ch 28

Rias Gremory expected to feel the crushing pain of being smashed beneath the paw of a monstrous wolf, so when she didn't feel any pain, she wondered why. Looking up from where she was crouched protectively over Koneko, Rias blinked several times. Was she seeing things? She blinked again. Nope. She wasn't seeing things.

Standing in front of her was a woman with dark hair like midnight. This woman was not facing her, but facing the claw that had nearly crushed her and Koneko. The woman's kimono flapped as her arms shook. A tail poke out from underneath the short skirt of the kimono, splitting off to almost appear as if she had two tails. Cat ears sat on her head, twitching periodically.

"You are… Kuroka, right?" Rias asked.

Kuroka turned and gazed down at her with a single yellow eye. "That's right. And you're in the way. Grab Shirone and get her to that healer of yours. Leave this beastie to us."

Rias would have wondered what she meant by "us," but something powerful chose that moment to strike Hati Hróðvitnisson in the face. Fire burst from whatever had struck the beast. It was a gout of flame that rose in plumes from the monster's face like the nuclear explosions constantly happening in the sun. Hati Hróðvitnisson howled as it was sent sprawling to the ground. High above the beast, darting to and fro, was a blonde girl flying on a broom.

"Is that a magical girl?" asked Rias.

"No, that's Le Fay Pendragon, our mage," Kuroka said. "Now hurry up and get out of here! If Shirone dies because of you…!"

"Don't worry. I'm already moving."

Rias didn't need to be told twice, or even once, that she needed to get Koneko to Asia. Koneko was a beloved member of her peerage, a part of her family, and, more importantly, Naruto's girlfriend(?)—she still didn't know if that was the right term. More than that, Rias loved Koneko. She had loved Koneko before Naruto even showed up, and she would continue to love Koneko regardless of what her relationship to Naruto was.

She lifted Koneko into a bridal carry. She ignored the way her Rook's leg dangled from fibrous strands of muscle and, without even looking back at Kuroka and Le Fay Pendragon, she took off toward the last known location of Asia and Issei.

Koneko groaned in her arms.

~Devil Ninja~

"Kiba! Kiba-kun!"

It was the feeling of a hand shaking his shoulder that jolted Kiba awake. He groaned, blinking in an attempt to make the blurriness in his eyes go away. It worked, albeit, it took awhile. It was while he was getting his vision back that he realized someone was standing in front of him. As his vision sharpened, he noticed that it was Tsubaki, tears in her eyes as she shouted his name. He blinked several times, then groaned again, hair swaying as he shook his head.

"I'm fine. What happened? What are you doing here?"

"I came back to help. Reya is with Issei-san and Asia-san. Fenrir nearly killed you," Tsubaki said, still appearing ready to bawl her eyes out. "When you struck that wall, I was so worried. You weren't moving or anything. I thought you were dead."

"That so…?" Kiba recalled being struck by the giant wolf's paw. He couldn't remember hitting a wall. He must have blacked out before then. "Speaking of, where is Fenrir?"

"He's battling against the White Dragon Emperor," Akeno said. She was standing beside him and Tsubaki, arms crossed. Kiba thought she was trying to act cool at first, but then he noticed the blood seeping from between her arms.

"You're injured," he said.

"Not as badly as you," Akeno countered.

A loud rumbling interrupted their conversation as, without warning, the building several dozen meters from them exploded when something crashed into it. Fenrir. The wolf of Norse Mythology, the son of Loki, tried to flatten the person flitting along through the air.

White armor covered their body from head to toe. It looked like a type of scale mail created from dragon scales. Each individual plate glowed with power. Pinions jutted from the person's back, but they weren't the traditional devil wings found on devils. The spines were white, while the wings themselves were blue and shaped like elongated pentagons.

"Divide!"

Fenrir's claws were like blurs as they slashed at Vali Lucifer, the White Dragon Emperor, each one coming closer and closer to hitting their mark.

"Divide!"

Vali, wearing his balance breaker, continued dividing Fenrir's power. It didn't seem to do anything. Fenrir howled and rammed into Vali with all his considerable strength. Kiba barely had time to blink before Vali disappeared. Not even a second later, several buildings crumbled to the ground with a loud crash.

"If this keeps up, the dimension we're in is going to collapse," Kiba said.

"What should we do?" asked Tsubaki.

"I don't know if there's anything we can do," Akeno said.

Kiba, grunting, stood up. "Whether or not we can do something, we can't just leave things as they are. I don't know what's going on, but Vali is currently fighting our enemy, and the enemy of our enemy is a friend. Let's give him a hand this time."

"I suppose there's no other choice," Akeno said with a sigh. "Tsubaki-san, we're going to need that reflection magic you've been hiding as a trump card."

"Y-you knew about that?" asked a befuddled Tsubaki.

"Of course," Kiba replied. "We've got a ninja in our peerage."

"Naruto." Closing her eyes, Tsubaki pinched the bridge of her nose. "I should have known that Rias would use someone to gather intelligence on us, but I never imagined someone as loud as Naruto could do that. Wait. Did you say ninja?"

"Tsubaki-san," Akeno ignored her question, "please cover us from above. When the situation gets dire, I want you to use your reflection magic. Don't let Fenrir see you."

Tsubaki looked back and forth between them. She hesitated, her eyes straying to Kiba several seconds longer than Akeno. Finally, she nodded.

"Okay. Be careful, you two."

"We'll be fine," Kiba said. "I think."

"You think?" Tsubaki's eyes widened.

Akeno rolled her eyes. "Just get going. Wait until we begin the battle in earnest, and when you see an opportunity to use your magic, do so."

"Right." Tsubaki sighed and with one final glance at them, she took to the air and left.

"I think she likes you," Akeno said.

Kiba contemplated that. "You think so?"

"Definitely."

"I didn't know that."

"That's because you're clueless."

"I'm not Ise, you know?" Kiba joked before noticing the way Akeno flinched. He grimaced. "Sorry. That was tactless of me."

"I-it's not your fault," Akeno said. "Come on. Let's hurry up and give that White Dragon Emperor some help."

"Right."

Their wings appearing from their backs, Akeno and Kiba took to the sky. Their destination? The place with the most explosions happening.

~Devil Ninja~

Issei gaped at the wound on his chest. A sword was poking out of his back, but it wasn't a regular sword. Light emitted from it. It was a light sword, the kind used by exorcists of the Church.

Pain tore at his mind, ripping his ability to concentrate asunder. He couldn't even think of what to do. He could barely even breathe, it hurt so much.

Something hard slammed into his back. The sword was torn from his body as he soared to the ground, tumbling along before stopping. Lying on his back, Issei thought he heard someone screaming his name. It wasn't until his ability to think returned that he realized someone actually was screaming his name, Asia, who was kneeling beside him while crying.

