114::Author's Note::
Dear friggin God, finally! I've been meaning to get this Arc up and running for the better part of two months! What was supposed to be a small break to work on other projects and recenter myself for this next chapter in Jon's story turned into yet ANOTHER delay of posting. Not born of writer's block this time. But rather a certain virus that shall not be named making work about a hundred times more difficult for me.
But finally we're here. Arc Four begins now! And I'm happy to announce that the story is progressing well with what I've written so far. I didn't go into this one with as much of a plan as I did Arc Two and Three, and I'll be honest, I've been struggling to come up with decent material to add to the story. Mostly because there's not much to go off of from the original content.
I had to get REALLY creative for this one. And while a lot of the ideas I came up with are a bit out there, I think the end result will prove to be yet another excellent addition to Jonathan Hyodo's story.
With all that out of the way, it's time to get into it. First and foremost, if for some strange reason you're just now joining us, then you should know that you are currently reading PART FOUR of my fanfiction series based on the Highschool DxD graphic novels, manga, and anime. If you're wondering why Issei has suddenly vanished off the face of the earth and a bunch of characters are here that weren't there before, that's why!
If you're brand new to the series, I highly recommend you stopping by my profile and checking out the first three Arcs in the series. The reading order is as follows.
The Devil's Colt: Rise of a Hunter- This one's been updated to fix some of the problems but I still occasionally get complaints about it. While not the strongest Arc in the series (If for no other reason than I hadn't fully figured out what I was going to do with it before finishing that Arc.) I still recommend you read through its entirety as it sets up the next two Arcs where we really get into the nitty gritty.
The Devil's Colt: Ashes of the Phoenix- You won't notice the changes I've made to the original canon immediately, but this story eventually opens up into an original version of Arc Two of Highschool DxD that I'm quite proud of. Plenty of character development and new plot twists to be had.
The Devil's Colt: A Ten Winged War- Oh boy what journey this one was. This was where I really started to rewrite the original material. Basically I wrote half of it, got hideous writers block for half a year, came back, got engaged, forgot to write some more, and then added about twenty more chapters to it than I originally intended. It's a long one, but a lot of heart went into it. If you're a fan of Highschool DxD fanfiction (I'm assuming you are because you're here reading this right now.) Then I promise this epic forty something chapter journey will not disappoint you.
The Devil's Colt: Wrath of the White One- Where we currently are! If you've made it this far congratulations! You're currently caught up with the rest of us! Unless you're reading this as I'm writing Arc Five...in which case I hope future me is more punctual than current me!
Alright! We've waited long enough. Ladies and gentlemen it is my pleasure to present Chapter One of Arc Four! I hope you all enjoy.
::End Note::
(The following story is a non-profit fan based work of fiction. All medias, references, and properties used in this work of fiction belong to their respective copyright holders. I do not personally own, nor profit from any of the characters, stories, songs, or media referenced in this work.)
Deep in the frozen tundra of the Antarctic Continent, buried beneath a hundred yards of solid ice and sheltered from the galing winds, a remote research outpost lay nestled like a dirty little secret from the rest of the world. This laboratory, which once served as a bioweapons research outpost, had in recent times taken on a somewhat different role.
It was now the last safe place on Earth for men like Rabinus. The extermination of his fellow Watchers had been so thorough, so utterly absolute, that he now represented the very last of his order. What once was a Legion of two hundred strong now solely encompassed him. One Eight Winged Angel and a handful of surviving conspirators of various races and factions.
Kokabiel had come so close to achieving his dream. What was supposed to be a glorious first strike against the powers that be ended in absolute annihilation for everyone even remotely associated with the Angel of Stars. The Three Factions were so utterly devoted to wiping out any trace of their existence that any grievances they may have shared now turned into mutual condemnation for the rogue member of the Grigori Council and his men.
They had hoped to exterminate their enemies. Yet fate had now solemnly decreed that it would be THEY who were exterminated instead. It started with the public condemnation of Kokabiel's global conglomerate. Biorapture was crucified by the media, by the people, by Earth's governments, by everyone. With their stock prices ruined and their brand dragged through the mud, the public face of Kokabiel's conspirators was effectively killed within a matter of weeks. Not long after that, Assassins from all Three Factions began hunting down and silencing those who were too dangerous or knew too much to be allowed a public trial. Finally, Elite Soldiers tracked down each of their secret facilities, every single one of their labs, and wiped them out one by one. So utterly thorough was their purging of the Angel of Star's legacy that by the end of their crusade, only a single facility remained. This was all that was left. One single, remote, outpost in the middle of nowhere. Cut off from everything, with only a couple hundred survivors and a handful of guards remaining. With Rabinus as the defacto leader of this desperate group.
Yet even this last haven was now doomed to fall. For they too were being hunted. As Rabinus sat in his office, located at the lowest level of the Arctic Facility, he reflected on everything that had brought him to this point now. He was a fool for allowing Kokabiel to gain the amount of clout that he did. He should have spoken up before things were allowed to go this far. Of the Two Hundred Watchers, only he spoke out against the madman's plans. A decision that ultimately saved his life, as it caused him to be exiled to this frozen wasteland rather than be allowed to fly into battle with his Brothers and Sisters.
