajuka.

While Lord Sitri and Sirzechs and pretty much everyone here was more on the emotional side of seeing the rogue dead with the possible exception of Gabriel due to her kind heart, Ajuka was looking at this more logically. While he too would like to see the rogue dead on principle, he still held valuable information that they could definitely use. If they get that then the rogue will be of no use to them alive and the others can skin him alive if they wanted to. After all, it would be unwise to set him free and an inconvenience in keeping him as a prisoner.

The problem was that bit was in jeopardy since he spat on the young man who put the Red Devil out of commission in one swift attack. While it may cause problems later on, this could also be a chance to see firsthand how powerful the supposed human really is.

It was a tempting prospect that would allow him a decent insight of Kyuren's power but considering the things they were dealing with right now, it was not on the top of Ajuka's priority list. A madman was trying to restart the devastating war that nearly rendered the Angels, Fallen Angels, Devils and a good chunk of the Supernatural World to ruin and he must be stopped.

Kyuren had promised himself that he would not lose his temper tonight. After all, what Issei did…it didn't really surprise him that much considering how much of an idiot he is. It pissed him off, true, but getting angry over it would not solve anything and would waste his valuable time so he just let it go…for now.

Everything after that went smoothly enough. When the leaders of the different factions came, they were not pointing fingers and aiming the blame on each other. That was a good sign, they all knew the stakes and who was the real enemy here, and were willing to cooperate with each other.

The raven haired teen promised himself that he would not lose his temper…a promise that was proving harder and harder to keep. What this piece of filth said was damning enough considering Rias and Sona's brother and father respectively heard what he was going to do to them but then he just had to turn his attention to Kyuren.

The rogue belittled him, mocked him as their lapdog and such things would garner some form of retaliation but he was willing to overlook this because they needed the rogue alive for what he knew. Then the bastard decided that it was a damn good idea to spit in Kyuren's face.

Bad idea…bad fucking idea.

Kyuren never felt so insulted in his life…no one had ever spat on his face before. What's more, that scumbag was laughing at him mockingly further fueling his rage.

"What's the matter kid? You look like you're about to cry." The rogue sneered at him while. "Not so tough now, are you? If you're going to cry like the w-"Whatever the fool was going to say never left his mouth as Vaeri stomped on his throat and pressed hard.

She had enough listening to this fucker talking. What he said brought back horrible memories for her and right then and there, the elf wanted nothing more than to take her sweet time skinning him alive and feeding his roasted carcass to the dogs.

With the rogue silenced, everyone turned their attention to the raven haired teen as he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and proceeded to wipe the offending spit from his face.

Sona was worried, she knew that her partner was capable of doing some serious damage and right now, he was about ready to blow at any moment, and while almost futile, she had to take the chance to calm him down.

"Kyuren…" She tried to say but was stopped when her partner raised a hand.

"I know what you're going to say. It's all right, I'm calm…I'm cool." The raven haired teen took a few deep calming breaths and nodded his head. "I'm not angry so you can stop worrying."

While the others breathed a sigh of relief at his declaration, the others were not so convinced. They could still see the tenseness of shoulders and the clenching of his muscles, not to mention the slight twitching of his left eye. He was still angry as all hell but was doing everything he can to control it.

"Are you sure?" Raynare asked him as she placed a tentative hand on his arm.

"Yeah…I'm sure." Kyuren assured her as he rolled his shoulders. "Now how about we get this over with before I really lose it." This was not over…not by a long shot. One way or another, he will get his hands on that son of a bitch and tear his fucking wings off.

The others agreed with him on that one, it was best to get a move on. Sona and Raynare smiled at him for controlling his temper before their eyes met. The Sitri heiress lost her smile and narrowed her eyes at the Fallen Angel, wondering what kind of relationship she had with her partner. Raynare however just gave her a smirk and a wink that made Sona silently growl before turning back to the task at hand.

Seeing that a potential crisis was averted, Lord Sitri and the older members of this little meeting finally released a sigh of relief. He then looked towards Vaeri. "Vaeri, I believe he made it clear that he is unwilling to tell us anything useful. Would you mind loosening his tongue a little?"

Hearing this, Vaeri swiftly withdrew her sword and grabbed the rogue by the neck. "With pleasure." Oh, she would enjoy taking him apart piece by piece. She was about to go to somewhere quiet and do her work until the boy called out to her again.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to make a request." Kyuren said.

Vaeri looked back at him with a scowl. "And that being?"

He chuckled jovially. "Oh, it's simple really." His look of mirth then turned into a look of ice as he gave her a scowl of his own that made the elf and her soon-to-be victim feel shivers crawl up their spine. "Make him suffer."

Gabriel looked at him in sadness. She understood that what the rogue had said and done where deplorable but it did not mean that he had to die. He was about to be tortured and while she did not like it, it was necessary at this point. Why couldn't the boy just forgive and forget like what her father taught her?

Vaeri didn't know what was happening. She had gone through her own version of hell. Experienced things that would have broken most and those experiences hardened her to the point where almost nothing can make her resolve falter.