"H-hang on, Ise-san!" Asia cried, her hands glowing as she used her Twilight Healing to fix him up. "I'll heal you in just a second! Just stay conscious!"

"Who stabbed me?" asked Issei with a groan.

"That would be me," a voice said from beyond Issei's feet.

He raised his head and nearly gaped as familiar white hair, red eyes, and a maniacal grin appeared before him. A light sword in one hand and a gun in the other, the man standing several meters from him wore the black habit of a priest, though his combat boots looked out of place. Both sword and gun were also the kinds used by exorcists. This man was as familiar to him as his own hand. Freed Sellzen. The insane ex-priest who had been killed during the Excalibur Incident.

"You've been… reincarnated?" Asia gasped in shock.

"That's right!" Freed's slasher grin nearly split his entire face in half as he spread his arms wide, as though preparing to hug them. "I've become a shitty ass devil like you! I normally would be upset by this, but I'm so thrilled about getting to see your disgusting fucked up faces that I don't even care! Now I get to kill all of you! I think I'll start with the little nun wannabe over there!"

He pointed at Asia, whose face had grown pale, though she didn't stop healing Issei until his wound was gone.

"Freed," Diodora growled. "You will not touch Asia. She is mine, or have you forgotten?"

Clicking his tongue, Freed said, "no, no. I haven't forgotten, your shittiness. I just let myself get over excited."

"Whatever," Diodora said. "Look, just kill that filthy dragon."

"Sure. Sure. Kill the dragon. I'll get right on it."

Issei was feeling better now; Asia really knew how to heal. The pain was completely gone. He stood up, his Boosted Gear flashing.

"Boost!"

"I see you're still using that shitty piece of Sacred Gear," Freed taunted.

"This shitty Sacred Gear is going to be shoved right up your ass!" Issei shouted.

"Boost!" came the Sacred Gear, as if emphasizing Issei's point.

"Ooohhhh! Scary! How frightening!" Freed pretended to be scared. The bastard. "But you know, I don't see how you could possibly shove anything up my ass… when you're going to die here!"

"Boost!"

Freed rushed at Issei with speed that exceeded his own, which meant he must have been reincarnated as a Knight. That kind of sucked. However, this was fine. Issei had been sparring against Kiba for a while now, and Naruto was also stupid fast. Freed was moving quickly, but it wasn't so quick that Issei couldn't track him.

"Boost!"

Issei hopped back as Freed tried to slice him apart with that exorcist light sword. The man missed, not even coming close, though Issei could feel the air being cut. He brought up his gauntlet-covered hand and prepared for his own attack.

"Boost!"

That was enough. With his Sacred Gear boosted up to five times, Issei had enough power to unleash his currently primary attack. As his power swirled within him, he directed it to the front of his gauntlet, forming a crackling red orb, which he slammed his fist into.

"Dragon Shot!"

A massive beam exploded from his fist, expanding quickly as it headed straight for Freed—except Freed was no longer there. The Dragon Shot blew through the area. It smashed into several buildings and carved straight through like they were made of mud. Freed was gone.

"Sorry!" a shout from above. It was Freed, descending toward Issei with a maniacal grin. "That sort of straightforward attack won't work on me, you shitty little devil bitch!"

Clang! Issei grunted as he raised his arm to block Freed's sword strike. As light sword met Boosted Gear, sparks emitted from the squealing metal, and Issei's legs shook from the force of Freed's attack. As Freed landed back on the ground, he launched a kick at Issei, striking him in the stomach.

"Ise-san!" Asia shouted.

As Issei held a hand to his stomach, which felt like a sledgehammer had slammed into it, he tried to think of a way to beat this guy. Surely, there must be something he could do? He had his whip, but that wouldn't work against Freed. He had his bilingual ability, but Freed didn't have boobs. He needed something that would not only boost his power, but also grant him speed.

"Asia!" Issei said suddenly as a thought occurred to it. "I need to ask you a favor!"

Asia was at his side in an instant. "What do you need from me?"

"Let me touch your boobs!"

"Fweh?"

"Your boobs. I need to touch your boobs." Issei held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. "I want to poke in them nips."

"M-my—you mean in public? B-but Ise-san!"

Issei clapped his hands together and bowed his head. "I know I'm asking for a lot, but please let me touch your boobs. If you do, I'm sure I can win!"

Naruto had told Issei several times that his lust could be used to give himself a temporary boost of power. That was why they trained using Oroke-chan, Naruto's female form. It helped him focus his lust into a weapon.

But what if he combined his lust for breasts with his love for Asia? Wouldn't that give him an even bigger boost? That was why he wanted to see Asia's breasts,to touch them. He was sure he could win if he got to fondle those sweater stuffers!

"O-okay!" Asia, despite her face being redder than a fire truck, got a determined look in her eyes. "I-if Ise-san says he needs my breasts, then I'll show them to you!"

Asia grabbed her nun habit and pulled the front open. She was wearing a bra, white cotton, very pure, just like her. Her cute little breasts were resting snugly inside.

"Oi!" Freed suddenly shouted. "What the hell is this? I thought we were fighting, not fucking! Do this shit after I've killed you!"

"Shut up, D-bag!" Issei shouted. "Can't you see this is the single most important event of my life?! I'm gonna poke Asia-chan's funbags! I'm gonna press them nips back into her marshmallow heaven! I'm gonna—"

"I-Ise-san!" Asia shouted.

"Woops! Sorry, I guess I got a little over excited."

"I-it's okay," Asia said, looking away. "Just please hurry. Having them out like this is embarrassing."

"Right." He faced her again and raised his hands. "I'm gonna poke them, okay?"

Her face turning an even darker shade of red, Asia nodded. "B-be gentle."

"Of course!"

Issei put his hands underneath her chest and pushed her bra over her breasts, revealing light pink nipples. They immediately stiffened as the cool air hit them.

"Hyan!" Asia moaned.

"What are you doing?!" Diodora shouted. "Don't touch her! She's mine!"

"Shut up, limp dick!" Issei shouted. "Asia has never been yours!"

Diodora turned red with anger. "Freed! Kill him! Kill him before he can lay a hand on my Asia!"

"Whatever," Freed mumbled, readying his sword. "Welp, you heard the man. Sorry, but I gotta kill you now."

Freed put on a burst of speed. Issei knew he didn't have much time left. He needed to act now!

Without a moment's hesitation, Issei raised his hands, extended his index fingers, and poked Asia's nipples. They felt amazing. They were a strange combination of hard and soft. Even though her boobs weren't very big, they had a great shape, and as he poked her nipples, they sank into the marshmallow softness of her breasts.