Not that it mattered in the end. Now it was his turn to suffer for choosing the wrong side. As Rabinus came to terms with the inevitability of his fate, he took some small solace in knowing that as grim as his end would be, it was nothing compared to what his former Leader was now forced to endure in Cocytus.
He hoped that bastard suffered in the lowest pit of Hell for eternity.
"Sir...are you listening?"
Rabinus slowly craned his head up from his desk, having lost himself in his thoughts. Tabitha, his Chief of Security and second in command, had been droning on about something or other regarding their current state, but in all honesty, he was hardly listening to her anymore. There was no point. He knew where this road ended.
"What did you say, Tabitha?"
She tsk'd him sharply, aggravated by the blank, apathetic look in his eyes. "I said 'Sir' that communications with our topside forces have been down for over an hour and you have yet to give a single order. Your men want to know what they should be doing right now."
His gaze fell back down to his desk as he rested his chin against his knuckles. "There's nothing TO do. Tell them to standby and await further instructions."
Tabitha clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. "You've repeated that order six times now. Is that really all we should be doing?"
He shrugged. "If that's what they desire. Truly, I do not intend to make them stand around expecting-"
She slammed her fist down onto his desk angrily. "You are our Commander! One of the Two Hundred Watchers! Does that title not mean anything to you anymore?! Are we to simply sit here and wait for death?!"
"What exactly would you have me do, Tabitha? The Legion of Ruin made it very clear they have no intention of offering aid or support." He sighed woefully. "They've abandoned us...left us to die. This is simply the price we pay for striking out on our own the way we did."
Her expression of anger slowly simmered into frustration before finally cooling down entirely into depression, same as him.
"To think it all ends here…" She shook her head in denial. "...our glorious revolution...dies a stillbirth."
"There will still be a revolution. Make no mistake." Rabinus assured. "But the Legion has decreed we will have no part in it."
After a moment, she removed her hands from the desk and chuckled morosely. "Well...to hell with all of them then. If that's how it's going to be, then so be it." Tabitha turned and began heading for the door, six Fallen Angel wings sprouting from her back. "I'm going top side, to meet whatever fool has come knocking on our door."
As she reached for the handle, Rabinus spoke. "You know who it is who hunts us…it's the same man who took out our LAST outpost.
She stopped before clenching her fist and trembling inches away from the handle.
"If you go out there…" He warned severely. "...you go to your grave."
Tabitha steadied herself, took a breath, and turned back around towards him. "There are a lot of fates worse than death, Sir. And one of them is just sitting here waiting to die. I'll take my chances."
Before Rabinus could reply, the intercom on his personal landline kicked on.
"Sir! Do you copy?! This is the front desk!"
The voice of a very frantic security guard spoke up. They could hear gunfire in the back of the phone call, indicating the presence of a firefight that was slowly getting closer to the caller.
"We have enemy contact at the central elevator. A lone gunman, Sir! He's tearing us apart! We need-"
The frantic communications were cut off by the sound of a single gunshot. At that moment, the power went out and the backup generators immediately kicked to life. Illuminating their surroundings in its eerie neon glow.
"What...what happened?" Tabitha asked nervously.
"He's here." Rabinus spoke gravely.
She blanched. "You mean…"
He nodded. "The Dragon who ended Kokabiel."
All throughout the research compound alarms blared and sirens wailed. Security doors made of reinforced titanium alloy shut down. Security personnel armed to the teeth hid behind makeshift barricades alongside their Cyber Soldier counterparts. Ready to defend the entrance to the main warehouse as well as their Leader's office with their lives. The intruder had been slowly working his way down each level of the compound, killing everything and everyone in his path, until at last he reached the lowest floor. Only a handful of security personnel remained in addition to Rabinus's personal guard.
Over the loudspeaker the voice of Tabitha boomed in a tone full of authority.
"Full lockdown procedures!" The Chief of Security ordered. "Nothing gets in or out of this place alive!"
Next, she spoke directly to the intruder, a menacing growl in her voice.
"And to the one who's killing all my men...I know you can hear me, so listen good. If you think we will simply roll over and die for you then you have another thing coming. I don't care what it takes, I will make sure you do not leave this place alive...Ddraig."
The men in the corridor all readied their weapons as the final magnetic lock of the eight and a half inch reinforced titanium door slid into place in front of them. It wouldn't stop the one who was hunting them, considering he'd blasted his way through the last seventeen or eighteen they tried to put in his path. All they could really hope to do was slow him down.
All went dead quiet as they awaited the freak of nature looking to exterminate them. Sure enough, after a few moments the door in front of them began to glow white hot, as if being superheated by a truckload of thermite. Their trigger hands began to shake and sweat accumulated on their brows, save for the emotionless Cyber Husks who continued to guard the door like stoic mechanical sentries.