But now…she feels like she was staring into the eyes of someone who could squash her like a bug.

Shaking the uneasiness away, Vaeri gave him a single nod before heading towards the back, dragging the now struggling rogue with her. Whatever that was, she did not know but another thing the elf could agree with him was this.

This piece of shit will die tonight.

When they were out of sight, Kyuren's scowl was gone and he turned back to the others. "Okay, now onto busi-" He was interrupted when another magic circle appeared and the raven haired teen let out an annoyed sigh.

Out of the magic circle came Serafall Leviathan and Inza Sitri. Some were surprised at the new arrivals but Sirzechs, Grayfia, Ajuka, and Lord Sitri released a sigh. Serafall looked around frantically until her eyes landed on Sona who she immediately gave a bone crushing hug.

"Oh, Sona, I'm so glad you're safe!" The Pink Devil exclaimed happily, rubbing her cheeks against her sister's own affectionately.

Serafall had been busy doing the latest episode of her very own TV series when she got a call from her mother saying that the plan was compromised and Sona could be in danger. Just like that, she dropped everything as she and her mother teleported to Sona's mansion with haste.

As Serafall was busy choking the life from Sona, Inza walked towards her husband and gave him a small hug which he returned. "I'm glad both of you are safe."

The others smiled at the family's interaction but for Baraquiel and Akeno, it filled their hearts with sorrow.

Seeing the Sitri Clan having such a loving relationship made the Lightning of God's heart clench as he remembered the blissful memories of his family from a time not so long ago. Baraquiel remembered when Shuri welcomed him back home with a loving hug and kiss before his little angels tackled him to the ground, squealing that their daddy was back home.

Baraquiel let out a sorrowful smile. He missed those times and wanted nothing more than to bring those times back and be with his girls again.

Akeno was thinking the same thing as well. Whenever she saw Rias being with her family, no matter how much she denied it to herself, it always hurt her. She felt jealousy course through her every time her King was with her family but she did not have it in herself to complain.

Rias saved her life and Akeno had no right to be jealous of her for what she lost. The only one Akeno blamed was her father. He failed to protect that and she could never forgive him for that.

Seeing how blue Sona's face was becoming, Tsubaki felt that she needed to stop Serafall before she really squeezed the life out of her King. "Lady Serafall, I think you should loosen your grip. My lady Sona is turning quite blue."

"Huh?" Serafall tilted her head in confusion before she looked down at her sister who was struggling to get some air in her lungs. "Oh! Sorry Sona." She let go of her sister who sucked in a lungful of air.

"You really need to stop that." Sona panted out and Serafall chuckled in embarrassment.

The others chuckled amusedly before Sirzechs stepped forward. "I assume you've been informed of what happened?" He asked.

The Pink Devil nodded, her expression turning serious. "Yeah, someone spilled the beans on us. When I get my hands on them, I'll rip them limb from limb!"

Issei paled and stiffened at that.

Ajuka sighed. Being around this bundle of crazy for so long, he got used to his colleague's antics. "I assume Falbium is back home?"

"Yes. After we informed him, he opted to stay back and prepare our troops." Serafall said as the other leaders nodded. They too were preparing for the worst possible outcome.

Inza looked around and saw that her Queen was not with them. "Claudius, where's Vaeri?"

"Auntie's here?" Serafall was surprised that her godmother and honorary aunt was back.

The Sitri Lord nodded. "Yes, but she's…"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

A blood curdling scream surprised the two newcomers as Claudius sighed. "A bit indisposed."

"…What was that?" The Pink Devil asked.

"After we arrived, we found out that Kokabiel had sent out agents and spies here and to Rias' home." What Ajuka said frightened Inza and Serafall.

"WHAT?! Are there anymore out there?!" Inza asked as her eldest daughter prepared her staff with a murderous look in her eyes.

Griselda nodded. "Yes, Lady Sitri. I and Vaeri disposed of the intruders. The scream you heard was the one we captured that would not cooperate with us." She knew of Lucifer and Leviathan's love for their sisters and thought better than to tell Serafall of what the rogue said about the deplorable things he would do to Sona.

Grayfia nodded. "And I took care of the ones in Lady Rias' home. Currently, Lord and Lady Gremory are there to defend it and requested that we brief them later on."

Hearing this, Inza and Serafall let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness."

"Indeed. In fact, you should thank the young man over there." Griselda nodded towards Kyuren's direction who groaned internally. "He was the one who suggested we search the grounds."

The two looked at the raven haired teen in surprise before it turned to gratitude. Maybe they were wrong about him after all. "Thank you." Inza smiled at him to which he just nodded in return.

Feeling that they had wasted enough time as it is, Kyuren cleared his throat once everyone had calmed down enough and everyone turned their attention to him. "Okay, now that that's over with, let's get back to business. Slicked Back over here wanted to know how this happened and quite frankly, I think you all do too."

