Tales Of The Fearless Dragon 47 (Patreon)

Hey everyone, and get ready for this chapter. I originally wanted to get this chapter out last week, but things kept coming up, and I got delayed, hopefully it was worth the wait. This chapter will cover a lot of dialogue and exposition with some fights scenes at the end so that's something to look forward to.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. Highschool DxD, Highschool DxD New, Highschool DxD Born, Highschool DxD EX, and Highschool DxD Hero are all owned by Funimation, Fushimi Shobo, TNK, Passione, and Ichiei Ishibumi. Please support the official release.

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"Shirou" Regular speech.

"Shirou" Thoughts.

DRAGON SHOT Attack names.

(Shirou) Words said previously.

"SHIROU!" Shouting speech.

[Ddraig] Dragon talking.

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Parental Issues And Evil Gods

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—…

"Hohoho, so I have come to visit."

Odin, the Allfather, was laughing loudly in the VIP room located on the highest floor of the Tsukiharu residence. Apparently, he had business in Japan and came to this town just to pass by. It seemed like this place, which was controlled by the Three-Great Power of Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils, was much safer than other locations.

Everyone in the Gremory group, along with Ren, had gathered in the house. Azazel had shown up as well.

The date with Akeno was canceled as expected. After that, they were reunited with Rias and the others; also, Ren and Mika, who revealed themselves to also be tailing them, and they all returned home, bringing the old man with them. Akeno was disappointed, but she was more troubled about meeting her father. She became upset. She didn't even step forward, and she stopped smiling.

Akeno's father, Barakiel, was also there, but Akeno didn't even look at him.… The discord with her father is very deep. Of course, that wasn't surprising to anyone who knew their history

Barakiel. Azazel had spoken about him in the past. He was a warrior-type man who was also a very serious person. He's not only strong; his strength is on par with Azazel himself. In terms of attack power alone, he was the strongest among the Fallen Angels. A true force to be reckoned with...

"Here is your tea."

Rias served Odin some tea while smiling.

"You don't have to worry about me. But, it seriously is huge~. That one is also huge~."

Despite being the Chief God of the Norse, he was still just a dirty old man; he kept staring at Rias and Akeno's breasts with lecherous eyes.

"Mou! Lord Odin, you can't look at them with such a perverted gaze! She is the sister of the Devil King Lucifer!"

The Valkyrie, known as Rossweisse, hit Odin's head with a fan. Odin started massaging his head with his eyes half-opened. In the past, someone might have asked if it was all right to hit the head of the Chief God from the North with a fan, but now this is just the unorthodox behavior they've come to expect from Faction leaders. After all, the behavior of the leaders of their own Factions was just as strange.

"Geez, you are so hard-headed. Sirzechs' sister is famous for being a beauty with a glamorous body, so it can't be helped if I end up wanting to stare at her breasts. Oh, this one here is my escort Valkyrie. Her name is—"

"My name is Rossweisse. I will be under your care during our stay in Japan. Nice to meet you all."

With Odin's introduction, Rossweisse greeted them. She looked different because she was wearing a business suit instead of the armor from before, but she sure was beautiful. She looked like a cool beauty who seemed to be good at working even if she was so young. She could pass for the old man's secretary or his attorney if he ever got into real trouble.

"She is a virgin girl where her 'Years she didn't have a boyfriend equals her age'."

Odin gave them extra information with a lecherous face. Rossweisse started to panic a lot.

"T-T-That has nothing to do with this! I didn't choose to not to have a boyfriennnnd! I didn't choose to still be a virginnnnn! Waaahhhhh!" She fell on her knees and started smacking the floor.

"Yeesh, brutal." Ren commented as he watched her sobbing on the floor.

"I want to feel bad for her, but I can't take her seriously." Shirou replied sympathetically. "I can't take anyone seriously when they act like losing their virginity is some big accomplishment or important goal that they have to achieve, or else their lives will be unfulfilled."

"By that logic, you don't take more than half of Japan's population seriously." Mika pointed out.

"Your point?" Shirou didn't deny that statement.

"…Eh, I don't know." Mika let it go, realizing that way of thinking made sense for him.

While they were talking amongst themselves, Odin continued his conversation with Azazel.

"Well, the business world of battle maidens is also having a hard time. Even if there are those with looks, they are mostly those who are not outstanding. Lately, the number of heroes and warriors has decreased, and the Valkyrie squad has been minimized because of the lack of funds, so even this one was at the corner of the room until before she became my escort."

Odin said that while nodding his head. Azazel then spoke while laughing at the conversation.

"During the time when Geezer will be staying in Japan, it's decided that we will be your guard. Barakiel is a backup support member from the Fallen Angels' side. I also have been busy lately, so I only have limited times I can stay here. During then, Barakiel would be looking after all of you in my place."

"I look forward to working with you all." Barakiel gave a short introduction.

"Geezer, don't you think you came a bit early to visit here? The date of your arrival should have been a few days ahead. The reason for your visit this time is so you can talk with the Japanese Gods, right? Michael and Sirzechs would be the middleman, and I would be sitting with you in the meeting… Right?" Azazel asked while drinking green tea.

"That's about it. And in our country, there is a bit of trouble… Actually, there is a troublesome lad who is against my ways. I thought I should move things faster before he does something. That's why I want to discuss several things with the Japanese Gods. Until now, we were basically unsociable to each other, and we didn't have any connections." Odin made a sigh while stroking his long white beard.

"When you mean trouble, do you mean that you have the Vanir after your head? I beg you, so don't start the 'Ragnarok' by yourselves, Geezer." Azazel put on a sarcastic smile.

"I don't care about the Vanir… Well, there is no point in discussing it. By the way, Azazel-boy. It seems like the Khaos-Brigade is increasing the number of those who can use Balance-Breaker. Scary it is. But I heard that those are a rare phenomenon?"

"—!"

Most of them became stunned and looked at each other. Just like they thought, the reason why they had Sacred Gear possessors fight against each Faction was to make them reach Balance Breaker!

"Yeah, they are rare. But there is some idiot who used the quickest yet the most scary and easiest way by force to make the rare phenomenon happen. That is something that one who is knowledgeable about Sacred Gear would at least think of once, but it is something no one could do because you would be criticized by each Faction. It's definite that you would be heavily criticized whether you succeed or not."

"What is that method?" Rias asked.

Azazel answers her question. "Your report is basically correct. The plan in which you will eventually succeed when you do it a lot. First, you gather humans who possess a Sacred Gear by force. It's basically abduction. Then, brainwash them. Next, you send the Sacred Gear possessors to the place which has strong foes gathered… The crucial places where superior beings reside. You continue that until you have someone who reaches Balance Breaker. When they reach it, you summon them by force through a magic circle."

"So, that shadow-user did have a Balance Breaker?" Shirou thought back to their previous fight against the Sacred Gear wielders. "Question is, how many others did too."

Azazel continued. "These are things no Faction can do even if they thought about it. If I, who has an alliance with the Angels and Devils, confront them and do the same things at crucial locations, then that will signal the start of a war. So, no one wished for that. But they were able to do it because they were terrorists. Either way, it's the terrorists Khaos Brigade's way to abduct humans like that and brainwash them to make them reach Balance-Breaker."

"What kind of people do those kinds of things?" Xenovia asked.

Azazel continued to answer their questions.

"The regular Hero-Faction members are the gathering of the great legendary Warriors and Heroes-descendants. Their physical bodies don't lose out either, even against Angels or Devils. They also possess Sacred Gears and legendary weapons. On top of that, they have reached Balance-Breaker, and on top of that, they have a pushy Longinus that can even slay a God. From the reports, the Hero-Faction has a strong will not lay their hands on Ophis' snakes, so in terms of their power enhancement. It is still unknown."

"What are they going to do by increasing those who can use Balance-Breaker? Now that's the problem."

