One-Punch DxD: NEO

Chapter 104: Premonitions

On the ruined highways which connected Ashgabat to the surrounding region, a figure walked in the midst of flame, death and ruins. She was a young-adult woman clad in a purple gothic-lolita outfit, with short hair adorned with numerous ribbons. Behind her were several figures clad in dark cloaks, despite the hot climate of Turkmenistan.

The woman's nose twitched, her expression went into a small scowl as she waved her hand to dismiss the putrid smell permeating the smoke-filled air. She then began looking around, as if looking for something.

She walked around a little more, with her entourage following behind without a word. Eventually, a few minutes later, her lips twitched into a small smirk at the bizarre sight before her.

It was a large, organic, deformed humanoid remains that looked as if it had been placed inside the furnace before the said furnace exploded; more surprising that the remains were more or less intact enough for the woman to recognize what it was. In addition - the woman's eyes widened ever so slightly at the nearly inaudible noise coming from the remains. She could make a faint sound of growling and labored breathing, as if whatever the creature was clinging to life.

"...My, my, what a lively fella you are." The woman commented with a small giggle, brushing her finger just below her lips in amusement, "While I'm not supposed to be surprised, seeing you with my own eyes is another thing."

She then glanced back, not bothering to turn to face one of her entourage, "...How goes the surveillance?"

"The rest of our men and familiars have scoured over one mile radius, Lady Shien - aside from the object before us, the only confirmed bodies around belong to the humans and… A couple of devils."

'Shien' quirked her eyebrow, "Devils, you say? Are they members of the Gremory or Sitri clan?"

"Neither; would you like us to look into their identities?"

The woman pursed her lips and went into thought, but she quickly came up with an answer, "Knock yourselves out. Though, chances are they belong to Mordax Bael, or at least under his payroll. Anyway, we've found our objective. Let's move on to extraction, everyone. We are kind of on schedule." She finished with a snap of his fingers, prompting her entourage to begin working.

Walburga of Purple Flames took a step closer to look down at the charred remains of the demonic ogre, licking her lips in anticipation.

"I am looking forward to the time we will spend together once we bring you in."

It was an experimental thing, a youkai mercenary wanting more power than it should have. So Psykos threw it a Djall-cell to test its limits, how it would affect another creature's biology, and how it reacted to another species.

The mercenary surpassed all expectations with its will to survive and mutations, along with inheriting the donor's appetite for dragon meat which was ironic.

However, the charred face opened its eyes as it sniffed.

It rose like a spry zombie, jaw opening for tentacles to blossom from its maw lashing towards Walburga - who, through sheer reflex, backpedaled while conjuring a wall of purple flames to take the brunt of the eldritch-looking appendages.

However, the tentacles regenerated and diverged, scattered around her, towards the mages she brought.

"What the-!? AAAAAAARGH-!"

"G-get these things off!"

"B-boss Lady Shien-!"

Those were their last words before they were yanked into the creature's maw, crushed between fangs.

Suddenly the rest of the body rose like a vampire from its coffin, the charred skin falling off as new scales, lustrous and shiny, coated his epidermis, the monster rasping as if rejuvenated by the quick meal.

Walburga squinted as the thing extended more tentacles from its back, collecting the remains of charred human corpses, and whatever dragon remains that it could get.

She could stop it, but her curiosity took the helm as she watched the thing throw whatever biomass it got into its mouth stomach, growing larger with each catch.

Eventually, two black wings sprouted from its spine, dragon-scaled and thick. The revived creature let loose a roar that reverberated through the air.

"Well… Can't say I saw that coming." Walburga remarked with a mix of curiosity and anxiety in her tone.

Walburga then used her magic to fly, gaining a bit more distance from the creature who turned its sight on her.

"Hey, Yamakyo. What do you think you're doing, attacking your true boss?"

The ogre - Yamakyo, growled at Walburga, "Not… my… employer… Food for my evolution."

The creature spoke in growls, a deep, monstrous baritone.

"Big words since you're working for my boss. Who do you think gave you that power, huh? Be a good boy and follow me, would you?"

Yamakyo slammed his elongated appendage to the concrete, the area around them rumbling from the impact like a small earthquake.

"No…. No one… knows you're here. Not if you're a part of me."

Walburga's eyes twitched and her lips grew into a sneer, "So that's how you want to play it, huh… But as interesting as this is turning out, I'm on a deadline!" Walburga declared as a large cross made out of purple flame appeared before her.

Yamakyo roared and fired a fireball, one larger than any of the evil dragons could conjure.

However, the purple flames absorbed the ogre's dragonfire.

She pointed a finger at him. Searing holy fire burned the ogre, an incinerating stream setting the monster aflame as it flailed and screamed, its newfound dragon scales and enhanced flesh failing to stop the relic of the late God's fire.

Walburga watched the beast flailing and struggling around against the inextinguishable flame burning him. A few seconds later, Yamakyo then roared as it leapt towards Walburga - a last ditch effort to bring her down together with it.

"...Fool." was all Walburga said as she never lost her calm, then she snapped her finger.

BOOM!

The immolated body of Yamakyo suddenly combusted, stopping its ascend as the newly charred body plummeted to the ground. Walburga watched for a few more seconds, confirming that the ogre would not be moving for another while.

"...Tch, what a waste of time." Walburga clapped her hands to dust off, before she tapped into her telepathic link, "Alright, ladies and gents! Double up, we're getting out of here before the pigs come sniffing!"

She would not return empty handed, and this thing would pay with its body for the trouble.

---

Roygun Belphegor shifted her form on her seat in the lavish living room, dimly lit by the flames in the fireplace and the artificial moon from outside the window.

"...That is… all I can recall." Roygun explained everything her memory could muster, as foggy as it may be.

Runeas Gremory hummed in acknowledgement - she was standing by the window overlooking the outside scenery while holding a glass of vintage wine, swirling the dark led liquid inside.

"I get the gist of what is happening… But that memory loss of yours is concerning. What do you think, children?" Runeas turned around to address the rest of the occupants of the room.

Sairaorg and Magdaran Bael were sitting on a couch - the former had his Queen sitting on his other side and was looking a tad pale, clad in a hospital gown with his face showing signs of mild fever, still recovering from the poison of the evolved Yamata No Orochi. However, he maintained the focus in his eyes through sheer will and fortitude, with Kuisha clasping her hand in support.

Standing next to them and the couch was Xaphan Lucifuge - still inhabiting the body of a maid working in Bael estate.

On another couch was Chysis, Venelana and Zeoticus Gremory - clasping each other's hands supportively. The latter two were looking better after their injuries from the raid.

Standing next to the fireplace was Diehauser Belial, leaning his back against the wall while folding his arms across his chest.

Xaphan Lucifuge straightened up, "Mordax Bael is not the one behind Lady Belphegor's memory loss… I believe it might be Agiel demons. They are the only ones I know that can forcefully alter the memories of their victims."

Roygun looked surprised before she looked down, vaguely remembering about the last encounter before everything became dark.

"They are expert biomancers, manipulators of not only the flesh, but the mind… There are times where they alter the minds of Devils and Angels in war to use them as spies without their knowing. Perfect sleeper agents unaware of their own betrayal." Xaphan explained from experience. "It was a nightmare in itself, one of the main reasons why Lucifer quarantined almost every Devil that entered the battlefield to stay there. But one suspect that I remember comes to mind… Gahzicht, the Poison of Trust."

"...Gahzicht…" Roygun muttered.

"He is a shapeshifter and extractor of memories. He devours the memories of his victims and can manipulate those he devours as living puppets that can act as if they are alive… a true monster in psychological warfare." Xaphan explained.

"Hmmmmmm…. Hmmmmmmmmmm." Runeas hummed with exasperated pondering.

"First… I am pretty sure that you have awakened to your fetish, Xaphy." She glanced and smirked at Xaphan and his current maid host. "Good taste."

Xaphan did not comment, only looked away with a small pout.

"Secondly. Wow… I didn't think that Zekram's brat would fall this soon. Or that anyone from my generation will go this way…" Runeas' expression fell before she shook her head, "I'm getting side-tracked; yes, I knew they wouldn't play fair after all these years. They don't know how to let go… though we're to blame for that. Well, I am also partly to blame for that…"

Zeoticus spoke out, "Are you able to predict their plans, dear ancestor?"