"Iyahn!" Asia moaned.

That did it. Issei was done. A loud gong! echoed within his mind. It was as though the heavens had parted before him and revealed the truth, or maybe the gates of hell were opening up since he was a devil. Either way, in that moment, Issei felt the all-encompassing truth that no one could escape from.

Breasts were the best.

Power exploded inside of him like an orgasm, except without him shooting his load all over the place. It was locked inside of him, a raging inferno of perverted energy that was just waiting to be unleashed. Yes, this was it. This was the ultimate power! The power of love and breasts, and a love of breasts!

"Welsh Dragon: Balance Breaker!"

Issei grinned as red armor covered his entire body. Pinions jutted from his back, not the black wings of a devil, but the leather wings of a dragon. His tail, which protruded from his butt, waved back and forth, whipping the air around to create miniature cyclones. This was his balance breaker. Boosted Gear Scale Male.

"Well, now," Freed began as he took a step back, "this might be a problem."

"A problem for you, maybe," Issei said. "Now I'm really gonna tear you a new asshole!"

Freed gritted his teeth, but he was given no time to comment as Issei pushed off the ground and threw himself forward. As he kicked up dust behind him, he flew at a speed that not even Freed, now a reincarnated Knight, could keep up with. The former exorcist didn't even have time to scream as Issei slammed into him like a demonic freight train.

Satisfaction. Pure satisfaction. That was what Issei felt as Freed Sellzan went flying. Of course, he didn't fly far. Issei launched his dragon tail at Freed, catching him before he could disappear and wrapping him up like a boa constrictor crushing its prey.

"Ack! Wait! You don't want to kill me!"

"No." Issei charged up another dragon shot. "I really do want to kill you. After everything you've done to Asia, to my friends and family, I'm not going to regret this. I'm not gonna regret shooting my load all over you! Dragon Shot!"

"NO—AAAHHHHH!"

With his Scale Male enhancing his ability to several times what his power usually was, the blast unleashed from his Dragon Shot was nearly twenty times larger. Freed couldn't escape. The massive torrent of energy washed over him. Issei actually felt the douchenozzle's body dissolve, freeing up his tail, which did not suffer from being hit by his own attack.

The energy died down. Issei took a moment to bask in his most glorious victory—until he noticed that the area around him, Asia, and Reya was no longer the dimension that they had been inside of. He looked around. Several dozen meters out, Fenrir was beating the crap out of an armored individual who Issei recognized as that dick Vali. Behind him and Asia, Sairaorg Bael was pounding the crap out of another wolf—Issei didn't know the name of this one—while a nekomata and some chick on a broom fought against yet another wolf.

"Freaking hell," he said. "How many Fenrirs are there?"

"Um, I think there's only one," Asia mumbled. "Those must be his children. I actually read about them when I was trying to learn about the other mythologies."

"That right?" It made sense. He shrugged. He couldn't think about that now.

"Asia!" Rias shouted as she flew down from the sky. Koneko was in her arms. Issei tried not to vomit in his faceplate when he saw the state she was in. "Asia, I need you to heal Koneko!"

"Oh, no! Koneko!" Asia was quick to begin healing Koneko, who Rias set on the ground.

As his girlfriend began working again, Issei heard several loud roars and looked up. That was when he saw something that he really wished he couldn't see. Sirzechs, Gabriel, Michael, Azazel, Irina, and Baraquiel were all fighting against ten massive dragons. Meanwhile, high in the air above even them was a man with blue hair laughing like a loon.

"We are so totally screwed," he murmured in shock.

~Devil Ninja~

Irina knew as the battle began that she was only getting in the way. She watched as Michael created spears of light all around him, launching them at the two Midgardsormr he was facing off against. Most of the spears were destroyed against the monsters' thick hides. However, a few penetrate their scales and sank into the soft flesh underneath.

Meters away and to her left, Sirzechs had transformed into pure energy, his very presence now monstrous and causing the world around him to warp as he fought against three more Midgardsormr. Irina's teeth rattled and she wasn't even near him! He sent lances of powerful energy at the dragons, which roared as they did their best to avoid getting too close. While it looked like Sirzechs surpassed both dragons in sheer power, the beasts were smart enough not to get near him, which meant they were in a stalemate.

Sirzechs and Michael weren't the only ones fighting. Both Azazel and Baraqiel were doing their best to take down a pair of Midgardsormr themselves. However, they were neither as powerful as Sirzechs nor as skilled as Michael. Azazel was being pushed back as he attacked Midgardsormr, a spear in each hand. Meanwhile, Baraqiel was using lightning to attack Midgardsormr from a distance. None of their attacks did much damage.

Irina was fighting her own Midgardsormr, though she only had one to contend with. That was good because she couldn't even deal with the one.

Her swords bounced off Midgardsormr's skin. Her spears shattered against its scales. Nothing she did damaged it.

Midgardsormr opened its mouth and unleashed a massive blast of fire, a cone of white hot flames that Irina barely avoided by flying up. Even though she dodged, the heat made her break out into a sweat, and the soles of her shoes melted.

I wish Dulio-sama was here.

If Dulio-sama had been here, then maybe she would have stood a chance. Then again, if Dulio-sama was fighting, she probably would have only gotten in his way.

It was tough to swallow, but the longer she fought, the more Irina realized that she didn't have the strength to fight against foes like this. She was useless. Michael-sama had made a mistake when he chose her to be one of his Saints. She was not worthy of being an ace.

Irina realized moments too late that her head wasn't in the battle. A massive tail appeared in front of her, and she had no time to dodge this one. Her entire front exploded as the tail smacked her. Agony flooding her body, she screamed as she rocketed down toward the ground. The air around her whistled, drowning out her pain-filled screams. She was going to hit the ground. She was—

"Whoa!" a voice said in her ear. It took her a moment, but she soon realized that she wasn't moving anymore. In fact, she was rather comfortable now, save for the pain from having been hit by a dragon's tail.

She looked up, into the familiar blue eyes of someone she knew very well. It was Naruto, one of the people who Irina now lived with thanks to the exchange program between the three factions.

"N-Naruto-san?"

"That was a pretty close call, huh?" Naruto's grin put the sun to shame. "You okay, Irina?"

"Um, yes." It was only after she started speaking that Irina realized she was in his arms. "Um, could you put me down?"

"Huh? Oh, sure."

Irina breathed a sigh of relief as Naruto released her. The more time she spent around him, the more she appreciated his strength and personality. At the same time, it worried her. If he kept sticking around Naruto, what would happen to her feelings for Issei?

But Issei also has a girlfriend. T-the bible says polygamy is sin, so I'd be a sinful woman if he and I dated, wouldn't I?