The reinforced door blasted off its hinges, shattering into pieces and knocking back the guards manning the first row of barricades, killing several in the blast of shrapnel. Through the smoke and fire that remained, a single figure walked forward. With a self satisfactory smirk he addressed his audience.
"Sorry to disappoint you Tabi, but your favorite Cowboy couldn't make it this time."
They all nearly dropped their guns at the site of the handsome young man with light silver hair and hazel eyes. He was dressed in a long, silver buttoned blue coat with three separated coattails. A white, serpentine pattern ran around the collar, with a Chinese Dragon's head hanging over the coat's left shoulder, and its tail slinking down the right, all the way to the bottom of the coat. A gold lining ran across the edges of the coat, and a silky, golden flower blossom pattern decorated the inner lining.
Underneath the coat, he was wearing a navy blue ascot wrapped around his neck, which hung over a black, sleeveless vest that revealed his well-toned arms and shoulders. Finally, he wore tan, finger-less gloves and a brown, snakeskin belt with a silver buckle. As well as dark green pants with a scale pattern running across its surface, and tall, brown boots with two golden buckled straps at the top.
With his audience effectively terrified, the decked out figure continued.
"Instead, for tonight's performance, the role of Stupidly Overpowered Badass Dragon shall be played by yours truly."
The young, brash, and arrogant man who spoke presented himself in grandiose fashion before speaking his name.
"Vali Lucifer."
Security opened fire, unloading with assault rifles, shotguns, and plasma rounds alike. For every bullet and bolt of plasma that flew towards him, a small blue magical barrier would pop up in front of it, deflecting the shot harmlessly away without him having to move or seemingly put any effort in at all.
When at last their weapons were dry, Vali was surrounded by spent ammunition and scorched walls, his immaculate visage otherwise completely untouched.
"Though as long as we're on the subject, anyone curious as to why my counterpart wears red all the time? I know I am." He asked them, clearly no more bothered by their presence than a man would be bothered by a passing ladybug. "Personally, I think it's so if he gets shot his Peerage won't see him bleed."
The security personnel all backed away slowly while reloading their weapons. Even the Cyber Soldiers seemed dazed, raw unfiltered fear having overridden their emotional inhibitors.
"See, that guy in the back probably knows what I'm talking about." He pointed to one of the random security guards near the back row. "He wore the brown pants today."
They opened fire on him again. Once more, Vali's body threw up small barriers to deflect each shot without any apparent form of input from the White Dragon Emperor. With their guns dry for the second time, Vali slowly began to approach.
"Not a fan of jokes?" He asked in that same flippant, overly cocky tone. "How about some improv then? I'll set the scenario. In this scene I'll be playing a drunken whaler and you're a bunch of little baby seals." His eyes took on the form of two serpents orbs as he dropped low into a fighter's stance. "Ready? Begin!"
Before they could reload, Vali rushed them, using nothing but his hands and feet to individually swat away each security guard's gun before knocking them to the ground with well placed punches and kicks. Every move he made was fluid, graceful, and completely untraceable by the woefully under equipped guards. The ones who tried to fight back, either through hand to hand or with a sidearm, did absolutely nothing to stop his dance-like flurry of punches and kicks as he cut through them one by one. Shattering skulls, breaking necks, and pulverizing ribcages until none were left standing.
"Annnnd scene." He declared after having annihilated every single one.
Vali proceeded to step over the bodies of the broken defenders before casually kicking down the door to the next room with a well placed boot. He stepped into a massive supply room where stacks of cargo crates lined gigantic shelves along the walls. Dozens of Security and Cyber Soldiers took up positions around and on these crates in a defensive spread pattern.
"Okay, so seeing as I'm starting to get bored, what say we make this interesting?"
He summoned two twin M1911 Handguns to his person and twirled them on his fingers. These customs weapons were a deep blue color with golden engravings on each one. On the side of the weapons, the name they shared with each other was written in Draconian. Scarborough's Affair.
With both handguns at either side of him, Vali issued his challenge. "No more barriers, no more magic, no more bullshit. If ANY of you can hit me, you can walk your happy ass out of here alive."
The security squad readied their weapons to fire.
"We all got the rules? Good. Now show me what you're made of."
Vali removed his barrier magic, completely exposing himself to their firepower. The Security Team unloaded on him, prompting the White Dragon Emperor to dive behind cover. He dodged each bullet with a combination of inhuman speed, acrobatics, and incalculable reflexes. Each bullet whizzing merrily around him, moving at a snail's pace with his enhanced agility. When he finally made it behind one of the metal crates, not a single bullet or plasma round had so much as grazed his coat.
"Your grouping is solid! Good start!" He called to his opponent before raising his twin M1911's up to his head. "Now for my turn…"
Vali leapt into the air and spun three hundred and sixty degrees on his side, firing a single round from his right gun and then his left. The blue ethereal rounds left the gun's chambers and embedded themselves in the foreheads of two Cyber Husks standing on the tops of crates. Upon hitting their bodies, the rounds sent blue electricity throughout their being, causing them to break down on a molecular level. Vaporizing them on the spot.