"My power isn't omnipotent, you know? There is a limit to manipulating the tides of fate with foresight and fortune. It doesn't always go our way," Runeas retorted before she pouted while placing her free hand on her hip, "...Also, what did I tell you about addressing me?

"Ah… I apologize…"

"Apologiiiiiize…..?" Runeas quipped.

"...I apologize….Runy." Zeoticus blushed, earning teasing smiles from his mother and his wife respectively.

The interaction also garnered several looks from the other occupants.

Runeas nodded approvingly and took a sip from her glass.

The door was then slammed open.

"Sorry for the wait! Did I miss anything?" Haruka barged into the room with a refreshed smile, as if she released all of the pent up stress within.

The reason was in her hand, holding Black by the tentacle, his white face beaten black and blue. Everyone looked quizzically at the sudden intrusion, safe for Zeoticus, Venelana and Diehauser. Runeas, however, looked clearly intrigued.

"...Excuse me, but who might you be?" Runeas asked while tilting her head.

"Oh, where are my manners? Haruka Hyoudou! And this little piece of shit I'm bringing is Black! Say hello, Black!"

Cough

Black coughed blood while weakly waving his small child-sized hand

"It's nice to meet you, young lady…?" Haruka trailed off.

Runeas smiled, "I am Runeas Gremory, it is nice to meet you too!" she finished with a curtsey while still holding her glass of wine.

Following Haruka was Sairaorg's pawn, Regulus Nemea.

"I have returned, my lord." the Nemean Lion bowed.

Sairaorg smiled weakly back, "Good work, Regulus."

"Thanks again for lending me your friend, Sairaorg. This fella has been a total gentleman!" Haruka smiled as she caressed Regulus' mane, earning a purr.

Sairaorg returned the gesture, momentarily forgetting the topic at hand.

"...Also, is that wine in that glass?" Haruka's eyes trailed to the glass in Runeas' hand, "I don't think you are old enough to drink that, young lady." the housewife lightly chastised the ancient devil.

Every devil in the room gave Haruka their full attention, some were interested, some were worried.

Zeoticus opened his mouth-

"But… But mister over there assured me that no one would know~! He told me this is practically a grape juice~!" Runeas pointed at Zeoticus with a pouty, childlike cuteness.

Zeoticus paled at the sheer betrayal from his own ancestor. Chysis was slightly hunched over with her body trembling, holding down her laughter. Venelana was ignoring her husband's look for help, balling her fist over her mouth that was biting down her own amusement from showing up.

"...Well? 'Mister'? What do you say about this?" Haruka, on the other hand - merely raised an eyebrow at Zeoticus, who could feel the questioning and the disappointment from the gesture alone.

She looked menacing the way she held up Black, showing his black and blue face to Zeoticus, showing the fate he would suffer if that were true. Zeoticus felt like the woman could, despite the racial difference in strength.

Roygun, Magdaran, Sairaorg, Xaphan, and the other Devils watched with interest.

Zeoticus eventually sighed in defeat, "...Dear ances - Runy, can we please focus back on the topic at hand? My daughter's life is still in danger."

"...Pffff!" Runeas giggled as she swirled the wine in her glass. "Sorry, sorry, Haruka Hyoudou! Hahhhh, I think it's been over 800 years since the last time I was treated like a child at my age. Let me reintroduce myself. I am Runeas Gremory, founder of the Noble House of Gremory, one of the first Devils made by Lucifer."

Haruka blinked, "Oh… Oh!" she then glanced apologetically at Zeoticus, who simply returned the gesture in kind with an understanding smile.

"Anyway, what's with that creature you are holding…? Black, is it?" Runeas' eyes shifted to the dwarf hanging on Haruka's clutch.

"Oh, don't mind him. Just a friend of a friend. One that is grossly misbehaving because someone encouraged it to go out drinking on the job."

Zeoticus sweated as Haruka briefly glared at him.

"Right…." Runeas nodded along before she took another sip, this time downing the rest of the wine, "I suppose, while Belphegor has already shared her accounts, I assume an investigation against Mordax has been launched?"

"Yes, but unfortunately, Belphegor has a King Piece within her… and me revealing Bedeze's King Piece would strengthen Mordax's claims." Diehauser explained. "...Are there any clues within the Abaddon's residences that could implicate Mordax?"

"Mordax searched the premises before we could. Everything is already confiscated." Zeoticus sighed.

"...I don't believe that my household would be of help." Roygun added.

"Hmm…. We are in quite a conundrum." Runeas frowned, wanting to take another sip but realized that her glass was already empty. Narrowing her eyes, Runeas then sighed.

"...Very well, I guess there is only one way left that can help us." Runeas then turned to her descendants, "I shall perform divination tonight."

Chysis widened her eyes slightly while Zeoticus perked up, "But you said-"

"I said my power is not omnipotent, doesn't mean it's hopeless. There's a chance I can find something useful and the opposite. So, in order to increase our chances, I will need you two to assist me."

Haruka hummed with interest. Sairaorg perked at the mention of Divination, aware of the stories of how the ancient powers of the Gremories guided the family to great fortune.

"How do you divine, though?" Haruka asked.

"Usually, good old-fashioned meditation. I have to enter a trance to let the winds of fortune guide my eyes towards the best outcome. But honestly, I am kind of a bit scared when the Demons are involved."

"How so?" Zeoticus asked.

"Well, the Ordogs made sure to curse me to Oblivion when I meddled with their secret war in the Shadow of the World Tree…" Runeas muttered loudly. "Because of it, they will know when I am using my abilities and will… observe what I am trying to find. And if they don't like it, I will be punished."

"...Punished how?" Magdaran finally spoke up with that question.

"...Varies from case to case." Runeas replied with a lop-sided smirk. "...One is that they cursed my bloodline to… decay."

Haruka did not really understand what was happening, but she knew enough that the implication of Runeas' answer was bad. Zeoticus and Chysis looked like they were mourning, while the others were looking at Runeas with a newfound sympathy.

"What's with that look? I'm not dying!" Runeas pouted. "I mean, those ancient pricks made sure to decay my bloodline! As in, my bloodline ability dilutes every generation!"

The other devils blinked before understanding appeared on their expressions - few things began to make sense in regards to what they knew about the Gremory clan before.

Runeas then placed her empty glass on a nearby table before she clapped her hands to snap everyone out of it.

"Alright, ladies and gents! Enough with the pity-party! We have families to save and a traitor to expose! Chysis, Zeo - help me prepare 'the bath'!"

---

"...Any news from big bro Ise or Mr. Saitama? Mr. Genos, perhaps?" Millicas asked.

"Alfheim is famous for its isolation. Asgard, the only one who had any history of communication with Alfheim, has yet to receive any news from Issei, Saitama or Lord Sirzechs and his peerage ever since they traveled there." Akeno answered. with a dejected look, "As for Mr. Genos… Last time he was heard being preoccupied with an urgent matter at Silver's Mansion."

The Peerages of both missing heiresses were recovering from the carpet-bombing. Baraqiel, Riser and his Peerage were outside ground zero, allowing them to rescue them in the nick of time before they could have been engulfed by the explosion, teleporting them back to their hideout.

At the moment, together with the Pawn and Queen were the rest of Rias Gremory's peerage safe for Ravel.

Koneko and Lint happened to draw the shorter straws - they were exposed to the blast before Baraqiel and Riser's peerage came to cover for them, leaving them to have bandages wrapped around their burnt limbs, head and torso; Gasper was helping by tending to them.

They had utterly lost - not only they failed to rescue their King, they ended up losing Sona to the enemy's hands as well. Sona's peerage, Irina, and Raynare suffered the most damages as they were being treated in the other rooms.

Riser and Ravel Phenex were in another room, performing a ritual to produce more Phoenix Tears, assisted by the former's Queen and Bishops who would harvest their tears.

Millicas and Akeno had not seemed to have given up yet - as they were looking over maps and schematics spread across a table, trying to come up with another plan.

Yuuto was sitting in a corner, meditating to make another contact with Muramasa.

While everyone was preoccupied, the door opened, revealing Baraqiel and Mittelt.