Then again, Naruto was also in a relationship with Rias, Koneko, Ravel, and maybe even that little one calling herself Ophis. Wouldn't dating him make her even more sinful? It probably would.

She would have to be careful of Naruto in the future—Issei, too, for that matter.

"Thank you for the help," Irina said.

"No problem," Naruto replied. "By the way, the dragon is coming back."

"What?!"

Irina whirled around to see that, yes, the Midgardsormr was coming back around for another attack. She braced herself.

She needn't have bothered.

A golden light zipped past her, and Irina almost gawked when she realized that it was Naruto. Her friend and housemate blitzed Midgardsormr with a powerful attack that she could barely see. All she saw was a ball of light forming in his hand, followed by a loud cracking wail, and then Midgardsormr's entire head exploded as Naruto slammed the sphere into it.

W-what sort of attack was that? Irina wondered.

She stared at the body falling to the ground, and then looked back up at Naruto… or where Naruto had been.

He was no longer there.

~Devil Ninja~

Vali flinched as Fenrir tried to crush him with its claws. Although each attack missed him by a hair's breadth, the wind pushing against him, force built up from the monster's swings, caused him to stumble. What's more, none of his attacks worked. Fenrir shrugged off every attack Vali launched, regardless of whether it was magic or a physical attack. This truly was an impressive beast.

Vali thought he might have been able to win if he used Juggernaut Drive, but winning wasn't his aim.

Arthur had better come through for me quick.

Arthur Pendragon was setting up a spell to contain Fenrir, which would allow them to lock this beast up and control him via Excalibur Ruler.

The problem was that the spell to contain Fenrir took time to complete. It wasn't as simple as creating a magic circle. This magic took time to create, time to cast, and time to execute. That was why Vali was fighting Fenrir. He was buying Arthur that time.

"Dragon Shot!"

A massive bullet of pure energy slammed into Fenrir's face, but while the monster shrugged the attack off, getting smacked in the face enraged it. Fenrir's roar echoed across the colosseum.

"Sword Birth!"

Dozens of swords shot up from the ground underneath Fenrir. Again, the weapons did nothing. They shattered against the monster's skin. Even so, the attack enraged Fenrir even more.

Vali used the beast's distracted state to launch his own attack, a projectile of energy that slammed into Fenrir's face. A massive explosion sent Fenrir back. As it dug its claws into the ground, a bolt of lightning struck it from above.

Two figures suddenly appeared before him, one darting along the ground with incredible speed, and the other flying down from above. It was Kiba and Issei. Vali stared at the pair, a single raised eyebrow.

"What are you two doing?" he asked.

"We're here to fight Fenrir with you. What's it look like we're doing, asshat?" Issei said, shaking an angry fist at him.

"I don't need your help," Vali said.

"What sort of douchey response is that?!" Issei shouted.

"While I'm normally not the sort who would intrude upon another person's battle, I really think we should work together," Kiba said.

Vali clicked his tongue. "Whatever. Do what you please."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Issei slammed his fists together.

It didn't take long before Vali realized that having two people—three if he included Akeno launching spells from above—that he didn't know fight alongside him was more of a hinderance than a help. Issei kept getting in front of him when he tried to attack. While Kiba was a bit better at not getting in his way, the Knight's fighting style ran contradictory to Vali's. He was nothing like Arthur despite also being a swordsman.

Vali tried to fling an energy projectile at Fenrir, but Issei got in the way, and the projectile exploded against his back. Issei screamed and stumbled forward. Growling, he turned around and yelled at Vali.

"What the hell, Vali?! Why did you do that?!"

"Don't blame me!" Vali shouted back. "It's your fault for getting in my way!"

"Getting in your way?! You're the one who's in my—whoa!"

Issei and Vali had been practically nose to nose when they were forced to leap apart. Fenrir's claw passed between them. As the beast's paw slammed into the ground, the earth shook and several large chunks of rock flew at the two, uplifted from the force of the palm slam.

"Now isn't the time to argue, you two," Kiba said as he tried to cut into Fenrir's body—tried being the keyword. His sword shattered against the wolf's body. In return, Fenrir tried to swat him aside, but Kiba darted backward too quickly for it to hit him.

Issei growled, but he didn't argue. "Then what do we do? Nothing we've done so far has hurt this thing."

"We don't need to defeat it," Vai said. "We just need to keep it distracted while my companion casts his spell."

"Got it," Kiba said, readying his blade. "Let's go, Ise!"

"Right!"

Vali hung back as Kiba and Issei attacked Fenrir together. They split up as the giant wolf tried to smash them, each attacking from an entirely different direction and angle. Issei came in high. Kiba attacked from down low. While Kiba swung his blade at Fenrir, slamming it into the monster wolf's lowerback, Issei launched a powerful punch that rang out like a thunderclap.

Neither attack did anything to Fenrir, who shrugged off both the punch and sword like he was being splashed with water.

"This isn't doing anything!" Issei shouted.

"Then it just means we need to try harder," Kiba said.

Fenrir tried to smash into them, but Issei and Kiba leapt back, causing the beast to roar and try to launch an energy blast at him.

"Reflection!"

A large mirror appeared in front of the energy beam. The blast hit the mirror. Then it bounced off and struck Fenrir. A loud roared echoed off the walls, rending the air. Vali frowned. There was a burn mark on the wolf's face.

Kiba and Issei moved in again, launching a double attack that made Fenrir stumble back, although no discernible injuries could be seen-outside of the one on its face.

Wearing an intense frown, Vali waited until Kiba and Issei were out of the way. Then he launched a powerful kick that echoed across the colosseum with a loud bang. Fenrir, who was smacked face flushed in the snout, reared back and took several staggering steps. The wolf shook its head. Snarling, it glared at Vali, whose only response was to smirk.

"This is my victory," he proclaimed.

As though his words were prophetic, a magic circle appeared underneath Fenrir, who looked down in shock as several chains wrapped around it. The wolf struggled. It didn't do any good. Those chains were not the kind that could be defeated with sheer strength, and unfortunately for Fenrir, strength was all it really had. Soon enough, the monster was pulled into the portal that opened underneath it, disappearing from view.

"What just happened?" asked Issei, scratching his head as he landed next to Kiba and Vali.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Vali responded. "If it's all the same to you, I'll take my leave now. I got what I came here for."

"Ass," Issei muttered.

Vali didn't listen. He had done what Ophis asked of him and got a prize out of it. He was satisfied.

I wonder how the others are doing, Vali thought as he disappeared within a portal himself.