Odin wasn't even putting on a serious face and said that while drinking the green tea. This old man was quite the easygoing old man. Maybe you can say he is a courageous person. Even in the battle from the other day, he went against the armies of Mid-Class and High-Class Devils by himself—Something one would expect from a God.

"Well, this is something that is still being investigated, so nothing will start even if we discuss it here. Geezer, are there any places you want to go?"

When Odin asked the old God, Odin moved his fingers with a lecherous face. "I sure want to go to the Titty bar!"

Azazel let out a haughty laugh in response. "Haha, you sure have good taste, Chief God-dono! Hell yeah, let's go there right now then! Young girls from my organization opened up a shop in this town for the VIP's recently. I will invite you there then!"

"Uhohoho! To be expected from Azazel-boy! You sure know your things! Prepare me a big-breasted one right away! I'm going to grope many of them!"

"Follow my lead, shitty geezer! Welcome to Japan! Do you want to untie their kimono obi? That is something you must do at least once when you come to Japan! I will show you the Japanese style!"

"I can't wait for it~ I can't wait for it indeed~!"

Both of them heated up and left the room immediately.

"Lord Odin! I…I'm also going!"

Rossweisse followed after them, but…

"You stay here. It won't be a problem if Azazel is with me. You can stay put in this house."

"No! I'm going!"

They had a conversation like that in the corridor, and she followed them. All of our group and Barakiel, who were left behind, made a sigh.

"Hold it."

Shirou stepped forward and confronted Odin before he and Azazel could leave.

"I need to talk to you, old man."

"Ho? Are you planning on joining us at the Titty Bar?" Odin suggested jokingly. "Hohoho! You were going to have a woman in the middle of the day, and now this? I admire the youth; they never tire out."

"Cut the crap already." Shirou gave him a look that showed he wasn't in the mood to mess around. "I'm not here to talk to a walking dirty old man, cliche. I want to talk to the God of Asgard, Odin."

"Oh?" At the drop of a hat, Odin's demeanor changed, and everyone could feel how different of a presence he had when he was serious. "Careful now, I like you, but you should mind yourself a bit."

Whether that was a warning or a threat didn't make a difference, as Shirou didn't waiver for a moment. "Do I now? Unfortunately, patience is something I never picked up."

"Well, you wanted to talk, so tell me, what has you looking so serious?"

Odin addressed, curious enough to indulge his request.

"It's this guard duty job. You say we're supposed to be guarding you while you're in town, but I can't help but feel like there's more to this than you're telling us."

The members of the OCR looked confused by his accusation, while Azazel and Barakiel merely frowned, and Ren and Mika weren't surprised at all.

"And why does that bother you? I'm here to meet with the Gods of this country, and you all will act as my guards if needed. How much more straightforward could it be?"

Odin spoke as though he couldn't see what the problem was, but Shirou wasn't convinced.

"Yes, but the question is, who exactly are we "needed" to guard you from?" Shirou questioned. "If it were just members of the Khaos Brigade, you wouldn't need much help, and that Valkyrie, from what I can see, is strong enough to be an adequate bodyguard, so where do we come in? I suppose you could argue that because we live in this town and it is our territory, it makes sense that we would have a role in escorting you, but what about the Fallen Angels? Two Cadre Fallen Angels like Azazel and Barakiel, there's no way you'd gather that much firepower unless you believed it was necessary."

Odin wore the smile of a sly old fox and retorted. "Isn't it possible that I'm just erring on the side of caution?"

"You are a man who single-handedly challenged an army of Old Satan Faction members whose numbers were too high to count. Cautious is not a word I'd use to describe you."

Odin was unoffended by that remark and shrugged his shoulders. "You got me there."

Rias stepped forward, a bit concerned by the direction of this conversation. "Shirou, what are you trying to say?"

"Think about it. All of us here are powerful individuals with unique abilities and have experienced life-or-death battlefields before. We're not a group that was built to defend someone, but rather, we're a group that specializes in destroying powerful enemies. Instead of protecting a God, we'd be more in our element fighting a God." Shirou pointed out, getting their attention. "That might sound like a stretch, but then again, you did mention that your country was in trouble because of a "trouble lad" who was against what you're trying to do."

Azazel let out a sigh and rubbed his head. "I should have guessed he'd figure it out."

"If he's from your Faction and someone that you consider troublesome, that can only mean he's another Norse God, and the reason a group like this has been gathered as your guard is that you and Azazel believe that he's going to make his move during your stay at this town. More than that, you aren't preparing for the possibility that you might be attacked; you're certain you'll be attacked, and we're here to act as an assault team to fight off your assailant."

Shirou finished his hypothesis. Odin gazed at him for a bit as though he was reevaluating him before his smile grew. "You're quite the sharp one, ey boy?"

"I'm not your boy, Odin." Shirou didn't appreciate his condescending tone.

"Let's it was true, and everything is exactly like you think it is, what then?" Odin asked hypothetically. "Does this mean you won't take the job? Will you step away now that you know you'll have to fight against a God?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Shirou smirked confidently. "If we were the type to back down from dangerous enemies, we never would have fought Kokabiel or the Old Satan Faction. It doesn't matter if they're a God or anything else. Anyone who tries to start something with us or our town will learn what all the others learned—Messing with our group is a big mistake."

The rest of the peerage smiled as well and felt a sense of pride upon hearing those words. It was true. All of them were fully prepared to fight and defend their town regardless of who they had to go up against. In response, Rias stood beside Shirou and addressed Odin as well.

"Lord Odin, he speaks for all of us. We have every intention of fulfilling our roles in guarding you, but it would help if you told us exactly what it is we are guarding you from."

"All right, so be it then. All you kids are so confident and full of yourselves these days. I can't say I hate that though."

"Forgive me; it was my idea to keep it from you." Azazel chimed in alongside Odin. "I planned on telling you at some point later on, but perhaps it would be better to inform you right now."

"It's basically as you described. I'm all but positive that a God from my side is going to appear and try to prevent me from allying Valhalla with the Japanese Gods. He's the type of person who will take matters into his own hands, which has always been trouble, but this time, he'll stop at nothing to get his way." Odin informed them before narrowing his own good eye. "He is the Evil God—Loki."

"An Evil God?" Rias was taken aback by that statement.

"Loki as the villain, who didn't see that coming?" Mika asked sarcastically with half-closed eyes.

"Honestly, I would have been shocked if it wasn't Loki." Ren admitted. "It's been done so many times it seems obligatory to have him be the villain whenever Asgard is involved."

While they were finishing their conversation, Odin continued. "Loki might be a brat, but his power is without question. When it comes to magic, his abilities are greater than almost any other God out there, and he's ruthless enough to not care about how he uses it or who gets caught up in his destruction."

"But Lord Odin, why can't you merely stop Loki yourself?" Xenovia decided to ask.

"It's not like a couldn't, but Asgardian magic is different from what you all use. The power output and destructive force are on an entirely different level. If I tried fighting Loki, we'd end up destroying this whole country in the process." Odin explained. "That's why I need others to do the fighting."

"And that's where we come in." Shirou summarized.

"Well, if all goes well, you'll have some time before he makes his move. Use it to prepare yourselves however you feel is necessary."

With that, Odin turned around and proceeded to walk away once again.

"Lord Odin, where are you going?" Rossweisse questioned him.

"Where else?" Odin responded, now back to sounding like a dirty old man. "I'm done answering questions, so now I can get back to finding me a big-chested woman."

"Why must you act this way?!" Rossweisse cried out as she chased after him.

"Well, I'm going with him. Part of the job is never leaving him on his own." Azazel stated as departed as well.

Once they were gone, the rest of them stayed and were now dealing with the situation now that they had all this new information.

"An Evil God." Rias breathed out, trying to imagine it.

"This is beyond anything we've faced before." Kiba noted with some concern.

"At least we'll have Azazel-sensei with us." Asia pointed out a silver lining.