Akeno glanced at the two fallen angels before returning to scrutinize the maps, "...How are the others?"

"They are recovering." Baraqiel replied first, "Saji, Loup and Shinra have suffered a considerable amount, but thanks to Riser and Ravel Phenex's tears, their lives are no longer in danger. The same also goes to Irina - while her ruptured organs had been mended, she still lost a lot of blood and it will take some time until she can move again; Xenovia was looking after her as we speak. Raynare was the first to recover - I've ordered her to remain on stand-by."

"Good… That's good…" There was a forced calm in Akeno's tone, artificial composure barely maintained by force of will.

Baraqiel stared at his daughter's state for a few seconds before he stepped forward, "Akeno-"

"Don't!" Akeno's fingers curled, crumpling a section of a map on the table in her grasp.

Her eyes were hidden by her bangs, but she was biting her lower lip, which was slightly trembling. Millicas watched worriedly as the Queen took a deep breath to recompose herself, but Akeno still did not look up from the table.

"Don't tell me to rest, or stop, please…. We must save Rias." Akeno's tone was almost begging, prompting Millicas to look downcasted as well.

Baraqiel found himself conflicted, unsure of what to say.

"...Nobody here is telling you to give up, girl." Mittelt decided to step in, ignoring the looks from Baraqiel and Millicas in favor of focusing on Akeno's glare, "Look, be honest with me - how long have you been here?"

Akeno faltered - she did not answer.

"U-Um, maybe we should try to call for Big Bro again?" Millicas suggested.

"That is not an option!" Akeno snapped at the boy. Millicas flinched at her outburst.

"I…" Akeno realized her overreaction. "I'm sorry… I understand what you are suggesting, but we cannot… this is something we must handle ourselves. We failed Rias… And it is our duty to resolve our mistakes."

Mittelt stared at Akeno before sighing, "Not wanting to be too dependent on your boyfriend is nice and all, but if you ask me, we should try calling your boyfriend for help." her reply caused everyone to turn to her again.

However, Mittelt sighed again, "Though… Like what you said - Lord Baraqiel and I did make a quick call to our headquarters in the Underworld and they still can't get a hold on Lord Azazel either. Sorry to say this, but we're still on our own. Our only option is to call for the Gremory and Sitri clan and see if they can send us an army to swipe the entire city."

"That will only provoke them to put a bullet in Sona and Rias' head." Akeno countered. "I will not let them get the best of us using our King as a hostage a third time."

"...Okay, then back to you. Say that you've been here for an hour, have you come up with anything?" Mittelt then asked Akeno again. When the latter looked away in frustration, the former nodded, "Then what's the point of you burning yourself out here? Again, we're not telling you to give up, but if you're not gonna achieve anything by pushing yourself too hard here, you might as well relax for a few minutes. Besides, you're a Queen, aren't ya? I think you might want to see how your other friends are doing."

"I…" Akeno could not argue against her logic.

"Akeno." Baraqiel softly called again, this time earning his daughter's attention, "Just take ten to fifteen minutes, we will also keep on a look-out as well."

"Oh, and you might need to take a shower too, freshen up a little." Mittelt added, earning a sharp look at Baraqiel, causing her to wince a little.

Akeno regarded her father and the other fallen angel for a few more seconds before sighing in defeat, "...I'll be right back."

Nobody stopped her as Akeno left the room to the hallway. She walked on auto-pilot towards the bathroom in her private bedroom, discarded her clothes on the floor and stepped into the shower. She did not even bother to set the temperature, simply allowing the cold water to douse her. She then just stood there, her body drenched from head to toe under the running water.

A part of her wished the whole fiasco had been a nightmare, and the cold shower would wake her up. However, as minutes went by, the cold feeling seeping into her skin only revealed and reminded her of the reality of her failure.

Her tears - overlapped by the shower water, began to well up again as her mind wandered to Rias and Sona. For all she knew, they were probably either being placed in an even tighter security or worse - tortured. Her body faltered, leaning against the cold wall for support, only to slowly collapse to the floor. She curled and hugged her legs, burying her face between her knees and choking out sobs as she found herself praying for any sort of miracle.

However, the first thing that came to her mind was the face of the young brunette which had wormed his way to - not only hers, but everyone's hearts as of late.

"Ise… Where are you now…?"

A part of her understood that Issei's power was essential to rescue Grayfia from the Qlippoth's clutches, but she and her friends needed him now.

---

Muramasa haunted the human's base, still stalking the mortals from a safe distance as an intangible specter, listening to the conversations for any information she could use to her advantage.

She ignored the humans in the 'lounge room,' where they drink bottles of wheat alcohol and play those video and card games to pass the time. She had already inspected the humans' training ground, where they practice with those strange weapons made by the Demons, shooting at dummies in the 'shooting range', hitting horned dummies from afar behind the barricade. They also practiced close combat, but their movements still bore the mediocre habits of relying on techniques meant to subdue the mundane, not the supernatural.

Then came those humans that worked on those contraptions called 'computers' - spending most of their time staring on the screens, typing the keyboards, and printing papers. She did not think one could grow tired from sitting on a chair most of the day, expending so little energy.

Then came the command center… it was the most secure place other than the prison levels.

The wards were strong enough to even repel her from phasing through the walls, but she managed to slip in by taking a refuge inside a female soldier. Her mental defenses were compromised when she returned, in shock from losing her comrade.

The old man was kneeling before some kind of totem. The material comprising it was metallic, yet it had an organic luster, a stalagmite pillar carved and warped through uneven chaos, sculpted with chaotic grooves and indentations with no pattern yet bore an asymmetric beauty upon sight.

[...You lost Euthanasia?]

A deep, scolding voice spoke from the pillar.

"My deepest apologies, Alqalba - we underestimated the opposition." John could only apologize with his head down.

[...What do you think Euthanasia is to you?]

John blinked with his head face down. His throat was dry, he felt that any casual response would earn the demon's ire.

"I… I am afraid that I might offend you if I speak my mind."

[I will not punish you from speaking your mind.]

"...A valuable asset that you offered from your boundless generosity."

[...In your culture, Euthanasia might be a simple war machine. To us, he is an honored war veteran - equivalent to a 'war hero', perhaps. That is who you wasted, and you didn't even retrieve his core. This is the ultimate manner of disrespect to the 'valuable asset' of such rich history and valor.]

"I have no excuse for that blunder, sire." John closed his eyes in resignation.

The totem remained silent for a time, as if considering its final judgment for the mortal.

The strange totem glowed as something was constructed from the ether.

Muramasa watched as a mechanical construct was formed, one of the same she saw when the demons first arrived at in the Underworld, blue metal of segmented limbs, levitating parts magnetically attached in a humanoid form.

Muramasa stared at the machine as it turned towards her, the opaque face plate staring directly at her host.

Did it see through her?

It then looked back at John.

[The fate of your… brothers-and-sisters-in-arms and the destiny of the Devils hinges on this test, John Solomon. Should I inform you of your progress?]

It was a harmless question, but John felt it was more of a benign threat to pressure.

[Do you not wish to avenge them?]

Muramasa was not sure about the context of the words, but it was something she needed to inform the others about.

"...I do. I still do."

[Retrieve Euthanasia's core. That is your redemption.]

"It will be done, but…" John then glanced at the new construct, "What about this… Construct, sir?"

[Consider that… An incentive. Let us see if you can care for this one.]

"I am most grateful for the generous opportunity." John dipped his head a bit lower.

[Show your gratitude through your actions. Until then.]

The light on the totem then died down, then John finally stood back up. Reaching up to the phone, John then made a call to his subordinates.

"Send some people from R&D. We've received another asset and I need someone to figure out what and how we can work with it… Mordax called?"

Muramasa perked.

"Tell Bael that we got the girls and prepare for the Trojan Horse scenario. Give me a status report on the infiltration teams in the Underworld."

Infiltration teams?

She could barely hear with her enhanced hearing, something about mansions raided by stealth operatives and certain documents.

John then nodded with a small smile, "Hm, well done. Very well, keep me updated." he then put the phone down.

"Are we finally going to ice the bastard?" Kate asked.

"Oh, he's already fucked either way." John remarked. "He's not going to survive another week, politically or physically. Send one of the noble bastards to the prison level, let's see if the rich girls can figure it out. Oh, and do it after the interrogation."