Ajuka nodded but he frowned at being called Slicked Back. His mood further soured when he saw Sirzechs trying to hold back a snicker and Serafall covering her face to stop herself from laughing. In fact, all of them were quite amused at his new nickname.

"Yes, I agree with Slicked – I mean, Ajuka on that one." At Sirzech's intentional slip of the tongue, his friend glared at him and his wife elbowed his ribs in warning. "So why don't you start, girls."

And so, Sona and Rias repeated their accounts on what had happened with Dulio also giving some insight. When they were done with their report, the adults– with the exception of Gabriel who gave him a sympathetic look and Serafall with a murderous glare – all looked at Issei with clear disappointment. The boy had long since decided that it was useless to justify himself so he just hung his head in shame.

Sirzechs had a long patience when it came to his family. He can understand that mistakes will be made and while some could just be let on with a warning, others will have to warrant some punishment. Like the mistake that Rias and Sona made when they neglected to report Fallen Angel activity in Kuoh, this warrants punishment.

When he saw that Rias was about to say something, he held up his hand. "Rias, there are so many things I want to say right now, but now is neither the time nor the place. We will discuss this later." He said with authority, reminding everyone why he was given the name of Lucifer and the title of a Great Satan.

Faced with her brother's displeasure at her, Rias had no choice but to nod her head.

"This has made this a whole lot harder for us to do anything." Claudius said. "With Kokabiel having an idea of what awaits him, he will most likely not fall for our trap that easily."

"Then let's just go after him." Serafall reasoned. "We got him on the run, let's just finish him and get this over and done with." While she was glad that her sister was more or less out of harm's way and not going to be bait, Kokabiel still posed a serious threat to the fragile peace .

"It's not that simple, Serafall." Ajuka said. "If Kokabiel is on the run, tracking him down is one thing and taking him down is quite another. He could lead us into a wild goose chase and bleed us dry before we can take him down. But there something that's bothering me though." He muttered in a thinking pose.

The other grew curious about what was bothering the Blue Devil. "What do you mean, Lord Beelzebub?" Griselda asked.

"It's just how you got the detailed information on Kokabiel, how the Angels managed to track them here so easily. It all seems too…obvious don't you think?"

Now that they think about it, it was a bit too obvious for their liking. From the Fallen Angels gathering information on him to the Angels being directed to Kuoh, it was like they were being led here for something.

"Yes, the note we found on their hide out was written in Japanese." Gabriel nodded. "And the Gremory and Sitri are one of the few High-class Devils with territory in Japan. Not to mention related to two of the Four Satans."

Baraquiel nodded. "And we managed to dig up a surprising amount of information on Kokabiel which should have been extremely difficult considering he is a Cadre and a Fallen Angel." He is speaking the truth, Fallen Angel are inherently cunning and manipulative and someone that has lived as long as Kokabiel; they would know how to cover their tracks almost perfectly.

"But why though?" Sirzechs asked. "It is obvious that he wanted us all here so why-" He stopped himself because the answer hit them like a ton of bricks.

"Because his real targets weren't Sona and Rias, his real objectives are the leaders of the factions. Or the force you send and whoever's leading it in your stead." Vaeri continued for Sirzechs as she came back with her attire and sword a little bloody. "Kokabiel intends to start the war by eliminating the heads or key figures of each of the factions."

Now it all made sense to them as Kyuren voiced what was all on their minds. "Because if he does manage to eliminate Sona and Rias, there will be hell to pay but with some quick and decisive diplomatic maneuvering, a large scale conflict CAN be avoided. But if he eliminates you or so many of your forces in one go and claims credit…"

"Our races will want retribution." Sona concluded, a grim feeling building up inside of her. "He was setting us up from the start.I thought Rias and I was baiting him for our own trap…now I see he was using us as the bait." Their plan was doomed from the start. If they had gone through with it…the Sitri heiress did not like to imagine what could have happened if they did.

"But how would he accomplish it?" Rias asked. "He may be a Cadre but even he wouldn't be able to stand against a full powered Satan or Seraph one on one. He must have something up his sleeve."

Serafall twirled her staff with a grin. "Yeah, no way he's going to beat me. If he wants my head, he's going to have to tear it off my cold dead body." If it was true that Kokabiel wasn't after Sona and her instead, then he's going to have the fight of his very life.

Claudius hummed in thought. "True, if that is his plan all along, it is likely that he has something planned to do just that" the question is what though. But I know from experience that he won't be going for the subtle approach."

"Yes, Kokabiel was never one for the quiet approach during the Great War." Baraquiel agreed with the Sitri Lord. The maniac was always looking for bloodshed and destruction wherever he went. In combat, subtlety was not part of his game plan.

"What about if he blows the whole of Kuoh?" Kyuren suggested.

What he said startled those of his age group but left the adults in grim realization. What he said was true…the Mad Cadre would most definitely try to do that.

"Are you serious?" Saji asked disbelievingly. "I mean, I know this guy is bad news but he couldn't possibly blow up the whole town, right?"