"…Not just Azazel." Koneko added, sounding a bit uncomfortable.

She wasn't the only one, though. After the others had left, there was an uncomfortable tension in the air that formed around them. That was coming from Akeno and the way she was glaring daggers at Barakiel—Her father. He was staring back at her; there was no glare from him, but his expression was unreadable.

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"Akeno, I need to speak to you."

After the meeting with Odin had concluded, Barakiel called upon Akeno to meet with him in one of the private rooms, and despite her trepidations, she met with him but insisted that Shirou be present as well, which Barakiel accepted as he also wanted him to be there. The Welsh Dragon sat beside Akeno while she and Barakiel were having a very bitter conversation.

"Don't casually call my name."

Akeno's voice was so sharp and cold that even Shirou had never heard her like this before. She also didn't have her smiley face; instead, she had an unpleasant face of unbridled contempt.

Barakiel waited a moment before he asked what was on his mind. "…I must know—Why were you meeting with the Red Dragon Emperor in a lucidious place?"

"Fair question but hard to answer." Shirou thought. "I highly doubt he'd believe if I told him we got there by accident while running from the others who were following us."

He didn't need to answer as Akeno did first. "This is my life. Why do I have to have you comment about this?"

"I'm worried about you. I'm worried that you are…Receiving embarrassing treatments."

Shirou wanted to shake his head at Barakiel's awareness. "Embarrassing treatments? How could she be embarrassed when she hardly understands the concept of modesty?"

"Whatever treatment I might receive is no concern of yours. I'm amazed you even have the gal to speak as though you have any reason to worry about me."

"All right, that's pushing it a bit." Shirou couldn't ignore her level of disgust. "Seriously, what happened between these two?"

"I'm saying this as a father—"

Barakiel tried to reason with her, but Akeno talked over him.

"Don't act like a father! Then why didn't you come for me back then!? The one who left Mother to die without helping was you!"

"….…" Barakiel became silent with those words.

Shirou knew that look; it was the look of someone who had been told the words that hurt more than a gut punch. It was as though he desperately wanted to find the right words, or any words at all that could help the situation, but he just didn't know where to find them, if they even existed at all. He couldn't say anything, but Akeno clearly had more to say.

"You… Disappear from here! You are not my father!"

Akeno's scream. Hearing that, Barakiel stood up from his seat and then said it while closing his eyes.

"…Sorry."

When he apologized with such short words, he left here. His back, though strong and sturdy, looked painfully sad.

After he walked out the door, Shirou turned to Akeno and spoke. "You…"

Before he could say anything more, Akeno hugged me tightly as though she were a frightened child. It seemed like she had some feelings she couldn't tell him inside her.

"I beg you. Don't say anything.… Let me stay like this for a short while. Please, Shirou…"

Her voice was trembling with a cry. It had been a long time since he had heard one of his friends sounding so broken and fragile, so Shirou did the one thing he knew she needed right now.

TAP!

With a tap of his finger on the side of her temple, Shirou hit her with a bit of magic that was needed for a sleep spell, and before she knew what hit her, Akeno's consciousness faded as she fell into his arms fast asleep.

…He may not have known what fully happened between this father and daughter pair, but forcing her to deal with all that emotional turmoil at once was too cruel a request and one that was too much for her right now. It was better that she let herself rest for a bit and put her mind at ease.

Shirou lifted Akeno up and carried her out the door, intending to guide her to her bedroom.

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After leaving her alone for a while, Shirou figured now would be a good time to talk about what had happened with Barakiel, and he was now outside her door, preparing to step inside. Before Shirou opened the door, he thought back to the conversation he had with Azazel earlier after said Fallen Angel heard about what had transpired.

(Can I leave Akeno in your care?)

Azazel asked that of him with a serious face.

Shirou didn't respond to the sudden request and waited for him to say more. Azazel continued as if he was telling him something.

(You probably know, but Akeno hates Barakiel and the Fallen Angels. Since Barakiel came this time, she won't listen to me as well. The only man who can talk to her properly is you—If something happens, please support her. I can feel safe if it is you.)

(This isn't the first time you've asked this of me, but… I don't have the whole story.)

(Want to hear it? —Though if you hear it from me, I would talk as if I'm supporting the Fallen Angels' side since I'm the Governor of the Fallen Angels. At the same time, if you hear it from Akeno, it will be full of hatred. If you want to hear it, then hear it from Sirzechs or Grayfia. Those two will tell you from the proper perspective.)

Azazel continued on.

(…I'm sure you realized it after living with her, but there is a part in Akeno where she is emotionally weak. Usually, she acts as the admiration of the school students, one of the Two Great Ladies who is covered with elegance. But when that is removed, the one there would be a girl similar in her age. The 'Queen,' who has to be the calmest, acted differently to the King's tactics."

(I know that. People always try hard to act good, but it's all about 'looking good' for them. They're the kind of people who would do anything to avoid dropping their mask because they can't bear to face what they're hiding behind it. In spite of her elegant and confident demeanor, she's surprisingly fragile beneath her surface. Something she has in common with Rias.)

(Well, sounds like you know her pretty well. That's good, it makes things easier.)

Azazel put his hand on Shirou's shoulder and said his next words with sad eyes.

(There will be times when she shows those sides of her to you, so try to do something about it when that happens.)

(She's already shown me this side of her. Maybe not to this extent, but this isn't new for me.)

(I'm glad to hear that. This is one of those times where your ability as a man is put to the test. It's nothing much; girls will feel safe when you embrace them and kiss them once or twice.)

(Hmph… It takes more than that.)

Shirou was brought out of his thoughts when he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

{It's open!}

Shirou sighed and braced himself. "Time to be a man."

The door opened, and he walked into the room. Akeno was in bed. Her eyes weren't red anymore, but her eyes still held pain within them. Shirou approached the bed and stood at the side as Akeno merely looked up at him.

"Sit down. We need to talk." She said.

Shirou figured she would say that and did as she said and sat down. Akeno then moved from her position of lying down and sat up so that she could sit beside him. The two Devil teenagers stayed silent for a minute before the Pawn broke the silence.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" He asked the beautiful young woman.

"I want to explain myself. Why I yelled at Barakiel." She said to the young man. This got Shirou's full attention, and he turned his body to face Akeno. "You already know how they meet. My mother, the priestess Shuri, was born and raised at a shine. They met after my father was injured in battle, and my mother nursed him back to health. They fell in love, and before long, I was born. Because of the scandal, the Himjima clan disowned us and kicked us out on our own. So, we left to start a quiet life with my father."

Shirou nodded in silence as he listened to her.

"Naturally, those days of peace didn't last very long. When my black wings started coming in, I had no idea people would hate them as much as they did. What kid thinks their neighbors are going to try and murder her?"

Shirou had a feeling he knew where this story was going.

"My mother tried desperately to shield me from them."

Shirou frowned, all but sure his assumption was correct. "Let me guess—She died protecting you?"

"Yes, life suddenly changed. I spent my days running from those who hunted me."

Akeno's mind went back to that fateful day. With her clothes covered in mud and dirt, she was wandering inside a forest. She could recall how weak her body was from going for days without food.

"I was just a child, and children have their limits." She remembered collapsing on the ground. She was exhausted and on the verge of death when she saw them.

Crimson shoes walking towards her. When she looked up, Akeno would see none other than the girl who would save her life and give her a purpose that would have justified her existence. Someone she would die for—For everything she gave her.

"When both my spirit and body failed to go any further…" Akeno trailed off as she remembered what that girl said.

(You can die alone, or you can live for me.)

"…Rias showed up and saved my life."

"Live for me?" Shirou pondered that familiar line. "I guess Rias never changes."

Akeno looked down at the ground, refusing to look Shirou in the eyes. The Silver-haired youth looked at her with a mixed expression that came in the form of a frown. He could almost feel the great pain that was born out of the suffering that Akeno had to endure, as well as the anger toward the people who wanted to murder her. Honestly, it was really only good fortune that Rias had come to rescue her when she did. Otherwise, she would died without a doubt.