He landed on the top of the metal crate he was using for cover before opening fire on everything in front of and below him while simultaneously avoiding every round that came flying his way. Vali lept from container to container, placing a single round in anything that moved which, upon hitting their flesh, immediately turned their bodies to dust. His Divider Rounds breaking their bodies apart cell by cell.
Vali then jumped in the air and spun like a gyro, handguns out to either side as he fired with one hundred percent accuracy. Hitting every single one of his targets in the process before landing back down between the crates.
A Security Guard rushed around the crate he had just landed behind and took aim. Only to find Vali splayed out on his side with his head propped up on his hand. He fired his weapon only to hear a gut wrenching click upon pulling the trigger.
"And that, children, is why you always count your rounds."
He fired a round through the guard's head without looking, disintegrating his body instantly. Another Cyber Husk rounded the corner and Vali rolled on the floor avoiding every plasma round he fired before pushing off the ground with his arms, running up the side of a cargo container, flipping upside down in the air, and firing another round through the head of the Husk as well as the guard behind him.
"For instance…" He continued after landing back on the ground. "...right now I'm at-" Upon pulling out the completely empty magazine he stopped midsentence and chuckled. "Oh right! I don't use ammo!"
Five guards took up positions around him and aimed their assault rifles.
"I mean, I guess I could always go by body count, but well..."
He lept into the air, somersaulting end over end while firing five Divider Rounds into five skulls, disintegrating the bodies into dust.
"...that comes with its own challenges."
Vali twirled the still smoking guns on his hands before vanishing them.
"And that would be game, folks. Now who can point me in the direction of that obscenely sexy voice I heard over the loudspeakers?" He asked while sauntering on up to the door that led to Rabinus's Office.
The last surviving guard rolled out of cover behind him and fired an armor piercing slug from his shotgun. Vali caught the metal slug mid flight without turning around before turning towards the terrified gunmen.
"Oooo, very nice try. Unfortunately I'm all out of participation trophies for half assed ambush attempts." He confessed while tossing the metal slug up into the air. "As a consolation prize, you can have this back."
Vali proceeded to throw the metal slug clear through his head causing his brain to go splattering out the back of his skull. The White Dragon Emperor grimaced at the site.
"Yick. At least MY bullets clean up after themselves."
"Vali Lucifer!" He heard a female voice call his name.
Vali smiled devilishly before slowly turning back around to see a familiar looking brunette in a skintight black battle suit. She was aiming two FN P90s at him and had murder in her eyes.
"Now THERE is one nice ass." He commented in a slick tone before strutting on up to her. "You rang, Tabi?"
"Don't call me that!" She spat at him hatefully. "You damn traitor! Why did you do it?! Why did you turn on my Lord?!"
"Hey, it's not my fault the guy went murder crazy on a Devil City." He insisted while raising his hands up defensively. "I was just following orders when I turned your psycho Leader into a popsicle."
She continued to scowl at him horribly until a sadistic grin suddenly formed on her features.
"Yeah? Well so am I."
Six Fallen Angel's came swooping down on him from hidden positions along the ceiling above, each armed with a Lance of Light. Their weapons pierced through his body in multiple places before embedding themselves in the ground below. Tabitha was about to celebrate, thinking maybe they had gotten him. Yet upon seeing Vali still standing, her blood ran cold. As did the blood of every Fallen Angel who had impaled him.
The White Dragon Emperor chuckled in a low, sardonic tone, a dark smile forming on his features. The Spears didn't bother him. Despite being impaled, his body didn't even seem to register that it had just taken damage.
"Sorry…" He spoke in a menacing tone. "...but I already called game. So I'm afraid that hit doesn't count."
He flung both his hands out to either direction and a massive shockwave knocked all six Angels off of him, shattering their weapons in the process and revealing him to be completely unscathed.
Tabitha opened fire on him in a blind fury until her weapons were spent. But of course, they did nothing, as his body simply covered itself in barriers again with each bullet that threatened to hit him.
"Come on, Sweetie." Vali insisted, a shit eating grin plastered on his face as he continued to approach her. "Is this really any way to treat the best sex you've ever had before? I mean, I knew you might be a little salty considering I dipped out on you afterwards, but still...I remember a certain someone going cross eyed at one point. And spoiler alert, it wasn't me."
All six Angels recovered and summoned Spears of Light to their hands before hurling them at the White Dragon Emperor. Vali rolled his eyes as each one detonated on his barrier harmlessly.
"Hard to find a minute alone these days, isn't it?" He commented to Tabitha before summoning a Katana to his belt. He gripped the scabbard in his left hand and pushed up on the hilt of the sword, revealing about an inch and a half of the blade. As the Fallen charged him again, a series of blue slashes cut through the air around a completely still Vali. The Angels fell into pieces before crumbling to dust on the ground much to Tabitha's horror. Vali proceeded to press the inch and a half of blade back into its sheath before vanishing it and approaching Tabitha once more.
"So the way I see it, we've got one of two options here. We can either fight or hook up, either way I'm satisfied."
"Go to hell…" She snarled at him coldly.