~Devil Ninja~

Le Fay flew around Hati on her broom, launching several spells at the giant creature. The bolt of lightning flew from a magic circle and struck the beast dead on. She frowned when she noticed that it was negated by Hati's fur. Grounded? It looked like the fur acted as an insulator.

Down below was Kuroka. She launched numerous fire-like projectiles at Hati, a pale blue ball of flame, each of which struck someplace vital. These couldn't be shrugged off as easily as Le Fay's basic spells, which were the only spells in her arsenal that she had used so far. They were nature magic attacks. Those were quite deadly.

I can't let her be the only one doing something.

Le Fay decided to that it was time to bring out the big guns, and by big guns, she meant some of her most advanced and powerful spells. Black magic. White magic. Norse Magic. Fairy Magic. Teleportation circles. She knew spells from everything, but she wouldn't use those spells. If she was going to defeat Hati, she needed something more powerful, something with more "oomph!" as Naruto might say.

"Septem diebus et septem noctibus combures. Qui intelligunt, peccata poenitentiam de caelo et facies iudicium. Fulmen caelestis."

A giant magic circle appeared above Hati, numerous powerful and ancient seals and symbols lining the entire thing, circling around and within it. Many people would never be able to read those symbols. They were archaic. Each symbol lined the inside, sealed within a circle and a hexagram. Energy gathered within those circles, fire, roaring and powerful.

A little more time…

"Hey, Fay!" Kuroka shouted as she leapt backward. Her blue flames, infused with nature magic, engulfed Hati but didn't actually damage the wolve. They merely grazed its fur, which was almost like armor. "How much more time do you need?!"

"Just thirty more seconds!"

"Damn. All right!"

Hati leapt into the air and tried to crush Kuroka underneath its weight. While the black nekomata was able to avoid it, leaping backward, the rumbling earth made her lose her balance.

Perhaps the wolf sensed that she was off balance, for it leapt at her with claws and fangs bared. However, Kuroka was a nekomata, a cat monster, and Hati must not have known that cat's had a great sense of balance. What at first seemed like Kuroka being thrown off balance was soon revealed as a feint. Hati's head was rocketed back when Kuroka kicked the underside of its chin.

Le Fay looked away from the battle happening down below and up at her magic circle. Power crackled inside of it. Flames of holy white fire swirled around like a tornado. It was ready.

"My spell is ready, Kuroka!"

Kuroka didn't look up. She leapt back several meters with a few massive leaps that relied on her powerful legs. Hati tilted its head, confused, as Kuroka suddenly split into several different Kurokas. It was an illusion used to confound one's sight. Only an expert in the sage arts could use it.

Le Fay raised her hand, and then, with a deliberately swift movement, she brought it down hard.

A massive flame shot from the magic circle. It descended to the earth. Hati didn't even get a chance to move before the flame slammed into him. The last Le Fay saw of Hati was the wolf roaring in agony before he was consumed by the divine fires of her forbidden magic.

"Sorry," she apologized softly, "but I couldn't let you keep rampaging. You hurt Naruto's friends. That's unforgivable."

She looked around. The other Norse wolf had been defeated by the one known as Sairoarg Bael. Le Fay hadn't seen what had happened because the beast had been defeated so fast, but it didn't matter. With Hati now dead, she and Kuroka's task was done. It was time to leave.

Le Fey sighed. She had really wanted to see Naruto.

~Devil Ninja~

Naruto didn't really know who the guy in front of him was—well, that technically wasn't true. He had never seen the guy before. However, there was no mistaking that hair.

"Sasuke!" Naruto pointed. "You've grown out your hair! And dyed it. Yuck. What an ugly color. Who the fuck dyes their hair blue? What kind of pansy are you?"

The one whom Naruto called "Sasuke" stared at him like he'd just shit a brick. His face soon turned an interesting shade of crimson, and several tic marks appeared on his forehead, bulging veins that throbbed in time to his angrily beating heart.

"I do not know who this Sasuke is, but I do not appreciate someone interrupting me while I look down on all the people who are trying and failing to defeat my minions."

"You even talk like Sasuke."

"Shut up!"

"Sasuke" created several dark purple bolts of lightning, or something very close to it, which he sent hurtling at Naruto. While Naruto had no idea what sort of magic this was, he wasn't too worried. It was moving slowly—well, slowly for him.

With his chakra cloak activated, dodging the lightning was a simple matter. He used the immense speed granted to him to practically disappear and reappear at will. To the average eye it would look like he was teleporting, but the simple fact was that it was just pure speed.

The lightning struck the colosseum down below. It exploded with enough force that even Naruto, several dozen meters above it, was pushed back by air currents. That kind of power was beyond the average devil.

This guy must be Loki.

As a god of Norse mythology, Loki was an extremely powerful existence. Naruto didn't know how powerful, however. That was the problem. Without knowing his opponent's capabilities, finding a way to defeat him would be difficult.

Even so, he was positive in his ability to defeat Loki. Yeah, this guy was a big bad with god-like powers, but he couldn't have been more powerful than Ophis. The problem wasn't a matter of "could Naruto beat him?" The biggest issue was "could Naruto beat him without destroying the entire city?"

Naruto clicked his tongue when several burns appeared on his arm after he blocked one of Loki's fireballs. He retaliated by sending six chakra claws with a Rasenshuriken on them. Five of the six were destroyed before they could even reach Loki. The last one slammed into Loki's face.

Chuckling as the Norse god screamed and flew backwards against his will, Naruto flapped his devil wings and soared toward him. This Loki character seemed like a long-range magic user. Magic users normally sucked at close-combat, so if he got close and personal, he should be able to wail on this guy.

"Rasenrengan!"

Once more, Naruto created numerous rasengans with his chakra arms and launched them at Loki from different angles. The Norse God clucked as he sent lances of bright yellow energy outward, slicing through the chakra claws with ease. He then pointed a finger at Naruto. The finger crackled, sparked, and then a massive spear composed of white lightning blitzed toward him.

"Bijuudama!"

Beast balls were a specialty of the Bijuu. For Naruto, the holder of Kurama, now a ten-tailed being with incredible power, creating one was as easy as breathing.

The lightning spear was annihilated by the Bijuudama, which continued on to strike Loki. Sadly, Loki wasn't a god for nothing. With a scream that rang out across the entire colosseum, he punched the Bijuudama with his bare hand.

He probably shouldn't have.

For the first time in awhile, Naruto used devil magic to create a shield around himself as, worse than the fiercest tempest, a great wind kicked up from the explosion and threatened to blow him away. It howled in his ears, loud and ferocious. The wind was too great. Naruto flew down toward the ground, slamming into it with enough force to leave him breathless. However, he knew that he couldn't stay there, lying around like a lemon. If it was bad for him, it would be worse for his family.