The raven haired teen nodded his head. "Sorry, Saji, but from what I read and heard and with how they described him, he'll definitely do it. Think of it as his announcement to the world. If he succeeds with you dead and Kuoh nothing more than a smoking crater, this is just like saying, 'Hey, I did that so come and get me.'."

After all, if Kyuren wanted to announce to every single living thing on this earth that he wanted a war, that was something he would definitely do and that was the truth. Fortunately, he was more concerned about the simple things in life than that.

As crude of a description that was, it was indeed accurate. If Kokabiel succeeds in his objectives, and even if the leasers weren't killed, the destruction of Kuoh and the loss of their forces would get all eyes – supernatural or otherwise – here and all the Mad Cadre had to do was claim all the credit for it.

Not even Sirzechs was sure if he could hold back the Clan Elders wanting revenge for the slaughter of so many Devils and the likely outcome would be war with the Fallen Angels with the Angels eventually getting dragged into the conflict. This thought also reverberated with his co-Satans, Gabriel, and Baraquiel.

If anything the stakes just got even higher for them all.

Saji, Issei, and all those who lived in Kuoh grew pale. If that is the case then everything they knew and grew up with would be gone in a flash. Their families, their homes, everything that they cherished here would be gone.

"We have to do something! We can't let that bastard destroy our homes and kill so many lives because he's bored!" Issei didn't care anymore. If he was going to get punished then so be it. He was not going to let his hometown get turned into the next Grand Canyon.

Gabriel smiled at the Red Dragon Emperor. Even if he did unknowingly leaked about what they were doing to Kokabiel, his heart was in the right place. In fact, maybe him slipping up on Kokabiel was a blessing in disguise for if they stayed the course, they would've fallen victim to the Mad Cadre's own trap and be dead and the world destroyed.

"And we will, but we first have to figure out how is he to accomplish this goal of his. Him blowing up Kuoh is highly probable but we don't know for sure." Griselda voiced her own analysis. "For all we know, he's planning something differently. We can't commit to this, not until we know for sure."

The others nodded at her logic. It is true that the probability of Kokabiel trying to blow up Kuoh with them along with it was very high, it was only smart for them to be absolutely sure first.

"Agreed but just to be on the safe side, I'll do some research on what kind of rituals or spells would be capable of such destruction." The Blue Devil said with all agreeing. "I seem to remember a ritual that can cause that kind of wide spread destruction but only vaguely. I'm sure I can find out what it is in my libraries."

"Then in the meantime, we gather more information." The raven haired teen said and turned towards Vaeri. "Is our guest still breathing?"

The elf looked at him for a moment, remembering the cold and dangerous feeling she felt towards him. Not many things can unnerve her but this boy…what is he? "Yes. It did not take much to break him. What are you getting at?"

"He might know the location of a safe house."

"Kyuren's right." Raynare said, realizing at what he was getting at. "If we want to make sure what he really intends to do, we will need someone who knows. One of his lieutenants maybe. Did he say anything about that?"

Vaeri shook her head with a frown. "Unfortunately, I haven't gotten that far yet." She was about to go and have another go at interrogating the rogue until Kyuren turned around and walked away. "Where do you think you're going?"

Her question was left unanswered as he crossed the threshold of the living room before disappearing when he rounded the corner. That elf already had her shot, now it was Kyuren's turn.

Sona frowned and was about to stand and go get him back until Raynare decided to do just that. "I'll get him." She turned and jogged after him. "Hey, big guy, wait up!"

The Sitri heiress narrowed her eyes at the Fallen Angel's back wondering for who knows how many times what was her relationship with her partner.

The raven haired teen walked with a purpose to where Vaeri put that rogue. Oh, he was going to enjoy literally tearing that son of a bitch apart for spitting on his face. Unfortunately, he did not have the time to enjoy it fully as they did have a situation here. If he did have the time, Kyuren would have conducted a detailed dissection on him…while alive and no anesthetics.

After all, he was slightly curious on their anatomy; whether it was similar to humans or not. That fool should consider himself lucky that Kyuren was on a tight schedule.

So lost was he in his thoughts of vengeance, he was surprised when someone touched his arm. "What the…" He turned and saw that Raynare was the one holding his arm. "Ray? What are you doing?"

"I came here because you ran off and wanted you to come back." She said as she took a step back. "Any chance of that happening?" The only response she got was a deadpan look and she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, thought so. Has anybody told you that you have issues…a lot of issues?"

"Yeah, quite a lot actually." He said in a casual tone and Raynare could only raise a brow before shaking her head.

"Whatever. Well, if you're not going to come back there, I might as well go with you." After all, she would not mind getting in a few shots herself.

Kyuren tilted his head before shrugging. If she wants a go at the rogue then who was he to deny a lady her request. "All right but we got to hurry this up. I want to go home already." He said almost in a whine as they walked side by side.

Raynare chuckled before realizing something. "Do you even know where you're going?"

"…Uhhh…"

"You had no idea where he's at, do you?" Without waiting for a reply, she turned to one of the servants who was passing by and called him over. "Excuse me, could you tell us where the elf dragged the prisoner to?"