Muramasa was confused by this order. She could try to read the host's memories, but that required her to seize more control on the host and that would expose her. It would work if she touched her via physical contact, but she was in astral form.

Either way, she needed to contact the others on the development, the climax was already fast approaching.

---

"-na!"

Sona stirred, her eyes rolling behind her eyelids, her body felt as if being suspended mid-air while metal slugs were slithering in her muscles, refusing to let them stretch, her head felt like it was filled with lead.

"-ona!"

There was also the sensation of her wrists being strained and immobile. She felt sore and annoyed… She wanted to continue sleeping comfortably.

"Sona!"

The voice was no longer an abstract echo. She recognized the voice.

Sona opened her eyes, still feeling lethargic.

"R-Rias…?"

"Sona!"

Her eyes were a blur, she could see red but…

Unable to move her hands to rub her eyes, she blinked until her vision sharpened enough to see Rias in front of her, her face full of worry.

Sona then blinked again when she also registered that her childhood friend was in her birthday suit - safe for the ornate collar around her neck. Rias was chained and shackled on her hands and legs; and her body was held in a total spread-angled position, hiding absolutely nothing for the world to see.

Sona then looked around and found that she was also in a similar predicament, her glasses were gone, she was as naked as she was born, and she could also feel the collar wrapped around her neck. However, unlike Rias, Sona was hung with her wrists shackled above her head and she was being suspended by a chained-hook on the ceiling.

"R-Rias?" Sona turned to her friend, before she grimaced at the soreness on her arms and wrists that were forced to suspend her body weight; she wanted to stand but her body was strung up with her toes barely touching the ground. She winced when she finally registered the discomfort of her own weight dragging her down.

"Where are we? What happened?" Sona asked as she tried to remain calm.

"...We've lost. They got me, and you this time." Rias replied with a downcasted look, before she glanced at Sona again, "Are you okay? You were unconscious when I came to."

Sona grimaced as she tried to move, tugging at the chains to no avail. She tried to swing her body to gain any sort of leverage, but her body only wiggled and squirmed without a proper foothold. She could try to lift her entire frame to somehow get her cuff off the hooks, but not only that her core was not strong enough, the muscles on her arms were already too fatigued after suspending her unconscious body for who knows how long.

"I am okay… For now." Sona inspected her surroundings.

They were inside a regular prison-cell, judging from the row of metal bars, cement walls and floor where their chains were connected to some lever and gear mechanism outside their cell.

Sona frowned as she tried to get a look at her collar.

"The collars suppress our magic. Until we get rid of them, we are at best above average humans." Rias explained while trying to tug at her chains as well.

"Any idea how long we've been here?"

"Hours, I think." Rias scowled - she was still a bit anemic; the snacks John gave her earlier helped a little before the attack, but she could use some drink.

Nonetheless, she had to focus on how she and Sona should get out of their current predicament. Giving up was never an option for Rias Gremory.

"What happened after I passed out? How's everyone?" Sona asked while scowling at the memory of being tranquilized in the middle of battle.

"...I don't know." Rias grimaced. "They managed to teleport us away somehow using a magic item… this is getting out of hand."

"I see…" Sona closed her eyes, taking everything into account before opening them, "There's nothing we can do as we are now. Let's just rest up however we can to preserve our strength, and see what happens next."

"Not that I disagree with you, but it's hard to relax and rest up with this kind of arrangement." Rias retorted while scowling at the cuffs holding her limbs.

"...Why are we naked, though?" Sona asked, scowling at the discomfort of having her body bare. At least there was only Rias to look at her - they had spent a lot of time together since childhood; and even in their teenage years, they would still spend time together in hot-springs and sauna occasionally.

"If I have to guess - they are probably angry at us, or they wanted to punish us to relieve themselves of their anger." Rias surmised. "For the humans that did die in that battle."

"I cannot help but say that it is their own fault." Sona responded with a hint of spite.

"I don't know what the Demons are thinking, but they are crafty… They're responsible for the humans and their weapons, their powers." Rias' mind recalled the magic and technology she had witnessed so far, "They also have been capturing and keeping stray devils… As well as Gragg Forneus."

Sona blinked at the familiar name, "Forneus?"

"Yes, Forneus. They were torturing him. Apparently, he has a connection with Mordax Bael." Rias explained. "I don't know what motives these people have to follow the Demons but… I don't think I need to ponder on the matter when the answers are obvious."

Power, weapons… and something else Rias had not discovered.

She had received a document about something, photos of… mutilated corpses and newspaper clips, pictures of witnesses and victims; witnesses and survivors having no memories of the incident or recognition of the identities of the deceased.

It was a compendium of supernatural incidents cobbled together from scraps of information that the supernatural failed to comb through in the modern era.

Though for some reason, one of the victims drew her attention but she could not figure out why… she was still too lethargic and tired from her ordeal for now.

Sona and Rias then perked upon hearing the metal door open, heavy footsteps approaching.

"Wakey wakey, sunshines."

There was a different voice, not John's.

The man approaching had ginger red hair, lightly tanned skin, a scar crossing his left eye, tall and stocky build clad in military green.

Two other male guards were dragging a stranger by the shoulders, opened the cell door across Rias and Sona's, and threw the person inside before closing the door shut.

"I'm Chester, the chief warden in charge of you devils and I'm going to cut to the chase. We're pissed. The commander is pissed. We lost a lot of good people today. So we're going to take it out on you for being too stubborn for your own good." The ginger explained, grinning with his tongue rolling around his lips.

Rias and Sona scowled at the man.

"...So you're going to torture us?" Sona accused while keeping her expression collected, which Rias also mimicked; typical men - the heiresses would die sooner than giving them the satisfaction of watching them break.

The man's smile fell a little.

"In a way, though it all depends on you." the man's lips twitched into a small grin, "But don't take us as some savages with guns. We have standards that we'd like to keep up."

This time, the girls stared at him with a small confusion.

"...Then why bother stripping us naked?" Rias asked.

"That was Kate's idea, not mine - she mentioned things about state of vulnerability, not that I'm complaining…" he and the guards leered at Rias and Sona's bare forms - the sight of their skin and frame made their pants feel a few sizes smaller. But a moment later, the warden shook his head to focus on his supposed task, "Anyway - No, we have something…. More ironic in nature for you."

The man held a device, pen-shaped, a small crystal lens facing Sona.

"...What is that?" Sona asked.

"This… is based on the memory manipulation magic you love to use on us for so long." The man explained. "Since the commander said that you already know, let's just say our benefactors tinkered with it so that we can give you a taste of your own medicine. I'm explaining it to you so I can see your reaction."

Sona widened her eyes with fear.

If that was true, then…

The jailer and the soldiers put up sunglasses over their eyes, before one of them moved to cover Rias' eyes with his hands, as Sona thrashed in her chains, trying to break free, to preserve her memories, but the man pressed the 'pen', a flash of white light striking her vision.

She blinked.

She was no longer trapped in the cell.

She was… in an empty white void.

No apt description other than complete white emptiness all around her, an endless horizon of absence of all but one color.

"...Rias?" Sona's voice warped and echoed, the word 'Rias' reverberating, repeated at lower volumes ad infinitum.

"...What did you do to me?" Sona shouted at the void, waiting for an answer, only to hear her own voice echoed back into her ears.

There was silence, no one to respond to her, the silence growing louder and more omnipresent.

"Answer me, you bastards! Where am I?!" Sona almost screamed, hearing her own screams echoed back.

She looked at her neck, seeing the collar gone. She observed her surroundings, breathing in and out to calm herself.

There was something about this vast emptiness that was grating her nerves more than it should.

She composed herself and analyzed her surroundings.

Gravity was working, her feet could feel the ground, and she could somehow breathe. There was no light source, yet whiteness was everywhere…

She attempted to cast teleportation magic. It was working, a magic circle appearing under her feet. She smiled when it worked, knowing that knew how to teleport between realms along with an emergency spell to return home in the Underworld no matter where, something Serafall made her learn after the Trihexa Death Plague debacle.

She teleported.

But not at her intended destination.

Sona blinked as she registered the failure of her spell and her unchanged surroundings.

What happened? Why did the spell fail?