"I needed to tell you everything about my history. That way, I can finally try and put it behind me. But I can't!" Akeno shook her head violently. "The jerk tossed us aside to fend for ourselves! There's no way I can call that bastard father!"

Shirou remained sitting there. He now had a grasp of her hatred, though he couldn't fully agree with it. "That's why you hate Barakiel? You hold him accountable for your mother's death?"

"Of course I do! If he had been there, she would still be alive! My mother is dead because he wasn't there when we needed him. It's too late…" But then she stopped for a moment as if her unbridled hate started to waiver. "I don't know… I don't know anything anymore!"

She looked into his eyes and said. "What I said back at the hotel…That's how I honestly feel."

"Akeno, you…" Shirou trailed off as Akeno undid her obi.

"Please, I want you."

Shirou's eyes widened before frowning slightly. Being there with Akeno, throwing herself at him without a single care, brought back memories.

He still remembered when Rias came to him that night, and Shirou saw in her eyes the desperation she was letting out. She wanted to have sex with him to make everything feel better for her, but it was a false remedy. Many people have made this mistake, and they always wake up regretting it. This wasn't what she needed. If anything, it was just going to make this worse.

But before he could say anything, Akeno fully untied her obi.

DROP!

The white cloth drops on the floor. Now, in front of him, Akeno was wearing nothing and was in the state she was born in. A white naked body. It wasn't just her breasts that were visible. Her arms, her thighs, her loins, her everything. Akeno approached him while putting her hand around his neck. She then hugged him.

Akeno's body was very tender, smooth, and soft. The woman's soft and very elastic body was enough to blow a man's brain away.

Revealing her large breasts. She then lowered herself down on Shirou's chest and hugged him tightly. Every part of Akeno was arousing to any man. Her body was so soft, tender, smooth, and elastic that it melted his mind. On his chest, Akeno's breasts pressed down as their nipples touched. Shirou's will was being put to the test as the sensation of her rubbing them on him was on a mission to fully entice him. They were very soft, almost like Rias. But they were also slightly bigger. And then there was the sweet pheromone that he smelt from Akeno's silky black hair.

Then Akeno whispers in his ear.

"Make love to me…"

Akeno brought her head back and looked Shirou in the eyes. But from the moment he laid eyes on her face, Shirou could see the expression that she was. It was devoid of life altogether. It seemed like she didn't care and was in self-abandonment.

The same look Rias had before he started her.

Akeno approached her face and… She intended to try and kiss him.

…If they were to kiss like this, things would most likely escalate, and they would most likely go all the way until the end…

…But Shirou had no intention of doing so.

POW!

With a swing of his arm, Shirou planted his fist into Akeno's face and hit her so hard that her body was blown off the bed and sent flying across the room until she crashed into the bedroom wall. As her body slid down to the floor, Shirou lowered his fist and let out a sigh.

"First Rias and now you… Are both of you women nothing but animals in heat?"

While he said that, Akeno sat there and placed a hand over the cheek that was punched. There wasn't a mark or a bruise or any kind of damage on her, she had the durability of the Queen to thank for that, but she could still feel the force behind his blow and the feeling of rejection that hurt her even more.

"…Why? Is my body not attractive…?"

Akeno asked him with a shaking voice. It sounded as though she thought he would make love to her like this.

"If all I wanted was an attractive body, I'd get a hooker." Shirou got up from the bed and approached her. "You might be able to fool yourself, but you can't fool me. I know what's in your heart and what you need, and this isn't what you need; it isn't even what you want."

"…That isn't true!" Akeno desperately protested. "I…Want you to do this to me. I want to give my body to you, and be embraced with your chest, and get rid of everything… They are right in front of your eyes, and you can have them by pushing me down. …But why?"

"Why? I could ask you the same thing." Shirou retorted, not believing her. "Why do you think this will help you at all? What makes you think sex is something kind of ultimate cure-all that will get rid of all your problems? It won't! Whether we do it or not, nothing will change."

"But… But what if it will…?" Akeno breathed out while gazing down at the floor with a solemn expression. "What if… It will help me forget… Even if it's only for a little while…"

"Do you think I haven't thought about it? Because I have, about us, I mean." Shirou softly admitted to her. "There have been times now and then where I… I did want to do this with you."

"—!"

It seemed like Akeno regained her proper consciousness with my words as she looked up at him, taken aback.

"Then… Then why not—?"

Before she could go on, he continued.

"The first time is precious for a Japanese girl—That's something Rias said, and while it may just be a fascination for her, you really are a Japanese girl; something like this is a monumental moment for you. But right now, all you're doing is trying to forget a painful memory. You are vulnerable and emotional right now. If you just jump into sex while in this state, without the rationality to decide if you truly want this, you'll end up regretting it for the rest of your life."

"I can decide. What would you do if I said this is what I truly want? I'm trying to feel relieved by making love with you and heading toward the battle. I thought that I could get rid of this feeling if I made love with you."

"Then why do you cry?"

Once again, Akeno was taken aback. Up until that moment, she hadn't noticed it at all, but after hearing him say those words, she was made aware of the tears forming around her eyes.

"You know the truth, don't you? Deep down, you've always known; you've just been trying to run away from it because you weren't ready to face it. But you can't keep running for the rest of your life. What you really need to heal the wound in your heart isn't just momentary pleasure to help yourself forget. Instead, you need to stop trying to forget and actually deal with it to gain some closure. You need to accept the truth."

"And what truth is that?"

"How you really feel. You don't really hate Barakiel, do you?"

Akeno's eyes shot open, and she couldn't believe what she had just heard. It took less than a second for her to deny it.

"Of course I do! I will always hate that man!"

Shirou was unconvinced.

"Why? For what reason do you hold onto such hate?"

"I told you, he's the reason my mother died! If he hadn't left us, she'd still be alive!"

"When I was younger, my parents died, and I wasn't there to save them. Does that mean their deaths are my fault?"

Akeno's anger came to a halting stop and gazed at him in shock that he would even say such a thing.

"No, of course not; how could you even think that?"

"By your logic, if Barakiel is at fault for your mother's death, I'm to blame for my parent's death as well."

"That's not the same thing!" Akeno insisted.

"How so? In the end, our loved ones died because we weren't there to save them. That's what you said, isn't it?"

Akeno was at a loss for words, she truly didn't know what to say. It was true that his reasoning was sound, and he was using her own words, but trying to deny his fault meant she had to deny Barakiel's and couldn't do that, but she always couldn't bear the idea of holding Shirou accountable for the loss of his parents, that would be unforgivably cruel in her eyes.

She was caught in a pitfall, knowing that, Shirou continued.

"When your mother died, you were hurt—Hurt and in so much pain that you couldn't bear it all, nothing made sense anymore, and your whole world came crashing down. You were angry at the world that took your mother from you, and you couldn't go on without someone to blame, someone to take all that anger out on, and that someone ended up being Barakiel. You convinced yourself that it was his fault and made him bear all of your hatred. You had to; if you hadn't and were forced to carry that all inside, it would have consumed you until nothing remained."

Akeno looked away; his words were stirring something inside of her, and she wasn't sure if she liked it.

"Over the years, you learned to cope with those feelings, but you still can't put them behind you. You still miss your mother, and every time you remember her, you block out the pain with hatred. You use your hatred for Barakiel to avoid facing the pain of losing your mother. But deep in your heart, you know that will never make anything better, and you know that despite everything, you don't have the right to hate him."

"The right?"

Akeno couldn't believe the nerve he had to say such a thing to her, and what did he mean—He answered her internal questions right away.

"In the pain of losing your mother, you're ignoring the fact that she wasn't just your mother; she was also his wife." Shirou reminded her. "The woman he loved, he vowed to spend the rest of his wife with, and he started a family with. He spent so much more time with her than you and loved her as much as you did, if not more. And the pain you felt when you lost her was no less real than the pain he felt. But you know that already, don't you?"