"Certainly, ma'am. Ms. Vaeri took the prisoner to the back. Just keep going straight up ahead and it's the door at the end."

Raynare smiled. "Thank you." The servant bowed and she gave a sheepish looking Kyuren a smug smirk.

"…Well, I could've done that." He muttered out as his companion giggled in amusement.

After about a minute of walking and small talk, the two stood before the door of the room the rogue was held in. They were pretty sure this was it because they could hear labored breathing and the occasional curses here and there.

"You ready for this, big guy?" She asked the man beside her. Raynare knew that Kyuren was strong and very intelligent; there was no question about that. But they were going to interrogate – more like torture – a prisoner for valuable information. As a Fallen Angel, Raynare had adequate experience in that field but she didn't know where Kyuren stood on that.

The raven haired teen chuckled. "Always." He rolled his shoulders. "Let's get this over with."

Kyuren opened the door and the two entered. Inside the room, the two saw the rogue was on a chair that was bolted to the floor with nails driven through his wrists and feet so that he would have to tear through his flesh for him to escape. One of his wings was bent in an unnatural angle while the other one was hanging limply with no apparent damage to it. His left eye was almost swollen shut and Raynare could see a few teeth lying around here and there.

Well, judging from how he looked, Kyuren guessed he squealed easily so this should be over quickly enough.

"Hey, buddy. How are you this fine evening?" The raven haired teen asked nonchalantly as the rogue sneered at him.

"So the lapdog's come to get his scraps." He taunted with a pant. That bitch really took a lot out him. When he gets out of here, he'll make sure to take his sweet time with her.

Kyuren ignored the taunt and gave the wounded rogue a once over and whistled. "She really did a number on you, that elf. Wouldn't you agree, Raynare?"

She nodded. "Yeah, for the most part. We were trained to endure way more than this though. Man, you really are a pussy for blowing your load that quick." She and Kyuren shared a laugh as the rogue growled in anger.

"Oh, I needed that laugh because this shit gets dark real fast." Kyuren chuckled before pulling up a chair and sat on it as he stared at the rogue's eyes with his own uncaring gaze. "You see, friend, you've given us quite a lot already. You told us that Kokabiel wasn't after the girls; he was after the big fishes. You should feel proud about yourself for helping others." He smiled. "But I'm afraid we'll need just a little bit more from you."

"Fuck you! I already gave up what the gist is, I ain't talking anymore! You think you scare me, kid? Well, let me tell you something, I've seen and done things that will make you puke! So go right fucking ahead, I fucking dare you." He snarled and tried to look scary, trying to intimidate this punk in front of him. Alas, the only thing he got was a smirk and then Kyuren began to chuckle and laugh soon after.

As the raven haired teen laughed, Raynare couldn't help but feel unnerved. It was like he just went on full psycho mode.

When his laughter finally subsided, Kyuren looked at the rogue who was still trying to act tough but his hands were shaking. "Oh, look at you trying to act all tough just for me. It's so adorable. But I'm a bit short on time so I'll get straight to the point. You're going to tell me where your safe houses are and everything else you know, if you don't…well, let's just say you'll lose something very important."

The rogue spat on his face again. "You don't scare me, punk. That bitch elf already fucked me up, there's nothing else you can do to make me talk."

Kyuren held his smirk for a second before he stood up and fished out his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the offending liquid away. "Is that so? Well, nobody can say that I didn't try to be polite." When he was finished wiping his face, the raven haired teen looked at the rogue. "I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."

The room's temperature dropped to a few noticeable degrees that made the other two nervous. A bead of sweat slid down the rogue face as at the back of his mind, he was thinking maybe he should cooperate or see what this boy was truly capable of. But alas…

The rogue scoffed. "Go ahead, I'd like to see you –" He did not get to finish when Kyuren ripped the chair right out of its bolts and there it to the wall with a very loud crash, smashing it entirely. The rogue screamed in pain as that forced the nails to tear through his flesh.

It stung like a damn bitch but he was free. Now he can get out of here and –

CRUNCH!

"GAAAAHHH!" He screamed in agony when his right arm was crushed under Kyuren's heel. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He managed to scream out as he writhed in pain.

Kyuren paid no mind to that however as he was more invested on taking this fool apart. Gone was his mirthful smirk only to be replaced with a cold and hate filled expression. He grinded his foot further down at the destroyed arm making the rogue scream louder.

Removing his foot, the raven haired teen hoisted the rogue up to his eye level. "Feel like talking yet? No? Fine!" Without even giving him a chance to speak, Kyuren used a VERY small portion of his overwhelming strength and delivered a devastating punch to his side snapping the ribs easily and more than likely damaged some internal organs. He followed it up by chucking his victim to the far side of the room; the walls cracking upon impact.

"Still not going to talk?" Kyuren asked.

"W-Wait…I-I'll –"

"You still won't talk, huh!"