She calmed herself again…

"...An illusion." This was Sona's conclusion. This was an elaborate illusion from hypnotic magic.

If that was true, then… she just needed to break out of it.

She studied the matter of illusions and attempted to break out of it with her magic power, energy gathering and swelling within as she channeled it towards her brain in an attempt to break out of the illusion-based magic.

Mostly inspired by a popular ninja anime.

But… it did not work. Nothing changed.

It infuriated Sona as she attempted to break out of the illusion again.

And again.

And again.

And then she lost track of time attempting to break out of the illusion.

OxO

"Sona?! Sona!"

Rias shouted at the catatonic-looking Sona; the latter's expression was blank, as if in a daze. Her body that was thrashing against her bindings suddenly became unmoving, swaying ever so slightly like a hanged-doll.

The redhead then glared at her jailors, "You bastards! What did you do to her, I swear if you-!"

SMACK!

Rias' rant was stopped with a back-hand to her face, courtesy of the man who just used the device on Sona.

"Shut up, wench. I just told you - we used what you used on us for so long. Never heard of a Devil's memories getting scrubbed and… what's the word? Retconned? Yeah, we're retconning her mind."

Rias bit and licked inside her cheek before spitting out a drop of drool mixed with blood, she was now sporting a small bruise on her cheek.

"You can't be serious…. Do you really think you can get away with this, turning our kin against us?!"

"What are you going to do about it? Scream about how God is going to punish us? Bad news, He's dead, so spare me the divine punishment crap." The jailer then blinked, "Not like God would bother with your kind to begin with."

"You forgot about Archangel Michael." Rias hissed.

"If God can die, I don't have high hopes for second place."

Gasp!

Sona suddenly gasped and heaved for air, spooking Rias as she turned to her previously catatonic friend.

"How's your trip, princess? I'm surprised you lasted that long, a second here equals to several months in there." The jailer asked.

"Sona! Are you alright?"

Rias thought her eyes were playing tricks. Sona looked… haggard - scared, cold sweat covering her skin as if she just escaped the jaws of death or something.

Sona's breaths were heavy as if she just ran several miles, running away from a nightmare for days.

"R-Rias…? Y-You are… where… What day is it? What year is it?!" Sona almost screamed.

Rias stared at Sona, confused.

"...What did you do to her?" Rias demanded.

"How about I show you?"

This time, the guards immediately covered Sona's eyes when the chief warden aimed the 'pen camera' at her and pressed the button.

Sona widened her eyes when Rias slumped, head down.

"You…!" Sona glared at her captors.

"Back to you - how was… Y'know, in there?" the man grinned while tapping on his temple.

"What have you done? How long was I…?" Sona's paranoia began to get the better of her as the words died in her mouth.

The jailer decided to prod a bit, "...I didn't count - we're kind of being carried away with… Things." He ended by licking his lips, eyeing Sona up and down while re-adjusting his trousers as if to imply something.

Sona's features creased with a chaotic mix of emotions at the answer. Her eyes widened as she began to check over her body - don't tell me they…!

The men then laughed when Sona tried to check at her crotch area, "Hahaha! Relax, girl! We didn't do anything to your body! You're gorgeous, sure, but you're kind of lacking in assets to my liking. The redhead's more my type." He glanced at the now-catatonic Rias.

Sona's relief was quickly replaced by the sense of shame and embarrassment for losing her composure as she glared at the soldiers.

"Want to go back there again?" the warden asked with a grin.

Sona's glare faltered as her eyes trembled at the answer.

"Of course you don't. I don't know how many years you spent there. The bastards we used this on woke up instantly the moment we put them to sleep before they broke and bawled like babies. Or go insane. It's the white room torture, girl, decades of nothingness compartmentalized in a single pen."

He waved the device around.

"Saves time, energy, and resources, quite convenient. Now, talk. Tell us about your friends, or should I…?"

The warden then walked towards Rias, circling around her figure, his eyes darting between her and Sona suggestively.

Sona narrowed her eyes at the implication - she then regained some of her composure and flashed a smirk, "...Really now? So much for upholding your standards." She said tauntingly, hoping her provocation would redirect the man's attention away from Rias.

"Are you really in any position for any leverage over us?" The chief warden then took a baton out from his belt, "Almost everyone of us vouched to interrogate you with good ol' fashioned torture, but our good commander prefer us to be more creative." He gestured to the pen-sized device in his other hand.

"But of course, if being trapped in your own mind is too much for you, or Gremory here…. We'd be more than happy to punish you… Thoroughly." The warden then trailed the tip of the baton across Rias' skin - starting from her collarbone, down to her breasts, waist until her nether region.

Sona's face lost its color before hot fury filled her eyes, her body angrily tugging on her chains, "I swear if you lay your filthy-!"

However, Sona's threat was interrupted with another sudden gasp, prompting her and the warden to turn to Rias who had snapped back from the illusory void, much to Sona's small relief.

"W-Where… when… how long was I…" Rias looked more shaken than Sona.

"What the hell, the redhead lasted even shorter." the warden remarked, unimpressed as he hoisted his baton over his shoulder.

Sona understood what Rias had gone through well - the isolation where there was nothing but pure white void… it could make anyone insane, being alone with nothing but their own thoughts for such a long time, no one or nothing to occupy the encroaching breaking point.

That was not even counting what could have been done to their real bodies when they were trapped in their own minds.

"Well, where was I… Oh, right. Tell us about your friends or I'll send you back there - this time, however, god knows what would happen to your bodies when your minds are in limbo."

The warden emphasized his point by pressing the tip of his baton against Rias' lower abdomen - just above her crotch, eliciting a wince from the redhead, then he trailed the baton up to her stomach, her breasts, until the baton arrived on her chin, forcing her face to look up at the warden's.

The warden made sure to meet Rias' eyes with his, "...We lost a lot of good people today, so we're not going to let them jump us a second time. So if you do value your lives and virtues… I suggest you talk."

Rias and Sona exchanged glances; while Rias was still in shock being brought back from the illusionary void, the prospect of selling her family out somehow returned their clarity back.

Rias and Sona would rather bite their tongues off than sell their friends out, but they could not just ignore the magnitude of isolation in that White World - they had no idea how long it would take until their minds broke completely.

"Hmmm. Well, looks like you need time to process your situation." The warden then shrugged, pulling his baton off Rias' chin, "...Alright. I'll give you girls some time to yourselves to think about it. Can't have you two go insane on me just yet. You better make the right choice when we see each other again."

The jailer waved off as they left, he and his escorts leaving their line of sight - not without sending one last leer at them; only the other prisoner was staring back at them…

Rias and Sona were alone with that one prisoner staring back at them. They remembered that their bodies were still without clothes, and he was enjoying the sights by the way his eyes were moving.

Both heiresses were too tired and shaken from their isolation to even grace their neighbor any retort. Instead they just glared at him before they decided to distract themselves with something else.

"...Well, what do we do now?" Rias asked Sona as she tried to tug at her chains a few more times before sighing.

"Why would you think that I have any sort of plan?" Sona retorted, glancing at the chains holding her up.

"You are kind of the type to always have a plan." Rias shrugged.

"Not this time around…" Sona grimaced.

"...I can't believe that they managed to get you two as well." The other prisoner remarked, still leaning against the metal bars while enjoying the eye-candy.

His clothes were haggard, torn rags, signs of abuse and scars coloring his skin pink-red as if whipped and torn.

His hair was a dirty blonde, his eyes red, a young man with a handsome almost doll-like face brutalized by physical abuse.

Rias and Sona turned to the prisoner.

"...Do we know you?" Rias asked.

"Know me? Know me?! I… you ignorant heiresses, I am Zagan Oriax - the Third Son of Lord Oriax! A King, one that has participated in the Rating Games! Unlike you two!"

Rias and Sona blinked a few times, they exchanged glances before shrugging.

"I thought you 'rookies' should know about the opposition before your debut, but apparently you two are uncultured fools." Oriax then smirked, "...At least you are treats for sore eyes."

Rias and Sona gave their neighbour a deadpanned look, not amused at his last remark, but to her credit, despite the earlier psychological torture, the former managed to flash a coy smile that did not quite reach her eyes.