"Would that I could, but Azazel insisted I come to this Arctic Craphole instead." He immediately retorted, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "You think I enjoy cleaning up the mess you idiots made? I've got about eight other things I could be doing right now. Four of which are wearing the skinniest little leotards you've ever seen in your life." Vali then added with a slick grin. "So unless you're planning on becoming number nine, I'd say we're better off getting this over with."
She lowered her head and chuckled bitterly. "You know what?"
Tabitha shot him a mean, wicked, gaze before pulling an auto injector syringe from her belt.
"I couldn't agree more!"
She popped the cap off the syringe and stabbed it into her neck. Injecting herself with an unknown substance. Tabitha's body immediately reacted to the drug as it entered her system. She began to convulse and gasp for breath as her skin turned pale and black veins began to appear all around her body. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she began to froth at the mouth.
Black tentacles began sprouting from her mouth, eyes, and all throughout her skin. They surrounded her body and grew in size, covering Tabitha from head to toe until she could no longer be recognized. What remained was an amorphous mass of tentacles with two long arms and a bulbous head from which a single red light peered down at Vali menacingly. The White Dragon Emperor chuckled in amusement at the site before summoning his twin handguns back to his person.
"Well...that's one way to kill an erection." Vali joked. "Tabi, Hun, I hate to break it to you but I don't think that's something you're gonna be able to buffer out with blemish cream."
The amorphous mass slammed one of its tentacled paws down on him. Vali easily darted backwards, well out of harm's way, before firing on its body with both guns. The bullets hit the mass of tentacles, but otherwise did the creature little harm.
"Maybe it's just me." He vanished the pistols and summoned his Katana. "But if a guy tells you he has a tentacle fetish I don't think this is what he has in mind."
Both the creature's arms were sliced to ribbons as an invisible force cut it's way through both appendages in a fraction of a second. New tentacles immediately sprouted to replace the ones lost, twisting together to reform into two new arms.
"Then again, what do I know?" Vali continued completely unphased, as cocky and arrogant as ever. "I'm not really into that sort of thing. Not that I'm judging. To each their own, I say."
His Katana disappeared as he proceeded to summon his Sacred Gear. Two white metal gauntlets appeared on his right and left hands with a gem on each that glowed a deep neon blue. The creature raised its right hand into the air and formed a giant mallet with its tentacles before bringing it down on Vali's head. The Dragon responded by smashing the mallet to pieces with a single punch from one of his gauntlets. Once again, the mass of tentacles regenerated.
He sighed wearily. "Annnnnd this just hit tedious. Which means you and I are officially out of time, Doll."
With a single swift strike Vali slammed his fist into the middle of the amorphous blob of tentacles before using his Divide ability. The mass shuddered in pain as half its power was instantly drained and added to Vali's arsenal.
"But I won't have it be said I'm not a gentleman. So this time around, I'll be sure to leave you something to remember me by."
He pulled his fist out and used the power he just stole to create a neon blue ball of energy in the palm of his hand. Vali then proceeded to leap up on the creature's head before ramming the energy ball down its gullet.
"Now I've never said this to a woman before." He yanked his hand free. "But whatever you do, DON'T swallow this."
With that he lept backwards and landed gracefully on his feet, his gauntlets vanishing as he stuffed his hands back into his pockets. The blob of tentacles began to glow blue before exploding in a shower of ash and detritus. Vali's clothes were saved from the blast by his barrier, leaving a mess around him while the White Dragon Emperor remained perfectly pristine.
With the last of the security gone, Vali calmly stepped over the mess left in his wake and made his way into the office of Rabinus. The last member of the Two Hundred Watchers was sitting in his chair with his back turned away from him.
"If your theatrics are meant to scare me, Ddraig…" Rabinus slowly turned around in his chair. "...then I fear you have the wrong-"
He blanched upon coming face to face with Vali who grinned knowingly at the Fallen Angel before waving.
"Howdie." He impersonated the Red Dragon Emperor.
"A…Albion…" He swallowed back his fear and rolled back in his seat. "I was-"
"Expecting someone else?" The White Dragon Emperor guessed for him. "Azazel was none too pleased with the Angel of Stars antics in Kuoh. You lot really screwed the pooch on that one."
"Listen, I didn't want any part of that!" Rabinus responded desperately. "You can ask anyone and they'll tell you, I spoke out against Kokabiel!"
"Yeahhhh, this isn't really about that." He strutted up to the Watcher's desk, sat down, and propped his feet up on the table while folding his arms behind his head. "Azazel doesn't mind you trying to make money on the side, just not by selling our tech to the other factions."
"It was Kokabiel's tech." He insisted. "Had I known Azazel had interest in it I would have-"
"Rabinus." Vali shook his head severely, suddenly all business. "You can't talk your way out of this one. The Council wouldn't have sent ME otherwise."
He hung his head angrily while gripping the desk until it almost broke. After a moment, Rabinus calmed back down, took a breath, and spoke again. "I take it then...that my Chief of Security is dead?"
Vali sighed wistfully. "She was made as best as you could make her. But not to last."
Rabinus gave him a weird look. "What?"