"W-WAIT!" Thee rogue's pleas fell on deaf ears as Kyuren grabbed his left leg and snapped his knee, bent in a way that it was not supposed to. "AAAAAHHH!"He felt nothing but agony at this point, his right arm was broken and his leg was snapped like a twig. "Please! I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Not quite finished yet, Kyuren raised his foot and brought down to his next target: this bastard's family jewels.

POP!

"GAAAAAAAAARRRGHHHHHHHHH!"

The raven haired teen took extreme pleasure as he saw the look of pure agony on this bastard's face but he was not done yet. He raised his bloodied foot up and brought it down again and again and again, all the while a sick grin forming on his lips as his left eye flashed purple.

He was about to do it again when he was suddenly tackled to the wall. "Kyuren, that's enough!" He regained his senses with a shake of his head and saw that Raynare was the one that tackled him…and was looking at him with no small amount of fear and concern.

Looking around, he saw that the room was admittedly trashed and he saw the rogue was lying on the floor with his nether regions no more than a bloodstain – he was probably going into shock from what the raven haired teen did to him.

To be honest, it is not that bad actually. His arm was smashed to pieces, his left knee was destroyed, and he can probably never use his dick again other than a dust flap to keep the dust from his ass. If anything, he got off easy.

Turning back to Raynare, he was going to ask her why did she stop him but the look she was giving him was one of fright. Apparently, he had disturbed her a little bit.

"…Sorry you had to see that." Kyuren said sheepishly.

Raynare knew that he had a big temper and a penchant for violence but she did not expect this kind of brutality from him. It was like he was another person all together and that side of him scared her.

"It's…It's okay…" She replied in an unsure voice. "…You weren't kidding when you said you had a lot of issues. A lot of serious issues."

Kyuren chuckled embarrassingly before looking at the rogue. "You should probably take over. I think I softened him up for you."

'You did more than soften him up you big lug.' Raynare though to herself before she turned to the rogue and winced. He was really messed up and if had not stopped Kyuren, he would have mashed this poor bastard to a pulp.

Well, she is not saying that he does not deserve it but they did need him to give up a safe house location. Then he can die.

Going towards the rogue, she knelt down. "So, ready to –"

"P-PLEASE! PLEASE, N-NO MORE! I-I'LL TALK! I'LL TELL Y-YOU ANYTHING YOU W-WANT! JUST D-DON'T LET HIM NEAR M-ME!" He raved, looking at Raynare with pleading eyes.

From the side, Kyuren smirked.

"He's not coming back here if you give us what we want." Raynare said and the rogue nodded weakly "Now, give me the location of your safe house."

*Several Minutes Later*

Kyuren and Raynare arrived back to the others with what they managed to get from the poor bastard. It might not be much now but with a little luck; it could lead them to someone who really knew the juicy details.

When they returned, some were disturbed that Kyuren was covered in sploches of blood. They could only assume it was from their guest.

"I thought you said you were going to bring him back." Baraquiel said. "You two were gone for about seven minutes."

Raynare shrugged. "Have you met this guy?" She asked sarcastically, pointing a finger at the raven haired teen. "You'd have better luck trying to convince an otaku to quit anime than getting this guy back here. So with that in mind, I just tagged along."

Kyuren smirked and adjusted him hoodie in a vain way. Sona saw this and shook her head in annoyance. Really, for a guy that claims that he likes the simple things in life he sure is a vain one.

Baraquiel frowned but before he could say anything else, Ajuka made his presence known. "Regardless, have you managed to find out more from him?"

Kyuren and Raynare nodded. "Yeah, he gave us everything he knew." She said.

"And the noises and screams we heard? What were those?" Sirzechs asked. As they waited for the two to return, they heard some crashes and screaming due to their advanced senses. They even heard the rogue trying to beg for mercy only to scream in pure agony after a very loud pop that made some flinch.

"That was just me trying to convince him to talk. No biggie." Kyuren shrugged nonchalantly. He then saw Raynare giving him a deadpan look and Sona narrowing her eyes at him. "What? All I did was smash his arm, shatter his ribcage, snap his knee, and made sure he can never use his reproductive organs ever again. If you ask me, he quit too easily."

The males in the room and some of the women admittedly shivered at that. So…that was where the pop came from.

"…Okay, let's move on." Inza said, trying to change the subject. "What did you find out?"

"We found out that there are numerous safe houses in and around Kuoh but their movements appear to be random." Kyuren said. "We won't have enough time to track them as it is."

That got most to frown. "So, they move around at whatever site they can, huh? That makes things a little bit harder." Dulio said with a sigh. Of course they would do such a thing; he would too if he wanted to throw those after him off.

Raynare nodded. "Yes, they may move to seemingly random site but we managed to get a location of one safe house. It's somewhere in the Shimajiri district but we have to move fast. These mooks haven't reported back and they might bail at any time now."

It did not take long to debate on this. Their window of opportunity was already closing fast so they needed to get to that safe house and get whatever intelligence they can get.

Baraquiel stepped forward. "I'll handle this one. It shouldn't take me long to locate it assuming that they're still there." After all, as one of the leaders of the Grigori Organization, it falls to him to prove that his faction was with the others in this. These vermin have turned their back on their faction and were conspiring to start another war – their lives were forfeit anyway.