Now Akeno was quiet. It was as if someone had looked inside her heart and was voicing all the inner thoughts she tried to push away because she didn't want to hear them. She couldn't say anything to retort his proclamation, but he wasn't done.

"But his pain runs even deeper. After she died, you gained a new family. Rias and the rest of the Gremory household took you in and helped fill the void, and after a while, you learned how to smile again and gained some new happiness. He had none of that. Barakiel never had anyone to help ease his pain or anything to fill the void left by his wife, and the only family he had left was a daughter who despised him so much that she constantly told him that his suffering was his own fault and his very existence disgusted her and why? Because taking the knife in his heart and twisting it for years was easier for you than just saying the words: I was wrong, and I'm sorry."

Akeno kept her head down and could no longer face him. Shirou was finally done and said all that he needed to say, so he turned away. Akeno was left sitting on that floor with everything laid bare. The layers around her heart had been stripped away and were left as Naked as her body. She could no longer hide the truth or turn away from it, not now that he had torn down all the walls she spent years hiding behind.

"You're cruel… So cruel… You really don't hold back…"

Akeno breathed out an emotionless whisper as she sat there.

"It wouldn't anyone any good if I sugarcoated the truth."

Shirou replied in a monotone way as he walked toward the bedroom door.

"Tell me, what do you want from me…?" Akeno whispered out, her emotionless tone hiding the desperation in her eyes as tears formed around her eyelids. "How can I ever face him after all that? Everything I've said, all the pain I caused him? How can I ever ask him to forgive me after all this time?"

"How?" Shirou almost scoffed. "You really don't know anything, do you? Or do you think you're the first person in the world to be a jackass to their father?"

"What?" Akeno looked confused by his response.

"Parents don't hate their children for their mistakes. They forgive them; that's what unconditional love means." Shirou spoke as though he was informing her of something obvious. "And in case you hadn't noticed, even if you stopped thinking of him as your father, in his eyes, no matter what happened, you never stopped being his daughter."

With those final words, Shirou opened the bedroom door and walked out before closing the door behind him. Now that she was alone, Akeno was left processing his words. Her thoughts and emotions kept whirling around inside of her, and she didn't know how to feel. In the end, all she could do was stay there in the dark as she started to cry.

It started out as a quiet sniffle before growing into full-blown sobbing. All the feelings she had been trying to suppress for years were being released. Akeno cried for a very long while, but during that time, her mind kept going back to memories of her father. The good memories she had when she was a child and every day was joyful before it all went bad.

It was almost as if her tears were cleaning her emotions, and all the negative and hateful feelings she had for her father were just ebbing away.

….….….….….….….…….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….…….….….….….….….….….….….….….

On a certain night, only a day had passed since Odin's arrival.

The Peerage, Azazel, Ren, Odin, and Rossweisse were inside the wagon of the eight-legged warhorse called Sleipnir.

The Sleipnir was a special horse in that it ran across the air in the night sky, and so they traveled over the town from above.

It wasn't just the warhorse that was big, but the wagon was also quite large, and because of that, there was enough space for everyone to sit comfortably.

Kiba, Xenovia, Irina, and Barakiel were flying outside as a guard. This was done so they could take on the terrorists immediately if they showed up.

"The Japanese 'Yamato Nadeshiko' sure is good~. Geisha girls are the best~."

Odin laughed "hohoho" while putting on a satisfied expression, acting as carefree as ever.

Lately, their job of guarding him consisted of them being dragged to various places in Japan with the giant warhorse. They went to Kyabakura, located in the metropolitan area, and they went to amusement parks, not to mention sushi restaurants. They were sightseeing Japan as the old man wanted to. It was actually a little impressive how much ground they could cover in a day.

Because they were underage and high school students, there were places they couldn't enter, so they had to be on standby near the entrances—Or at least that would have been the case had Shirou not reminded them that they could simply use magic to hypnotize the guards and staff to let them in.

Again, it annoyed him that he had to remind them of that.

He wasn't the only one who was unhappy, though, as all the group members had exhausted expressions due to having to chaperone Odin all day. Beside Shirou, Asia was leaning her head on my shoulder and sleeping along with Mika, who was resting her head on his lap.

Akeno, on the other hand, was… It looked like her mind was elsewhere. She was emitting an aura from her body which was saying not to talk to her.

"Lord Odin! It's almost time for the meeting with the Gods of Japan, so please lose that mindset of being on vacation. At this rate, you will be yelled at by other people when we return to our homeland."

The past few days, Rossweisse responded calmly and followed Odin, but it seemed like she was at her limit and was about to explode.

"Geez, you are a woman who doesn't know how to lighten up. How about you relax a little? That's why you can't even get a single man."

"This has nothing to do with me not having a b-b-boyfriend! I'm not s-single because I want to be!"

And with that, Rossweisse started crying again. Shirou rolled his eyes at their usual antics. "From what I can see, the only reason she's single is that she has to spend all her time babysitting this perverted Gandolf."

KAKUN!

HIHEEEEEEEEEEN!

Suddenly, the wagon stopped, and the impact of the cargo stopping hit the front. Everyone lost their balance at the unexpected event.

"What happened!? Don't tell me it's a terrorist!?" Rosseisse questioned ugrenty.

"I don't know! Though when things like this happen, it's never anything good!" Azazel responded, on alert.

Soon, they heard the cry of a horse. That meant something had happened to Sleipnir.

When they looked out from the window of the wagon… Kiba, Xenovia, and Irina were in battle positions while Barakiel was positioned at the center. Meanwhile, everyone who was still inside the wagon was now wide awake and bracing themselves for a fight.

…Up ahead, a young-looking man was floating in front of the wagon. He was a good-looking man who had a bit of an evil and sinister look in his eye. He had yellow eyes and light gray hair that floated behind him like a tail, along with two chest-length bangs. The attire he was wearing resembled the robe that Odin wore when he was dressed up properly, except the main color of his robe was black. He also had 3 blue jewels on his forehead and yellow earrings.

Rossweisse, who realized who that man was, put on a very shocked expression, and Azazel made a sound with his tongue.

When the man lifted his robe, he made a smirk and talked very mightily.

"Nice to meet you, everyone! I am the Evil God of Northern Europe! Loki!"

Everyone had serious eyes. It seemed like some of them were very shocked. It's as if their faces were saying. "No, it can't be."

Azazel flaps his black wings and exits the wagon.

"…Loki. A Norse God."

Rias spoke while next to Shirou.

"So he really did show up. I guess the old man's hunch was right."

Shirou spoke, not as concerned as the rest, while Mika stayed beside him.

"But seriously, did he just call "himself" an Evil God? At this point, they're not even trying to hide it."

At that point, Azazel joined the members of the group who were already in the air and confronted Loki.

"If it isn't Loki-dono. To meet you in a place like this. Do you have some business with us? On this wagon is the chief God of Northern Europe, Odin-dono. Your action is something done while knowing that, no?" Azazel asked calmly.

The God called Loki then spoke while crossing his arms. "Nothing much. Our chief God left our organization to get in touch with other Factions, and that is very painful to endure."

Hearing that, Azazel changed his speaking manners.

"You are quite arrogant to say that up front, Loki."

His voice is also mixed with anger. Even if he looked like that, Azazel liked peaceful days, so he seemed to hate those who came and selfishly disrupted the peace.

Hearing Azazel, Loki laughed with enjoyment.

"Fuhahahaha, if this isn't the Governor General of the Fallen Angels! Normally, I wouldn't want to meet you or the Devils, but it can't be helped—Along with Odin and the others, you shall receive my punishment."

"So it's okay for you to get in touch with other Factions? That's contradictory." Azazel pointed out.