"Why, I am glad you are pleased by our appearance before you, Lord Oriax. Perhaps if you can make yourself useful by helping us to figure a way out of this place, that'd be greatly appreciated."

"Really now?" Oriax raised an eyebrow as if he was intrigued - no doubt about the 'appreciating' part, but he then scoffed, "But as much as I wish to impress, I am unfortunately as helpless. The humans made sure that I am no different than mere livestocks." He tapped his finger on the magic-suppressing collar around his neck. "...But looking at you, I should be at least glad I still have clothes."

Rias and Sona held back a pout from showing up on their faces. Deciding that their neighbor would not be any help, they exhaled and tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible, despite their poor accommodation.

"I'm surprised though, what did they do to you? I haven't heard of this white room torture, but does it involve something worse than my unnecessary abuse?"

Rias and Sona appeared as if they were ignoring Zagan's words, but it was rather difficult considering they were the only ones around. Not to mention that he was definitely still leering at them - the heiresses could not help but glance at him with neutral looks.

"I am more surprised that they didn't claim your purities on the spot. Perhaps their sense of honor rivals that of churches or… maybe they're gelded. I wouldn't, however."

Rias and Sona clenched their jaws, their cuffed hands balled into fists - suppressing a shudder from showing when they heard Oriax's remarks. They did, in fact, expect to be violated considering their situation. While it was sort of a relief that their captors did not resort to such barbaric approach - being trapped in the White World was by no means a pleasant alternative either.

The heiresses never encountered an illusion spell of that magnitude. They never expected such… hellish solitude. They may be free, able to use magic and move, but what was the point of such things in the void? Burst of their magic could not dispel the illusion, they even tried to harm themselves if that meant they could escape that empty dream world.

Rias had tried by digging her nails into her own flesh, even Sona actually had tried to bite her tongue off. However, their injuries, even the fatal ones, would just heal soon enough. How they returned to the waking world, they had no clue - but at some point, they just snapped back; all too happy and relieved to remember what state they were in when they returned.

The heiresses began to understand their captors' tactics. Their nakedness and arrangements - as briefly explained by the warden, was to leave them in their most vulnerable state, to imply that they would not have any sway or leeway in their situation. The White Room torture method using the magic device has spoken for itself; and their only silver lining was, assuming the chief warden's words were to be trusted, that they had no intention to inflict any physical abuse on their bodies, despite the warden's previous suggestive remarks and gestures.

….At least for the time being. Not only that Sona and Rias could not take their enemy's words at face value - objectively speaking, there was nothing that really stopped their captors from redirecting the torture onto their bodies, should the push comes to shove.

"...You two are still virgins, right?"

Zagan's last question snapped Rias and Sona out of their dark reverie, albeit in a manner too crude to their liking as they scowled at their neighbor.

"What about you? Why did the humans capture you, an esteemed noble?" Sona shot back with a hiss.

"That…" Zagan grimaced. "They do not fight by our rules. What in the world is with their weapons? Everything about them… I can only describe as unfettered hate and loathing towards our kind. Their weapons were made as if to hurt the Devils as much as they could. Possibly more than what the Church could enact… though I haven't fought an angel before, I could not tell."

"They're worse, I assure you. But you didn't answer my question." Sona reminded.

"I do not know, but I suspect they are at odds with my former servants." Zagan surmised.

"...Former?" Rias asked this time.

"I have… a troubled start as a King. My first servants had the audacity to disobey orders, they wouldn't listen to me. It is irritating to have my first servants be such ungrateful peasants, moaning about irrelevant matters when they should do whatever they could to uplift my house to higher status."

Rias and Sona shared meaningful glances. As far as they recalled, the House of Oriax was one of the 72 Pillars who had supposedly perished in the war. While there might have been a handful of survivors, their numbers and power were not enough for them to be directly involved in current politics. Simply put, the status of Oriax Clan was no different from Extra Devils nowadays.

"What happened to them?"

"They decided to abandon me. Without permission! Can you believe that?! I was surprised when the humans showed their heads to me, monsters they have become in the human world. They killed my Stray servants and looked at me as if I was an insect as they narrated all of the sins of my former servants, but why should I care about that?"

"...Just to make sure if we are on the same page or not, how do you treat your servants? Did you pay them salaries? Did you give them proper accommodations?" Sona asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"...Salaries? They're my Peerage, they are supposed to serve me without question." Oriax answered without a hint of guilt in his eyes.

Rias then briefly closed her eyes, before asking her own, "Okay, so… I assume you allow them to live in your estate?"

"Well, they are my servants. I need them to be near and ready when I summon them." Oriax shrugged.

Rias nodded, "Right… Did you provide them with their own private quarters…?"

"What quarters? They live in stables."

Both Rias and Sona raised their eyebrows, "Stables… Like the ones for animals and livestocks?"

When Zagan Oriax replied by returning the gesture in kind, Rias and Sona finally came to a conclusion.

Zagan Oriax was an abusive monster, one of the reasons for humans to hate the Devils… reminder that there were still Devils like Diodora Astaroth in the Underworld.

"What did you say when the humans accounted for the crimes of your former servants?" Rias asked.

"I responded like any noble would. Why should I care about those who left? Honestly, it was annoying the way the humans showed the pictures of the victims to my face, it was so… disgusting and boring."

"Tell me then, what are their crimes?" Sona asked, the noble no longer deserving her respect.

"Murder of several human families, a little girl, a boy, some father, one of the soldier's sister, conspiring with Vampires. They abused me when I spoke my thoughts. I'm no longer responsible for them so why am I being mistreated like this?"

Rias inhaled and chewed her lips a bit before speaking, "Have you ever considered that your former servants became stray in the first place because of how you treated them?"

She spoke in a tone and manner as if she was trying to reason with a savage neanderthal who just made contact with a modern civilization.

Oriax scoffed, "Since when do their thoughts matter? I am an esteemed noble! And they are commoners that should be grateful for having a chance to be in the Rating Games under me!"

Rias and Sona regarded the noble for another second before they came to a silent agreement that the man was a lost cause. Even Riser Phenex was nowhere near this bad, his frolicking aside.

[Psssst. Rias. Sona. Are you two alright?]

As if the Heavens granted them mercy, a familiar voice reminded Rias that she was still in the base.

The heiress blinked and looked around, following the source of the noise.

[Over here.]

They looked up and widened their eyes at the specter phasing out of the ceiling.

"Muramasa!" Rias' face lit up at the sight of the sword spirit.

[Shh… Lower your voice down, there are guards just outside that door.]

Rias and Sona glanced at the door leading to their cell block, where they caught a glimpse of a couple of guards milling about.

After calming herself down, Sona turned to the specter with a small smile, "You are still here, thank goodness… Where have you been?" she could not help but ask.

[Mapping this fortress, as well as the pattern of the soldiers' movement. I've memorized the building, but the latter is quite difficult. But to think you are caught as well, Sona Sitri.]

"Yes… This is embarrassing." Sona's smile turned bitter.

[I saw what happened. Are you alright?]

Both Rias and Sona inhaled, before the former replied, "We're holding on, though we need to figure out the way out of here. I do not know how long our sanity could withstand being trapped in our own minds."

"We need the key to our shackles - no, most importantly, the collars around our necks. They seal our demonic powers somehow." Sona followed suit.

Oriax's clearing his throat interrupted the conversation, prompting the ladies to turn towards the man, "Um, ladies? What, or who on earth is that?"

[And who might this be?]

Muramasa asked in return, having only noticed Oriax's presence by now.

"Lord Oriax, would you mind giving us some time? Please stay quiet and ogle at our bodies if you want, just don't interrupt." Rias spoke with an impatient tone before returning to Muramasa, "Before we discuss our escape, we need to know the status of our friends and servants. How far can you wander from your real body?"

[As I stated, I can communicate with my master through our mind-connection. The war machines of the humans injured them, but they will recover.]

Rias nodded, "Excellent, but we don't have much time - I need you to relay a message, containing everything Sona and I discovered about this place. Mordax Bael is the one behind all of this - the raid on my house, my abduction, and who knows what's more. He's planning to use Sona and I as leverage against our siblings."

Sona then followed suit, "For now, here's what we need them to do…"

---

Back in Runeas' mansion, everyone was gathering inside the mansion's indoor bath, where they stood over a lavish hot-spring that could contain at least ten people inside.