The White Dragon Emperor looked visibly shocked. "Blade Runner? Come on, Man, don't tell me you've never seen it."
"N...no. I haven't." He admitted awkwardly.
"Sheesh." Vali shook his head in disappointment. "Your loss. Especially now."
The Watcher slowly opened the drawer of his desk and reached for a remote detonator he had tucked away there.
"I've always been curious…" He spoke cautiously, his eyes never once straying from the White Dragon Emperor. "...as to whether the rumors about your supposed indestructibility truly hold up or not."
Vali chuckled in amusement. "Is this what we're doing now? Ooo wait! Don't tell me. Is it dynamite? I've always wanted someone to try to kill me with dynamite."
A wicked grin formed on Rabinus's features as he pulled out the detonator and placed his thumb over the red button. "Not exactly. This detonator is connected directly to this facility's failsafe protocol. I push this button, and the base is completely destroyed in the blast of a Thermonuclear Warhead."
His amused smile vanished and he scoffed in disappointment. "A nuke? Should have known." Vali sighed wearily. "How boring."
"Boring, but effective." The Fallen Angel declared triumphantly. "Even if you somehow managed to survive the blast, I doubt heavily you could escape from being buried under a mile and a half of falling snow and ice."
"See, I know you're trying to threaten me right now and that's great and all. But all I can think about is what a major occupation and safety hazard that thing must be." Vali commented dryly. "Like...have you ever almost mistaken that thing for the TV remote? That would have been an awkward conversation to have with your boss."
"Joke all you want, but I'm dead serious." Rabinus spoke severely. "I want to make a deal. If not, I'm taking you with me."
"Ooooh, please." Vali spoke mockingly. "Spare me from the hideous wrath of your almighty chocolate bar."
He glared at him in confusion. "My what?"
A wicked grin formed on Vali's lips. "That's a chocolate bar you've got in your hand." He then pulled a suspiciously familiar looking detonator from his pocket and waved it in his hand. "Is this what you're looking for?"
Unbridled horror formed on Rabinus's face as he slowly turned and peered in disbelief at the chocolate bar he now held in his hands.
"I AM gonna want that back, by the way." Vali pointed to the chocolate bar in question while carelessly holding the detonator in his other hand. "If I don't get my daily fix I get the shakes."
"H...how did you…"
"Okay okay, I tell you what." He offered the detonator to him. "I'll trade you. One Thermonuclear Detonator for one candy bar. Sound fair?"
The Fallen Angel blinked at him, a mixture of terror and disbelief written on his face.
"So here's how we'll do this." Vali very gingerly held out his right hand which contained the detonator while extending his empty left palm and beckoning for the chocolate. "On the count of three we'll very carefully make the exchange. You ready?"
Still in a state of shock, Rabinus slowly extended his right hand to give him back the candy bar while reaching out with his left to take the detonator.
"Alright, on three." Vali spoke while looking him in the eye. "One, two, THREE."
They made the exchange. Vali sighed in exasperation and shook his head in disappointment.
"Now see? You weren't paying attention. I just told you to hand back the candybar." He held up his left hand to reveal the Detonator. "You just gave me the super dangerous red button back."
Rabinus stared in abject horror down at his left hand which now contained the chocolate bar. How was he doing this? Illusion Magic? Time Manipulation? What the hell kind of godlike power did Vali possess that he could move like that without him being able to see it?
"Yeah, the girls are always impressed by that trick too." Vali commented in a very self satisfactory voice. "Even if I mostly use it to steal their underwear."
Vali stood up from his seat with the detonator in hand. "You know what? Keep the chocolate. I've got something much sweeter waiting for me back home. Eight somethings as it were. But in the meantime…"
As he approached the door he suddenly spun around and held the detonator in the air.
"A toast Jebediah: to love on my own terms."
Rabinus blinked several times in confusion. "Wh...what?"
Vali sighed morosely. "You know what? Forget it. I'm done here."
He pressed the button on the detonator and dropped it.
"Ciao!"
Vali saluted before warping away. Leaving Rabinus to be consumed by the massive nuclear explosion that followed.
Vali returned to the sprawling penthouse condominium his benefactors were so generous to provide for him. The spacious suite boasted enough room for both him and his Treasures to move about freely and was the kind of decadent that only came with having obscene amounts of money.
Of course, renting out a place like this wasn't a problem for someone like his benefactor. If anything, the place felt a little small for nine people. And Vali would be lying to himself if he said that that fact didn't irk him somewhat. If there's one thing he couldn't stand it was being taken for granted.
Still, it beat the hell out of a cave.
The White Dragon Emperor was in the process of reporting his success via cellphone while relaxing on his sprawling couch in the giant living room. A large home theater system was playing the Lindou Demons game and he was casually swirling a glass of brandy in his free hand.
"So that's your full report, then?" The weary sounding voice on the other end of the phone asked.
"Yyyyep." Vali replied in a chipper voice before taking another swig of his drink. "Turns out they were nice enough to build a base that came with it's own self cleaning button."
He heard the voice in the receiver audibly groan, prompting him to chuckle in amusement.