"It's okay if it is to destroy other Factions." Loki corrected him. "I don't agree about having peace. It is your religion which stepped foot on our soil and spread the Bible after all."

"…There's no point saying that to me. Say that to Michael or the deceased God from the Bible."Azazel replied while scratching his head.

"Either way, it is a problem for the Chief God Odin to negotiate with the Gods of the Far East. Then we won't be able to have the day of "Ragnarok".—What is it you wish to obtain by trading for the information regarding Yggdrasil?"

Azazel pointed his fingers and then asked. "I will ask you one thing! Are your actions connected with the Khaos Brigade? Wait, if I remember, you weren't an Evil God who would answer honestly."

Loki replied back without caring. "I feel sickened that you would mix my opinions with those foolish terrorists—I came here of my own will. And Ophis has nothing to do with this."

Hearing that answer, Azazel loosened the tension in his body.

"…So you are not from the Khaos Brigade. But this is also a problem in its own way. I understand, geezer. So this is the problem that the North Faction carries, huh."

When Azazel looked towards the wagon, Odin had just got out of the wagon with Rossweisse. He activated a magic circle under his feet, and he moved in the air along with the magic circle.

"Hmm. There are still hard-headed people, and that's the current situation we are facing. There are fools like this one who come out like this." Odin said that while stroking his white beard.

"Lord Loki! Your actions exceed your authority! Doing something like pointing your fangs towards the Chief God! This is unforgivable! You should make an argument at the official meeting!" Rossweisse changed from the business suit to armor immediately and then said that to Loki.

"A mere battle-maiden shouldn't get in my way. I'm asking Odin. Are you still planning to continue doing something that is outside our Norse world?" Loki questioned the Allfather.

Odin, who was urged to answer, replied normally.

"Yup. Talking to Sirzechs and Azazel is ten thousand times more interesting than talking to you. I want to know about Japanese Shinto. They also have an interest in our Yggdrasil. After we make peace, I'm thinking of exchanging our cultures by sending out each of our messengers."

Hearing that, Loki smirked.

"…I have confirmed your plans. It's such a foolish act—Let's have a display of powers here, then."

CHILLS!

A sudden feeling of dread filled the air. An overwhelming hostility started to pierce through the atmosphere and into everyone nearby.

The God Loki was releasing his hostility toward them… No, it was soon made clear that he was aiming his hostility solely at Odin—Such was his displeasure at the chief God.

"So, I can take that as a declaration of battle, right?"

Loki also smirked at Azazel's last warning.

"Take it as however you want it to be."

DOGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

Then, a large golden wave of light hit Loki.

When the rest of them looked to see what happened, it seemed like Xenovia had swung her Durandal. There was a massive amount of aura rising from the Holy Sword.

"Victory goes to one who makes the first move." Xenovia said calmly.

Shirou clicked his tongue at her actions. "…Moron."

"It seems like it didn't work. To be expected from a Norse God."

After Xenovia said that, Loki appeared from the smoke and floated there as if nothing happened.

"Holy Sword, huh? It has impressive power, but it isn't enough to take on a God yet. It's no different than a gentle breeze."

Following Xenovia's lead, Kiba creates a Holy-demonic Sword in his hand, and Irina also creates a Sword of Light in her hand.

Loki laughed while seeing that. "Fuhaha! Futile! Even if I look like this, I'm a God. A mere attack from a Devil and Angel is nothing."

Loki pointed his hand forward slowly.

Shirou's instincts immediately understood the pressure from the magic that was gathering in Loki's hand. All his instincts were telling him that he had to stop that attack from hitting them at any cost.

Shirou leaped out of the wagon and brought out his ten Devil wings as he charged forward at super-fast speed toward Loki.

GON!

Shirou closed the distance immediately and brought an aura of darkness that blanketed his body.

"—Ah. The infamous Red Dragon Emperor, I forgot that you would also be here. You have quite some power on you—But."

Glowing particles of light gather at Loki's hand. It was clear just by looking at it that he was compressing overwhelming power, and he was trying to release that at them. A direct hit from that would be fatal.

"It's still too early for you to take on a God!"

"…No—" Shirou muttered before he smirked.

Shirou incorporated a tactic Loki wasn't expecting and used his speed to close in further until he and Loki were only inches apart. Shirou then swung his arm and gripped Loki's wrist before using his skills in Judo to twist the Norse God's arm upward just as the wave of power from Loki was about to shoot.

DOBAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

The violent force of power let loose and unleashed a powerful blast that shot into the sky before it blew up, lighting up the heavens above them. The explosive wind created by it almost blew everyone away. This was the strike of a God; even the aftershock was dangerous.

Shirou released his grip and backed away from Loki. "It's too early for a God to take me on."

Red smoke dissipates from Loki's hand. Loki looked up and saw the residue from his attack up above, and he made a smile.

"…I see the rumors about you were not exaggerated; you are quite interesting. This is truly amusing. It certainly makes me happy. So I will have a laugh then. Fuhahahaha!"

Shirou was far less amused. "First Odin, now you. I'm really starting to hate Norse Gods."

Rias, Mika, and Akeno spread their wings and came out of the wagon. Rias is covered in a crimson aura, and she's in battle mode.

"Crimson hair. House of Gremory…Was it? You must be the blood relative of the current Devil King. Two leaders of the Fallen Angels, one Angel, many Devils, and on top of that, the Red Dragon Emperor is with you. Odin, for a mere guard, this is a bit overboard, don't you think?"

"A fool like yourself ended up coming here. It turned out to be the right decision after all."

Loki nodded at the old man's words and made an even stronger smirk.

"Very well. Then I will call it."

Saying that, he spread his robe and spoke out loudly.

"Come out! My adorable son!"

After a moment of silence after Loki's shout… A rift is created in space.

Nuuuuu...

The thing that appeared from the distorted space was...an ash-grey beast—No, a wolf. A giant wolf with greyish blue and two large yellow horns coming out of its shoulders, which look like it is 10 meters tall, appears in front of them and beside Loki.

CHILLS!

Play Ost — Sengoku Basara — Oda Nobunaga Theme

It hit them as instantly as a gust of wind. Everyone present was filled with an insurmountable sense of pressure.

The moment the wolf glared at Shirou, his body was unable to move, as if I was paralyzed…

He could feel his blood freeze as cold as ice through his entire body. This was no ordinary pressure; he felt more killing intent; he felt like an animal whose survival instincts were begging him at the top of their lungs to run away, and a sense of my heart being grasped. This was on a completely different level than confronting Loki. He tried reaching for his Sword, but as he grasped the hilt, his hands were shaking uncontrollably.

This had never happened before; he had faced off against monsters before and being of unimaginable power, and yet they were nothing when faced with this wolf. Even the unstoppable presence he felt from Vali's Juggernaut Drive felt little compared to this wolf. Even the absolute power he felt from Sirzechs seemed weak compared to this wolf. Even the Holy King Sword Caliburn, whose very existence was made to destroy him, felt insignificant compared to this wolf. There was no debating it; this wolf was the most powerful living creature he had ever faced by a landslide.

The wolf didn't show any sign of moving. It was just piercing them with its eyes.

[…Partner, he is dangerous. If you can, you should avoid him.]

"…Do me a favor… Keep it down, would you?" Shirou replied to his Dragon with frustration, never taking his eyes off the wolf as his hands were still shaking. "Bastard… He's got me pinned with his damn gaze."

But then, when he looked around, not only himself but the rest of the group were fairing much worse than Shirou against the pressure coming from the wolf. Rias, Ren, Kiba, and Xenovia were trembling and sweating as their expressions turned pale—Even the members who were the most daring were frightened at the unseen pressure that the wolf was giving out. Not only them but also Akeno, Irina, and Mika looked so horrified that they had trouble breathing as the light drained from their eyes; it seemed like they were on the verge of fainting.