From one corner not far from the spring, those who conferred in the living room, safe for Runeas, Chysis and Venelana, were watching Zeoticus who for some reason, clad in an ornate, ceremonial black robe, gave out instructions and directions to the mansion's servants - maids were carrying baskets of towels and clothes; and the butlers carrying buckets of…. Something, which was poured into the spring while the other maids were using long sticks to stir and mix the steaming water around.

On the other hand, Zeoticus was also working by drawing and writing lines and inscriptions on the tiled floor with an inked brush.

When Haruka paid more attention to the contents of the bucket poured into the spring, her eyes narrowed at the viscous, gray silver substance that flowed like mud pouring into the bath.

A mud bath?

Haruka blinked in confusion, but kept her opinion to herself since she was an outsider. However, her confusion grew when even peculiar objects were dumped into the bath - bones and skeletons of all manners of beasts and monsters.

Bone marrow soup!?

And finally, her brows and nose creased at the sight and stench of deep-red liquid being poured into the water.

Haruka finally leaned in to whisper at Xaphan, "...Is that blood?"

The possessed maid nodded, "Dragon blood, if I'm not mistaken - donated by the dragons from Dragon King Tannin's domain."

"Are they preparing a bath or a stew?"

"Preparing a special bath like this is not an uncommon practice in magic rituals, ma'am." Xaphan replied, "Although, this is my first time to see Runeas Gremory preparing her divination ritual to such an extent. You are gazing at a rare ritual that combines the Eastern and Western arts of the Arcane and the Mystical."

While everyone was watching the preparation with keen interest, the double-door leading to the bath opened and revealed Runeas and Chysis - the latter was clad in a ceremonial white robe, her outfit possessed an opposing aesthetic compared to Zeoticus. On the other hand, the Gremory ancestor was clad in a simple-looking white robe with her hair down.

Venelana was following behind them, leading more servants pushing a cart filled with several mannequins that were clad in clothes and locks of hair tied around the necks.

"Um… What are those?" Haruka pointed at the stack of mannequins.

"Decoys, something I picked up from Lucifer. I prefer to have more, but these are the only ones we can prepare in short notice." Runes replied before turning to her younger descendant, "Zeo, how goes the bath?"

"It is ready, dear ances- Runy." Zeoticus stood up from his handiwork and nodded at the servants working on the bath to withdraw.

Runeas hummed in acknowledgment before she nodded at the servants behind her, who proceeded to carry out the mannequins and set them inside the spring, letting the inanimate constructs to either float or drown in the murky water.

Runeas then turned to her descendants, "Chysis, Zeo, are you two ready?"

Chysis nodded with a calm stoic expression. Zeoticus was approached by his wife, who looked like she wanted to say something. However, Venelana swallowed whatever she wanted to say down, then she closed in and captured her husband's lips in hers.

"...Be safe." Venelana spoke after she broke the kiss a second later.

"I will." Zeoticus replied to his wife with a determined smile before Venelana finally withdrew and joined the others.

Zeoticus then took a deep breath before he faced his ancestor, "Ready when you are."

Runeas then nodded, "Good. Get into positions, we're starting now!"

Zeoticus and Chysis nodded as they walked towards the edges of the bath.

The two largest nodes of the array were for Chysis and Zeoticus, both standing on the opposite sides of the bath, on the sigils that represent amplification and control.

The ancestor inhaled as she walked into the bath, discarding the clothes covering her skin as she sank into the waters, toe first, shin second, thigh third, waist - until she was nearly submerged in the water as she kept walking towards the deeper part of the spring.

At the center, Runeas, who was already shoulder-deep, calmly inhaled and closed herself, exhaling slowly to compose her focus. She then took another deep breath in before she sunk herself completely into the water, her crimson hair floated around.

Haruka watched as Runeas' aura surged, the dark crimson waters lighting up to white-scarlet as energy flowed from the ancient Devil as her eyes opened in the water, pure white replacing the pupils and sclera, a glowing gaze that could pierce through the veil of time and space.

Chysis and Zeoticus raised their hands, magic circles and formulas surrounding the two old Devils, their power channeled into the array formation, through the perimeter and through the magical lines connecting each node until their power channeled into Runeas.

Haruka flinched as she shuddered.

A dark, malicious presence entered the area. Haruka was not one to easily succumb to fear, but the malice she sensed… It was too pure. Not like the indignant animosity she sensed from the enemies, but something more concentrated and untainted, a pure rage unlike anything she had felt… other than seeing her husband being angry for her sake during the Vatican incident.

Such pure, undiluted wrath entered the bath as she felt the gazes of many eyes looking into the room.

A loud crack snapped Haruka from her reverie.

One of the mannequins broke, head and limbs twisted a hundred eighty… then it burned in pitch-black flames before it vanished, disintegrating into nothingness.

Runeas, who could sense one of the mannequins' destruction from under the water, smirked as a small air bubble escaped her nostrils.

They're really pissed off today, huh?

"Zeo, adjust the output! I will keep directing their gaze to the decoys! Runy should be getting something by now." Chysis ordered as she doubled her efforts in her own task.

Runeas could see a vision of the future.

"I see… strange machines married with flesh. Life, perverted… conquests and arrogance."

Runeas then allowed herself to be taken by the current of time to see more visions

"I see… planets. Worlds… invaded by them, like ants swarming over a carcass. Lands and oceans were glassed by flame, arrogant metal lifeforms overlooking the destruction. Crust cracked open and drilled, life essence, water, the meat of worlds mined until world corpses were left, scoured of everything of value… then the mantle cracked open."

Runeas could not believe what she was seeing next.

Metal cores of worlds, heart of the living worlds, souls of the planet, drained… extracted and processed. More machines of conquest birthed from the plunder before the process repeats. Metal eyes traveled across space, swimming in the gaps of dimensions…

Back in the spring, more mannequins were shattered and burned in black blaze, with Zeoticus and Chysis began sweating in anxiety and exertion.

Runeas grimaced.

Eyes sensed a warp. Eyes towards us. Eyes set on them. While another world was besieged by the metal things…

Runeas shuddered, exhaling some more air bubbles in the process.

A sudden urge to hide herself struck her. What was happening? She only felt this urge when she peered into the future of the Demons and got caught unprepared, leading to her current situation.

Fortunately, the ritual was also designed to 'hide' her should she need it.

At the same time, more mannequins shattered, leaving only a couple left in the water.

Everyone watched with a sense of trepidation. Venelana, however, was downright fearful as she inhaled sharply, cupping her hands together before her face as if in prayer, while her eyes would dart between Zeoticus, Chysis and Runeas.

The machines were winning, about to claim a world… Then something arrived. An evil presence, a shadow of reality… then the machines screamed in horror when it reached out to them.

Finally, the remaining mannequins shattered and burned at the same time.

"Guhk-!"

At that moment, Zeoticus lurched and coughed out a mouthful of blood, as if his gut had been struck by an invisible force. He managed to maintain his focus and stance after coughing out a few more.

[Zeoticus!]

Both Chysis and Venelana shouted fearfully, as the former conjured additional magic circles and formulas around her son and herself. The latter was about to step in and stop the ritual altogether, when Zeoticus' gaze turned towards her.

"Stay back!" Zeoticus rebuked through bloodied teeth, "The ritual is not over yet…. Mother, forgive me - I was caught off guard."

Chysis was holding back her tears, "It's my fault too, Zeo. I didn't know their malice would turn on you instead of me."

Meanwhile, still in the water - Runeas continued her divination, gritting her teeth.

And then… transitioning to…

Wait, she recognized the realm.

A new tree… A divine tree… then darkness reaching out to… Gods?

She recognized some of them.

Then the vision suddenly stopped. Runeas could not help it - she almost met eyes with the darkness, but her prior experience screamed at her to stop or else she would suffer consequences too terrible to her liking.

Back to waking world - Chysis' additional defensive measures shattered, prompting Zeoticus and even herself to bleed some more, when Runeas suddenly emerged from the water with a loud gasp.

Seeing her ancestor's emergence, Chysis - with her remaining strength and focus, moved her hands and fingers together to form several seals before she clapped her palms together.

"Zeo, NOW!"