The other leaders looked at each other before nodding. "Very well, but you would need help in this regardless if you are a Cadre." Lord Sitri said.

"I'll go with him." Dulio said as he stood up stretching his limbs. "If all goes well, we should be back in around thirty minutes or less."

Baraquiel looked at the Joker and nodded. He knew one of the church top exorcists and the Archangel Michael's Joker's help; they would be back in no time. "Then let us be on our way. Time is of the essence."

"Be careful, you two. There's no telling what could happen." Gabriel said worriedly. She knew that these two were incredibly powerful individually and even more so if they were working together but a little caution never hurts.

Dulio smiled. "It's all right, Lady Gabriel. Besides, it's not like Kokabiel's in that same location. And even if he is, we're more than capable of taking him down."

Well, when he put it like that, this situation can all be over and done with if Kokabiel was there and eliminated. It would save them a ton of time and headaches.

"Then good luck, you two." Sirzechs smiled at them.

Baraquiel and Dulio nodded with the Lightning of God looking at his daughter. His heart fell a little when Akeno would not even look his way. Brushing those negative thoughts away for the moment, the two teleported out of Sona's home and onto the safe house in the Shimajiri district of Kuoh Town. If they were lucky and Kokabiel was there, they could kill or capture him and this can all be over.

Well, they were right about that one thing.

*Shimajiri Ward – Rogue Fallen Angel Safe House*

The two had found the rogue safe house fairly easily considering that Baraquiel and Dulio could sense their masked energy signatures now that they were closer. Once they stormed in, they managed to take the occupants by surprise and that gave them the immediate advantage.

They cut down most of the rogue Fallen Angels easily enough but they have yet to find a commanding officer.

"Well, this blows." Dulio grumbled out, removing his sword from the gut of a Fallen Angel before he crumpled to the floor like a sack of potatoes. "All these guys were basic grunts and not the real deal. You think the guys we're after already bailed out and these were just the rear guard?"

The Lightning of God hummed in thought. "Perhaps, but we haven't scoured the entire place just yet. Let's keep looking before we return to the others."

Having no desire to argue with the Cadre, the Joker just shrugged and joined him in the search. As they searched for anyone of interest, Dulio looked at Baraquiel.

"I, uh…I heard what happened to your family." The Cadre made no possible reaction to what he said so he decided to continue. "For what it's worth, I'm truly sorry for your loss. I can't imagine that happening to anyone but at least you still have one still alive, right? Rias' Queen, Akeno, right?"

Baraquiel sighed as they rounded a corner. "Yes, but she won't even look at me. She blames me for what happened to her mother and sister for not protecting them." He said sadly.

Dulio looked at him in sympathy. It when he heard about what had happened to Baraquiel's family, the Joker was surprised and saddened. He knew the Himejima Clan was particularly strict about their family affairs but he did not think they would resort to murder.

"Just give her some time. She just needs time to cope with all of that."

The Lightning of God said nothing after that but he appreciated Dulio's words. He just wanted his little girl back.

After a few minutes of searching with no apparent results, they were just about ready to call it quits when they heard someone laughing. For Dulio, it was something he recognized easily. "Freed." He growled out as the psychotic exorcist jumped in front of them. "I seem to remember almost chopping your legs off the last time we met."

The mad exorcist just giggled. "Oh, you got close but not close enough! And I see you brought a friend with you but not just any friend, it's Baraquiel himself! What wrong, can't handle ol' Freed all by yourself?!"

Baraquiel frowned before turning back to Dulio. "Is he always this loud?"

"Yeah, annoying, isn't it?" The Joker jerked his head in agreement. "Let me introduced you. Freed, Baraquiel; Baraquiel, Freed. Now that's over with, if you're here then I guess the old man's here too, right?"

Freed giggled. "Right on the money, bub. You want me? Come and get me!" He ran in the opposite direction forcing the two to give chase.

Eventually, they were led into a big room somewhere further into the facility and Freed jumped to the center of the room where Valper Galilei himself was with a confident smile on his face.

"Here you go old man. I told you I'd get them here." Freed said proudly as Baraquiel and Dulio prepared themselves for combat.

"Yes, you did, Freed, excellent work." Valper turned to his guest and spread his arms welcomingly. "Welcome, friends. If I had known you were coming, I'd have let you come in instead of you killing all of the guards here."

"Cut the bravado, Valper. Whatever you say won't get you out of this." Dulio said. "You two punks may not be Kokabiel but I'll take you both over nothing." He has been waiting for this day for a long time. Now, he can finally avenge the children this monster has killed and their souls can rest in peace knowing that their murderer was gone. But first, he needed them to spill the beans on Kokabiel.

"We'll only give you this one chance. Surrender peacefully, and you will not be harmed. Resist and we hurt you. Bad." Baraquiel stated. "Either way, you two are coming with us."

"Oh, I don't think so, old friend."