This was bad; Shirou's terror was momentarily outweighed by his sense of duty as he knew that in the state they were all in, they were easy prey and would be killed in the blink of an eye if they didn't snap out of their trance, so he focused on the darkness gathered around his body and unleashed it.

"Haaaaaaaaa!"

DOOOOOONN!

With a mighty roar, Shirou let loose the full force of the Power of Darkness, but instead of letting it consume the enemies in front of him, he aimed at the allies behind him. Shirou blanketed the others in his darkness like a wave that consumed them and kept them surrounded in a somewhat defensive-like manner.

The darkness that covered them gave off its own pressure, but it was different than the one from the wolf; the pressure was almost…Soothing. While it wasn't nearly as strong as the wolf, knowing that this powerful presence piercing through came from an ally gave them a new sense of security, and more than that, it gave them the feeling of being protected. Feeling the darkness was like being blanketed by the presence of Shirou himself like he was cleansing the fear from their hearts, and before long, they regained some of their composure, enough to be no longer paralyzed with fear.

With his goal achieved, Shirou dispersed his darkness and let it fade before he turned to face the others. "You guys okay?"

"Yes, thank you, Shirou." Rias answered him with gratitude.

"You never fail to snap us out of our funk." Ren noted as the color returned to his face.

Loki watched the whole thing play out and seemed intrigued more than anything else.

"So that's the Power of Darkness I've been hearing about. An ancient power that once gave a human the aura of a God, and now it's in the hands of a Devil; what strange times we live in. No matter, it won't save them from Fenrir."

"This is bad… You guys, don't lay your fingers on that giant wolf! Shiroy, keep your distance from it!" Azazel exclaimed urgently.

Azazel's expression was so nervous that'd never seen him like this. The daring Azazel, who didn't even back down when taking on the old Devil Kings, was saying that…

"Azazel! What the hell is that wolf!?" Shirou shouted back at him.

Azazel answered his question as if he could barely slip a sound from his mouth.

"—Fenrir."

[—!?]

Everyone became shocked at Azazel's answer, but at the same time, they seemed to understand the reason for their trembling.

"Fenrir! Impossible, in a place like this!"

"…This is certainly bad."

Kiba and Rias both understood about the enemy, and they were on alert. At the same time, Mika clicked her tongue and seemed angry at herself.

"Of course, I should have known. In all the legends, Loki and Fenrir go hand-in-hand, so stands to reason that the real Loki would also have the real Fenrir with him

"Fenrir is one of the worst and greatest creatures in all the mythologies. Its fangs can kill a God, and it even preys on Dragons! If you get bitten by it, it's being skewered by a row of God-slaying blades that kill you on impact." Ren described as he continued gazing at Fenrir.

Loki spoke while patting Fenrir.

"That's right. You should be careful. This one is among the top-class of the worst monsters that I have created. After all, this one's fangs are something that can kill any God. I haven't tried it, but it should be effective against Gods from other religions. It can give mortal wounds whether you are a High-Class Devil or a legendary Dragon."

POINT!

Loki's finger was directed at Rias.

"I actually didn't want to use the fangs of my Fenrir on those, not from the Norse… Well, having this child learn the taste of the blood of those outside the Norse world might be a good experience for him."

The next words that came out of Loki's mouth made his intentions known to everyone.

"The blood relative of the Devil King. Tasting that blood will also become useful for Fenrir—Kill her."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!

Under the abyss night, the ash-grey wolf made a howl.

That howl was enough to make our whole bodies shiver, and yet, somehow, it sounded so beautiful that our hearts were attracted to its howl.

SWISH!

A single flow of wind. The wolf in front of them disappeared from sight…

CLASH!

Fenrir dashed in front of Rias before any of them could react, and after coming at her with godspeed, he was about to bite down on her with his fangs. But before his fangs could reach her flesh, Rias was knocked out of the way, and something else intercepted Fenrir's fangs.

After the clash, everyone soon adjusted their vision and was able to see what was happening. Shirou had somehow followed Fenrir's god-like speed and moved in time to prevent the wolf from skewering Rias by using his Divine Sword—Miike Tenta Mitsuyo to block Fenrir's fang. Now, they were in a power struggle as Shirou was trying to halt the wolf's advance.

"Shirou…"

Rias seemed to be the most shocked, realizing that she had almost been killed in a way that she wouldn't have even noticed.

"Stay back! This isn't over yet!"

Shirou's warning rang true as Fenrir began to push forward against Shirou's blade, and Shirou found himself being pushed back against the wolf's advance. Shirou struggled to push back against the wolf, but while his Sword could match the strength of Fenrir's fang, the strength and weight behind the wolf itself were too great for him to match; it was like trying to stop a moving train from advancing.

"Gugh!" Shirou felt the arm that was holding the Sword was about to give out while trying to endure the weight of Fenrir's charge. At that point, Shirou knew he only had one option. "No choice… Balance Break!"

[WELSH DRAGON — BALANCE BREAKER!]

DON!

[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]

Upon his command, Shirou donned his red Dragon armor and immediately powered up. Shirou raised his strength to a very high amount, knowing that it was necessary and that anything less against this wolf would mean certain death. All those Boosts increased his strength enough that he was able to slow down the wolf's advance. But it wasn't enough as Shirou stored all his increased power in his palm and coated himself in darkness.

DOBAAAAAAAAAAN!

Similar to how Loki's magic blast that held the power of a God lit up the night sky, Shirou unleashed a mighty torrent of darkness that darkened the sky until the night was darker than black, and it was like shadows had consumed the stars, leaving an abyss of darkness that no light could escape from. That was what Shirou had unleashed on Fenfir.

Through it all, everyone watching was amazed at the colossal amount of power that Shirou had let loose as it was comparable to the power of a God, and considering they had just seen Loki unleash his power, they knew what the power of a God looked like. On the other hand, those who hadn't seen Shirou in action before were shocked and in awe that he was capable of such power at all. Even being the Red Dragon Emperor wasn't enough for it to make sense in their eyes. Loki merely looked interested.

Music Off

When the darkness, Fenrir revealed himself. He had been pushed back a fair amount of distance but was otherwise unharmed. There wasn't a scratch on him anywhere. It seemed that even a God-level attack meant nothing to this beast.

"It had no effect…?"

Rias sounded as though she didn't want to believe her own words.

Shirou looked annoyed but unsurprised as he unsheathed his second Sword—Dyrnwyn. "I figured as much. This thing isn't even taking me seriously."

"That was quite the display, Red Dragon Emperor." Loki called out as he addressed Shirou. "But what impressed me even more than your attack was the fact that you were able to stop Fenrir's strike. Tell me, how were you able to intercept Fenrir's offense when I'm quite certain that his movements were too fast for even your eyes to follow?"

"Being unable to stop an attack just because you can't see it with your eyes? Do you take me for such a second-rate amateur?" Shirou responded, practically insulted.

"Oh?"

"No matter how fast someone is, countering them is easy if you know where they're going to be, and I knew after you conveniently pointed at Fenrir's target—Rias." Shirou pointed out. "After that, all I had to do was move before he did and arrive in front of her before him. Just because I'm not as fast as him doesn't mean I'm slow."

"I see you have a very sharp mind, almost as sharp as your Sword." Loki focused his eyes on Miike. "That is no ordinary Divine Sword. If it can block Fenrir's fangs, which can devour Gods, then that Sword must have specs comparable to his fangs—Meaning, what you have in your hands is a God-killing weapon."

"Yeah, I know that." Shirou then pointed the tip of his Sword at Loki. "And lucky for me, there's finally a God for me to kill with it."

Loki narrowed his eyes mercilessly.

"Welsh Dragon, you were able to follow Fenrir's movement, you possess a Godly aura and a God-Killing weapon, and you can unleash power that can rival my own. This is truly terrifying. Far more terrifying than I had imagined. It's just as I thought; I must get rid of you before anyone else, no matter the cost."

Loki prepared to give an order to Fenrir again.

"Lokkkkkkkki!"