Naruto stood up. His legs threatened to snap. He looked around. Irina was lying on the ground, her body slowly being crushed by the immense pressure generated from the attack.

Activating his chakra cloak, Naruto rushed over to her. He knelt down and covered her body with his own. As he shielded her, Naruto created a shadow clone, which created a shield out of chakra hands and ran off. Seeing how the clone was successful, he created several more. Their job was to find his friends and shield them from the backlash of his attack as well.

"This is a lot more powerful than I thought it would be."

"Did you already forget that I have ten tails now? How about that mountain you and I accidentally destroyed? What were you expecting?"

"I don't know. I didn't think he'd try to punch it."

"I'm beginning to think all gods are idiots. Not that you're much better."

"Ouch. Harsh much?"

The howling, fierce winds eventually died down. Naruto had been using magic and chakra to protect himself and Irina, so he hadn't realized it at first, but upon looking up, he discovered that he and Irina were lying in a massive crater. No, it was more like a canyon. Numerous land masses towered over him and Irina. There were several paths where the earth had cracked that he could walk through.

"Nnngg…"

Naruto looked back down as Irina groaned, her eyes slowly flickering opening. She blinked several times.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Nnn… I'm okay," she slurred. "I…" she trailed off. Naruto wondered what was going on as her eyes slowly widened and her face turned red. "Um, N-Naruto-san?"

"Yes?"

Irina's thighs squirmed. "Could you please, uh, get off of me?"

"I suppose I could."

Naruto stood up, then offered his hand to Irina, who stared at it for a moment before placing her own hand in it. He pulled her to her feet.

"What happened?" asked Irina.

"Ah. This is my fault," he admitted. "I didn't think Loki would try to punch my attack. Had I known he would do that, I would have used something that couldn't be punched."

Irina stared at him. "This is… the result of Loki punching your attack?"

"It's called a Bijuudama," Naruto said. "It's used by gathering chakra and densely packing it into a ball about the size of my fist before shooting it at someone. It has enough raw power to destroy a mountain. I figured Loki wouldn't be able to block it like he did."

"I…" Irina paused, shook her head, and then started again. "I don't even know what to say to that."

Naruto shrugged. "We can worry about what you should say later. For now, we should go find our friends."

Without waiting for her response, he grabbed her hand and gently tugged on it to make her follow him.

Irina squeaked.

It was a rather cute sound.

~Devil Ninja~

The battle was over, which meant it was time to reconnoiter, reconvene, and recuperate. Damage had to be cataloged. Casualties had to be estimated. There was a lot to get done, which meant that Naruto and the rest of the Gremory Peerage were essentially free until further notice, since they had little to do with this particular issue. They were neither officials nor leaders. Let the adults handle the aftermath.

Of course, just because the battle was over, that did not mean Naruto would get to rest.

"What were you thinking, Naruto? Using an attack like that in the middle of the colosseum?! Don't you realize we all could have died?!"

"Sorry…"

"Sorry doesn't cut it! Honestly, do you ever think about these things before you do them?"

"Sometimes."

"That was a rhetorical question!"

Naruto was kneeling on the ground inside of his and Rias's bedroom in the hotel that Rias's peerage was staying in. He was getting a verbal reaming from his girlfriend/master/probably future wife. Of course, he understood that he actually did deserve this. He hadn't really thought about how strong his bijuudama had become, but he should have. It was obvious. Who else the hell destroys entire mountains on accident just by releasing their power?

Koneko, Ravel, and Ophis were conspicuously absent.

So he knelt there, knees on the floor, hands against his knees, and silently listened as Rias ranted until she ran out of breath. It took awhile. By the time she was finished, her face was flushed red, and she was huffing as she sucked in oxygen.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"No," Rias said, regaining her breath.

In a move that was as sudden as it was surprising, Rias grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket. She hauled him to his feet and kissed him. It was an intense kiss filled with anger. Naruto… wasn't particularly bothered by this. He kissed back and soon discovered something wonderful as Rias all but threw him on the bed and tore his clothes off.

Angry sex was pretty awesome.

Naruto remembered Jiraiya once telling him about angry sex. He hadn't really listened at the time, though he did remember his perverted sensei extolling the virtues of a good, hard fucking while a woman was angry.

Well, Jiraiya was right this time.

Rias was normally quite docile in bed. She preferred being on bottom as opposed to being on top, often letting him do whatever he wanted to her body. It was always Naruto who was in charge. She just went along with it.

Not this time.

This time, Rias was on top. Her kisses were filled with fire, commanding and bold. If it weren't for the fact that he was perfectly willing, he would have said she was raping his mouth. Likewise, she wouldn't let him touch her. She did the touching. Every time he tried to do something, she swatted his hands away before resuming her own activities. Her own hands were reinforced with her Powers of Destruction, so they kind of stung when she hit him.

Naruto loved being the more commanding one in bed, but even so, he couldn't deny that a domineering Rias was pretty fucking hot.

It wasn't long before Rias spent all of her anger. It seemed that angry sex was not only demanding, it also took a lot of energy. She barely lasted fifteen minutes before she was spent.

"Feel better now?" Naruto asked.

"Much better." Rias sighed as she nuzzled her face against his shoulder. Now that she'd spent all her anger, she was being awfully affectionate.

"So…" Naruto began.

"So… what?" asked Rias.

"About the colosseum… are they gonna fix it?"

Rias shifted some more, trying to find a comfortable position as she spoke. "They haven't decided yet, but I don't think so. You can't fix what isn't there."

Naruto's Bijuudama hadn't just damaged the colosseum. It had annihilated the colosseum. There wasn't a single brick left. The entire structure had been destroyed, utterly wiped out right down to its molecular constituents. Erased. All that remained was the canyon that had been created by the backlash from Naruto's attack, a testament to the power that Kurama now possessed.

On a side note, the silver-haired valkyrie he had fought was now in the hospital. It seemed she had been put into a coma after he ripped off the mind control device. He would need to analyze it with Kurama. Speaking of…

To think we didn't even use a one hundredth of Kurama's power.

It was almost frightening how much power Kurama now had at his disposal. Having absorbed Kaguya and the other Bijuu, Kurama was on par with Ophis in terms of sheer limitless energy—a fact that greatly intrigued Ophis and the main reason she had kidnapped him in the fist place.

"I guess so. What about injuries?" he asked.

Rias hummed for a moment. "There were a few injuries, but fortunately, they were miner. My brother, Lord Michael, and Azazel were able to shield Sona's and my peerage from incurring further damage. What injuries there were, were all healed by Asia. Ravel also managed to escort all of the civilians to safety, and I hear Raynare even helped protect them when several norse warriors tried to ambush them."

