Realizing Weakness

Euclid Lucifuge P.O.V

'No one was supposed to know of this place.' He seethed as he heard the explosions going on closer to the entrance. 'How did they find out? We're in the middle of a continent no one want to be in! We shouldn't have been found!' Hatred burned in his eyes and he turned toward his captive.

Artoria was in a sorry state, her shattered armor laid by her side. She has bruises and cuts all across her form. It was clear that violence was their first method of breaking her will. Her eyes struggling from keeping her flames of resolution from dying out. It was to be expected, she had just been informed that her lord was dead. While she didn't worship him in a religious capacity, he had bestowed her ancestor the holy spear representing the end; the ultimate sign of trust. He had given her the right to steer the fate of humanity and now he was dead.

Her eyes looked up at this evil man. A devil believing the old ways of embracing sin and committing atrocities. From the sound echoing through the cavern, help was on the way. Hopefully it would be enough.

As the raid progressed, Euclid decided that it may be a good idea to send a distress signal. While he could teleport out of there. It wouldn't be a good idea. They needed this base. The problem was that it would take at least a few minutes for his reinforcements to teleport in. Even with the teleportation grid he set up for his master, time would be needed to finish establishing the connection.

Suddenly, the world brightened forcing his eyes closed. A heat slammed against his skin, holy energy filled his lungs, and he suddenly found himself tied on a cross of sacred flame.

'What the hell?! I can't breathe!' He was so surprised it took him a while to respond. Thinking about it logically in his pained state, it didn't take long to realize that this was incineration anthems power, but he'd never seen such a strong usage of the tool. Him, a Satan class devil was being burned, even if for only a moment.

Before he could react though, a sword pierced toward his heart. With all the strength he could muster, he managed to move his arm to deflect the blow. Unfortunately for him, it still ended up piercing his right lung.

The light burned through his body weakening him further and further as time went on. Fortunately, though, the castor didn't seem to be able to maintain this burning world as it disappeared. Looking forward, he saw a clearly exhausted Laeticia, the reincarnation of the Saint of Orleans. Raising his hand his hand to crush her quickly, he suddenly felt something behind him. Then when he turned around, he froze.

Standing behind him was Hanabi, the chakra wielding enigma, and Artoria, somehow clad in her fully restored armor grasping her holy lance. This was not shaping to be a good day. He had to finish up quick, that last attack from the saint left a lot of holy energy in his system and it was clearly killing him; he needed to get medical attention soon. Narrowing his eyes, he prepared for the coming fight.

Laeticia P.O.V.

"She's free. *Pant* That's step one down *pant*" she said as her balance breaker deactivated. She was not normally strong enough to affect a devil as strong as Euclid, but by concentrating the full power of her balance breaker to execute for a single instant, she managed the feat. Even better, while she did that, Hanabi managed to free Artoria. She really couldn't help but admire how quick her friend was. Were all shinobi this fast? She would have to ask after everything was done.

Looking at Euclid though, she was concerned. Although she managed to poison him with her purest holy power, he could still fight at an ultimate class for a bit. Her revelation was telling her it wouldn't be long. Even if he is Satan-class, having pure holy power be pushed to the core of his respiratory system is beyond fatal; He's probably panicking now that he can't leave teleport around. She would take advantage of that.

Suddenly, the three felt a rush of demonic power wildly radiating off Euclid's body. His eyes took on a gleam of unending hatred. Any patience he may have had for those he deemed inferior was clearly gone.

"How dare you! You lowly humans!" Euclid exclaimed. 'I need to kill them fast and get out of here. I can't wait for reinforcements. I have to kill them here. I better use that. I'll only have a minute of fighting potential though before my body starts shutting down. I need to make this quick.

"Fine! You want to challenge your betters? Let me enlighten you to your folly!" Euclid roared as he raised his right arm"

Boosted Gear: Balance Breaker!

Suddenly his form was covered by a full body red armor with green orbs embedded at different points of his body. His armor bore resemblance to a dragon, the Red Dragon of Domination.

"You're the Red Dragon Emperor!? How!?" Artoria asked, clearly bewildered by the situation. Even if he acquired the gear, he shouldn't have the affinity to use it. Her thoughts were interrupted as she was punched into the wall.

Where she previously stood, Euclid had his right arm raised, but there was something wrong. There should have been more power than that. He should have used the gears 'boost' function by now.

Euclid looked down at the gear and raised his left arm. A pulsing black gauntlet appeared replacing the red armor that was previously there, shocking all else in the room. The gauntlet glowed as he looked toward the green gem in his chest.

"You will obey!" The green orb started blinking multiple times before it and all the orbs flashed in a black light.

[Boost][Boost][Boost]

"That's better!" he said as the others began to fall into despair. He was too fast to see the first time and now he was able to double his power three times?

Laeticia blinked and suddenly, all she felt was pain. She and Hanabi were hit in the chest, any resistance broken without their conscious awareness. Euclid was too strong. They were going to die.

One more time, they heard. [Boost][Boost][Boost] and Euclid flashed speeding toward Laeticia's position, intent on taking revenge for the fatal damage he received at the beginning of the fight. Before he could land the final strike though, something appeared in his path.

*Boom* the cavern rumbled as the force behind that Satan class strike dispersed into the atmosphere. When the dust settled, all four were shocked. In front of Euclid, stood Esdeath, one of Rias's Demon God Pillars.

"I'm feeling a little left out." She said with a grin, which quickly shifted to a scowl. "How could you leave me with the small fry while you take on someone like this!" She roared as the previous bloody cavern froze in an instant, her newly gained demonic power far more potent than before with her new status as a pillar.

The four started shivering, but it was not just from the change in temperature; it was the overwhelming power she radiated. Suddenly, the black gauntlet on Euclid's left hand froze, surprising the angered Euclid. 'That shouldn't be possible; this is a Longinus sacred gear. How did it fail so easily!?'

Even Esdeath frowned when that happened. She didn't do that. That could only to happen to a gear as strong as that if the device had a dominant water attribute, which she was strong against, but that was clearly aspected toward dragons. Unfortunately for her, that marked the end of the fight.

With the black gear out of commission, all the black orbs on his armor lit up in a flash of green light and the power Euclid continued to accumulate rampaged through his body. With the holy energy already spreading to every cell in his body, this was the end for him. However, before his death could become a reality, his whole body was encased in ice.

Laeticia couldn't believe what she was seeing. It looked right out of a cartoon. He was frozen. He looked like a picture. It was if he was frozen in a moment in time. What she didn't realize was how right she was. The ice was a compressed and transcendent version of her previous time-freezing ability.

Hanabi was of a similar mindset, but hers bred more self-loathing. If she couldn't even participate in this fight beyond capitalizing on a distraction, then she would stand no chance against Kaguya, a god. Then she looked at Esdeath. From what she remembered during the explanation she received from Rias, Esdeath was human before becoming a pillar. If she had that strength…

"Rias will have a ball when she sees you. And when she's done, so will I" Esdeath stated in the silent cavern, a sadistic grin clear on her face.

Slowly, Laeticia's consciousness began to fade. They had won, even if it was mostly thanks to the last minute save.