"You couldn't have resisted the urge long enough for us to at least SEE if there was anything there worth salvaging?"
"Hey, that's not in my job description." Vali retorted completely indifferently. "I'm the break shit guy, not the salvage shit guy."
There was a long pause on the other end. No doubt his Boss was breaking out the strong stuff.
"Forget it. Let's just move on."
Vali smirked victoriously. "Whatever you say, Azazel old buddy."
"As you know, the Peace Summit is coming up soon." Azazel spoke from the other end of the phone. "We've finally decided on a location that everyone can agree with."
"I still think my idea is the best." He responded.
"For the last time, we are NOT holding the summit in Hawaii." Azazel insisted impatiently.
"Oh come on!" He implored half jokingly. "It's gonna be tense enough with you three assholes trying to out macho each other. Least you can do is hold this little powwow somewhere actually nice." He then added after sipping his drink. "Besides. The Islands are like a stone's throw away from Japan and the Gremorys basically own that country now, so it's all good."
"As I said, the location has already been decided." Azazel responded, completely ignoring him. "We will be hosting the Peace Summit at Kuoh Academy. That was what everyone agreed to."
Vali lurched up, an amused look in his eyes. "Wait. Has anyone told Rias that yet?"
The silence on the other line spoke volumes. Vali burst into a fit of laughter.
"Oh man, she is about to HATE us."
"That's not our problem, let Sirzechs handle his baby sister. We have our own affairs to deal with."
"So speaking of Kuoh, how's my bestie doing these days?"
"He knows who I am." Azazel admitted. "Like you predicted, he figured it out on his own."
Vali licked his pointer finger and pantomimed tallying another mark on the scoreboard. "That's my Ddraig for you. Still as clever as ever."
"He doesn't go by that name." He stated matter of factly. "These days he prefers-"
"Ugggh, don't remind me." The White Dragon Emperor groaned in embarrassment. "To think he'd end up slumming it in the body of a HUMAN of all things. Honestly, what the hell was Ddraig thinking?"
"I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss your rival, Vali." Azazel cautioned him warily. "He's gained tremendous power at an almost unprecedented rate, and has yet to show any sign of slowing down."
Vali's eyes narrowed dangerously. "That right?"
"You haven't been keeping as sharp an eye on him as I have." Azazel spoke frankly. "No one is sure how he's doing it but he's managed to exceed our estimated growth rates by well over two hundred percent. He may not be as powerful as you are right now, but he's gaining strength at a rate you couldn't possibly hope to match."
A wicked grin formed on his lips. "In that case, maybe I should go pay him a visit and see for myself."
"I cannot stress to you how important it is that this Peace Summit goes smoothly." Azazel implored. "We can't afford to give the other two factions any more ammunition against us."
Vali quirked a brow at the phone. "What are you trying to say, exactly?"
He sighed wearily. "Listen...I know this may be difficult, but I really need you to not start trouble with Ddraig until AFTER the Summit is over."
"You make it sound like I'M the instigator here."
"Well you did just nuke Antarctica." Azazel commented.
"Oh come on!" Vali laughed in exasperation. "Who's gonna bitch about that? The fucking penguins?"
"My point is, it would be a major help to everyone if you could just stay away from Kuoh until the Summit."
After a moment of silence he replied. "I get the distinct impression you're embarrassed of me."
"This is serious." Azazel spoke in a stern voice.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go with no." He replied, less than bothered.
"Vali, I'm not kidding!"
The White Dragon Emperor chuckled. "Oh please. What are you gonna do, get the one dude who can stop me? What was his name again?" He downed the rest of his drink and placed the glass aside. "Michael McDoesn'texist?"
Azazel sighed wearily. "What do you want?"
Vali quirked a brow and grinned knowingly. "Come again?"
"What do I need to give you to keep you out of Kuoh for the next two weeks?" He asked insistently.
The White Dragon Emperor scratched his chin in thought for a moment before looking around at his accommodations. "I'm gonna need a bigger condo."
"Done." Azazel replied without missing a beat.
"I'm thinking somewhere in Corfu. The girls want beachfront access."
He sighed wearily. "I'll have to pull some strings but that should be doable. Anything else?"
Vali thought hard for a moment. "A solid navy blue chrome Lamborghini."
"Tell me you're joking." Azazel spoke in exasperation.
"With the convertible option." He insisted, making it clear he wasn't joking.
"The hell do you need a Lamborghini for?"
Vali shrugged. "Hey, word has it Ddraig's been collecting Harleys. I'm not about to be outdone by my archrival."
Another weary sigh from the receiver. "Fine. Done. Now promise me you'll stay away from Kuoh."
"Yeah yeah. You've got a deal." Vali assured, though he didn't sound happy about it.
"Good…wait a minute. Do you even have a driver's license?"
The White Dragon Emperor responded by hanging up the phone. He then tossed his cellphone aside and laid back further into the couch. About a minute later he came down his Treasure's throat. Given the slight choking sound he proceeded to hear, he could tell it was Elizabeth that just finished him off. Being the newest of his girls, she was the only one who still possessed a gag reflex.