"Ravel…" Naruto smiled. "She's very good at managing others."

"She is."

"Can I ask another question? Why are you letting me date Ravel and Koneko?"

"Your real question is: Why am I allowing you to have a harem, right?"

"Yes."

Polygamy was an accepted practice in the Underworld. Even so, no one wanted their significant other to be with someone else. He was sure that if their situations had been reversed, he would not want Rias dating, sleeping, or otherwise being intimately involved with another man. Her actions were incomprehensible to him.

Rias didn't speak for several seconds, but that was fine. He knew she was gathering her thoughts. While she decided on which words to choose, Naruto spent that time caressing her hips.

"As a King, I must consider the feelings of my peerage. A good King always takes her peerage's thoughts, desires, and emotions into account. What's more, I am a Gremory, and for us, our peerage is a part of our family. I love you and Koneko, so of course I'm going to let her be with you. I want for her happiness as much as I do yours. As for Ravel…"

"Rias?" Naruto prodded when she trailed off.

"Sorry." Rias shook her head. "It's not really my place to say. Suffice to say that Ravel, as a Rook, has given up her title as Heiress to the House of Phenex. Her potential will be wasted if she stays in her mom's peerage, since her mother is no longer taking part in rating games, and I shudder to think about what would happen if she was traded off to someone who would abuse her. It's better that she becomes involved with you. Once you become a high class devil and earn the right to have a peerage, she'll make a great addition."

"You really are too kind." Naruto kissed her hair.

"Of course, Koneko and Ravel aren't the only ones who love you."

Naruto paused. "They aren't?"

Partially sitting up to look at him with an incredulous gaze, Rias said, "don't tell me you haven't noticed the looks that Irina has been giving you."

"I did notice them, but I thought she was just being curious," Naruto admitted. "Doesn't she like Ise?"

"I believe her feelings are divided on the matter, but I somehow don't think she loves Ise. She and Ise are childhood friends. However, being childhood friends doesn't mean they're in love. That said, I do think she had a crush on Ise when they were younger, which explains why she's divided on who she likes."

As Naruto thought about that, Rias laid back down, using his shoulder as her pillow.

Naruto didn't love Irina. He liked her, certainly, but they hadn't really spent enough time for him to say he loved her. It wasn't like Ravel and Koneko, whom he had bonded with over the course of time. At the same time…

"That's only part of the reason you're allowing this, isn't it?" Naruto guessed.

"You're right. There is one more reason." Rias rubbed his chest, eyes staring through the window several meters from the bed. "Naruto… did you know that your eyes light up whenever you're being affectionate?"

"They what?"

"They're like a pair of bazillion watt bulbs," Rias continued. "When you and I are going on dates, when you're pampering Koneko, kissing Ravel, or shopping with Irina, your eyes become these beacons of joy. It's like the happiness you feel is so strong that it radiates from them. Seeing you like that made me realize that what gives you the most happiness is making others happy. You give yourself freely to anyone who asks. That's why you were so willing to agree with Ophis after she kidnapped you."

Naruto wondered if the heat spreading across his face was due to the temperature. That must have been it. He should create a clone and turn the thermostat down. Did hotel rooms in Hell even have thermostats?

"I'm not sure that's it," he began. "I mean, it's true that I like helping others, but…"

"No, that is exactly it," Rias countered before he could make an argument. "You're so completely selfless that you would give yourself to just about anyone. While that's kind of annoying, it's also one of the things I love about you the most. If I didn't let you make those girls happy, it would hurt you, and it'll be a cold day in Hell before I let that happen."

"You know that Hell does have winters now, right?"

Thanks to Beelzebub, the Underworld was now blessed with four seasons. Naruto didn't know the specifics. However, he knew that weather manipulation was difficult to create.

Rias slapped his chest. "Ass."

Chuckling a bit, Naruto soon settled down and grew contemplative. "What about you? Doesn't it bother you that I'm in a relationship with several other girls?"

"Not really. I mean, kind of, but not really at the same time." Rias paused here, gathering her thoughts. "I know that if I asked you to right now, you would break off all relations with the other girls. That's why I'm letting you have a harem. As long as those girls love you, and you love them, I'm not going to tell you to stop."

Naruto had not realized that Rias had seen through him so thoroughly. She was right. He loved Ravel and Koneko… and probably Ophis and perhaps eventually Irina if he chose to let himself grow closer to her.

However, Rias was his priority. If there was an existence around which he revolved, that would be Rias. Even if it hurt him, if she said, "I don't want you to see them anymore." Then he would obey her, not because she was his King, but because she was just that important to him.

"I appreciate that," Naruto whispered.

Rias kissed his bare chest. "Anything for my future husband."

Silence ensued in the large hotel suite, with the only sounds being the nightlife outside. As he listened to the noises coming from several stories below, a frown soon crossed his face.

"Rias?"

"Yes?"

"Where are Koneko, Ravel, and Ophis?"

"Uh…"

~Devil Ninja~

Koneko sniffed the air several times, tracking the familiar scent of her sister. It wasn't like the woman was doing much to mask her presence. She was probably leaving a trail on purpose so Koneko would follow it.

The trail led outside of the hotel, toward the back, in a small alley. Kuroka was leaning against the wall, arms crossed under her chest, lips peeled back in a small grin. The black kimono that covered her was quite revealing. It didn't do anything to cover her cleavage, and it split apart at the bottom, showing off her legs.

Koneko frowned. She wasn't the modest type, but she at least had style.

"What do you want, Kuroka?" she asked.

"Is that anyway to treat your big sister, Shirone?" asked Kuroka, smiling her cat-like smile.

"That isn't my name anymore," Koneko said. "My name is Koneko Toujo. I'm a member of Rias's peerage now, not your little sister. That girl died after you abandoned her."

"Are you so sure of that?" asked Kuroka, pushed off the wall and walking forward. She stopped when barely half a meter separated them. "Blood is thicker than water, you know. You can change your name, try to forget about your past, but you and I will always be sisters."

"That sort of twisted logic doesn't work on me anymore." Koneko glared at the older nekousho. "Now what do you want?"

"Such impudence." Kuroka lowered her head and sighed. When she looked back up, her eyes were sharp. "I figured I'd give you a warning. You should be more vigilant from now on. Loki isn't going to let what happened in the colosseum go. You and the rest of the Gremory Peerage put a serious damper on his plans. What's more, Naruto injured him greatly. He'll be coming after you in full force soon."

"Whatever." Koneko crossed her arms. "If he's got a bone to pick with us, then so be it. Naruto and I will kick his ass from here to Kingdom Come."

Kuroka's smile sent a chill down her spine. "Is that so? I noticed you've been using Sage Mode. I'm rather proud of you, Shirone. It seems the blood that boils for battle is stronger in you than even I imagined."