A deep menacing voice from the side caught the two by surprise as Baraquiel turned only for a very large and very powerful light spear slammed into his chest and blasting him to the wall and beyond.

"What the – Ack!" Dulio grunted in pain as he saw a light spear had pierced his stomach. He coughed up some blood before looking up and seeing the manic grin of Kokabiel himself. "Y-You…"

Kokabiel's grin grew wider as he stabbed Dulio again and again before pulling his spear out of him. The Joker fell to the ground, gravely wounded. He clutched his wound tightly as he was losing too much blood and groaned on pain.

The Mad Cadre chuckled menacingly as he watched the strongest exorcist alive writhe in pain at his feet. Before, he would never dream of taking on Dulio Gesualdo let alone Baraquiel at once but thanks to the massive power boost Ophis gave him and catching the two by surprise, he was able to take them down with ease.

"I knew you'd come for me after I sent those Fallen Angels but I didn't expect the Joker of Michael and the Lightning of God working together. I must've really stirred up a lot of trouble." Kokabiel gloated.

Dulio wheezed in pain. He knew he could not defend himself, not in his condition and he could not count on Baraquiel backing him up as he was blasted through the walls. He cursed himself for not noticing Kokabiel earlier for he should have but what wracked his mind was how in the hell did Kokabiel manage to do this to him?

Even if he was a Cadre, he was not that strong when compared to Baraquiel and himself so how was he able to do this? Did he somehow got stronger than before? "H-How…"

Kokabiel smirked. "How I managed to beat you and Baraquiel? Well, let's just say I had a little help from a generous benefactor." He chuckled as he kicked Dulio's stomach making him roar in pain. "Oh how the mighty have fallen. Don't worry, Dulio, you'll have your shot at me when the war starts."

The Joker could feel himself getting weaker and weaker with every passing second. Normally, he could heal this injury up in minutes but something was wrong. Kokabiel must have poisoned him when he stabbed him. Not good, he needed to get some help fast.

Using what strength he had left, Dulio raised his head and glared at Kokabiel. "Y-You w-on't...win. As s-soon as I'm o-on my f-feet…I-I'm hunting you…d-down."

"Oh, I'm counting on it, my friend." Kokabiel knelt down to in front of him and gently held his head. "I could kill you right now, but I need you to tell them this. My war will start and it will start with a bang. I'll be waiting for them and I will be ready." With his message delivered, the Mad Cadre, let go of Dulio's head and stood up. "Let's get out of here. I think we've overstayed our welcome." The three departed out of there, leaving Dulio to bleed on the floor.

This was bad…this was very bad. Dulio was losing a lot of blood and he could feel whatever poison that fucktard put in him starting to work its magic. "B-Baraquiel! You…there!" He tried to call out but there was no response.

He cursed under his breath, Baraquiel might be in worse shape that he was. With both of them down and nearly dead, Dulio had no choice but to call for help.

Using his last bit of strength, he contacted Gabriel.

"Dulio, what's going on? Are you two on your way back?"

Dulio grimaced in pain as he panted out a reply. "No…B-Baraquiel…down…I-I'm bleeding…o-out…need…help." The pain and the poison became too much to bear and he lost consciousness.

"What?! What happened?! Dulio? Dulio, answer me! DULIO?!"

OMAKE: Ravioli Ravioli, Here Come The Dragon Lolis

Ophis was walking along the sidewalk and in her hands was a beautiful strawberry crepe she got from a stand not too far from here. She was happily munching on it with her usual emotionless exterior but it was clear she was enjoying it.

Who would have though that one of the most powerful and fear beings in existence would have a sweet tooth.

As she was walking along, she spotted a similarly dressed girl coming her way. The girl had long white-lavender hair tied in pigtails and big deep blue eyes that were just as dull as Ophis. She wore a gothic outfit similar to the Ouroboros Dragon but the color scheme was lighter and was more tribal.

Ophis did not care for however as she was more focused on what was in the girl's hands. A vanilla ice cream cone dipped in chocolate and sprinkles. The girl seemed to notice her too as they stopped in front of each other while the people just ignored them and walked by.

The two stared each other down, one set of expressionless eyes to another.

"…Strawberry?" The girl asked.

"…Mm." Ophis nodded. "Vanilla?"

"…Mm." The girl nodded in return.

"…"

"…"

"Trade?" The girl asked.

"Mm." Ophis nodded and they exchanged treats before heading on their merry way all the while munching on their new treats.

The Ouroboros Dragon was so engrossed with her new treat that she did not notice the girl met up with a flat chested woman with red hair, brown eyes with glasses, and wore a white button down shirt, dark slacks, and a red tie. She was also carrying a shoulder bag.

"Hey, Kanna." The woman greeted the girl no named as Kanna. "That's a nice treat you got there."

"Mm." Kanna nodded.

"Let's go home."

"Mm, Kobayashi."

AN:

Here you go, the next chapter. Thank you all for the feedback you're giving me and I hope you all like this chapter. Just want to point out that my beta is still unavailable so this chapter is unbeta'd.