Two girls popped their heads up from his lap, one of them wiping her lips and blushing fiercely.
"Well that was fun. Was it good for you, Baby?" The fair skinned girl with knee length pink hair, green eyes and a cute, girl next door face giggled at him before batting her pretty long lashes. She was dressed in a black negligee that exposed most of her ample bust and her neck was decorated in a silver rosary with red beads.
"Like a dream, Rosalie." He ran a finger across her cheek while she made sweet little pouty faces at him.
"Hear that Elizabeth?" The girl named Rosalie turned and nudged the woman next to her playfully with her elbow. "I'd say your form is improving."
"Th...thank you, Sir." The beautiful young woman turned her head away bashfully, blushing from ear to ear. Elizabeth was a slender yet curvaceous young lady with a healthy bust and very pale skin that made her features almost glow whenever she blushed too hard. Her most striking features were her sky blue eyes and waist length silver hair. Whenever she kept it down, her bengs would cover her right eye.
Vali chuckled at her in amusement. "Elizabeth, sweetheart, why do you still insist on being so formal with me? I know you've only been with our little group for a week, but are you not one of my Treasures?"
Again she blushed from head to toe, barely able to look him in the eye as he smiled at her. "Maybe I'm just afraid, Sir...maybe the moment I let my guard down is…" Elizabeth cast a shameful gaze to the floor. "...is when I wake up."
Rosalie placed both hands against her ample chest and made a puppy dog face at Vali. "Isn't she just precious, Vali Dear?"
"D...don't tease me, Rosi!" Elizabeth hid her face in her hands.
Vali wrapped his arm around the small of her waist and pulled her in close. The befuddled girl was left completely speechless as he proceeded to slowly tilt her chin and shift her gaze back to him.
"You'll find your strength, my little dove." He assured, his voice as gentle as it was soothing. "And on the day you do, I will delight myself in the gorgeous color your soul takes on."
She was completely entranced, her mouth agape. Of course, it was always that way when she stared into his eyes. Ever since the Imprint, looking into her Dragon's eyes was akin to getting lost in the stars.
"In the meantime, however, could you do me a favor and grab me another drink?" He winked at her while shaking his empty glass.
"O...oh! Of course!" She grabbed the empty glass and stood up. Meanwhile Vali began twirling a lacy pink thong on his finger.
"Annnnd try not to think about the fact I just stole your panties again." He added with a mischievous grin.
"Hah!" She peeped in surprise and dropped the glass before pushing the hem of her negligee down and dropping to the floor. "S...S...Sir Vali!" Elizabeth pouted indignantly. "You know I hate when you do that!"
Rosalie giggled at the befuddled girl. "Awww, but you look so cute all flustered like that love."
Vali couldn't help but smirk at Rosalie. It didn't take long for her and Elizabeth to bond together after the imprinting as they shared a lot in common. Though she seemed to forget that it wasn't that long ago she was just as timid and shy as Elizabeth was.
At least, as long as she kept that rosary on anyway. But that was a completely different issue.
While Elizabeth went to go get his drink, still scarlet from her complete lack of underwear, Rosalie curled herself up on Vali's arm, a sultry look in her eyes.
"So...I've been a pretty good girl today, haven't I Babe?" She asked, her lips in a full pout.
He snickered, already knowing where this was going. "As good as can be expected."
She ran a finger up and down his well defined bicep. "Sooo, could we maybe...you know?"
Vali rolled his eyes at her. "I suppose."
"Eeee!" She beamed at him happily. "You're the best! I've been really hungry today and…"
Two gleaming fangs protruded from her top lip as she opened her mouth.
"...you know how yummy I think your blood is."
He offered his neck to her and she bit down gently. His Rosalie's bites always felt more like kisses and the sensation of her sucking on his blood was even more euphoric than what she normally did with her lips and tongue. Then again, there were few vices quite as divine as the bite of a vampire. Though as his mind swirled in a haze, he knew instinctively that as wonderful as her fangs felt in his neck, it was still nothing compared to the utter ecstasy Rosalie was in. Dragon's blood was, after all, the very pinnacle of ambrosia for her species.
Elizabeth returned with his drink while Rosalie lost herself in a sea of crimson lifeforce. She moaned in ecstasy and lapped at his neck. To his Sanguine Treasure, this was better than any sex they'd ever had.
"So did I hear that conversation correctly, Sir?" Elizabeth asked while slipping back into her panties and cuddling up next to him. "We're moving to Corfu?"
He nodded in confirmation while Rosalie's face became more and more heated as she fed on him. "Tomorrow you and the girls go shopping for some cute swimsuits, okay? I'll pay."
Elizabeth smiled at him and cuddled up into his free arm. "It doesn't matter where I am, Sir, so long as I'm with you."
As he relaxed with his Treasures, Vali's mind turned to his counterpart. Azazel's little bribe succeeded in delaying their inevitable encounter, but it wouldn't be long before they were destined to meet.
"Whatever you're doing, Ddaig, I sincerely hope you're ready for me."