"You're wrong," Koneko said immediately. Her rebuttal made Kuroka frown. "I'm not like you, Kuroka. I don't take pleasure in combat."

"Are you so sure about that?" Kuroka's lips peeled back, revealing her pearly white teeth. "We nekousho are violent. Battle is in our blood. These peaceful days with the redhead's peerage, how long do you think they will last until you grow sick of them?"

"If you're trying to taunt me, you're going about it in a piss poor way." Koneko closed her eyes. "These peaceful days will last forever. Rias-buchou, Naruto, and even Ms. Kentucky Fried Chicken."

Kuroka blinked. "Kentucky Fried Chicken?"

"Even if the world finds itself at war, I only need to be with those three for my life to be at peace," Koneko continued. "They bring me a peace that you never could."

"My, you've become quite mouthy, but that's okay." Kuroka waved her hand and a purple portal appeared behind her. "One day, you'll come to understand that we nekousho can't live without violence. I'll be waiting for when that day comes."

As Kuroka disappeared into the portal, Koneko continued to frown at the spot where her sister had vanished. That meeting had been strange. Kuroka had warned her to be careful of Loki, and then taunted her about the nature of their species. What was up with that?

"Stupid sister," Koneko murmured. "That day will never come."

~Devil Ninja~

Ophis sat on top of the hotel building, her legs dangling off the ledge as she stared at the city below, watching the people as they moved.

The capital city of the Underworld was a bustling place filled with noise. It used to bother her. This noise had always been annoying. She used to hate it.

For some reason, it didn't bother her as much as it used to.

It must be Naruto.

Naruto was an oddity that she knew nothing about. He'd come onto the scene randomly, appearing like a storm. She'd felt his power across a vast distance and decided that she was going to have him help her reclaim the Dimensional Gap from Great Red. To that end, she'd asked Team Vali to bring him to her. They had.

However, in exchange for his help, he had asked her to live with him. She had agreed. It didn't matter to her where she lived right now. So long as she reached her end goal, kicking out Great Red from her home, nothing else mattered… or so she had thought.

A presence appeared behind her.

"I thought I might find you here," a voice said.

"Vali." She didn't look at the White Dragon Emperor as he walked up to stand beside her. "I thought you had already left."

"I decided to stick around for a while," Vali said. "You seem to be enjoying yourself."

"I am not sure what you mean by that."

"I've been watching you," Vali continued. "You smile a lot more when you are with Naruto."

"Do I?"

"You do." Ophis felt Vali's gaze on her, but she paid it no mind. "It almost makes me wonder. You seem so content to live with him. Does that mean you no longer have any intention of fighting Great Red?"

"Of course I do," Ophis answered immediately.

"Really?"

Ophis finally turned her head to frown at Vali. "Are you implying that I no longer desire to return home?"

"I'm implying that you no longer wish for the silence of the Dimensional Gap," Vali returned.

She didn't show it on her face, but his words struck a chord with her. It was true. The longer she spent in Naruto's presence, the less annoying the noise of this world became. More and more she was becoming interested in Naruto. He was powerful. He formed strong bonds with others. He had agreed to help her but asked that she live with him in return. Nothing he did made sense to her, and she wanted to find out what made him tick, but more than that, she was drawn to his strange charisma.

Ophis turned away from Vali again. "Even if I decide not to live in the Dimensional Gap, I still want to kick Great Red out. It's revenge for kicking me out first."

"I see." Vali chuckled. "That's good to hear. I was worried you had forgotten your true desire while you were playing house." Vali's power flared briefly as he opened a portal. "Well, I'll be heading back now. I'm sure the others have already returned, and I have a new wolf to break in."

With that, Vali left, and the noise of the city was, once again, the only thing Ophis could hear.

She didn't mind.

~Devil Ninja~

"AAAHHHNNN!"

Loki never knew such pain existed. It was like every molecule in his arm was on fire. Even now, days after returning to Asgard, the phantom pain in his arm—his missing arm—was tormenting him.

"Nnnggg! Damn that… damn that devil!"

He lay on a slab of metal, a medical table that was none too comfortable, but fortunately, the agony ripping through his now non-existent arm blocked out the sensation of everything else.

Standing beside the table, using healing magic to try and heal his arm, was Eir, Norse Goddess of Healing. Her dark red hair fanned across her face. Blue eyes were dull and lifeless as they stared at his wound. She had placed her hands on the stump of his missing arm, green energy emitting from her palms as she did her best to sooth his injury.

Loki's arm had been completely annihilated when he tried to block that blond brat's attack by punching it. He had been so sure that he could defeat anything thrown at him. He was a Norse God. He wasn't like those inferior creatures from Christian mythology. Anything they could dish out, he could take and return a thousand fold. Those had been his thoughts at the time.

His arm had paid the price for his hubris.

"You're quite lucky our master was watching out for you," Rizevim Lucifer said, standing on the other side of the table. "Were it not for his benevolence, you would have surely died."

Loki gnashed his teeth at the devil's condescending look. "Do not speak of that… that thing as if he was my master. I have no master. I am my own master."

Rizevim clicked his tongue chidingly. "Really? Have you forgotten that it was our master's power that allowed you to conquer Asgard, enslave its population, and kill Odin. Without him, none of this would have been possible. He is your master, whether you want him to be or not."

Loki would have growled, but he was in so much pain that he couldn't muster up the strength to do anything else.

He hated to admit it. He hated the idea of being on another person's leash again. However, it was true that everything he'd accomplished had only been made possible because of that thing called itself the true leader of the Khaos Brigade.

A shudder passed through him as he thought of that man, that monster, whatever it was. He still remembered his first meeting with that being. He still recalled the fear he felt as the being's power washed over him. It had been like drowning in a sea during a storm.

"Of course, our master did not save you merely out of benevolence," Rizevim continued. "He expects you to pay him back."

"What does he want from me?" Loki asked in a growl.

"Oh, nothing much." Rizevim smiled. "He just wants you to force Naruto to use Sage Mode more. You didn't accomplish that this time, but he's sure you can do it, if you try hard enough."

Loki knew of Sage Mode, but he didn't know why this "Master" wanted to make the blond brat use it. There was something odd about that. However, he could think on it later.

"Fine," Loki said. "Tell your master that I'll force the brat to use Sage Mode."

"Good. I'll report that to our master."

Loki snarled as Rizevim disappeared through a portal. As Eir continued working to heal his arm, he stared up at the ceiling and made a promise to himself.

Just you wait. Soon, I'll gain more power than you can possibly imagine. Then I'll kill both you and your master.

Ragnarok would be coming soon.