Before Loki could give the order, Azazel and Barakiel moved in and flanked Loki from both sides before they each released a Spear of Light and Holy Lightning at the Evil God with maximum output.

"Even without using Fenrir, just two mere Fallen Angels won't be able to stand a chance against me."

A magic circle with an equation none of them had ever seen before appeared in order to shield him, which expanded throughout the sky.

Azazel and Barakiel's attack was easily blocked and didn't even leave a scratch on the shield.

"—! Norse magic! If I remember, their magic is more advanced than the magic of our religion! Just to be expected from the World that has greater magic and sorcery than our World!"

Azazel said that with disgust.

The two Fallen Angel leaders attacked at the same time, but it amounted to nothing. Such is the power of a God.

"Then I will use the same magic!"

BIIIIIIIIN!

Rossweisse activated many magic circles, which had the same equation as Loki's magic circle, and released many attacks from them randomly. It seems like it's a full-burst attack. It had a shocking power output. Rossweisse proved that she was quite a fighter. She was Odin's bodyguard, so it would be strange if she didn't have at least this much power.

But while the Valkyrie was a talented magic-user and sorcery, her opponent was still Loki, and the idea that she would be the superior magic-user was beyond wishful thinking.

BA BA BA BA BA BA BA BA BAAAAN!

Loki's defensive magic circles activated around his whole body and defended him from Rossweisse's attack. The difference in power made itself known when her magic, which was filled with a massive amount of firepower, was blocked by Loki's defense with hardly any effort.

"So even the same magic is useless!?" Rias questioned in dismay.

"No, it works, it just wasn't strong enough." Mika corrected her with distress.

"Now, it is my turn."

Loki moved to swing his hand to the side…

Fenrir's murderous intents increased along with it. Its emotionless and cold eyes were directed at them.

Shirou raised his blades and prepared to defend himself as the wolf began its charge at them. As the creature closed in, they all braced themselves, aware that it would take everything they had to survive against this beast when it was serious.

While his head was filled with the determination to fight back, a single light passed through Shirou's sight.

It went past the wolf at the speed of light…

HALF DIMENSION!

KUBABABABABABAN!

The space was distorted while having Fenrir at the center of it. Fenrir also had his movement sealed by the space distortion.

—But soon, it bit its jaws and tore apart the distortion made in the space with its fangs.

A white-silver entity clad in white Dragon armor that was identical to his own descended down between us and the wolf.

"Shirou Amakusa, I see that you're doing well."

"Vali…?"

The one that appeared in front of them was none other than the White Dragon Emperor, the descendent of the Old Lucifer and Shirou's sworn rival—Vali Lucifer.

But he wasn't alone.

"Oy oy, what the hell, you've gotten stronger again? Geez, what is up with Heavenly Dragons? You look away for a second, and next thing you know, they've powered up like crazy."

The one who came from the side while riding on a golden cloud was the descendant of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong—Bikou.

"—! Oh my, so it's the White Dragon Emperor, huh!" Loki smiled happily at Vali's appearance.

"How do you do, God of Evil Loki? I am the Vanishing Dragon—Vali. I came here to eliminate you."

Hearing Vali's declaration of war, Loki made an even stronger, dark smile.

"I am satisfied after seeing the Two Heavenly Dragons—I will retreat for today!" Loki brought the wolf back to him. When Loki turned his robe, a large distortion was created within space, and it enveloped the area around Loki and Fenrir. "But, on the day of meeting the Gods of this country! I will come here once again! Odin! Next time, Fenrir and I will definitely tear the chief-God's throat!"

When Loki and the wolf, Fenrir, disappeared, Shirou's eyes shifted back and forth from the spot Loki disappeared from to Vali and Bikou, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Shirou then took a deep breath and said what was on his mind. "Now, if somebody could only explain to me WHAT THE SHIT JUST HAPPENED!?"

….….….….….….….…….….….….….….….….….….….….….….….…….….….….….….….….….….….….….

Later on, everything quieted down, and everyone descended from the sky to the ground; they even brought down the wagon along with Slepiner. Once they had descended, the whole group found themselves in the middle of the park near the Kuoh Academy. Since it was still night, there were no people present.

Heading up the conversation that started after Loki's departure were Shirou, Rias, Azazel, Odin, Vali, and the rest of his team.

Vali was the first to speak.

"To make Odin's meeting successful, you will need to take down Loki, correct?" Vali said it without hesitation after looking around at everyone. "You won't be able to fend off Loki and Fenrir with just these members. And also because of the Hero-Faction's attack, the Underworld, Heaven, and Valhalla are in a ruckus. So they won't be able to send more people to your aid."

No one could argue back against his claim.

Shirou's eyes and Vali's eyes met. Vali made a bitter smile, and Shirou narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously.

"Tell me, how was it that you knew that Loki would be here and at this time?" Shirou asked, still on alert. "The timing of your arrival seemed a little convenient."

"We've been keeping a lookout for Loki for a while now, and when he appeared, Bikou and Kuroka were able to pinpoint his location; all we had to do was keep our focus on this town because we knew that Odin was here, and he was Loki's target." Vali explained in a manner that left no holes in his logic. "As for our timing, well, be glad it worked out when it did. If we had arrived any later, you lot would certainly have died."

The way he said it was so condescending that it frustrated them, but what they hated even more was the fact that they couldn't necessarily say that he was wrong.

They stared at Vali. When they looked, Bikou and Arthur—The Holy-King Sword wielder, were behind him. And so was Kuroka—The SS criminal Nekomata and Koneko's older Sister. It seemed like they were waiting for their response.

"Even if that's true, the same applies to you all. I know strength when I see it, and I can see that your squad can't beat those guys either."

When Shirou told Vali those words without any scorn but only as a matter of fact, Vali shrugged his shoulder.

"It's unfortunate, but I completely agree with you. Even the current me won't be able to take on Loki and Fenrir at the same time." He confessed, but he wasn't finished. "But…" Vali looked directly at me. "It's a different story if the Two Heavenly Dragons were to join forces."

[—!]

Everyone around them became shocked at Vali's suggestion. The ones who weren't shocked were Vali and his comrades. None of them ever imagined that Vali, of all people, would say that. The one most shocked appeared to be Azazel.

They were so shocked that they couldn't speak, and Vali continued. "For this battle, I'm saying I don't mind fighting alongside Shirou Amakusa."

The only one outside of the Vali Team who wasn't shocked seemed to be Shirou. The two Dragon-users never broke eye contact as he processed what Vali had said before he matched Vali's smile with his own. "I had a feeling you'd say something like that."

—…

Ō ō

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And that's the chapter.

First of all, like I said I wanted to get this out earlier but I'm just glad I finished it before the end of the month. Now on to the chapter, I'm sure some of you were hoping that Akeno and Shirou would have slept together and they will, trust me, but now would have been the wrong time for that.

I always felt that Akeno's hatred for her father was unjustified and like Shirou said, while that was her mother, she ignored that fact that it was also his wife that was killed so he wasn't just as hurt if not more so than she was when she died, and I never liked how no one called her out on that in the canon, they just made up, so Shirou told her the hard truth.

And on to the confrontation with Loki, to this day I never understood why peple preferred doing the anime version of this part of the story after seeing how it compared to the light novel. In the anime, Loki and Fenrir were severely nerfed, a lot of stuff was cut, a lot less people showed up for the fight and the threat felt much lower compared to the light novel version. I really don't like all those things and I just don't prefer the anime version in general so I'm sticking to the light novel version.

Also, I find it odd how in the anime, Loki openly admits to working with the Khaos Brigade but in the light novel he's insulted by the very idea of working with them. I plan on giving the full on battle with Loki a lot of attention and I have quite a few changes in mind when I get to it so you can look forward to that.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. If you want more, then be sure to leave a review. If you like the story, click the follow/favorite, and as always, have an awesome day. Happy Holidays to all.