Zeoticus also did the same with his hands, activating his own mysteries.

The rest of the magic circles and formulas around the bath, including Zeoticus' drawings on the floor, suddenly lit up. The light enveloped the room, banishing the malicious presence invading the air. At the same time, the water where Runeas sunk herself in, changed color from red into pitch black.

Haruka sighed in relief that the malice was no longer present. However, everyone was caught by surprise at the sight of Runeas - looking pale and shaken, suddenly heaving and puking her guts out to the black water.

Diehauser and the rest of the servants quickly leapt into the water - the former caught Runeas' body before she could fall back to the water, while the latter proceeded to cover her with towels. Venelana immediately went to tend to her husband.

Chysis, who was not as hurt as Zeoticus, managed to make her way to Runeas, who was wrapped in a bathrobe and carried in Diehauser's arms.

"Dear ancestor, Runy? Are you awake?" Chysis looked over Runeas, running her palm on her sweaty forehead and learned that the ancestor was burning up with fever.

Runeas in return, managed to bring a small smile over her flushed face, "Heh… I managed… to stick it to them…. I…" Runeas then took another deep breath, "...We have a lot to do in near future."

To be Continued…..

---

Omake

"So you two still refuse to talk, huh?"

The warden - Chester and the guards sneered at Rias and Sona glaring defiantly at them.

"That's regrettable." The warden twirled the white room device between his fingers, causing the heiresses to tense up, readying themselves for another solitary session in their own mind.

"...But we can't just keep sending you to that white room - can't have you go insane on us just yet." the warden said with a sigh before he stashed the magic device away, much to the heiresses' small relief and confusion.

"Thus, we decided to be more… Creative." On cue, another personnel – wearing a tidy suit and a lab coat, came in with a small box and placed it on a nearby table.

"This gentleman is one of our lead scientists, Omar." The warden introduced, "…Who used to be working for MNS. He's been wanting to test out his latest creation, what's better rat labs than two devils like you?"

Rias and Sona then watched Omar opening his small box, revealing a pair of vials and a syringe.

"Truth serum…?" Rias muttered in a small trepidation.

However, Omar suddenly retorted, "There is no such thing as truth serum. That is just nonsense TV shows and movies came up with."

The remark caused the heiresses to blink, "Well… What is that, then?" Sona then asked.

The warden replied this time, "It's an experimental concoction – I won't bore you much with the mechanics, but it messes with certain hormones and chemicals in the subject's brain, compelling them to be more open and honest."

Rias and Sona digested the description before the former commented, "…That's a truth serum, then."

"No, it's not!" The scientist in the room rebuked with a little more heat in his tone.

"Um, if I may?" Everyone then turned towards Zagan Oriax who had been watching from his cell, "From the description I heard from the good warden there, that sounds like a truth serum to me."

"It's not a truth serum!" one of the guards rebuked, earning a nod from Omar.

Rias and Sona held themselves back from snorting.

"Yes, of course it isn't." Rias replied with a mocking smirk while sharing a knowing look with Sona. "Why don't we just get this done and over with…. Whatever that is, truth serum or not."

A few minutes later - Rias and Sona would be lying if they were not anxious at the prospect of having some foreign substance being injected into their system, but they maintained their calm persona as Omar and the warden pierced the needle into their veins and pumped the not-truth serum into their bloodstream.

They waited a few moments for the drug to circulate into their bloodstream.

Then, the warden asked, "Now, let's begin with something simple… Who is the strongest among your friends? What should we expect?"

Rias and Sona glared deviantly, ignoring the strange uneasiness washing over them, like their hearts clenched tighter and tighter when they tried harder not to talk.. Was this actually a truth-serum? The scientist's claims aside, the heiresses had to do something - they would never sell their friends out, but they could not deny the effect of the 'truth-serum' was slowly overwhelming them.

Rias and Sona breathed deeply, trying to control themselves from succumbing into the drug's influence. There had to be away to resist, somehow. Should they try to lie? But the only things they could come up was pretty much what they knew about their friends.

Should they try to bend the truth in some way? Something truthful, but not necessarily relevant... Someone who was not present during this entire fiasco...

Rias and Sona appeared to share the same mind of a certain young man.

OxO

"-and that Dog always gets in the way! He keeps guarding my Issei like some kind of dragon, I feel like the knight in this scenario, it's just not fair!"

The chief warden stared at Rias.

His comrades injected her with an experimental concoction - which was not a truth serum, according to Omar, wanting information on how to deal with her annoying friends in case they decided to rescue them.

"And Akeno, that bitch! She shared the video of my performance with the others when I said not to! I thought my Queen was supposed to be my right hand! Best friend, my ass!"

The warden glanced at Omar, who merely shrugged as he jotted down notes on how his concoction performed. So far, the heiresses had been blabbering about this boy - Issei Hyoudou.

Everyone in the Zygotes had been debriefed about the Hyoudou family, albeit the warden did not pay too much attention due to skepticism. Their benefactors gave them strict instructions that the family was off-limits, something about the men in the family were strong enough to fight Gods, while the pictures only depicted an awfully unremarkable bald man, his loving brown-haired wife, and a teenager with equally brown hair. There was also a six-eyed black dog and some kind of abominable version of teletubbies that suggested that they were not normal, and the man that looked like an edgelord spoke more about their abnormalities.

In any case - was this Issei Hyoudou a part of the ambush from earlier? He did not recall that detail in the reports. Perhaps a late reinforcement? Now that the heiresses were under the effect of the serum, it was only a matter of time until they could give something useful and credible… Or it should have.

However, so far the so-called intel turned out more to be a pair of teenage girls throwing out gossip and complaints. No matter how many times he stopped the girls to get them back on track with his line of questioning, their answers would always lead back to their personal dramas.

"...Y'know, rather than telling the truth, your concoction more like removes their filters and inhibitions - They're now just babbling whatever that's been repressed in their hearts. It's like we put a dime into a jukebox, now we can only let the whole song play out." The warden remarked to the embarrassed-looking scientist.

Sona then chirped in, "Tell me about it - Tsubaki just ratted me out to my sister, so she can nag me about her non-existent boyfriend and pester me to do magical-girl shows with her! I've already had my hands full with my duty and responsibilities! What happens to her job as the Chief of Foreign Affairs!?"

"I thought you would hook it up with that pawn of yours already! You're always so picky about your boys, why not get on with it?!" Rias shouted.

"Saji? You know damn well why!" Sona shot back, "It's like dating your own younger brother! Can you imagine yourself dating someone like Millicas?"

Rias actually gave Sona's idea some thought - as much as Millicas was adorable and could grow up to be just her type of gentleman, there were so many complications not worth the headache if she were to ever love him that way.

"So you did know how he looks at you! Besides, there's not any other men in your peerage… Wait, don't tell me you're getting it on with the werewolf?"

Chester and the others widened their eyes at the thought of the glasses girl being into bestiality.

Sona, however, was affronted; she even attempted to futilely kick at Rias from her position out of reflex, "The hell's wrong with you!? Loup's quality and the way you referred to him aside, I've only known and recruited him for less than a month! Not to mention, if I were to ever pick someone to be my boyfriend, that'd be Is-!"

Sona quickly bit her lips as her face contorted as if she was sucking a raw lemon. A certain brunette with a red draconic gauntlet appeared in her mind, prompting her face to blush like crazy.

Rias' eyes turned owlish, "...Say that again? Is….?"

Sona swallowed a lump and clenched her jaw before replying, "...That'd be none of your damn business!" she finished while looking away, her face remained red.

Rias narrowed her eyes as her instinct blared in her head. She then turned to the guards, "...Can you inject some more of that stuff into Sona? I have some questions that she must answer."

The warden glanced at the scientist, who silently shook his head, prompting him to sigh in disappointment. In response, he proceeded to fish out the pen-like magic device and send both Rias and Sona's consciousness into the virtual white room so they could cool off a little.

---

I have something to confess - the original Omake I posted on my (P). atreon was completely different from the one you read here. The original omake was rather crude after I took another look, not to mention the not-so-warm reception from the audience, so I decided to re-write the omake here.

But for those who are curious enough what sort of omake I originally had on my (P). atreon, feel free to have a look - I've opened ch. 104: Premonitions for public viewing.

Cheers!